Occasion
Winter cocktails
Winter drinks trade refreshment for warmth — richer spirits, spiced syrups, and serves that are just as often hot as they are over ice. Where a summer cocktail wants to disappear quickly and cleanly, a winter one is built to be nursed slowly next to a fire, with enough body and spice to feel like it's doing something against the cold outside.
What winter drinks have in common
Measured across the 18 recipes on this page, compared with the rest of the site.
- Strength
- Stronger than average — a median of 15% in the glass against 10% across the rest of the site.
- Citrus
- Only 33% use fresh citrus, against 61% elsewhere, so most of this list keeps without a shopping trip.
- Effort
- 67% are built straight in the glass rather than shaken or stirred, against 41% elsewhere — you can make these without a shaker.
- Difficulty
- 39% are rated easy, against 65% across the rest of the catalogue.
- Alcohol-free and low-alcohol
- 17% of this list is alcohol-free or low in alcohol, so there is something to serve everyone without making a separate drink.
18 winter cocktails
Brandy Alexander
Brandy Alexander
Cognac, dark crème de cacao and cream, shaken smooth — a dessert cocktail dusted with nutmeg.
sweetcreamystrong
medium5 minbrandy
French Connection
French Connection
Cognac and amaretto, built over ice — a simple, warming two-ingredient sipper.
sweetstrong
easy3 minbrandy
Corpse Reviver No. 1
Corpse Reviver No. 1
Cognac, apple brandy and sweet vermouth, stirred cold — the older, spirit-forward half of the Corpse Reviver family.
strongdryfruity
medium5 minbrandy
