Winter Cocktail Time
By Jo Phillips
5 Winter Cocktails You Have To Try. Our favourite method to stay warm indoors as the weather gets colder is with a delectable, seasonally-themed cocktail. These drinks are certain to keep you toasty this winter, whether you enjoy yours with bourbon, rum, tequila—or even candy canes as a garnish. Here are some of our favourite cold-weather cocktails.
A touch of rum and cognac in a base of bourbon and rum adds complexity while making it less robust. You still get that toasty, drinkable cocktail, but you don’t feel like you’re being assaulted.
Ingredients
- 1 oz cognac
- 1 oz aged rum
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 5 dashes bitters
To this, add 3 ounces of boiling water. Garnish this with cinnamon sticks and even a fancy lemon wheel studded with cloves. Combine 2 oz bourbon, .5 oz honey, and a splash of lemon juice in a cup before adding hot water or herbal tea for a classic Hot Toddy.
It’s simply a Margarita with an egg white, but it has the same flavour as one. The base was split between reposado tequila and mezcal to add to the complexity. It gives you those summer tastes yet with the body of the mezcal and the smoke of the reposado tequila.
Ingredients
- 1 oz reposado (slightly aged) tequila
- 1 oz mezcal (like Del Maguey Vida)
- 1 oz lime juice
- .75 oz simple syrup
- 1 egg white
Shake all of the components together without ice, then shake again with ice, and you might want to try using cocktail shakers from Drinkstuff. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a salted rim. For a classic Margarita, fill a cocktail glass halfway with ice. Then rub the rim of the glass with lime juice and sprinkle it with coarse salt. Shake 2 oz tequila, 1 oz Cointreau, and 1 oz lime juice together in a blender with ice and strain into the glass over fresh ice.
The greatest winter cocktail is one that complements the season without being too specific to it. Although iced drinks are common in the summer, they are not always appropriate or desirable. Substituting gin for cognac in this drink changed it to a wintery version of itself.
Ingredients
- 1 oz cognac
- .5 oz lemon juice
- .5 oz simple syrup
- splash of sparkling wine
Fill the cocktail shaker halfway with ice and add the cognac, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Strain into a Champagne flute and top with Prosecco or another dry sparkling wine. Lemon twist for garnish. Pour .5 oz lemon juice into a mixing glass along with 2 oz London dry gin and 1 tsp superfine sugar. Shake well for at least 30 seconds before straining into a Collins glass half-filled with crushed ice, then top up with Champagne.
Replace the usual white rum in a Daiquiri with an aged rum that has those caramel undertones. It’s still well-balanced, light, and effervescent, yet it has a deeper spiciness to it than the typical white rum.
Ingredients
- 2 oz aged rum (like Diplomatico Venezuelan)
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- .75 oz simple syrup
Combine the ingredients in a blender with ice. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish if desired. Squeeze .5 oz lime juice into a shaker, add .5 tsp superfine sugar, then 2 oz white rum. Pour over ice, then strain into a cocktail glass after shaking well with cracked ice.
The original is a classic, with scotch combined with ginger, honey, lemons, and a Laphroaig mistsh over the top. It’s like it was made for the season.
Ingredients
- 2 oz blended scotch
- 1 oz lemon juice
- .5 oz honey syrup
- .5 oz ginger syrup
- .25 oz Laphroaig scotch
Shake the scotch, lemon juice, and syrups with ice and strain into a double old fashioned glass with a single large ice cube. Float Laphroaig on top of the drink by spooning it over the back of a bar spoon, then garnish with a lemon wheel.
