Top 20 Winter Cocktail Recipes
Winter isn’t often thought of as a cocktail season. After all, cocktails are often fruit forward, or a smaller amount of liquid, or tropical… all sorts of things that you’re not really after in Winter. However there are plenty of cocktail recipes out there that are great for Winter. They’re not necessarily heavy or served warm either, they just have the kinds of flavours you’d expect to find in cooler weather. We’ve tried to stay relatively simple with the selection of cocktails on this list. While we’re sure you can find some more complex concoctions out there to keep you warm in the Winter months, we’d rather be accessible so everybody can enjoy!
Of course, the cocktails you’ll find on this list aren’t only for Winter. They’d do just as well in Autumn or Spring, or even in Summer. However we think these recipes are best for Winter! Whether you agree with us or not… well, you’ll have to make the cocktails and see. If you’re still not seeing anything here, try our cocktail recipe generator which allows you to see what cocktail you can make with the ingredients you have.
We’ll present the cocktails in no particular order or ranking. Take a look:
Baltimore Bracer
The Baltimore Bracer is a relatively simple cocktail that mixes Brandy, Anisette Liqueur, and Egg White. The Egg White gives the cocktail some weight to it while the flavours of Brandy and Anisette Liqueur definitely make it at home in the colder weather.
This recipe may not be for everyone, especially if you’re not a fan of Anisette, but for those do are, this recipe is fantastic. If you have your doubts we encourage you to go ahead and make one of these to find out for yourself. Perhaps you’ll find a new favourite!
New York Sour
The New York Sour is a classic sour cocktail with a float of Red Wine on top of it. Although a sour can go well in pretty much any weather, we feel like the float of Red Wine gives this recipe a bit of depth and complexity that really works in the Winter time.
If you like a Whiskey Sour but want to expand on it a little bit, the New York Sour is essentially the same thing, just with a little bit more. It takes a little bit of practice to get the float right, but once you do it’s well worth it. We hope you like the New York Sour as much as we do!
Amaretto Sour
Sticking with the sour cocktails, an Amaretto Sour is make with Amaretto, Bourbon, Lemon Juice, Simply Syrup, and Egg White; it’s a nice spin on the standard Whiskey Sour made with just Bourbon. The Amaretto adds a nice amount of nut flavour and sweetness to the drink that is wonderful when it’s cold outside. It sure will warm your belly!
Alternatively, if you like Amaretto but you’re looking for new ways to use it, perhaps the Amaretto Sour is a fun cocktail for you to try!
Winter Sour
This wouldn’t be called a Winter cocktail list if we didn’t have a cocktail recipe with “Winter” in the name. And since we’re talking about sours, why not put the Winter Sour right here. This recipe is made with Campari, Honey Syrup, Lemon Juice, Egg White, and a bit of Rosemary. All very Winter oriented flavours! And as an added advantage, this cocktail is both tasty and low in alcohol. Great!
Espresso Martini
No Winter cocktail list would be complete without the Espresso Martini. An Espresso Martini is a relatively simple mixture of Vodka, Kahlua, and Coffee, giving it enough weight to be great for Winter as well as some lovely flavours that will keep you warm when the days are short.
If you like a Martini at other times, you may not go to mix one up if it’s too cold outside and, while the Espresso Martini has some very different flavours to the classic made with just Gin (or Vodka) and Dry Vermouth, you’ll still get a similar feeling sipping away at one of these. So go ahead, replace your classic with something a little different and make an Espresso Martini!
Nutty Martini
A Nutty Martini consists of Vodka, Frangelico, and a little bit of Simple Syrup if you want some extra sweetness. Kind of like the Espresso Martini, it changes the flavour of the standard up considerably but offers some more Wintery elements to it, notably in the nut flavours of the Frangelico (hence the name).
What’s more, the Nutty Martini is a nice Winter alternative to the Espresso Martini if you want that Martini style without having to make coffee for your cocktail as well. It’s very simple to make!
Chicago Fizz
While the a fizz style cocktail may not sound like the most Wintery of cocktails, the Chicago Fizz uses Dark Rum, Ruby Port, Lemon Juice, Sugar, Egg White, and Soda Water. It’s really the Dark Rum and Port that give this cocktail the weight that it needs to work well in colder weather. If you like a Fizz, this is the one for Winter!
Black Russian
A Black Russian is a super simple cocktail that’s just a mixture of Vodka and Kahlúa. It has some weight to it and the coffee elements of Kahlúa put this squarely on the Winter menu when you’re making cocktails. Plus this is a nice and simple cocktail so it’s easy enough to whip up if you just want to unwind after a long day.
Kir Cocktail
While White Wine isn’t exactly the thing you think of when you think of Winter, if you mix it with Creme de Cassis it becomes a wonderful way to enjoy a glass of White Wine even if it’s a bit cold outside. Creme de Cassis is made from and tastes like Black Currants and is sweet and syrupy, this thickens up the White Wine and adds some more cool weather elements to it, transforming what would be a light Spring or Summer wine into something that’s more suitable in the Winter.
So if you’re craving some White Wine and also love the Blackcurrant flavours of Creme de Cassis, perhaps the Kir Cocktail is for for you!
Tootsie Roll Cocktail
The Tootsie Roll Cocktail is exactly like it sounds like: it tastes like a Tootsie Roll! Just mix up Rye, Sherry, and Chocolate Bitters for a wonderful dessert cocktail that’s sweet and warm enough to get you through the Winter.
While it may sound like a strange combination of ingredients, it really works to create a great cocktail that’s better than the sum of its parts.
Sidecar
Staying on the sweeter side of things, a Sidecar is made with Cognac, Cointreau, Lemon Juice, and a sugared rim. It’s a pretty simple cocktail in the scheme of things, relying on premium ingredients to do most of the work, but isn’t that what great cocktails are all about?
The Sidecar is one of those classic cocktails that everybody should make and try at least once. Some find it a little bit too sweet, but if you reserve it for dessert, you won’t be disappointed.
Reverse Manhattan
While we suggested the standard Manhattan for our Autumn cocktail list, Winter is always about the Reverse Manhattan! Like the original, the Reverse Manhattan is Rye Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, Angostura Bitters, and Orange Bitters. However, in this iteration, the ratios of Sweet Vermouth and Rye are reversed (hence the name). This creates a sweeter and somewhat heavier cocktail that has all the elements of the Manhattan that are known and love, but just a bit more for colder months. It’s also a little bit lower alcohol than the standard.
So if you like a Manhattan, try changing it up a little bit over Winter and see how you go.
Perfect Martini
While a Martini isn’t the most Wintery of cocktails, and there are better cold weather alternatives on this list, if you really want something as close to a Martini as possible in the Winter time, we’d suggest a Perfect Martini. This is pretty much a standard Martini with the addition of Sweet Vermouth. Obviously this sweetens up the Martini a fair bit. As mentioned, it’s not a super-Wintery cocktail to have, but for the Martini lovers out there, we’d suggest chucking some Sweet Vermouth in there to suit the weather.
Hazelnut Cherry Fizz
A Hazelnut Cherry Fizz is a variation on the fizz that uses Frangelico, Cherry Liqueur, Lime Juice, Vodka, and Club Soda. The heavier liqueurs like the Frangelico and Cherry Liqueur make this an excellent cocktail in the Winter, especially if you want to keep your fizz game going during the cold.
Jungle Bird
Perhaps some will disagree with us putting a Tiki cocktail on a Winter cocktail list, but we think the Jungle Bird should make it onto this list just to satisfy lovers of more tropical cocktails. A Jungle Bird is made with Dark Rum, Campari, Pineapple Juice, Lime Juice, and Simple Syrup. Yes, there’s better cocktails out there for the Winter, but if you really need to get your Tiki fix, the Jungle Bird is probably the way to go. More bitter than your standard Tiki selection, the Jungle Bird is refreshing without being so far over the top you’d think you have to wait for warmer weather. Give it a try and see if it works.
Love and Murder
The Love and Murder is a nice yet unusual cocktail that mixes Campari, Green Chartreuse, Lime Juice, and Simple Syrup. Overall it has a relatively complex flavour that jumps between bitter, herbal, and even a little bit sweet. This will keep you drinking slowly while you wait for warmer weather.
Fresh Berry Delicious
The Fresh Berry Delicious has a pretty long ingredient list as things go: Raspberry Vodka, Licor 43, Blood Orange Liqueur, Lemon Juice, Honey Syrup, and Strawberries; but it’s well worth it. All those berries and complex flavours are nice in the cooler weather. This cocktail is also a bit fruit forward without being tropical, since it’s using berries for the fruit rather than the typical citrus. Have fun with this recipe, it’s really worthwhile.
Godfather Cocktail
Sipping a bit of Scotch Whiskey during the dead of Winter is a great pass time, and we wouldn’t fault you if you wanted to forgo cocktails and do just that. However, if you want to add a bit of depth to your Scotch, simply add an equal measure of Amaretto to the glass and you have yourself a Godfather Cocktail. The combination of the nut flavours of the Amaretto and the Scotch make this a wonderful Winter warmer you’re sure to love.
We hope you like this cocktail as much as we do!
Million Dollar Cocktail
This is another cocktail recipe that would probably do just as well in the Spring time as it would in Winter. A Million Dollar Cocktail is made with Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Pineapple Juice, Egg White, and Grenadine. It has some lighter notes thanks to the Gin and Pineapple Juice, but it’s also heavy enough to enjoy when it’s cold outside. So, like some other cocktails on this list, if you’re hankering for something a little bit more tropical on a Winter’s eve, this is probably one of the cocktails you want to reach for. Have fun.
Knickerbocker Cocktail
A wonderful cocktail made with Golden Rum, Orange Curaçao, Lime Juice, and Raspberry Juice, it’s the Raspberry elements that make this sweet and tasty cocktail great for the winter. While the Lime Juice adds a bitter element, it’s really taken over by the Raspberry elements and the more vanilla aspects of the Golden Rum that make it a Winter treat.