As the temperature starts to drop, we’ve curated a few of our favorite winter cocktails to help keep things festive (and warm!) this season.
Tom & Jerry’s
A traditional Christmastime cocktail concocted back in the early 1800s, most folks describe it as a riff on eggnog, made with brandy and rum and served hot (usually in a mug or bowl). Super popular in the midwest (you can often find pre-made mix in most grocery stores), it isn’t something you can drink too many of, but it will undoubtedly warm you up from the inside out. It also can easily be adapted for those who aren’t drinking this holiday season—some like it over warmed milk or hot chocolate.
A fairly standard recipe can be found here (although be mindful of the number of servings—each serving only uses 1-2 tablespoons of the mix) and keep an eye out for vintage Tom & Jerry punch bowls at your local thrift shop to really impress your guests.
Penicillin
Why not give a nod to cold and flu season with this aptly named cocktail cure-all. Made with ginger, honey, lemon, and two different varieties of scotch (blended and single malt), this subtly-sweet but slightly woodsy drink is perfect for chilly winter nights. Be forewarned that while this is easy to mix and serve, most don’t have the (albeit simple) ingredients on hand, so it may require a little advanced preparation.
You can read about it’s creation and the standard recipe here.
Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail
Fancy enough for even the most discerning imbibers but simple enough to replace your standard brunch mimosa, this champagne cocktail uses seasonal pomegranates to spruce things up—you can even win bonus points by knowing (or learning) how to cut and de-seed a pomegranate (hint: it involves the back of a wooden spoon).
Easy to create and improvise upon (want it less sweet? Skip the Cointreau and lime juice. Want to make it super festive? Add a splash of cranberry juice.) he recipe can easily be adjusted to accommodate a small gathering or a larger crowd.
Cranberry Cinnamon Whiskey Sour
There’s just something about colder weather that has us wanting to find a big comfy chair near a roaring fire, where we can sit and sip some delicious brown booze. Like the penicillin cocktail listed above, this does require a little bit of prep, but through making an awesome batch of cranberry (also in season!) cinnamon simple syrup ahead of time, you can have this delicious drink whenever the mood strikes.
While we wouldn’t judge if you kept a big batch if syrup for yourself, it also makes an awesome gift.