Top Winter Cocktail Ideas Made For Sipping By The Fire

As the temperatures drop, turning the world outside snowy and dull, it’s time to transform your home into a warm and cozy haven. Warmth and well-being in the winters aren’t only the dominions of Christmas. These barrel-aged winter cocktails usher in that warm buzz all winter round.

Do you love liquors aged in bourbon barrels? You can purchase used bourbon barrels and start making the best barrel warmers for the winter.

Cinnamon Hot Toddy

A hot toddy is a hugely popular winter drink that’s known for warming you up to your bones. In this recipe, we will be giving it a delicious twist to make it even better for those freezing days. The twist is everyone’s favorite winter combination: apple and cinnamon.

Recipe

All you will need is apple liqueur, sugar, apple juice, and some cinnamon. To begin, fill a pan with just enough water to cover 150grams of castor sugar. Cook over high heat till you have a golden caramel. Be careful not to burn it, and add the next ingredients just as it turns golden. If it turns brown, it’s burning.

Once you reach the perfect caramel state, swirl in 500ml water till completely combined. Now simply stir in the apple juice and cinnamon. Once that’s mixed in well, add 165ml of your favorite apple liqueur.

Beer, Coffee & Whiskey

This recipe combines two winter favorites- coffee with whiskey. The surprising ingredient in it is the bourbon barrel beer. Now you might think that a stout might not taste that great with whiskey and coffee. However, bourbon barrel-aged beer is far more flavorful than your regular pint. Depending on the barrel used to age it, beer aged in bourbon barrels can be infused with oak, coffee, caramel, and many other notes. This makes it a perfect fit for winters when you might be craving beer. Visit The Younger Brothers and get Kogi Coffee now.

Recipe

All you will need to whip up this extraordinary cocktail is a coffee stout beer, simple syrup, lemon juice, angostura bitters, and whiskey. The citrus is added as a simple Italian trick to awaken the flavors of espresso.

Just combine all the ingredients and garnish with a lemon wedge for the perfect winter wake-me-up!

Whiskey Eggnog

Eggnog is a world-renowned winter drink. It is the spirit of Christmas. Add a dash of whiskey, and you’ll have yourself one of the best bourbon drinks for the winter. Whiskey eggnog, especially one using barrel-aged whiskey, will keep you warm long after Christmas has passed. The cocktail here also uses coffee for its aroma.

As long as you have eggnog on hand, this recipe is simply a question of bringing all the ingredients together at a warmish temperature.

Recipe

Start with 3 cups (0.71 l) of eggnog and 1 cup (0.24 l) of warm water, simmering till steamy. Mix in 2 teaspoons of your favorite instant coffee and your barrel-aged whiskey.

For garnish, simply top it up with whipped cream and dust with coffee powder for a very Instagrammable drink!

Mulled Wine

This famous sweet but spicy wine cocktail is another familiar winter drink that brings the holidays to mind. Mulled wine is usually made with any dry red wine. The spices can include any number of winter spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, and more. You can always use a Merlot for this recipe- however, a more original touch would be to use a bourbon barrel-aged wine for this recipe. Wines aged in used bourbon barrels are smokier than an old-fashioned bottle of wine. The wine is sweeter and smoother despite its alcohol content being on the higher side. It makes for a wonderful spiced winter drink that raises the spirits when it’s dreary and dark outside.

Recipe

For this exciting cocktail, start with your choice of wine poured into a deep saucepan. Cut 3 or 4 round large orange slices with or without the rind (that depends on you). Using the peel will leave a bitter after-taste, and without it, the wine will be fruitier. Add a splash of brandy to this. Cinnamon is ordinarily always used for the spices, so add two sticks or a tablespoon of ground cinnamon powder.

After this, you can use whatever whole spices you would like. Star anise, ginger, bay leaves, cloves, and cardamom pods are fairly common around the world. Add whatever spices you like to the saucepan along with sugar, honey, or some sweetener to taste. Cover and simmer the mixture on very low heat for a minimum of 15 minutes. You can cook longer depending on the wine being used, but be careful not to cook off the alcohol in it.

There you have it! The perfect winter drink for long after the bells stop jingling.

Bourbon Milk Punch

Another cocktail that preserves the holiday spirit all winter long is this delicious punch that brings milk and bourbon together. Much like an eggnog drink, this too is one hearty and rich drink for the cold dark days ahead. Any bourbon that is barrel-aged, especially those in oak barrels, will be absolutely incredible for this recipe. The smokiness and hint of oak in the bourbon are complemented perfectly with the creaminess of the milk and the scent of vanilla.

Recipe

Making this cocktail is simply a question of gathering all the ingredients together. All you need is whole milk, bourbon, and simple syrup. Furthermore, you can also opt to add vanilla and grated nutmeg for an incredible winter punch. The simple ingredients also mean that you can experiment with the quantities, spices, and anything else you’d like.

Put together all the ingredients except for the nutmeg in a shaker. Strain the drink into your glass, top with your grated nutmeg, and you have yourself a cocktail you cannot stop drinking.

Butterbeer

Let’s be honest. There is nothing better to do in winter than to watch re-runs of Harry Potter cozied up in blankets. The worst part? We can’t take part in their Christmas feast or drink the delicious butterbeer every winter. However, now you can!  Doesn’t that sound magical! This recipe is slightly more complicated but worth the effort. It will transport you to Hogsmeade in the winter, and unlike Harry, you will have no reason to feel left out.

Recipe

An essential ingredient in this recipe is cream soda. The ratio is 1:1:6. Meaning the first two ingredients will be the same amount, and the cream soda will be six times the amount used for the first two. Start with butterscotch schnapps and add to it the same amount of vanilla vodka. Fill up after with cream soda, and that’s it! Top off with some whipped cream for a magical cocktail.

Conclusion

Every recipe used here is great for warming you up in the winters. In fact, you can easily make the barrel-aged drinks mentioned here at home. All you need are used bourbon barrels and barrel warmers if you stay in colder climates, and you can start on your newfound hobby. Winter cocktails call for much more rich, complex alcohol, and barrel-aged drinks are the best for those.

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