The Best Cocktails Served HOT!

One of our favorite things about mixing up hot drinks is there are unending flavor combinations available to you. Sweeten it up with Caramel flavored vodka instead of regular, for example.

We always recommend going to real ingredients when possible because it makes all the difference in taste. But if you want to keep it simple, that works too! It's all about what you have time & energy for. For example, melt real chocolate nibs into warmed milk or water; or simply stir up a packet of hot chocolate mix.

Choose your preferred milk, whether 2%, skim, almond, or oat depending on your taste & diet preferences.

Anyway... let's get to it and we hope you enjoy!

MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE

Add a little spice to your hot chocolate for some extra heat. Cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and tequila will do just that, and result in a completely different take on your traditional winter drink. 

In a saucepan, heat 2 1/2 cups milk with 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne powder. Once it starts to bubble only slightly, remove from heat and add 6 ounces semisweet chocolate (chopped or shavings), 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Stir until chocolate is melted. Finally, grab your favorite tequila (we love Patron, Avion, El Tesoro, or Olmeca Altos), and add 2 ounces. Top with whip cream and dust with cinnamon and some chocolate shavings (optional). 

DISARONNO HOT COCOA

Sure, you can stick to a vodka and rum to spike your hot chocolate. There's nothing wrong with that, but sometimes we like to get creative with our spirits. Adding 2 ounces Disaronno Amaretto Liqueur to homemade hot cocoa will up the sweetness while adding a rich almond taste.

To make hot cocoa, this time we recommend heating 2 cups of your preferred milk and instead of semi-sweet chocolate (as noted above), use good quality milk chocolate. It rounds our the taste and compliments the Disaronno perfectly!

HOT WHITE RUSSIAN

We're big fans of Kahlua this time of year. Being a coffee rum liqueur, it is sweet and versatile. Plus they have a variety of flavors including French Vanilla, Cinnamon, Hazelnut, Mocha, Peppermint Mocha, and Pumpkin. Grab whatever bottle of Kahlua is your favorite!

Hot White Russian

4 oz. Fresh Hot Coffee

2 oz. Kahlua

2 oz. Whole Milk

1 oz. Vodka

Whipped Cream to top.

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for a few minutes (avoid boiling). Pour into your glass and top with whipped cream.

JAMESON IRISH COFFEE

One Irish Whiskey stands out as the world's most popular: Jameson. We love Jameson for an Irish Coffee, but now that they've launched the Caskmates Stout and Coffee Brew editions, we've got the opportunity to change it up a bit while staying loyal. The cocoa, hops, and butterscotch flavors of the Casmates Stout compliment the coffee & cream well; while the Coffee Brew enhances it.

Add hot coffee to your glass until it's about 3/4 full, stir in 1 TBSP brown sugar until it dissolves. Add 1 1/2 ounces of Jameson Caskmates Stout or Coffee Brew, and top with whipped heavy cream by pouring carefully with a bar spoon. 

SPIKED SALTED CARAMEL COFFEE

Looking for something sweeter and creamier? A Spiked Salted Caramel Coffee will give you that sugar high you're yearning for. So easy and delectable, you'll be tempted to make it part of your daily routine.

Grab a bottle of Ghiradelli Sea Salt Caramel and add 2 tsp to your coffee mug along with 2 ounces vodka (we love Absolut, Tito's, Suntori, and Stoli). Add a splash of half & half or your preferred milk, top with coffee and stir. Finish with a generous dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of that caramel sauce.

HOT TODDY

Now that we're living in the times when any cold symptom will send us running for a rapid test, a hot toddy will help a sore throat or just warm you up on a cold winter night. So you whether you're feeling under the weather or not, grab bit of honey, lemon, whiskey, and boil up some water. We love Knob Creek, Maker's Mark, or Jim Beam.

Hot Toddy

3/4 Cups Water

1.5 Oz Whiskey

2-3 TSP Honey, to taste

2-3 TSP Lemon Juice, to taste

1 Lemon Round, 1 Cinnamon Stick, Anise for garnish (optional)

HOT BUTTERED RUM

A cold weather classic, Hot Buttered Rum is just the right amount of spice and warmth. We find it's perfect to batch for your group.

Hot Buttered Rum

1 stick (4 tbsp.) unsalted butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground allspice

Pinch of salt

2 oz. Premium Spiced Rum

6 oz. hot water

Combine 4 tbsp. softened unsalted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, spices, and salt in a bowl. Stir until incorporated. Then add 1 tbsp. of your mixture to your mug, add spiced rum (we like Sailor Jerry, Pyrat, Kraken, or Bacardi), and top with hot water. Stir until completely mixed. Any extra of your butter-sugar mix can be sealed in an air tight container and stored in the fridge for later.

HOT CINNAMON APPLE CIDER

Most popular in the fall, Hot Apple Cider is a staple item at festivals and pumpkin patches. That's not to say you can't enjoy it all winter long too! We're adding a bit more heat by using Jack Daniel's Tennessee Fire for this recipe.

Hot Cinnamon Apple Cider

4 1/2 oz. apple cider

2 tbsp. orange juice

Cinnamon Sticks

Whole Cloves

Whole Star Anise

8 ounces Tennessee Fire

Add all ingredients except the liquor into a pot on simmer on low heat for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain into a pitcher (or strain individually into 4 glasses). Add 2 ounces Tennessee Fire to each glass. Stir and garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sticks.

MULLED WINE

Mulled Wine is essentially a spiced red wine, served hot. It is typically spiked with cognac or brandy. Our recommendation is Courvoisier VS or VSOP. You'll get incredible quality while beating the prices of other popular cognac brands. When mixing ingredients together, often people don't want to spend the money on high end brands. However we're firm believers that better ingredients equal better taste (and often better for you). For your wine we'd go with Josh Cellars Cabernet or a dry Italian wine like Tenuta Sassoregale Sangiovese.

Mulled Wine

1 bottle Dry Red Wine

¼ cup Courvoisier

¼ cup honey

1-2 oranges, sliced into circles

Cinnamon sticks

Whole Star anise

Whole Cloves

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until it starts to simmer (avoid boiling), then lower heat, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes to a few hours. Strain, then serve warm and garnish with orange slices, cinnamon sticks, & star anise.

Thanks for checking out our favorite hot drink recipes! Tell us in the comments which is your favorite, or share your own personal recipe with us. We love hearing from you.

As always, thank you for the support and we're looking forward to a bright & cheerful 2021! Stay warm, friends.

Cheers,
The Hart Team