When it’s so frosty outside that you have to literally pry yourself out of your apartment for work, the best thing to do to recover from the outside temperature is to have warming cocktail. While everyone generally associates winter drinking with hot-tails like the Hot Toddy or the Irish Coffee (which surely do the trick), we’ve always found that boozy tipples that are meant to be sipped slowly have an even greater warming effect on your body. If you’re looking for the perfect libation to warm yourself from the inside, but don’t want to mix up something hot on the stove, these cocktails are the perfect solution. Here, seven cozy cocktails perfect for sipping when it’s cold.
With only two ingredients, this cocktail is the perfect travel companion when it’s bitter cold outside. You can pre-batch it to take to your cabin and drink fireside, or bring it to a friend’s for a cozy after dinner sipper. Just remember to opt for a higher proof Cognac—like Louis Royer Force 53 or Gourry de Chadeville Overproof Cognac—to give the cocktail a boozy heat that will last until well after your next sip.
The Essentials
Brandy
Angostura Bitters
Brandied Cherry
View Full Recipe
Stirred and strong (with an emphasis on strong), this regal variation on a Manhattan mixes Cognac with rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and Bénédictine. Served over a giant, slow-melting rock of ice, the Vieux Carre is meant to be sipped long and slow while it gradually turns your cheeks red and gives you an internal, warming euphoria.
The Essentials
Rye
Cognac
Sweet Vermouth
View Full Recipe
Featured in Charles H. Baker’s opus The Gentleman’s Companion, this unusual, exotic twist on the Manhattan is decadent, boozy and delicious. Made with rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Cherry Heering and absinthe, there’s no better cocktail to battle the frosty feeling in your bones. It will loosen you up so much that you won’t even need a jacket in a snowstorm.
The Essentials
rye whiskey
Cherry Heering
absinthe
View Full Recipe
Another Manhattan-esque wintertime treat, this slow-burner takes the deliciousness to 11. A mix of rye whiskey, dark rum and ruby port (in lieu of vermouth), the Suburban has an ultra-smooth texture and the potent heat of a Carribean beach in full sun.
The Essentials
rye
ruby port
dark rum
View Full Recipe
If scotch didn’t exist, the Scottish people would have frozen to death hundreds of years ago. Take a cue and mix up this cozy, velvety scotch-tail. Made with just two ingredients—scotch and Amaretto—the Godfather is so easy to concoct that you could manage to mix it up even with frostbitten fingers.
The Essentials
Scotch
Amaretto
View Full Recipe
This relatively unknown classic cocktail is one of the most underrated drams period—especially come winter. With a bracing minty-fresh backbone, and the deep, warming richness of Cognac in the forefront, there is no better way to fight the cold or enjoy a snowy day inside. Best of all, the Stinger can be pre-batched and bottled so that you can literally just pull your cocktail straight out of the fridge and pour yourself a glass the minute you get inside to your warm abode.
The Essentials
Cognac
Crème de Menthe
Mint leaf
View Full Recipe
Another underrated gem, the Corpse Reviver #1 is actually a superior cocktail to the Corpse Reviver #2—its more commonly known sibling. Excellent for cold weather brunching, this stirred drink is an elegant mix of Cognac, Calvados (a luxe French apple brandy) and sweet vermouth. This is the kind of cocktail that you mix up on a Sunday when there’s snow on your window sill and the only thing you want to do is drink, crank up the heat and hide under blankets.
The Essentials
Cognac
Calvados
Sweet Vermouth
View Full Recipe
Published on