Winter Cocktail Recipes To Warm You Up

Certain seasons bring out certain kinds of booze. And while the passing of summer meant saying goodbye to a season full of rosé and sangria, fall and winter bring with it a whole new host of beverages to enjoy that are equally as exciting and delicious — like whiskey cocktails.

So because we know staying warm is just as important as getting your drink fix (and sometimes, they’re one in the same), we’ve compiled a list of cocktails made from one of the most deliciously warming liquors out there. Whether you’re a fan of boozy Vietnamese Irish coffee, like to go the classic route with a Manhattan, or want something more adventurous to sip on like a chamomile honey-infused whiskey cocktail, look no further for your new signature winter sip. Cheers!

Whisky Sour

You can never go wrong with a whiskey sour no matter what the season, and that goes double for winter. Try this recipe and have one for us.

Serves: 2 drinks

Ingredients

4 ounces American rye whisky (or another whisky or bourbon)

juice of 2 lemons

1½ ounces simple syrup (made by combining 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water and boiling until the sugar has dissolved)

maraschino cherry, for garnish

orange wedges, for garnish

Instructions

In a shaker, combine the whisky, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Fill the shaker with ice and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into two glasses filled with ice, and garnish with a cherry and an orange wedge.

Red Rover

Blends whiskey with tart citrus to create this perfectly balanced cocktail. The bourbon, blood orange and ginger just meld in a perfect way that makes you wonder where this drink has been your whole life. It has more of a ginger ale taste that is really lovely, completely compliments and brings together all the other flavors.

Ingredients

2 oz bourbon

1 ½ oz blood orange juice

½ lemon juice

1 ¼ simple syrup

4 oz ginger ale

Garnish with fresh ginger, grated with a microplane or zester

Instructions

Add bourbon, blood orange juice, lemon juice and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker, shake gently.

Add ginger ale and stir to combine.

Pour into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with fresh ginger (don’t be shy, it’s really good)

The Mamie Taylor

Let’s go on the Southern route when it comes to whiskey, and we couldn’t approve more. Just mix rye whiskey, lime juice, and spicy ginger beer to create this cocktail.

Ingredients

2 oz. rye whiskey

.75-1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice

really good, spicy ginger beer

ice

lime wedges to garnish

Instruction

Mix the whiskey and lime juice in a highball glass. Add ice, then top off with ginger beer and stir. Garnish with a lime wedge. Voila! Easy and delicious!

The Red Hook

Let’s blend of sweet vermouth and whiskey work perfectly together to create a winter sip that’s not too heavy.

Ingredients

2 ounces rye whiskey

1/2 ounce sweet vermouth (preferably Punt e Mes)

1/2 ounce maraschino liqueur

Cocktail cherries (or lemon peel), for garnish

Instruction

Combine all the ingredients but the garnish in a mixing glass. Fill the glass with ice cubes and stir for about 30 seconds. Strain contents into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherries — or for a slightly drier presentation, try expressing and garnishing the drink with lemon peel.

Plum Ginger Whiskey Sour

Spicy, warming ginger meets plum in This recipe’s delicious take on the whiskey sour. This light frothy sensation is bursting with fall flavors… Just the kind of cocktail to sip with friends on a winter evening.

Ingredients

1.5 oz Bourbon (use a slightly overproof bourbon in this)

.75 oz Plum Syrup

.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

.25 oz Fresh Ginger Juice

One Egg White

Fresh Plum Slices

Candied Ginger

Instruction

Shake all ingredients together without ice, in order to emulsify the egg white.

Add ice to the shaking tin and shake again to chill the drink. Strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with candied ginger and plum.

Manhattan

Stay warm by nursing a classic like the Manhattan. Rye whiskey, vermouth, and a dash of bitters come together beautifully in this recipe.

Ingredients

Ice

2 parts whiskey

1 part sweet vermouth

1 to 2 dashes bitters, such as Angostura

Orange peel

Maraschino Cherries

Directions

Place ice in a cocktail shaker. Add the whiskey, vermouth and bitters. Rub the orange peel around the rim of the cocktail glass. Strain the drink into the glass. Add 1 to 2 Maraschino Cherries and enjoy!

Hot Toddy

Nothing fights off the cold weather like a hot whiskey drink. Try this recipe’s take on the Hot Toddy, and keep yourself feeling snug all season.

Ingredients

1-1/2 ounces whiskey (optional)

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cup hot water

1 tea bag of your choice

1 cinnamon stick (optional)

Lemon slices for garnish (optional)

Instruction

In the bottom of a large mug, add whiskey, honey and lemon juice.

Pour hot water in mug. Stir to dissolve honey and mix.

Add tea bag. Let steep for 3-4 minutes. Remove tea bag.

Drop in cinnamon stick, garnish with lemon slices and enjoy.

Old Fashioned

If you want to go old school, make this recipe and try your hand at mixing an Old Fashioned.

Ingredients

2 oz/4 Tbsp/2 shots bourbon/whiskey/rye of choice

orange slice

orange peel

2-4 sugar cubes

2-3 drops of Angostura aromatic bitters

large ice cube

Instruction

Two sugar cubes, more if you like it sweet.  Add 2-3 drops of bitters.  Don’t overdo the bitters.  The bitters are to add complexity to the flavor profile.  Too much and the drink may be undrinkable.

Add a slice of orange.  Muddle everything together until sugar cube has dissolved.  Don’t forget to muddle the rind to get the orange oils out.

Add two shots ( 4 Tbsp or 2 oz) of alcohol of choice.

Rub orange peel around rim of glass to get orange oils and fragrance to release.

Add a large ice-cube.  Don’t use small, crushed ice.  A large ice cubes melts slower, thus diluting your drink much slower.

Drop in orange peel and stir contents of drink together.

The Steadfast

Bourbon mingles with bitters and maraschino cherry in this “Steadfast” cocktail.

Ingredients

2 ounces bourbon

1 ounce maraschino liqueur

4 or 5 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters

orange twist, for garnish

cherry, for garnish

Instructions

Use a peeler to peel a thin strip of orange peel and twist it around your finger, then hold it there for a moment so that it stays twisted. Place an ice cube in your double old fashioned glass.

Shake the bourbon, maraschino liqueur, and bitters with a few cubes of ice with a cocktail shaker, then pour over ice and garnish with your orange twist and/or a cherry.

Chamomile Honey Whiskey Cocktail

Let’s go on the soothing route by combining honey and chamomile in this cozy whiskey cocktail. It’s the perfect throw-together-stick-in-the-fridge-for-later kind of drink. Low maintenance, no fuss. I might even double it. If I were to compare it to something, I’d say it’s almost like a hot toddy on ice.

Ingredients

6 chamomile tea bags

32 fluid ounces (4 cups) hot water

4 tablespoons honey

3 fluid ounces whiskey or bourbon

2 orange slices

3 lemon slices

Fresh chamomile flowers (optional)

Instruction

Make hot water, pour hot water over tea bags, add honey, add bourbon, let steep. Then shake in a shaker and pour over ice cubes. I even used the fresh, cute chamomile flowers as garnish.

Alpine Mud

Mint, bourbon, and chocolate milk may seem like an unlikely trio, but this recipe shows us that unlikely doesn’t mean it’s lacking in the deliciousness department.

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk

3 White Sage & Wild Mint Tea Bags from Juniper Ridge

About 2 tbsp. fresh mint leaves, torn

10 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

1 oz. bourbon per 8 oz. tumbler (I used Buffalo Trace)

Ice

Whole mint leaves for garnish

Instruction

Place chocolate chips in a medium bowl and set aside.

Add milk to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Remove from heat and steep teabags and 1 tbsp. of the torn mint leaves for 10 minutes.

Remove the teabags, set them aside and bring the milk to a light simmer. Remove from heat and immediately strain into the bowl of chocolate chips (removing the torn mint leaves), stirring until the chips are melted. I like to keep the chocolate from melting completely because I enjoy that “muddy” texture in the finished cocktail, but if you prefer it smooth, stir until the chocolate is completely dissolved. If the mixture cools before the chocolate is fully melted, reheat and keep stirring!

Add the used teabags to the chocolate milk along with the rest of the torn mint leaves. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Remove teabags from the bowl and pour mixture into a glass pitcher or jar. At this point, you can store it in the fridge or use right away.

Fill up to six chilled 8 oz. tumblers about 3/4 with ice. Pour a shot of bourbon into each glass, then add your infused chocolate mix to fill. You can transfer the contents to a shaker at this point, or stir to combine. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and enjoy!

Vietnamese Irish Coffee

Don’t pick between a coffee or a cocktail to keep warm. Have them both with Vietnamese Irish coffee. Luck o’the Irish to you! Oh, one last thing, do leprechauns (even the friendly-ish looking Lucky Charms guy) freak you out?!

Ingredients

Sweetened Condensed Milk, To taste

1 shot espresso

1 shot irish whiskey

Instruction

In two separate espresso cups, layer the sweetened condensed milk and espresso. Add the whiskey, mix and enjoy.