Stirring a spirit into a hot drink keeps about 85% of its alcohol, according to USDA retention data, so a hot drink is not a weak one. The hot grog here is still about 1.6 standard drinks in the mug. 14 of the 15 use a bottle we've reviewed, and none repeats a drink from our Thanksgiving or Christmas lists.
1. Sazerac
Rye, sugar and Peychaud's bitters in an absinthe-rinsed glass, served without ice. It's a slow drink for a cold night.
Recipe: 2 oz Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whisky BiB, ¼ oz simple syrup, 3 dashes Peychaud's bitters, absinthe rinse. Rinse a chilled glass with absinthe, stir the rest with ice, strain in, express a lemon peel over the top.
2. Gold Rush
Bourbon, honey and lemon: a whiskey sour with honey instead of sugar. Our Gold Rush recipe has the honey syrup ratio.
Recipe: 2 oz Elijah Craig Small Batch, ¾ oz honey syrup, ¾ oz fresh lemon juice. Shake with ice, strain over a large cube.
3. Paper Plane
Equal parts bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino and lemon. It's bittersweet and bright for a dark month.
Recipe: ¾ oz Wild Turkey 101, ¾ oz Aperol, ¾ oz Amaro Nonino, ¾ oz fresh lemon juice. Shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe.
4. Brown Derby
Bourbon, grapefruit and honey. It's bright and tart for a gray afternoon.
Recipe: 2 oz Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage, 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice, ½ oz honey syrup. Shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe.
5. Blood and Sand
Scotch, cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth and orange juice in equal parts. Blood oranges make it better when you can find them.
Recipe: ¾ oz Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, ¾ oz Cherry Heering, ¾ oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica), ¾ oz fresh orange juice. Shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe.
6. Godfather
Scotch and amaretto over ice. Two ingredients, no shaking, and almond warmth.
Recipe: 1½ oz Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour, ½ oz amaretto (Disaronno). Stir with ice, strain over a large cube.
7. Rusty Nail
Scotch sweetened with Drambuie's honey and herbs. A peppery island malt keeps it from getting cloying.
Recipe: 1½ oz Talisker 10 Year Old, ¾ oz Drambuie. Stir with ice, strain over fresh ice, garnish with a lemon twist.
8. Mexican Hot Chocolate with Reposado
Cinnamon-spiked Mexican chocolate with a reposado tequila in place of the usual whiskey. A pinch of chili finishes it.
Recipe: 1½ oz El Tesoro Reposado, 6 oz hot Mexican chocolate. Make the chocolate, pour into a mug, then stir in the tequila.
9. Smoky Islay Old Fashioned
A peated Islay single malt in an Old Fashioned tastes like a fireplace. Keep the sugar light so the smoke leads.
Recipe: 2 oz Ardbeg 10 Year Old, ¼ oz demerara syrup, 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Stir with ice, strain over a large cube, express an orange peel.
10. Revolver
Bourbon, coffee liqueur and orange bitters. It's a Manhattan for coffee people.
Recipe: 2 oz Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon, ½ oz Kahlúa, 2 dashes orange bitters. Stir with ice, strain into a chilled coupe, flame an orange peel over it.
11. Toronto
Rye with a little Fernet-Branca and sugar. It's bracing, minty and built for cold weather.
Recipe: 2 oz Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whisky BiB, ¼ oz Fernet-Branca, ¼ oz simple syrup, 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Stir with ice, strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with an orange twist.
12. Bobby Burns
Scotch, sweet vermouth and Bénédictine. Pour one on Burns Night, January 25.
Recipe: 1½ oz Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old, ¾ oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica), ¼ oz Bénédictine. Stir with ice, strain into a chilled glass, garnish with a lemon twist.
13. Hot Grog
The sailor's drink: rum, hot water, lime and sugar. A navy-strength rum holds its own in the hot water.
Recipe: 2 oz Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum, 4 oz hot water, ½ oz fresh lime juice, ½ oz demerara syrup. Stir syrup and lime into hot water in a mug, add the rum last.
14. Remember the Maine
Rye, sweet vermouth, cherry liqueur and an absinthe rinse. It's a richer, darker cousin of the Manhattan.
Recipe: 2 oz WhistlePig 10 Year Straight Rye Whiskey, ¾ oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica), ¼ oz Cherry Heering, absinthe rinse. Rinse a chilled coupe with absinthe, stir the rest with ice, strain in.
15. Jack Rose
Apple brandy, lemon and real pomegranate grenadine. It's the American classic for apple season, and it carries into winter.
Recipe: 2 oz Laird's Bottled-in-Bond apple brandy, ¾ oz fresh lemon juice, ½ oz pomegranate grenadine. Shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe.
Does Heat Cook the Alcohol Out of a Hot Cocktail?
Not as much as you'd hope. In the USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, alcohol stirred into a hot liquid and taken off the heat kept 85% of its alcohol. Simmered for 15 minutes it kept 40%, and after an hour it still kept 25%.
For the two hot drinks on this list, that means:
- Mexican Hot Chocolate with Tequila: 1.0 standard drinks poured, about 0.8 in the mug
- Hot Grog: 1.9 standard drinks poured, about 1.6 in the mug
The practical rule is to add the spirit to the mug, not to a pot left on the stove. A pot of spiked cider kept simmering for an hour has lost most of its alcohol, and you've paid for a bottle you boiled off.
How Strong Is Each Winter Cocktail?
A US standard drink is 0.6 fl oz of pure alcohol. The table shows what goes into the glass, before any heat.
| Cocktail | Pure alcohol | Standard drinks | Drinks per 750 ml bottle of the base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sazerac | 1.00 oz | 1.7 | 12 |
| Gold Rush | 0.94 oz | 1.6 | 12 |
| Paper Plane | 0.72 oz | 1.2 | 33 |
| Brown Derby | 0.87 oz | 1.4 | 12 |
| Blood and Sand | 0.63 oz | 1.0 | 33 |
| Godfather | 0.79 oz | 1.3 | 16 |
| Rusty Nail | 0.99 oz | 1.6 | 16 |
| Mexican Hot Chocolate with Tequila | 0.60 oz | 1.0 | 16 |
| Islay Old Fashioned | 0.92 oz | 1.5 | 12 |
| Revolver | 1.00 oz | 1.7 | 12 |
| Toronto | 1.10 oz | 1.8 | 12 |
| Bobby Burns | 0.92 oz | 1.5 | 16 |
| Hot Grog | 1.14 oz | 1.9 | 12 |
| Remember the Maine | 1.18 oz | 2.0 | 12 |
| Jack Rose | 1.00 oz | 1.7 | 12 |
Pure alcohol is each pour multiplied by the ABV on our review of that bottle, plus: Aperol 11%; Amaro Nonino 35%; Cherry Heering 24%; Carpano Antica 16.5%; Disaronno 28%; Drambuie 40%; Kahlúa 20%; Fernet-Branca 39%; Bénédictine 40%; Laird's Bottled-in-Bond apple brandy 50%, the bonded proof. Bitters dashes and syrups are left out. One standard drink is 0.6 fl oz of pure alcohol (NIAAA). Ice and shaking add water, not alcohol, so dilution does not change these figures.
Keep Exploring
- The Gold Rush Cocktail Recipe: Bourbon, Honey, and Why Simple Wins
- 15 Christmas Cocktails (and How Strong Each One Really Is)
- 15 Thanksgiving Cocktails (and How Strong Each One Really Is)
- The Manhattan Cocktail Recipe: The Gentleman's Bourbon
- 15 Home Cigar Lounge Ideas (and Where the Smoke Goes)
- 15 Speakeasy Home Bar Ideas (and the Bottles That Fit)