5 Hot and Boozy Drinks That Will Cure Your Winter Blues
When it's freezing out (and even when it's not), you'll want to cozy up to these sensational, piping-hot spiked cocktails.
Winter is still going strong, and we're going to need some serious fuel to get through the rest of it. Here, five fabulous hot (and boozy) drinks, from a spiked hot cocoa to a vodka-splashed hot tea, to set us up for the weeks ahead.
Hot Cocoa on a Stick, St. Regis Resort, Aspen
Aspen's luxe St. Regis Resort is known for its fab apres-ski scene, which has seen the likes of Uma Thurman, Poppy Delevingne, Paris Hilton and the Kardashians pass through. Top off a frosty day on the slopes with the inventive hot cocoa on a stick at the resort's cozy Shadow Mountain Lounge. Six chocolate-cube-topped pops—two in each flavor including peppermint white chocolate, dark chocolate marshmallow and salted caramel—arrive on a platter with two cups of steaming milk. Stir your hot milk base with your stick, allowing the chocolate to melt into liquid, then add a shot of dark or white chocolate liqueur, peppermint schnapps, butterscotch schnapps or Baileys Irish Cream. Photo by C2 Photography.
Crown Apple Hot Toddy, Bill's Food and Drink, New York
Bill's Food and Drink, housed in a 19th-century townhouse in New York City, welcomes chilly guests with an exceptional version of the classic hot toddy. The Crown Apple, made with Crown Royal regal apple, honey syrup and fresh lemon juice, will take the edge off the harshest winter blues. Photo courtesy of Bill’s Food and Drink/Instagram.
Hot Apple Cider with Rum, Acanto, Chicago
You've had hot apple cider, but chances are you haven't had anything like the version at Chicago’s Acanto. The intimate Italian restaurant serves up a killer version called “#21,” made with rum, a wintry apple-cranberry spice, mustard seed, and red and pink peppercorn—plus a brown sugar cube for a perfect little pop of sweetness. Photo by Kira Williams.
Sasquatch Tea, The Sinclair, Cambridge
If dancing the night away at Chicago's gastropub-slash-dance-hall The Sinclair isn't enough to keep you warm, the Sasquatch Tea will definitely do the trick. Made with Triple Sec, fall spices and hot apple cider, the drink also combines cranberry vodka and sweet tea vodka for a potion that packs a lot more muscle than your average cup of tea.
Spicy Mulled Wine, The Spotted Pig, New York
At The Spotted Pig in Manhattan's West Village, just a whiff of the hot mulled wine will let you know you're in for a serious treat. The bar at the always-packed restaurant makes it with a signature combo of red wine and brandy, orange, lemon and an extra flavorful spice blend of cinnamon, bay leaves, allspice berries, red pepper flakes, peppercorn and vanilla bean—for a potent sip that will certainly cure whatever ails you.
