These are 10 of my favorite warm cocktails to make at home during the winter! They’re beyond cozy, whip up in 15 minutes or less, and are guaranteed to help you make it all the way to springtime.
Winter is not exactly my favorite season. It’s freezing. It gets dark at 4pm. There’s honestly not much to do except sit in my house and try to maintain sanity and heat retention.
So for me, nothing lifts my spirits like a hot cocktail that I can make from the comfort of my own home when it’s 20 degrees outside. That’s where these delicious recipes come into play!
From unique riffs on classics to traditional cocktails your grandma used to make as cold remedies, these are truly (in my opinion, at least) the best warm cocktails of all time. So I’m confident there’s a perfect hot drink for everyone on this list 🙂
Easy cocktails are my love language and I try to keep it fairly simple when it comes to making drinks at home, so these recipes whip up fast and don’t require an insane amount of ingredients. They also use a wide variety of liquors/spirits and range from healthy-ish to sweet and decadent.
More Winter Cocktails To Make At Home
- 7 Hot Rum Punch Recipes to Warm Up Your Winter
- 20 RumChata Drink Recipes That Redefine Delicious
- 10 Easy 2-Ingredient Christmas Cocktails
I’ve made all of these recipes many times and PROMISE you won’t be disappointed with any of them. So with that said, let’s get right into these cozy cocktails!
10 Best Warm Cocktails To Make At Home This Winter
Classic Mulled Wine
To start us off, we have one of my favorite warm drinks of all time: mulled wine. Mulled wine goes by many names: Vin Chaud, Glögg, Wassail, Gluhwein... but no matter what you call it, it's delicious and perfect for winter sipping.
Ingredients for this recipe include red wine, brandy, oranges, honey, and a few spices. This is my go-to recipe for mulled wine because it's non-fussy and incredibly tasty. It also doesn't use any juices to dilute the alcohol, which is always a plus.
Easy Hot Toddy
Another classic and simple cold weather drink! Whether you're battling a cold or just want something to sip by the fireside, the hot toddy is a perfect choice.
This is a pretty traditional recipe that uses whiskey, lemon juice, honey, and warm spices. It's exactly how my own grandma makes them, which is how you know it's good!
Bourbon Spiked Hot Apple Cider
Spiked apple cider is a truly comforting drink and probably the hot cocktail I make at home the most.
For this cocktail, I try to get the best apple cider possible because you really can tell a difference (at least for the first glass or two...). Otherwise, all you need is some brandy, spices, and citrus to balance out the sweetness of the juice.
Hot Buttered Rum
If you've never had hot buttered rum before, prepare yourself for deliciousness! This cocktail has sugar, spice, and everything nice. It also makes your house smell beyond incredible.
In this recipe, you make spiced butter with brown sugar, nutmeg, honey, cloves, and cinnamon. From there, you just add the spiced butter to a glass and pour your rum and boiling water over it. Add whipped cream on top to take it to a whole new level of cozy!
Easy Spiked Hot Chocolate
This spiked hot chocolate is only 5 ingredients and is (surprisingly) not that bad for you! It uses 2% milk, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and bourbon.
If you have kids, it's also super easy to make without alcohol, so you can kill two birds with one delicious stone!
Boozy Chai Latte
I had never had a boozy chai latte before stumbling across this recipe, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it changed my life (well... maybe a little).
It brilliantly spikes a traditional chai tea with spiced rum and Cointreau for extra depth and flavor. The result is seriously like a hug in a glass that you never want to let go of.
Irish Coffee
All you need is three ingredients to make this timeless cocktail: Irish whiskey, black coffee, and whipped cream (which is optional, but highly recommended).
It's a perfect cocktail if you need to put a little extra pep in your step. I also like making it as a night cap sometimes and just use decaf coffee instead of regular.
Hot Green Tea with Vodka
Not gonna lie, I was skeptical when a friend first sent me this recipe. But if you like green tea and vodka, it's kind of hard to beat as far as winter cocktails go!
It's similar to a hot toddy, but it really couldn't taste more different. Green tea, vodka, lemon, and honey to taste are the only ingredients you need to whip it up. I highly recommend trying it with some pistachio biscotti for the ultimate cozy pairing!
Homemade Hot Spiced Bourbon Eggnog
If you think eggnog is only for the holidays, this recipe is about to change your mind. I was extremely intimidated by making homemade eggnog from scratch, but this recipe is actually really simple and it's totally worth it.
Altogether, it only takes 15 minutes to make and it's so much better than cold, store-bought eggnog! It also calls for an entire cup of bourbon, so you know it's going to warm you from head to toe.
Pumpkin Hot Coconut
To finish us off, I have my favorite discovery of 2021: Pumpkin Hot Coconut. It's basically a riff on hot chocolate... but without any chocolate and about a million times better.
The main ingredients are coconut milk, pumpkin purée, and rum. It's incredibly simple, unique, and unbelievably delicious despite being somewhat healthy (emphasis on somewhat).
Toast some marshmallows in the oven for two minutes and serve on top with a shredded coconut rim for extra deliciousness!
These warm cocktails almost make me excited to hunker down in my house for the rest of winter… almost. Regardless, I hope they inspired you to open up your home bar and make yourself a hot, tasty treat.
Although these are my all-time personal favorite, I know some of you will have your own go-to warm cocktails. If you do, please let me know in the comment section below so I can give them a try 🙂
Wishing you all a safe, warm, and boozy winter!