Winter Cocktails
Explore 129 Winter cocktail recipes.
Winter cocktails do two things at once — they warm the room and they signal the season. The Hot Toddy is the working anchor: whisky, hot water, lemon, honey, sometimes a clove or a cinnamon stick, held in the hand for heat and sipped slowly while it cools. The Brandy Eggnog and Brandy Milk Punch sit on the richer side of the list, both leaning on dairy and warming spirits to push the drinks into pudding territory without crossing all the way over.
Tiger's Milk works the same dairy logic from a different base, and the Blue Blazer brings actual fire into the build for those rare moments when fire feels like the right answer. What ties this list together is shelter — these drinks are made to be drunk indoors, by something that gives off heat, with no rush. Most are built or stirred rather than shaken (no one wants ice rattling around in December), most lean spirit-forward or dairy-forward, and most reward the better bottle.
They're slower drinks than the summer list. Most pair well with food rather than competing with it — a Hot Toddy alongside a stew, an eggnog after dinner, a milk punch beside a slice of cake. Start small — the warmth makes everything read stronger than it would in a tall glass on a hot afternoon.
Our top Winter cocktail
Sugar Cookie Martini
Vanilla vodka, Amaretto, Bailey's, Milk
Top Winter cocktails
Piña Colada Milk Punch
Aged rum, Pineapple juice, Velvet Falernum, Lime juice, Sugar / simple syrup, Milk, Coconut water
Winter pimms punch
Brandy, Pimm's No. 1, Apple juice, Cinnamon, Apple, Orange
Tiger’s Milk
Cognac, Sugar / simple syrup, Cinnamon, Vanilla essence, Milk, Cream, Egg
Santa's Stiff Hot Chocolate
Dark rum, Honey, Milk, Vanilla essence, Sugar, Cinnamon, Hot chocolate
Winter Waltz
Rye whiskey, Allspice dram, Amaro, Aromatic bitters
Mince pie martini
Gin, Dark rum, Red vermouth, Mincemeat, Sugar
White Russian Christmas
Vodka, Coffee liqueur, Gingerbread syrup, Cream, Mincemeat
Mistletoe Margarita
Tequila blanco, Orange liqueur, Grand Marnier, Cranberry juice, Lime juice, Sugar / simple syrup