21 Cozy Winter Cocktails to Try

"'Tis the season for warm mugs, cozy spices, and robust liquors like bourbon and rum. I've spent years testing cocktails (over 300 cocktail recipes at this point), and winter cocktails hold a special place in my repertoire. Winter drinks are less about refreshment and more about comfort. There's everything from the classic hot toddy, mulled wine, and spiked hot chocolate,"

"Choose quality spirits: Winter cocktails often highlight a base spirit, so using good bourbon, rum, or whiskey can make a noticeable difference. I typically reach for mid-price bottles. Use warming spices: Cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and allspice are ideal in cold-weather drinks to add aromatic warmth. Don't skip fresh citrus: Even in winter cocktails, fresh-squeezed lemon and orange juice provide brightness: never used bottled juice!"

Winter drinks emphasize comfort over refreshment, featuring warm mugs, spices, and robust liquors such as bourbon and rum. Seasonal flavors include cranberry, apple, pear, pomegranate, coffee, Baileys, and chocolate. Key tips include choosing quality spirits—often mid-price bourbons, rums, or whiskeys—using warming spices like cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and allspice, and never substituting bottled citrus for fresh-squeezed lemon or orange juice. Many winter cocktails, including mulled wine and spiked cider, scale well for batching at parties. A recommended recipe is a cranberry orange whiskey sour using bourbon, fresh orange and lemon juice, and unsweetened cranberry juice, served over clear ice.

Read at A Couple Cooks