Records and Cocktails: Hot Drinks for Cold Weather

There is nothing like a warm drink in your hand when the weather turns nippy. And making them is a fun activity for those months when you’d rather see the sunset from your window than your porch. Here are a few of our favorite hot drinks for the season.

Ginger Hot Toddy

This is a Deep Cut spin on a classic. Ginger adds a spicy kick to the warmth, and we’ll never go back to making a toddy without one. Ingredients: 1 tea bag (Irish Breakfast, Earl Grey or some other black tea), 2oz Bourbon, ½ oz New Deal Ginger Liqueur, 2 tsp honey, squeeze of lemon. Instructions: boil a cup of water (8oz). Add the tea bag and let steep for 3-5 minutes. Add honey, lemon, bourbon, and ginger liqueur and stir. Add a lemon wedge for garnish if you like.

Red Wine Hot Chocolate

This is a concept an alcoholic toddler might come up with, but it has been embraced by people across the Internet, from hip food blogs to the New York Times. The original recipe from immaeatthat, which we will share here, is simple and delicious. If you want to get fancy, try this recipe from The Kitchn.

Ingredients: ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips, 1½ cups milk, 1 cup red wine. Place the milk and chocolate chips in a saucepan and turn the burner to medium heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted (stirring is annoying, but chocolate likes to burn if you don’t). Add the wine and keep over heat for a minute or two to make sure everything is warm before serving.

Glӧgg

Mulled wine is a favorite wintertime treat in Scandanavia and German. There are a few names and a few recipes: Glӧgg in Sweden, gløgg in Norway and Denmark, glögi in Finland, and Glühwein in Germany. We’re printing a recipe from the old standby, 12 Bottle Bar, but Scandanavians, including the Finish Government, are more than happy to supply others. 

Ingredients: 15 Blanched Almonds, ½ Cup Raisins, 4 Cups Red Wine, 4 Cardamom Pods, 3 Whole Cloves, 1½ inch stick Cinnamon, ¼ Cup mix of Dried Apricots and Candied Orange Peel, ¾ Cup Brown Sugar, Peel of ¼ Orange, 1 Cup Brandy.

Pour wine into a pot and add raisins and almonds. Take a cheese cloth, break open the cardamom pods, and add the pods, cinnamon, candied orange peels, and dried apricots. Tie the bag close, and place the bag in the wine. Combine the orange peel and sugar in a separate bowl. Let stand overnight. Then place the wine on a stove and bring to a simmer (leaving the spice bag in the wine). Add the orange peel and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the burner and add the brandy. Now the fun part. Set the mixture on alight, before smothering the flame quickly to avoid burning off all the alcohol. Let cool for a few moments before serving.

That should get you started until the weather gets really frigid. So grab some essentials and get your bar stocked. If you need a refresher on your shopping list to get the most drinks from the fewest bottles, check out our blog How to Stock a Great Home Bar.

Do you have a favorite winter cocktail, share it with us on Twitter or Instagram. You know we are always looking for the next great sip.

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