11 spicy, cold-weather cocktails perfect for entertaining
- Whether you're raising a glass at an intimate dinner party or your annual holiday soirée, these craft cocktails from restaurant menus are sure to be a hit.
- You can replicate the recipes — including a classic hot toddy and a spicy, smoky margarita — at home or visit the restaurants where they were created.
- Here are 11 cold-weather cocktails perfect for holiday entertaining.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
The cold winter months are quickly approaching, making us want to curl up with a hot toddy or a mug of mulled wine by the fireplace.
While cocktails can make for a cozy night in, it's also never too early to start planning the drinks menu for your holiday soirée or to make reservations at a fabulous restaurant with its own delicious drinks.
Read more: 12 big-batch cocktails you'll need for the holiday party season
From chile-infused concoctions to beverages mixed with dashes of cinnamon and wasabi, these cold-weather cocktails certainly bring the heat. Plus, since these recipes come straight from incredible restaurants and bars across America and Mexico, they're sure to impress even the pickiest of dinner or holiday party guests.
Here are 11 spicy cocktails perfect for holiday entertaining.
SEE ALSO: The most popular cocktail in every state
Chocolate lovers, listen up. The After All cocktail is a chocolatey treat with just a hint of spice, featuring mezcal, Bouvery CV chocolate vodka, Grand Brulot, tangy orange marmalade, and bitters.
The classic combination of chocolate, orange, and a subtle touch of heat makes this cocktail from Bagatelle NYC the perfect holiday drink.
After All Recipe:
1 ounce mezcal
1 ounce Bouvery CV chocolate vodka
1 ounce Grand Brulot
1 ounce orange marmalade
1 ounce Scrappy's firewater
Shake and serve in a martini glass
The Cozy Sweater from 1833 Kitchen & Bar in Aurora, New York, provides a twist on a hot toddy.
This cold-weather drink certainly lives up to its name and pairs perfectly with 1833 Kitchen & Bar's eclectic menu of regional, sustainably sourced cuisine.
Cozy Sweater Recipe:
8 ounces cup of Earl Grey tea
1 shot of Amaretto
Pour the tea into a teacup or a clear, handled glass and mix in Amaretto shot
Crafted by Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest, Illinois, The Lumiere comes served in a light bulb with a metal straw. Slightly spicy, this adventurous concoction is on the bar's secret menu.
"I wanted to do something that would really stimulate the senses. Adding these [ingredients] to a drink doesn't just bring about a new flavor — it brings about a new feeling," says the inn's chief spirits officer.
The Lumiere Recipe:
Monkey 47 Gin
Saint Germain liqueur
Fresh lemon juice
Chamomile
Suze Saveur d'Autrefois Liqueur
Electric daisy
The Hiroki Sky, from Queensyard in Hudson Yards, New York City, is a spicy cocktail inspired by a book written by Japanese Chef Hiroki Yoshitake.
This cocktail brings the heat with Toki whiskey, sweet wine, white peach soda, lemon extract, and foam. It is served with white chocolate and wasabi ice cream.
Hiroki Sky Recipe:
2 ounces Toki whiskey
1 ounce sweet wine
½ ounce white peach soda
½ ounce lemon juice
Inspired by brothel owner Belle Brezing, the Diabla Burdel from Belle’s Cocktail House in Lexington, Kentucky, is a new take on the classic Sazerac cocktail with just the right amount of heat.
The drink infuses Arbol chiles, cinnamon sticks, and orange and chocolate bitters with Herbsaint — a substitute for absinthe — and Corazon Anejo Tequila re-aged in mini barrels, which provides a cooling effect.
Diabla Burdel Recipe:
Corazon Anejo Tequila, re-aged in 5-liter mini-barrels
Arbol chiles and cinnamon sticks
Herbsaint, a substitute for absinthe created in New Orleans in '34
Regan's orange bitters and Aztec chocolate bitters
Shake and stir over ice, serve with an orange peel and chile garnish
The Burning History can be found at Zuma, an upscale Japanese restaurant in New York and Boston, but cocktail connoisseurs may be able to replicate this smoky drink at home.
This smokey cocktail is a twist on the Penicillin cocktail. Honey, yuzu, and egg whites lend sweet and frothy notes to the drink, while smoke from a wood fire seasons the glass.
Burning History Recipe:
1/2 ounce Nikka Coffey Grain Whiskey
1/2 ounce Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch
1/2 ounce ginger syrup
1/2 ounce honey water (¼ oz honey + ¼ oz water)
1/2 ounce yuzu juice
1/2 ounce egg white
Plum bitters
Orange peel
Mix equal parts honey and water and heat in a saucepan until honey melts into water. Then combine all ingredients in a tumbler and shake well. Burn a small fire in a wooden plank. Invert snifter and trap smoke inside. Cover snifter with a napkin. Pour cocktail into the snifter. Garnish with orange and enjoy!
Enjoyed best by a roaring fire, hot toddies have just a touch of bitterness, balanced out by a tangy hint of lemon and cinnamon.
This cold-weather favorite pairs well with savory pastries like sausage rolls, pigs in a blanket, and beef wellingtons.
Hot Toddy Recipe:
1 ounce bourbon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup hot water
Cinnamon sticks
Garnish with a lemon slice
The Fire Pit Margarita from West Main Crafting Co. in Lexington, Kentucky, is crafted with Blanco tequila, mezcal, chipotle-pineapple syrup, lime, curaçao, orange bitters, and a smoking thyme sprig.
This smoke-infused margarita has the perfect amount of kick from the chipotle-pineapple syrup, making this flavorful and spicy drink an ideal addition to any holiday party.
Fire Pit Margarita Recipe:
2 dashes orange bitters
1/4 ounce dry curaçao
3/4 ounce chipotle-pineapple syrup (fresh pineapple, 2:1 simple syrup, chipotle peppers, a dash of adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers)
3/4 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce Fidencio mezcal
1 1/4 ounce Silver tequila
Rim glass with sugar and cracked black pepper and garnish with an orange slice (fresh or dehydrated) and burned thyme.
The Spicy Devil's Margarita, from Panama Jack Resorts Cancun in Mexico, would certainly impress at any festive party.
Don't let the exquisite chile garnishings throw you off – this spicy margarita is relatively easy to make at home.
Spicy Devil's Margarita Recipe:
1/2 ounce of tequila
1/2 ounce of triple sec
1/2 ounce of lime juice
1/2 ounce cranberry juice
1/3 ounce jalapeño syrup
Tajin (chili powder)
Ice
Lime wedges
Garnish with chili "horns"
The Wasabi Mule is Zuma Miami's take on a classic Moscow mule with just the right amount of heat and garnished with a lime slice.
This spicy Moscow mule is a new twist on a classic favorite. Although this cocktail is relatively easy to make, the classic copper cups Moscow mules are commonly served in are sure to impress any party guest.
Wasabi Mule Recipe:
1 1/2 ounces Ketel One vodka
4 ounces ginger soda
Lime
Dash of wasabi
Ku Chai Ku Chai Ku from Merriman’s Honolulu, created by master mixologist Jim Lunchick, is a dangerously delicious winter cocktail featuring creamy iced coffee, chai-spiced honey syrup, Licor Cuarenta y Tres, and locally produced Rhum Agricole.
This coffee-infused cocktail makes the perfect nightcap for any holiday party and pairs excellently with desserts.
Ku Chai Ku Chai Ku Recipe:
Chai spices (grind 2 ounces cinnamon sticks, 1 ounce whole star anise pods, 1 ounce whole cardamom pods, 1 ounce ground ginger, 1 ounce ground nutmeg, 1 ounce whole cloves)
1 ounce Kuleana Rum Agricole
1/2 ounce Licor Cuarenta y Tres
1 ounce rounded scoop freshly whipped cream
1 ounce honey-chai syrup (2 tablespoons chai spice in cheesecloth placed in a cooking pot with 12 ounces honey, 12 ounces water, boiled and steeped for 15 minutes, cooled and strained)
5 ounces chilled Kona coffee
Garnish with cinnamon stick and star anise pod