22 Wonderful Winter Cocktails to Enjoy This Season

Figgy Sparkler — The Spruce Eats / 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 the 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.

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Milk & Honey

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.
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Caramel Irish Coffee

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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.
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Snowball

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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.
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Easy Rum Eggnog

The Spruce Eats

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.

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Hot Gin Toddy

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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.
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Winter Cocktail

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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.
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Spiced Cranberry Margarita

The Spruce Eats / 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.
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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.

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Habanero Blood Orange Margarita

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.
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Sugar Cookie Martini

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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!
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Salted Caramel Martini

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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 a 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.
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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.

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Almost a Collins

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, homemade cinnamon syrup is thrown into the mix.
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Kumquat-Ginger Caipirinha

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!
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Ginger Snap Martini

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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!
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Figgy Sparkler

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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.

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Frostbite

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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.
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Cocoa Old-Fashioned

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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.
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Bacon Me Angry

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 and 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.
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Bloody Maria

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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.

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Spiced Pomegranate Martini

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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 homemade cardamom syrup to create a fabulous dinner cocktail.
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Snowshoe Grog

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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.

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