Our 31 Best Hot Winter Drink Recipes To Spread Holiday Cheer
Hot toddies, steaming cocoas, and toasty punches to warm you up this season
There's nothing better than a mug full of hot drink on a cold, wintry night. Start your mornings with a jolt of caffeine from a spicy masala chai, or spike an Irish coffee for a head start to your holiday weekends. You can put a little flare in your traditional hot cocoa by adding red wine or nutella. Or if you're an eggnog lover, try the tom and jerry. Whether you're looking for a warm, boozy punch for a crowd or a one-person cocktail to warm you up by the fire, our best hot winter drink recipes will warm you through the holidays.
Venezuelan Chocolate-Rum Drink
For when you can’t decide between a boozy nightcap or a creamy hot chocolate. Get the recipe for Venezuelan Chocolate-Rum Drink »
Spiced Percolator Punch
If a coffeemaker upgrade relegated your old percolator to the attic years ago, here’s another use for it: cocktail hour. Thrifty housewives have long repurposed the pot to make aromatic punches. The percolator continuously cycles hot liquids, which infuses spices and concentrates juices, making for a fragrant winter drink. Get the recipe for Spiced Percolator Punch »
White Nun
For this hot version of the White Russian, bartender Isaac Shumway of San Francisco’s Tosca Cafe ditches the vodka, mixing brandy and coffee liqueur with a hot coffee-cream mixture, and topping with cappuccino-like crown of frothed cream. Get the recipe for White Nun »
Mulled Apple Cider Concentrate
This cider concentrate makes your kitchen smell divine. It’s good drizzled over pancakes, added to homemade vinaigrettes or used as a ham glaze. For a quick, warming drink, spoon three tablespoons into a large mug and fill with just-boiled water. This recipe comes to us from Marisa McClellan, author of Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round. Get the recipe for Mulled Apple Cider Concentrate »
Cocoa Tea
With roasted and ground cacao nibs, milk, and warming spices, this traditional Caribbean “tea” is more of a hot chocolate. Get the recipe for Cocoa Tea »
Cabin Fever
Robby Haynes of Analogue in Chicago gives mulled apple cider some extra kick with spicy Old Overholt rye whiskey and a zippy demerara syrup accented with vanilla bean, cardamom, and blade mace. Get the recipe for Cabin Fever »
Last of the Ancient Breed Cocktail
In this warm drink, Alex Bachman of Billy Sunday in Chicago adds a mix of Jamaican and St. Lucian rums to a dry red wine reduction flavored with quince, chamomile, and bitter cacao nibs to balance the fruitiness. Get the recipe for Last of the Ancient Breed Cocktail »
Kuhano Vino
In central Europe, winter parties are fueled by this mulled wine. A fruity red wine works best for this richly spiced punch, so try a bright-cherry merlot or a jammy syrah. Get the recipe for Kuhano Vino »
Rakomelo
On Greece’s Cyclades islands, this sweet, anise-flavored drink is said to boost libido. Get the recipe for Rakomelo »
Atholl Brose
In 1475 in the Scottish Highlands, the Earl of Atholl captured a rebel leader by spiking his well water with honey, whisky, and oatmeal. Lucky rebel. Get the recipe for Atholl Brose »
Wassail
This British punch has its roots in a pagan rite in which revelers toasted to apple trees to ensure the harvest. The name comes from the Old Norse ves heill and Old English was hál, meaning “be fortunate,” which is how we feel when we drink it.
Get the recipe for Wassail »
Pearman's Toddy
Laced with cinnamon, lemon, and Angostura bitters, this gin-based drink is a brisk, warming twist on a toddy. Get the recipe for Pearman’s Toddy »
Calvados Hot Toddy
This variation on a toddy combines calvados, a French apple brandy, with hot cider for a drink that’s autumn in a glass. Get the recipe for Calvados Hot Toddy »
Spiced Tea (Masala Chai)
Cardamom gives this Indian drink a bright, piney sweetness tempered by a creamy base of evaporated milk and black tea. Get the recipe for Spiced Tea (Masala Chai) »
Arnaud's Café Brûlot Diabolique
Our simplified version of the flaming coffee cocktail served at Arnaud’s in New Orleans uses strong black coffee spiced with whole cloves and citrus peels. Orange curaçao and brandy give it a sweet, boozy kick. Get the recipe for Arnaud’s Café Brûlot Diabolique »
Colts Neck Toddy
Named for the New Jersey birthplace of Laird’s Apple Brandy, this toddy gets bittersweet complexity from cardoon-flavored amaro. Blow out the burning bourbon that floats atop the drink, then stir it in. Get the recipe for Colts Neck Toddy »
Hot Chai Toddy
The warm spices in chai echo the flavor of a typical clove-infused toddy. The addition of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and flinty black pepper, coupled with the tannic tang of the tea, made this warming drink even more appealing. Get the recipe for Hot Chai Toddy »
Honeyed Hot Cocoa
Honey adds unique depth as a sweetener for hot cocoa, balanced by a pinch of salt. Get the recipe for Honeyed Hot Cocoa »
Bittersweet Hot Chocolate with Red Wine
We love nibbling dark chocolate alongside a glass of red wine; the two flavors combined in a warming hot chocolate is an unexpected treat. Get the recipe for Bittersweet Hot Chocolate with Red Wine »
Nutella Hot Chocolate with Hazelnut Liqueur
Nutella stirred into hot chocolate lends a luxurious texture and great, chocolate-hazelnut flavor. For an extra dose of hazelnut, add a splash of Frangelico. Get the recipe for Nutella Hot Chocolate with Hazelnut Liqueur »
Hot White Chocolate with Cardamom
White chocolate is the perfect canvas for warm, winter spices such as cardamom and nutmeg. Get the recipe for Hot White Chocolate with Cardamom »
Fluffernutter Hot Cocoa
The winning combination of marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and chocolate makes an over the top cup of cocoa. Get the recipe for Fluffernutter Hot Cocoa »
Hazelnut White Hot Chocolate
White chocolate and Frangelico combine for a sweet, creamy drink that makes a perfect winter nightcap; all it needs as embellishment is a dusting of freshly grated nutmeg. Get the recipe for Hazelnut White Hot Chocolate »
Irish Hot Chocolate
Salted hot milk chocolate is enhanced with just a touch of Irish whiskey and a generous dollop of whipped cream. Get the recipe for Irish Hot Chocolate »
Mexican Hot Chocolate (Chocolate Caliente)
The best early morning breakfast to be found on the street of any Mexican city is a nice hot cup of chocolate caliente with some churros, sweet tamales, or fresh-baked sweet goods from a bakery. Made from just chocolate and milk or water, it’s a simple, rich drink. Get the recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate (Chocolate Caliente) »
