Winter calls for warm and mellow drinks to keep yourself warm in the evenings. Whether it is hot chocolate, coffee, or tea, these options are perfect for a cozy winter.
Winter has to be one of the most beloved seasons around the world. Despite the freezing temperature outside, people seem to wait every year for these months. Part of the reason why winter is everyone’s favorite is the warmth it provides. Even though it is freezing and snowy outside, it is the time when people snuggle up in blankets, wear fuzzy socks, and sit around the workplace to drink a warm drink.
Yes, winter brings out a lot of well-flavored and comforting drinks. What is more inviting than a hot glass of your favorite drink on a winter night? Whether you are a fan of mulled wine, a cup of cocoa, or milk tea, we have 11 drink recipes that will warm up your soul! Make one tonight, grab a blanket, and settle in!
- Easy and Refreshing Chai Tea
If you are from South East Asia, then Chai is already the way of your life. However, if you are not, Chai can be a milk-infused luxury that you can enjoy to its fullest in the winter. We present you with this easy Chai tea recipe that only calls for a few ingredients. Another bonus for this recipe is that you can make this with the same coffee shop quality in just a few minutes. The ingredients are simple and most of the time you already have half of them in your pantry. The ingredients that you need to make Chai tea include –
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 bags of black tea
- 8 cardamom seeds
- 8 cloves
- 4 black peppercorns
- 1 1-inch piece fresh sliced ginger
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 8 teaspoons sugar or more, to taste
How to make it –
Step 1: Get a resalable plastic bag, put the cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns, and crush the spices with a heavy skillet.
Step 2: Now take a medium saucepan and place the crushed spices with 2 cups of water. Put cinnamon sticks, ginger, and milk into the saucepan.
Step 3: Mix everything well together and bring that mixture to a boil. Then remove the mixture from the heat.
Step 4: Now it is time to add the teabags. Add the bags, cover with a lid, and let the tea steep for 10 minutes at least.
Step 5: Strain the mixture into cups, and add 2 tablespoons of sugar or more according to your taste into each cup, and your simple, easy, and very flavorful Chai tea is ready!
- Delicious Irish Coffee
Winter nights set the perfect backdrop for movie marathons. It is also the prime time to have little boozy cocktails and this drink is the perfect choice for that. Irish coffee can be made in just a few minutes. The recipe for its origins dates back to the 1950s and has been handed down by generations. The origin story of Irish coffee is a bit funny and spontaneous, it originated when a coffee shop owner in Shannon, Ireland paired coffee with whiskey for the first time.
Irish coffee has a seemingly effortless nature to itself. But, you can always make your cocktail better. For example, you can throw in the highest quality of cream and coffee and pair them with original Irish whiskey. Now let’s look at the recipe to make you a perfect cup of Irish coffee that you can enjoy sipping into while sitting beside a fireplace. The ingredients that you would need include –
- ¾ cup hot coffee
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 ½ ounces Irish whiskey
- 1 ounce whipped cream
How to make it –
Step 1: Take a heatproof glass and add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
Step 2: Now, pour 3/4 cup of hot coffee in the same glass.
Step 3: The next step is to add 1 1/2 ounces of whiskey. Irish whiskey is the preferable choice, but if you have any other band, it would work too. It would be your own customization of the drink!
Step 4: Now it is time for the whipped cream to shine. Take a spoon and get 1 ounce of whipped cream to place on the top. Your drink is ready for you!
- Spiced apple syrup with clementine and cloves
Winter means Christmas is near and what would be a better drink than a glass with the Holiday flavors infused? Nothing in a glass screams more Christmas than this Spiced apple syrup with clementine and cloves drink! For the festive spice and fruit, try adding mulled wine or hot apple juice and see the drink becoming even more flavorful. You can play around with this drink all you want, even convert it into a frozen dessert. To do that, drizzle over some cream cream and upgrade the dessert. However, what makes this drink even more special is that you can store it in the fridge for a month or two and surprise your guests at the impromptu gatherings. So, let’s start with the recipe and see what the ingredients you would need to make this drink –
- 200ml apple juice
- 1 tsp whole allspice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
- 100g golden caster sugar
- 1 small strip of fresh ginger
- 1 clementine zest
How to make it –
Step 1: Take a medium saucepan and put the apple juice to heat it.
Step 2: Add ginger, sugar, zest, and the whole spices to the juice and bring the liquid to a boil.
Step 3: Don’t remove the liquid from the pan after it comes to a boil. Keep it there for another 10 minutes of simmering.
Step 4: Now, remove the liquid from the heat and leave it to cool down. After it is completely cooled down, strain the syrup and move it to a jar.
- Homemade Hot Chocolate
Is there any drink that screams winter more than a cup of hot chocolate? The connection between hot chocolate and the winter season is ancient and it gives you comfort like no other winter drink can. Sure, buying the sachets of hot chocolate powder and diluting it into hot water can give you an instant drink, but making it at home, step by step not only adds a personal touch to it, but the taste would be so much better. You have wider areas to customize and the quality would be supreme. To make the best homemade chocolate, you would need cocoa powder and real chocolate among other ingredients. So, let’s look at the list of things you need to prepare your very own cup of hot chocolate at home –
- 2% milk (or oat milk if that is your preference)
- Cocoa powder
- Sugar
- Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (this is optional but trust us, this would change the game!)
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
How to make it –
Step 1: First you need to heat your milk. To avoid getting lumps while mixing the cocoa powder with the milk, take a little milk and whisk it with cocoa powder.
Step 2: Whisking the cocoa powder with a little bit of milk at first would help to make a paste and dissolve most of the powder, eliminating the risk of getting lumps. After the whisking is done, mix the rest of the hot milk with the mixture.
Step 3:Now, add sugar and vanilla extract to the mixture. Add a pinch of cinnamon which brings out a complexity in the flavor. If you are in the mood for an even stronger flavor, add more of the cinnamon.
Step 4:It is perfectly acceptable to make hot chocolate with just cocoa powder and milk. However, adding real chocolate to the drink adds a bit of texture and makes it even richer in taste. So, in the last step, add the chocolate chips, adding body, and depth in flavor, and your cup of hot chocolate is ready to serve!
- Hot Buttered Rum
Imagine a winter evening when you are sitting beside a fireplace, and your fingers are wrapped around a cup of hot drink! Hot Buttered Rum is the ideal drink to have in that situation, even saying the name of the drink makes us feel warm inside. Not just that the drink is super tasty and gets you in the mood, but it has also been around the world for centuries. With time, the takes on this drink have evolved but nothing beats going to the roots. This old-fashioned version of the drink is a little bit sweet and flavor-packed with cinnamon and other spices.
The drink has been around since the 1650s since New England welcomed rum distilleries and people started adding rum into their drinks. This is around the same time when drinks like eggnog and milk punch were introduced. Every family has its own version of this warming drink which consists of dark rum, sugar, and a lot of spices. Let’s look at the ingredients to understand what exactly you need to make the drink –
- Dark rum
- Salted butter
- Cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg
- Brown sugar
- Boiling water
How to make it –
Step 1: Melt salted butter in a large pot over medium heat. Make sure the butter does not burn.
Step 2: Now, blend in brown sugar until the batter is smooth. Make sure to place the pan still on medium heat.
Step 3: This step requires you to remove the paste from heat. It is time to add cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg to the mixture and whisk everything together until every ingredient in the pot is incorporated.
Step 4: Pour the mixture into a plastic container. Cover and store the mixture in the freezer.
Step 5: To make each serving of the Hot Buttered Rum, take one tablespoon of the batter from the freezer and combine it with 1 tablespoon of dark rum. To make the drink complete, pour boiling water into the glass and stir to combine. While making this drink, make sure that you are using dark rum only because white or light rum is not a substitute!
- Mulled Wine – Sweet and Spicy
If you are having guests over, you need something warm and boozy to win them over! This mulled wine recipe is easy to make and the perfect drink that is an absolute crowd-pleaser. The best thing about this Mulled Wine is that you can make it in a big batch, keep it warm on a stove, and let the guests serve themselves! Do not think that this recipe will give you a sticky sweet recipe, the black peppercorns and fresh ginger brings out a delicious balance. So, this is not your typical overly sweet Mulled Wine. Let’s look at the ingredients –
- 2 (750 mL) bottles of full-bodied dry red wine
- 1 (1-in.) piece fresh, peeled, and sliced ginger
- ½ cup black peppercorns
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 4 (2-in.) orange peel strips (preferably from one orange)
- Orange slices (to decorate)
- 1 whole star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick (more if you want to garnish)
How to make it –
Step 1: Take a large saucepan and combine wine, peppercorns, sugar, orange peel, ginger, cinnamon stick, and star anise. Stir the mixture.
Step 2: Bring the mixture to a simmer over high heat.
Step 3: Remove the mixture from heat, cover, and let it sit for a good 30 minutes.
Step 4: Now, it is time to strain the mixture and discard the solids from the liquid.
Step 5: pour evenly into glasses and garnish the drink with orange slices and cinnamon sticks. Your warm cup of special Mulled Wine is ready!
- Winter whisky sour
When it is freezing outside, you would need something that will warm you up from the inside. This unique winter whisky sour is the perfect drink for the cold winter nights that will keep you warm and cozy. It is a way to be creative and give the classic whiskey sour drink a couple of twists and turns. This way you can also make the drink ready for the glimmer festive season. The ingredients include –
- crushed ice
- 50ml bourbon
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
- ½ tbsp sugar syrup
- 2 slices of oranges
- Honey (to decorate)
- gold edible glitter (to decorate)
How to make it –
Step 1: Take two tumblers which we will use as the glasses for the drink.
Step 2: Now, take a small paintbrush and brush honey around the rim of the tumblers. Take another paintbrush and stick edible gold glitter around each tumbler.
Step 3: Take crushed ice and fill the tumblers.
Step 4: Take bourbon and put it into a cocktail shaker. Mix the alcohol with lemon juice, orange juice, and sugar syrup.
Step 5: Shake the mixture well. Now, strain the mixture and pour it into the tumblers. Serve the alcohol mixture with orange slices and straws!
- Mulled pear & cranberry punch
This is one of the most versatile punches that is definitely a hit among crowds at holiday parties. You can serve this as a cocktail or a mocktail without the alcohol, the drink will still get you points. The recipe for the versatile mulled pear & cranberry punch is an all-in-one recipe, which means it is easy and you can throw everything in a pan and make the drink. The best part about the drink is that it only takes a maximum of 10 minutes to make, so there is no need to sweat it out in the kitchen when the guests are here!
Let’s look at the ingredients and see what you would need to make this drink –
- 1 pear cider
- 1 pear (or cloudy apple) juice
- 1 cranberry juice
- A good handful of fresh or dried cranberries
- 150ml sloe gin
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 vanilla pods
Step 1: Take out the biggest saucepan you have or a casserole dish would work.
Step 2: Now, put all the ingredients into the pan or dish. Heat the mixture just below the simmering point.
Step 3: When you are ready to serve, ladle the liquid into glasses!
- Pink Hot Chocolate
How about we put a little twist into our very own hot chocolate? This Pink hot chocolate is going to be your go-to winter drink not just because it is super pretty to look at, but also how easy it is to make! This millennial pink version of hot chocolate is sweeter, tastier, and prettier. To give this drink its classic pink color, you can either use the red food coloring or skip it and use natural beet juice. The tip would be to start the drink with a base of grated sweet white chocolate as it melts quickly.
Let’s look at the ingredients you would need to create this special drink –
- 2 cups whole milk or non-dairy milk
- Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ounces white chocolate, grated (about ½ cup)
- 2 tablespoons beet juice
- Whipped cream, for serving
- Ground cinnamon, for garnishing
How to make it –
Step 1: Take a small saucepan and pour your choice of milk there. Add a small pinch of salt to the milk and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
Step 2: Now, it is time to remove the pan from the heat. Add your chocolate and vanilla extract to the milk.
Step 3: stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted. This would take you about 1 minute or so. After the chocolate is completely melted, add beet juice and stir in.
Step 4: Your pink hot chocolate is ready to serve now! Pour the drink into a glass and serve with a dollop of whipped cream and cinnamon.
- Mudslide
It is nice to have drink options that are adults-only. So, we present you with the Mudslide, a rich coffee-flavored drink that needs to be savored while being sipped. If you are a chocolate lover and get your energy from coffee, there is no other drink that will suit your palette better than this special winter drink. To make the drink even more indulgent, grate some chocolate over the drink before serving. The ingredients that you would need to make this drink include –
- 50g dark chocolate
- ice
- 60ml coffee-flavored liqueur
- 60ml vodka
- 60ml Baileys Original Liqueur
- 100ml double cream
How to make it –
Step 1: Start with preparing your glasses. Take two tumblers and put them in the freezer overnight.
Step 2:Now take a small shallow bowl and put 30g of the chocolate in it. To melt the chocolate, put the bowl in the microwave in short bursts.
Step 3: Take the tumblers out of the fridge and dip chilled glasses in the melted chocolate. Now stand them upright so that the chocolate can drip down the slides. Now, return the tumblers to the freezer until you are ready with your drink.
Step 4: Take a cocktail shaker and fill it with ice. Pour in the coffee-flavored liqueur vodka and Baileys Original Liqueur along with the double cream.
Step 5: It is time to shake! Shake it until the outside of the cocktail shaker is very cold, too cold to hold.
Step 6: In the prepared glasses, put some ice, and then strain the cocktail. Take the remaining chocolate, finely grate it over the drink, and serve the drink with a straw.
- Brandy Alexander
If you think of holiday classic drinks, then Brandy Alexander has to be included in the list! You can make it at home with just three simple ingredients, crème de cacao, double cream, and brandy. What makes this drink a great choice for the holiday season is that there are a lot of variations that you can try too! Let’s look at what you need to make this at home –
- 80ml brandy
- 50ml crème de cacao
- 50ml double cream
- ice
- 1 tsp golden caster sugar (for garnishing)
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg (for garnishing)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (for garnishing)
How to make it –
Step 1: First, let’s prepare the garnish. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together and set the mixture aside.
Step 2: Take a cocktail shaker and pour in crème de cacao, double cream, and the brandy. Then add a generous amount of ice.
Step 3: Shake the container until the outside of it is too cold to hold anymore. After you are done shaking the mixture, strain it into two small coupe or cocktail glasses.
Step 4: Garnish the drinks with a spiced sugar mixture and your drinks are ready to serve!
With these unique yet easy-to-make drink recipes, make this winter even more enjoyable and special. Happy holidays!
