Getting merry with a warm winter drink is part of the fun during a time of year that’s otherwise swathed in eternal darkness and soaked in dreariness.
So, jolly adults among you, get yourself in the festive spirit as we run through the 11 best soothing winter drinks and Christmas cocktails of the season, and where you can sample them at their very best!
1. Christmas Rum Punch
Christmas Rum Punch: it only happens once a year, but it’s always worth it.
Although the ingredients vary from recipe to recipe for this potent concoction, the basic directions are to take a bit of Christmas, a bit of rum, and then punch yourself in the throat. At least, that’s how you’ll feel afterwards. If you want to keep it wholesome, head to Martha Stewart’s website for a scrumptious Christmas Rum Punch recipe.
Where to drink it:
You’ll find variations of this festive staple just about anywhere this time of year – and not least at your office Christmas party. But, if you really want to try the real deal, you should get yourself to Jamaica, where the weather perfectly matches the heat garnered from this fiery little demon of a drink.
2. Whisky Mac
Now you’ve added a splash of whisky, time to make this drink more Christmassy!
Way better than your sober Apple computer, the Whisky Mac has been raising temperatures since it was invented by a commanding officer in the British Raj. Equal parts malt whiskey and green ginger wine makes an excellent winter warmer-upper, with some people adding a dash of hot water to cement the fact.
Where to drink it:
Any pub with a log fire is ideal for a whisky mac. If you want to keep it Scottish, you can’t go wrong with The Blue Blazer pub in Edinburgh.
3. Bombardino
Treat yourself after a day’s skiing with a boozy Bombardino.
The Bombardino is an Italian skiing favourite, combining equal parts brandy with eggnog or Advocaat. The name is a summing up of how the drink hits you like a bomb.
Where to drink it:
On the ski slopes of the Dolomites, of course. It’s the go-to drink in places like Cortina where being seen and the good life manages to take precedence over the glorious ski runs that surround it.
4. Eggnog
A festive cocktail that will even make the reindeer jealous.
Eggnog is the embodiment of all things Christmas: it’s sweet to the point of sickliness, has way too many calories and, once that glass is empty, you won’t want to think about going near it again for at least another year. And yet, this molten-thick treat still rocks our Christmassy socks off.
Where to drink it:
Despite originating in the East Anglian region of the UK in the late 18th century, this gooey stomach liner is synonymous with the great U.S. of A. You can try in any of the 50 states around this time of year, but we like the idea of making your own at the State and Lake Tavern in downtown Chicago.
5. Hot Buttered Lemonade
This alcohol-free thirst quencher is still worth trying this winter.
The first non-alcoholic drink on our list (and the last!) turns people’s love for lemonade and butter into a surprisingly tasty treat. It’s the closest you can get to drinking a lemon tart, and that can only be a good thing.
Where to drink it:
A soft drink, you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled for this one. Our recommendation is to simply demand the staff of whichever restaurant, bar or laundrette you happen to be in makes it for you on the spot. Here’s the recipe so you can give them directions.
6. Pear Brandy Sidecar
This fruity winter cocktail is as classy as it looks.
Sidecars always have lemon juice and brandy in them, but the pear brandy variety has a thick gooey pear element that will perk you up by the log fire. Be warned though, you may not be ready for a drink this deliciously syrupy. While there are a few variations out there, we like the ratios in the ‘perfect’ version.
Where to drink it:
Any cocktail bar worth its salt will sort you out with a sidecar but, seeing as its origins stem back to post-WWI Paris, that’s probably the classiest place to order one.
7. Hot Toddy
Winter in a warm glass, a hot toddy is a great post-Christmas blues drink.
The Hot Toddy is the cure-all for what ails you – it’s popularly recommended as a bedtime drink to those feeling the winter chill and wanting to sweat out any seasonal bugs. But this multi-talented star makes an excellent drink at any hour with its lemony sugary kick and clove aftertaste.
Where to drink it:
The Hot Toddy is considered a base drink and has inspired a few variants out there, such as Esky’s Hot Spot which uses Irish whisky instead of scotch, and nutmeg instead of cloves. Our favourite is the Maple Syrup Toddy which, as the name implies, is a suitably Canadian affair. You can get maple syrup everything in Canadian cities, but give Quebec City a shot. You can also get this toddy south of the border, for example in Washington DC at Poste Brasserie.
8. Peppermint Schnapps Hot Chocolate
A seriously accessorized hot chocolate.
If you enjoy mint chocolate chip ice cream during summer, then it’s inevitable that you’ll want to savour a peppermint schnapps hot chocolate, sometimes known as a Peppermint Patty.
Where to drink it:
The best place to sample this spruced-up hot chocolate would be at the easily disputed home of schnapps itself – Germany. Order this in a traditional pub in Munich and prepare yourself for this warm, minty champion of a beverage!
9. Candy Cane Cocktail
Christmas cocktails don’t come any sweeter than this!
The most garishly-Christmassy cocktail on our list has no official ingredients other than a seasonal candy cane, hence the name. That being said, if you like your cocktail sweeter than a bunny playing with a puppy, then whatever the recipe on offer, you’re sure to enjoy it whether your bar steward is making it with vanilla rum or strawberry vodka – but never both! Pick your ingredients and check out the recipes from Martha Stewart, Betty Crocker, Pop Sugar and the Food Network.
Where to drink it:
The origins of this sticky treat keep many a confectionery-whiz perplexed, but there’s strong evidence that Albany, Georgia, is the home to the saccharine sucking sweet. We also think there’s no finer U.S. state to sample this cocktail – just don’t tell your dentist.
10. Tom and Jerry
This warm cat and mouse cocktail is worth catching this winter.
Dark rum, brandy, hot milk and a raw egg – from that list of ingredients, you can probably see how the drink truly evokes the horseplay of the classic cartoon from which its name derives … or maybe not.
However it got its cat-and-mouse nickname, this rich treat is here to stay, and great for those that want to pimp out the classic eggnog.
Where to drink it:
The Pegu Club in Manhattan’s SoHo area is one of the best places to sample it on the US east coast. Otherwise, the drink is a Mid-Western favourite and readily available around states like Wisconsin.
11. Mulled wine
Go Scandinavian this Christmas and sample some boozy glogg!
One of the most popular drinks in winter has to be mulled wine. The general idea is heating red wine with spices and fruit, but just about every country has their own version. For example, the Czech Republic has Svařené víno, Moldova has the peppery Izvar, and Turkey has their super sweet Sicak Sarap. Poland likes mulled wine so much, they even serve mulled beer there, otherwise known as Grzane Piwo.
There is one type of mulled wine that is truly synonymous with winter: gluhwein. The reason that German winter markets are so popular is almost solely down to the appeal of the stuff. It’s like mulled wine, but German, hence more efficient and more in control of the EU than your regular warmed up glass of red.
Where to drink it:
The Christkindlmarkt in Nuremberg is the most famous Weihnachtsmarkt in the world, so you know they’ve got to have some stellar gluhwein to boot. But every winter market will have some variation, even Winter Wonderland in London’s Hyde Park.
But our favourite type of mulled wine is the Scandinavian version, sampled anywhere from Copenhagen to Gothenburg, Bergen, and beyond. Named Glögg in Sweden, Gløgg in Denmark and Norway, and simply Glogg by us, it has to be the most powerful mulled wine out there, what with its addition of vodka, or brandy, or rum, or bourbon, or everything in the drinks cabinet at once.
Top tip: don’t use glogg to quench your thirst – your brain will end up as mulled as the wine.
