3 Hot Boozy Drinks to Help You Warm Up

It's cold. Your drink doesn't have to be

By Seattle Mag November 13, 2014

hot-drink

Every year when the temperature drops near freezing, I rediscover my love of hot drinks. For some reason, I’m surprised by this discovery, as if I’ve talked myself out of loving drinks whose ingredients and temperatures bring the warmth. But as soon as I have the first one of the season: bam! I’m back on the hot drink train.

If you’ve also convinced yourself that hot or warm alcoholic beverages aren’t your thing, try one of these three–all of which I created just for this post. They’ll make the next few chilly months amazingly better.

1. Morning Call
Sometimes, you create a drink that has no business being as delectable as it is. This is one of those drinks. Not because of the ingredients aren’t worthy. It uses the new Navy Strength rum from local distiller 3 Howls, as well as the always amazing Pierre Ferrand orange curaçao, and the first-rate coffee liqueur from the Seattle Distilling Company. All great ingredients. But should they go together in a hot drink? You might not think so at first. But trust me. The flavors match up perfectly without ever overwhelming each other, just delivering layer after layer of warm goodness.

1-1/2 ounces 3 Howls Navy Strength rum

3/4 ounces Pierre Ferrand orange curaçao

1/2 ounce Seattle Distilling Company coffee liqueur

4 ounces hot water

Wide orange twist, for garnish

1. Add the 3 Howls rum, Pierre Ferrand orange curaçao, and the Seattle Distilling Company coffee liqueur to a mug that’s been warmed slightly by being rinsed with hot water. Stir briefly.

2. Add the hot water and stir again. Garnish with the orange twist. Marvel at the marvelousness.

2. The Long and the Short
This is a gourmet hot drink for the masses (ideal for happening holiday parties). It features SIA, a lovely blended Scotch that’s recently come out, which has a wonderful amber color and hints of citrus, spice, vanilla and smoke–and a little nutty finish. It’s a great sipped solo, but also a revelation as a base for a hot drink, and it plays perfectly with the fruitiness brought by the French aperitif Pineau des Charentes White Pineu and the herbal underlines drawn by local Scrappy’s orange bitters in the below.

1-1/2 ounces SIA blended Scotch

3/4 ounce Pineau des Charentes White Pineu

2 dashes Scrappy’s orange bitters

4 ounces hot water

Lemon twist, for garnish

1. Add the SIA Scotch, Pineau des Charentes, and the Scrappy’s to a mug that’s been warmed slightly by being rinsed with hot water. Stir briefly.

2. Add the hot water and stir again. Garnish with the lemon twist. Indulge yourself with every sip.

3. Pliny’s Hand Warmer
I drink a glass of peppermint hot tea nearly every day. I’m sort-of a fanatic about it. But no matter what brand, regular peppermint tea is miles from being as good as this drink, which cuddles up the tea with Plantation’s Original Dark rum from Trinidad & Tobago. Its hints of smoke, citrus, banana, and spice go so smoothly with the tea. Adding a little Italian amaro Averna makes it an ideal winter drink.

1-1/2 ounce Plantation Original Dark rum

1 ounce Averna amaro

5 ounces hot peppermint tea

Wide orange twist, for garnish

1. Add the rum and the Averna to a mug that’s been warmed slightly by being rinsed with hot water. Stir briefly.

2. Add the tea, stir again. Garnish with the orange twist.

 

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