These cozy cocktails are sure to go down a treat this season. Designed to warm you up on a chilly winter's evening, these tasty tipples are perfect for sipping on in front of a roaring fire. From a mimosa flavoured with peppermint bark to deliciously warming mulled cider, in this collection of recipes we’ve been sure to include something for everyone. Whether you prefer your cocktails topped up with whisky, cider, gin, prosecco, wine or even champagne, these cocktails are exactly what you want to be sipping on when the colder weather sets in.

Hot Toddy

50ml Talisker 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
3 tsp Glencarse Scottish Heather Honey
1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half
1 lemon, half juiced and half sliced
2 cloves

Whisk the whisky and honey together and split between 2 heatproof glasses. Add half of the cinnamon stick to each, then top up with 200ml boiling water. Add a splash of lemon juice to each, then taste and add more to your preference. Finish each with a slice of lemon, studded with a clove, and serve immediately.

Offering a deep peat-smoked character with sweet undertones and a peppery finish, Talisker 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky was described by the famous Scottish poet Robert Louis Stevenson as "the king o' drinks".

Mulled Cider

1.5 L Thistly Cross Whisky Cask Cider
7 tbsp Calvados
400ml apple juice
75g dark brown sugar
zest 1 orange, pared into strips
4 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 tbsp allspice berries

Pour the cider, Calvados, apple juice and sugar into a large saucepan, and gently heat to mull. Add the orange zest and spices, bring to a simmer, then turn down and keep on a low heat for 20-30 mins. Ladle into glass mugs to serve.

From a multi-award winning cider-maker in the heart of East Lothian, Thistly Cross Whisky Cask Cider is matured in Glen Moray whisky casks to give a rarefied, rich and subtle drink with a gentle whisky taste. Infused with mellow, vanilla oak from the cask, this medium dry cider is one to be savoured.

Peppermint Bark Mimosas

85g dark chocolate chips, melted
3 candy canes, crushed
170g peppermint schnapps, divided
1 bottle Furdyna Champagne Brut Carte Blanche
6 candy canes, whole

Pour melted chocolate onto a small plate. Pour crushed candy canes onto a separate plate. Dip rims of champagne flutes first in chocolate, then in crushed candy canes to coat. Add an ounce of peppermint schnapps to each glass, then top with champagne or prosecco. Garnish with full candy canes before serving.

Furdyna Champagne Brut Carte Blanche has a lemony golden hue with lively bubbles. The nose is complex with white flowers and roses, yet delicately smoked and spicy, while the palate is elegant and balanced with fresh acidity for a very long finish.

Glogg

1 orange
1 bottle Reserve Saint Marc Merlot
200g caster sugar
10 cardamom pods
5 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
3 slices peeled ginger
50g raisins or sultanas
50g flaked almonds
150ml vodka or aquavit

Peel the orange zest into strips. Cut away any pith and discard; save the flesh for another recipe. Put the zest in a big pan with the wine, sugar, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, raisins (or sultanas) and almonds. Warm gently for 10-15 mins, never letting the mixture boil. Stir in the vodka or aquavit and serve warm.

Reserve Saint Marc Merlot red wine is an elegant and well-balanced DOC Merlot derived from the south of France. Dark and rich garnet red in colour with a fruity nose, blended with spicy notes of thyme and pepper. 

Pomegranate Prosecco Smash

Crushed ice
1 tablespoon pomegranate arils
2 ounces pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 ounce vodka
4 to 6 ounces La Tordera Saomi Prosecco Brut
1 tablespoon pomegranate arils
a sprig of rosemary for garnish

Fill a glass with crushed ice. Add the pomegranate juice, maple syrup, vodka and stir. Top it off with the prosecco. Add in the arils and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

La Tordera Saomi Prosecco Brut would go beautifully in this cocktail as it is bursting with fruity apple and pear scents, with subtle hints of vanilla and acacia flowers.

Old Fashioned

2 tsp sugar syrup or 1 tsp granulated sugar
1-2 dashes Angostura bitters
splash of water
60ml Ballantine's Finest Scotch Whisky
soda water (optional)
orange slice
maraschino cherry (optional)

Put the sugar, bitters and water in a small tumbler. Mix until the sugar dissolves if using granulated. Fill your glass with ice and stir in the whisky. Add a splash of soda water if you like and mix. Garnish with the orange and cherry.

Ballantine’s Finest is a complex, refined, and elegant blended Scotch Whisky made up of over 50 single malts. It’s well balanced subtle flavours with tones of milk chocolate, red apple and vanilla justify the many awards that it has won in the past.

Cranberry Gin Cocktail

1 measure Rock Rose Gin
150 ml Cranberry Juice
10 ml Lemon Juice
Ice Cubes
Fresh Cranberries
Mint Leaves

Fill a tumbler glass with ice cubes and add the gin and lemon juice. Top with the cranberry juice and stir. Taste and adjust the quantities how you'd like. Garnish with a few cranberries and mint leaves.

The fine flavour of Rock Rose Gin is thanks to a carefully selected and combined creation of local and traditional botanicals. Each one is meticulously chosen for their flavour properties to create the perfect taste.

German Glühwein

1/2 medium orange
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup turbinado or granulated sugar
20 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 whole star anise
1 bottle Los Haroldos Roble Malbec red wine

Remove the zest from the orange in wide strips. Juice the orange and set the juice aside. Combine the water and sugar in a large saucepan and boil until the sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce the heat and add the cloves, cinnamon, star anise, orange zest, and orange juice. Simmer until a fragrant syrup forms. Reduce the heat and add the wine. Let it simmer for at least 20 minutes but up to a few hours. Strain, serve and garnish.

Los Haroldos Roble Malbec red wine is an Argentinian Malbec which has full ripe red fruits, smoke and chocolate all on the forward and intense nose. The palate has elegant tannins and subtle acidity that all underpin the brambly fruit, sweet smoke and hint of meatiness.


Post By Rosie Burnman

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