24 Wonderful Winter Cocktails to Enjoy This Season

Enjoy the Flavors of the Season

Figgy Sparkler

S&C Design Studios 

Winter winds bring a change of taste in drinks and there are many stunning cocktails for you to try on the coldest days of the year. Among the best recipes are those that highlight seasonal flavors and warm up that chill in your bones. From comforting hot drinks to smooth sippers with pomegranate, blood orange, and peppermint, there's a great winter drink waiting for everyone.

  • 01 of 24

    Milk & Honey

    Milk and Honey Cocktail With Brandy, Cinnamon, and Orange
    Benedictine Liqueur

    This classic Milk & Honey is the ultimate nightcap. The "honey" comes from Benedictine, a honey-flavored herbal liqueur that adds a wonderful flavor to warm or cold milk. Since the recipe requires just those two ingredients, even the sleepiest of drinkers can mix it up.

    Get the Recipe

  • 02 of 24

    Ski Lift

    Ski Lift - Spiked Hot Cocoa Cocktail

    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    Winter is the season for hot cocoa and there are many ways to enjoy the decadent drink. While you could go with the obvious mint liqueur, why not try something a little different? The Ski Lift mixes peach schnapps and coconut rum into your favorite hot chocolate recipe.

    Get the Recipe

  • 03 of 24

    Caramel Irish Coffee

    Caramel Irish Coffee With Baileys Irish Cream

    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    This Caramel Irish Coffee puts a delicious spin on a classic. The recipe uses the same great Irish whiskey and coffee combo that makes Irish coffee an iconic cocktail. To that, you'll add Irish cream and butterscotch schnapps before topping it with whipped cream and caramel.

    Get the Recipe

  • 04 of 24

    Snowball

    Snow Ball Cocktail

    Victoria Pearson / The Image Bank / Getty Images

    The winter months seem like the perfect time to revive a recipe your grandparents may have enjoyed.​ The Snowball is about as classic as a cocktail can get. The mix is simple—brandy, syrup, egg, and ginger ale—but it comes together with a certain level of sophistication.

    Get the Recipe

    Continue to 5 of 24 below.
  • 05 of 24

    Easy Rum Eggnog

    Easy Rum Eggnog

    The Spruce

    Sometimes, you just want a classic. This rum eggnog has just five ingredients: rum, port wine, simple syrup (easy to make with sugar and water), an egg, and nutmeg. Odds are you have the egg, sugar, and nutmeg in your cupboard right now; the rum and port wine, while a little more expensive, are good investments that will last a while. This standby recipe is far better than anything you could buy at the store—you'll instantly taste the difference.

    Get the Recipe

  • 06 of 24

    Hot Gin Toddy

    Hot Gin Toddy Cocktail
    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    The piney flavor of gin is perfect for snowy days. When you really want to enhance a gin's juniper, warm it up and enjoy Hot Gin Toddy. The botanicals come to life under steam and they're accented with lemon, sugar, and cinnamon.

    Get the Recipe

  • 07 of 24

    Winter Cocktail

    Classic Winter Cocktail

    Bill Boch / Photographer's Choice RF / Getty Images

    Tiki cocktails may be set aside for the winter, but it doesn't have to be so. The Winter Cocktail has the signature rum, sugar, and citrus combination with a little spice from a ginger liqueur and that tiki specialty, pimento dram. It's a playful drink that is sure to wake up your palate.

    Get the Recipe

  • 08 of 24

    Spiced Cranberry Margarita

    Spiced cranberry margarita with orange and cinnamon stick garnish

    The Spruce / Todd Coleman

    This spiced cinnamon margarita can be enjoyed year-round because the ingredients it's made with are available in every season. Instead of fresh cranberries, cranberry juice, tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice are used along with cinnamon simple syrup for a tasty cocktail.

    Get the Recipe

    Continue to 9 of 24 below.
  • 09 of 24

    Tanqueray Almond

    Tanqueray Almond
    Tanqueray London Dry Gin

    Some of the most satisfying cocktails are the simplest—just look at the famous B&B, in which two ingredients in a snifter create a warming mix for cold nights. The Tanqueray Almond is very similar, pairing gin and amaretto for an aromatic delight that will soothe your senses.

    Get the Recipe

  • 10 of 24

    Habanero Blood Orange Margarita

    Habanero Blood Orange Margarita Cocktail from La Sandia's

    La Sandia's

    The blood orange is a sweeter citrus that's in season from December through April and the perfect reason to mix up a Habanero Blood Orange Margarita. The featured ingredients become one in a puree that's amazing with a reposado tequila. Add a mole negro rim and you have a very interesting cocktail on your hands.

    Get the Recipe

  • 11 of 24

    Sugar Cookie Martini

    Sugar Cookie Martini
    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    For a sweet martini treat, the sugar cookie martini is sure to please. This delightful little drink uses three common bar ingredients, so it's an easy one to mix up. Dress it up with a colorful sugar rim and you're ready to drink dessert!

    Get the Recipe

  • 12 of 24

    Salted Caramel Martini

    Salted Caramel Martini

    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    Salted caramel has become a favorite when it comes to desserts and this martini offers the flavors in both a cozy drink as well as beautiful presentation that is perfect for winter. The caramel drizzle inside the glass, salted caramel rim, and the caramel candy garnish, along with the shaken mixture of vodka, caramel syrup, and Irish cream will tempt those with a sweet tooth.

    Get the Recipe

    Continue to 13 of 24 below.
  • 13 of 24

    Maple Pecan Latte

    Maple-Pecan-Latte

    The Spruce Eats / Jennifer Perillo

    Perfect for the season, this maple pecan latte offers a coffee shop experience at home. With a base of homemade maple pecan syrup, hot espresso, and steamed milk, it's excellent with a shot of whiskey. Bourbon and scotch are recommended, but a spicy rye would be fabulous as well.

    Get the Recipe

  • 14 of 24

    Pear Cobbler

    Pear cobbler cocktail recipe

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

    Pears are a favorite fruit of the season and the star of this Pear Cobbler recipe. You'll begin by making "drunken" pears, then add those to a mix of pear brandy, sherry, and cinnamon syrup. Just like a classic cobbler, it's even better with any other fruits you happen to find at the store.

    Get the Recipe

  • 15 of 24

    Almost a Collins

    Almost a Collins Cocktail Recipe with DRY Blood Orange Soda
    DRY Soda

    If spicy cocktails aren't up your alley, you'll find Almost a Collins a bit more approachable. This fruity sipper mixes vodka with fresh-squeezed blood orange juice as well as blood orange soda. To add a little contrast, a homemade cinnamon syrup is thrown into the mix.

    Get the Recipe

  • 16 of 24

    Kumquat-Ginger Caipirinha

    Kumquat-Ginger Caiprinha

    Image Source / Getty Images

    The caipirinha is a popular summer cocktail and this version takes advantage of a tiny winter fruit. The Kumquat-Ginger Caipirinha is a pure delight and incredibly simple to mix up. Choose your favorite cachaça and let this drink bring some sunshine to your winter!

    Get the Recipe

    Continue to 17 of 24 below.
  • 17 of 24

    Ginger Snap Martini

    Ginger Snap Martini

    Evan Skylar / Stockbyte / Getty Images

    Why just eat ginger snaps when you can drink them, too? The delicious morsels transform beautifully into this winter Ginger snap martini. With a pear vodka and amaretto base, all the spices and molasses that make the cookies great are included!

    Get the Recipe

  • 18 of 24

    Figgy Sparkler

    Figgy Sparkler Cocktail

    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    Celebrating something special this winter? Serve an extra special cocktail that is sure to impress. The figgy sparkler muddles cranberries with a fig and orange before adding vodka and Prosecco. It's a fantastic seasonal sparkling wine cocktail.

    Get the Recipe

  • 19 of 24

    Frostbite

    Frostbite Cocktail With Tequila

    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    Frostbite is certainly not your typical tequila cocktail. It's blue and fruity, and the hint of orange is fun with a little cream and chocolate. It's the perfect pick-me-up for dreary days.

    Get the Recipe

  • 20 of 24

    Cocoa Old-Fashioned

    Cocoa Old-Fashioned Recipe With Cocoa-Infused Rye Whiskey
    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    The chocolate in this Cocoa Old-Fashioned comes from two unlikely sources: the first is a cocoa-infused rye whiskey and the second is mole bitters. These are paired with the drink's classic orange and cherry muddle, but the sugar takes a darker turn that's ideal for the season.

    Get the Recipe

    Continue to 21 of 24 below.
  • 21 of 24

    Bacon Me Angry

    Angry Orchard Hard Cider's Bacon Me Angry Cocktail with Bacon-infused Vodka

    Angry Orchard

    When you're stuck inside this winter, try making your own bacon-infused vodka. It's a fun project and an excuse to cook bacon then mix up the Bacon Me Angry. The DIY vodka is mixed with maple syrup and hard cider, so it's almost like breakfast in a glass.

    Get the Recipe

  • 22 of 24

    Bloody Maria

    Easy Bloody Maria Tequila Cocktail Recipe

    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    Savory and spicy, the Bloody Maria is a nice drink for a lazy morning. Whether you're watching a game, hosting brunch with friends, or on a weekend cabin retreat, it's a great choice. The tequila gives the favorite tomato juice mix an extra dimension that everyone is sure to enjoy.

    Get the Recipe

  • 23 of 24

    Spiced Pomegranate Martini

    Moroccan Pomegranate Vodka Cocktail

    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    Pomegranates also make winter just a little bit better and spiced pomegranate martini packs twice the pom punch. For this recipe, you'll mix a pomegranate vodka with a fresh puree of the fruit. That sweetness is paired with the spice of a homemade cardamom syrup to create a fabulous dinner cocktail.

    Get the Recipe

  • 24 of 24

    Snowshoe Grog

    Snowshoe Grog Cocktail With Whiskey and Peppermint Schnapps
    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    One of the signature flavors of winter is peppermint and a lot of schnapps is poured on cold days. It's a wonderful companion for dark spirits, which are also preferred during this season. Whether you choose bourbon or brandy, you'll warm up instantly with the simple yet satisfying Snowshoe Grog.

    Get the Recipe