Winter is the perfect time to stay inside, cuddle up by the fire and drink until all the nasty weather blows over, but margaritas, daiquiris, and other sparkling cocktails will leave you shivering and dreaming of warmer weather. Instead of wishing winter away, we have some recipes that will warm you up and make you feel cozy so that you’ll celebrating the cold weather in no time!
~Hot Cocoa and Whiskey (serves 4-6 people)
For this delicious recipe, you will need 3/4 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of cocoa powder, 3 and a 1/2 cups of milk, a pinch of salt and 6 ounces of Irish Whiskey.
For the whipped cream, you will need 1/2 cup of whipping cream, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, two teaspoons powdered sugar and some cinnamon or cocoa powder to garnish.
In a small saucepan combine the milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt and cook over medium heat. DO NOT BOIL! Whisk until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the Whiskey.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the whipping cream, the powdered sugar, and the vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Divide the Whiskey and cocoa mixture among the cups and top each with a heaping dollop of fresh whipped cream. Sprinkle cinnamon and cocoa on the top if you wish. Enjoy!
~Hot Buttered Rum (4 servings)
For this delicious recipe, you will need one stick of room temperature unsalted butter, 1/2 a cup of dark brown sugar, one teaspoon of grated orange zest, 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 1 and a 1/2 ounces of dark rum and a squeeze of fresh orange juice.
The first thing that you’re going to do is to beat the butter, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg with a mixer on medium speed until combined. (one minute or so)
Combine two tablespoons of the spiced butter with three tablespoons of the dark rum in each mug. Pour 3/4 cups boiling water over each and stir. Top each with a couple of teaspoonfuls of fresh orange juice and enjoy!
~Hot Honey Lemon with Vodka (Makes one quart)
For this recipe, you will need 1/2 cup of honey, 4 quarts water, one lemon zested and sliced, 1-2 sticks of cinnamon, and vodka (the amount is up to you)
There really aren’t any directions for this recipe. It’s as easy as squeezing some honey into a pot, add some strips of lemon zest, the cinnamon stick and water to it and stir. Cover the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Simmer the mixture for about 30-45 minutes or until the cinnamon flavor thoroughly infuses the drink, and your house smells like a warm spicy haven. Pour the mixture into glass mugs with the lemon slices. The lemon slices aren’t only for decoration. The lemon punches up the flavor of the drink and makes it out of this world! Lastly, add as much vodka as you’d like and enjoy!
We hope you enjoy these recipes and we hope to hear your feedback in the comment section!