Warming winter cocktail ideas

Mulled wine

Mulled wine is a Christmas party classic, and our homemade version is pepped up with a splash of brandy.

A blue background with two glasses in front filled with red wine, slices of orange and cinnamon sticks

Baileys hot chocolate

We’ve added creamy Baileys and aromatic cinnamon to create the most decadent festive hot chocolate going – anindulgent pick-me-up drink!

A blue table topped with three mugs of hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows

Hot toddy

Warm up on chilly evenings with this hot toddy, a classic winter cocktail that combines whisky with honey, lemon and spices.

A red background with a glass mug in front filled with a hot whisky cocktail and cinnamon stick

Eggnog latte

Get into the festive spirit with a mug of creamy eggnog latte, made with eggnog or Advocaat, milk, espresso and a pinch of nutmeg for dusting.

Christmas hot chocolate

Curl up indoors with the ultimate Christmas hot chocolate, infused with festive flavours such as cinnamon and nutmeg, and finished with squirty cream or your favourite toppings.

Mulled gin

A great alternative to mulled wine – mix apple juice with gin and aromatic spices to make this warming mulled gin.

A blue background with a glass mug at the front filled with a dark yellow spiced drink and a cinnamon stick

Vegan eggnog

We’ve swapped dairy products for almond milk and coconut cream in this easy all-in-one vegan eggnog – a drink that’s perfect for festive parties.

Hot buttered rum

Treat yourself to a hot buttered rum over the festive season, made with golden rum, soft light brown sugar, unsalted butter and festive spices.

Mulled hot chocolate

Use your leftover red wine to jazz up hot chocolate over the festive season. This quick and easy mulled hot chocolate is the perfect way to warm up during the wintry months.

Smoky boozy hot chocolate

How do you make a mug of homemade hot chocolate even better? Add booze, of course! Mezcal or very peaty scotch whisky lends a welcome kick, and there's chilli in there for a bit of heat, too.

Mulled beer

Forget cider and wine – mulled beer is the thing to be drinking this year over the festive season. Our recipe has wintry flavours of cinnamon, cloves, star anise and clementine.

Hot spiced cherry cup

The perfect pick-me-up on a chilly winter night, this spiced cocktail blends red wine with cherry brandy, plenty of fresh spices and citrus. Best served warm and garnished with cinnamon sticks.

Two glass mugs filled with a cherry cup and an orange slice

The addition of rum to this winter classic works really well – we've added some here to compensate for the evaporation of alcohol during cooking, but it’s not essential, if you prefer your drinks a little less punchy.

Mulled white wine

Move over red – mulled white wine with a splash of dry cider is here, and its comforting winter spices are guaranteed to leave you feeling cosy.

Mulled port

Warm those cockles with a heady concoction of ruby port, cinnamon, black peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves and rosemary – the perfect Christmas tipple.

Winter sangria

A riff on port and lemon from the 1970s, this wintry twist on sangria is a great way to use up any leftover port and also works well with red wine.

Mulled old fashioned

This festive twist on a classic cocktail features a homemade syrup infused with cinnamon, orange and cloves for a warming, subtly spiced result.

A red cocktail in a tumbler with a twist of lemon peel on the top

Other winter cocktails

Snowball

Advocaat, a Dutch spirit made with eggs, sugar and brandy, is mixed with lemonade to make a sweet and easy-to-make festive tipple.

Sloe gin fizz

A festive twist on a classic gin fizz, you can use shop-bought sloe gin or find our recipe for an easy DIY version.

Vegan black russian

This black Russian recipe from London's Bubala restaurant is as rich as it is creamy, thanks to the tangy date syrup. It’s the ultimate Christmas cocktail, which just happens to be vegan.

Baileys cocktail

Make the most of your bottle of Baileys with this creamy vodka cocktail, the perfect at-home cocktail to indulge in during the colder months.

Grasshopper cocktail

One for fans of mint chocolate, this retro, three-ingredient drink makes for an ideal dessert cocktail or festive party tipple.

A blue cocktail garnished with a sprig of green mint

Spiced sidecar

A warming, cold-weather cocktail made using homemade spiced brandy. Omit the spices for a classic sidecar cocktail, or try using bourbon if you can’t find cognac.

Sidecar cocktail in a coupe glass with a bottle of red liquid behind

Chocolate martini

This decadent dessert cocktail features dark chocolate, gin and chocolate liqueur, making it perfect for a luxurious tipple at a winter dinner party.

Sloe sazerac

A seriously punchy whisky cocktail perfect for slow sipping during the winter months.

Sherry sour

Want a simple winter cocktail recipe? Impress friends and family over the festive season with our easy-drinking sherry sour.

Christmas mojito

Try this festive twist on everyone's favourite minty cocktail, where rum is mixed with cranberry juice and soda, then garnished with mint leaves and pomegranate seeds.

Two glasses of pink-hued mojito with mint and metal straws

Campfire cocktail

Curl up at home and recreate Bonfire Night with this sweet and smoky bourbon cocktail from the brilliant team at London whisky bar Black Rock.

A bourbon cocktail topped with a marshmallow and placed alongside a bottle of bourbon

Vieux carré cocktail

First invented in New Orleans in the 1930s, fans of manhattans, old fashioneds and sazeracs will love this layered and complex cocktail, perfect for sipping slowly on chilly evenings.

A coupe glass filled with a dark orange cocktail garnished with a dark red cherry

Old fashioned cocktail

A seriously sophisticated cocktail, the original old fashioned calls for just four ingredients. It's a punchy, mature and super-classy option.

Fig and grapefruit twinkle cocktail

Crème de figue liquor adds a delicately spiced flavour to this celebratory cocktail, which also comes laced with grapefruit gin and champagne.

Two cocktails set against a festive background

Espresso martini

We love espresso martinis! One of the coolest cocktails around, this punchy little number blends hot espresso with vodka for ultimate effect.

Revolver cocktail

Elevate your festive tipple! Beyond the espresso martini, indulge in a caffeinated Christmas sipper with this unique twist on a Manhattan

Chai white russian

Colder winter months call for the warming spices of chai. We’ve used it to make a twist on a classic white Russian, and tap into the trend for coffee cocktails.

Winter-spiced pear cocktail

A minty fresh mojito no longer seems appropriate at this time of year, and yet glass after glass of mulled wine can be a bit much. This winter-spiced pear cocktail bridges that gap perfectly – it’s light, but the warming spices of star anise and cinnamon and the silky texture from the egg white make it a great seasonal alternative.