8 Warm Cocktails for Winter Entertaining
It’s winter and we’re trying to spend more time outside, so warm cocktails are a great idea for winter entertaining.
Here are eight of our favourite warm cocktail recipes that are sure to be a hit at any holiday party you’ve got planned.
8 Warm Cocktails for Winter Entertaining
Toddies:
Toddy recipes vary greatly from family to family and bar to bar. However, the main ingredient tends to be whisky. Really you can probably use whatever spirit you choose to prepare a hot toddy as long as it is boozy and hot to shake off the chill of the evening. In fact, many will swear this is the best cure for cold symptoms as well. Toddies as warm cocktails also often contain spices such as cinnamon sticks, cloves, or nutmeg. The main ingredients tend to be two parts water, and two parts whisky. You can then sweeten to taste with honey and add a squeeze of lemon or a fresh lemon slice that will steep like a cup of hot tea.
Hot Chocolate:
When entertaining, set up a hot chocolate bar with choices of white or milk chocolate and an assortment of liquors and Irish cream. People can create their own concoctions, or you can prepare your own. Classic blends that work well are white hot chocolate with Frangelico, hot chocolate with any type of Irish cream, peppermint schnapps, and (of course) Kahlua. About a shot will suffice. Don’t forget our easy peasy homemade hot chocolate recipe!
Calvados and Cider:
You can prepare this drink in the same manner you would a hot toddy. Replace the water with fresh apple cider and the whisky with calvados and, of course, a cinnamon stick and cloves are musts to complete the warmth and fragrant welcome of this classic warm cocktail.
Mulled Wine:
This is a spicy treat that’s perfect to melt the frost off cold noses. Sugar is dissolved into fruity red wine and simmered with whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, oranges, and lemons. Some people even add a splash of brandy before serving. Think of it as hot sangria.
Tipsy Coffee:
Never mind dessert, warm cocktails are way better offering following a meal — especially “tipsy” coffee. You can use just about anything to make the coffee tipsy and treat it the same way as you would your hot chocolate bar. Put out your liqueurs and see what people come up with to create their own freshly brewed nightcap.
Arnaud’s Café Brûlot Diabolique:
This is a traditional New Orleans drink perfect for chilly evenings. Sip this by a fire with some zydeco music playing in the background. Deep, robust, dark coffee is infused with sugar, lemon peel, cinnamon sticks, and whole cloves, and finished with a splash of brandy. Traditionally the ingredients are warmed and then mixed in a large bowl that is set aflame. The hot coffee is added before serving and then ladled into elegant demitasse cups. Très chic.
Hot Coconut Milk:
For a tropical and quite healthful warm cocktail, combine warm coconut milk with bourbon or rum and sweeten with brown sugar. This is nice with a touch of allspice or vanilla for a more fragrant drink. It’s also perfect for dairy-free guests.
Hot Buttered Rum:
Even the name sounds decadent for this traditional drink that took off the edge of harsh Colonial rum. The nice thing about this drink is it is made ahead of time. Butter is beaten with dark brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and then kept in the fridge overnight. You then simply boil water and pour into cups with 1. 5 ounces of the rum and two tablespoons of your butter mixture when you are ready to serve. Rummy and yummy.
These warm cocktails will be like a cozy embrace that welcomes your guests on a cold winter’s night.
