Spring may be just around the corner but there are plenty of cold and blustery days ahead. Here are a few ideas for hot cocktails that will keep your guests warm and happy.
Boozy Hot Chocolate
(serves about 10)
4 c. whole milk
2 c. Half-and-half
½ c. Dulce de leche
2 Cinnamon sticks
10 oz. 70% dark chocolate
2 tsp. Pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp. Kosher salt
½ c. Rum (coconut, Plantation 3 star, Bayou spiced, or Plantation)
Whisk together milk, half-and-half, dulce de leche, and cinnamon sticks in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 10 minutes. Return mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Gradually whisk in finely chopped dark chocolate, whisking until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in pure vanilla extract, kosher salt and rum. Discard cinnamon sticks. Serve warm in a glass with a cinnamon stick straw and whipped cream.
Kyle Harlan, beverage director at Mission Taco Joint in St. Louis and Kansas City, created this recipe.
Scotch Toddie
1 ½ oz. Monkey Shoulder Scotch
1 oz. Apple spice syrup*
½ oz. Ginger syrup**
½ oz. Fresh lemon juice
2 Dashes Angostura bitters
6 oz. Hot black tea
1 Cinnamon stick
Orange peel
Combine all ingredients except orange peel in preferred mug and stir. Using a vegetable/fruit peeler, peel a 2-3 inch piece of orange skin. Express oils from orange peel over the cocktail and drop peel into the mug.
The mixologists at Cultura in Asheville, NC, created this recipe.
*For Apple spice syrup: In a pot combine 4 red apples (cored and sliced), 3 cloves, 3 cardamom pods, ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, 3 all spice berries, ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg, 1 quart of sugar, and ¾ quart water. Over medium heat let the ingredients come up to a light boil. Simmer for 15 minutes and then turn off heat. Once syrup is cooled, blend everything together in a blender until smooth. Strain syrup through cheesecloth.
**For Ginger syrup: combine 1 quart of ginger that has been chopped into ¼-in. pieces, 1 quart of sugar, and ¾ quart of hot water in a blender. Blend until smooth. Strain through cheesecloth. Syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks when refrigerated.
Flu Shot
(shown atop)
1 oz. Iichiko Silhouette Mugi Shochu
4 oz. Chicken broth
1 tsp. Horseradish
Pinch salt
Pinch fresh cracked pepper
Heat chicken broth and combine all ingredients in a mug or tea cup
The mixologists at Street’s Fine Chicken in Dallas created this recipe.
Baby It’s Cold Out There
2 oz. Misunderstood whiskey
½ oz. Cinnamon syrup
½ oz. Lemon juice
4 slices Fresh ginger
3 cloves
Hot water
Pour ingredients in an Irish coffee mug. Top with boiling water and garnish with a small cinnamon stick with toasted rosemary.
The mixologists at Halifax in Hoboken, NJ, created this recipe.
Café Correcto Con Coco
¾ oz. Myers dark rum
¾ oz. Jameson Caskmates whiskey
1 oz. Brewed coffee
1 oz. Almond milk
Combine the rum, whiskey, and brewed coffee into a heated Irish coffee mug. Stir to perfection, then top with almond milk. For an added flair, garnish with a dusting of nutmeg and a few coffee beans.
The mixologists at Park Street Kitchen & Bar at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown created this recipe.
