Where to Warm up With Winter Cocktails in NYC

Baita at Eataly
The 14th floor of Eataly in Flatiron has turned into an Italian Alps pop-up with wooden walls and stone-slab roof. There are house-brewed ales and negroni cocktails, but what’s an Alpine ski lodge without some hot drinks? Warm up with a cup of vin brule made with Barbera wine, brandy, star anise, cinnamon and other spices. There’s Bombardino, combining Zabov Zabaglione liqueur, Vecchia Romagna brandy, whipped cream, and nutmeg. Cap the night with Smokey S’more, their version of hot chocolate spiked with tequila cream, mescal and topped with cookie crumble.

Boilermaker
This retro-style bar in East Village is a popular neighborhood hangout with burgers, beers and midnight pancakes, plus extraordinary cocktails. Get a dose of warming spices with Chai Me a River, made with gin, apple schnapps, almond milk, chai tea, and bitters. The Salted Honey Old Fashioned is a seasonal take on an old classic. There’s even a cocktail on tap to make drinkers nostalgic for their camping days: Campfire Fancy combines scotch, cacao, bitters and a toasted marshmallow.

Bottle and Bine
This new Midtown gastropub has a variety of cocktails for winter, from bubbly drinks for the holidays, smoky cocktails, and seasonal produce and spices. Mixologist Moses Laboy’s Normal Man is made with a smoky matcha-infused Elijah Craig small batch bourbon, applewood smoke, brown sugar and Peychaud bitters. We all need some fat to ward off the cold, and he has two things for that: Ranunculus is made with burnt butter fat washed smoked gin, Cynar, and cranberry green tea foam; while Dalles Mountain incorporates brown butter fat washed bourbon with bitters.

Dead Rabbit
The latest menu from the World’s Best Bar includes plenty of winter spices and hot drinks for the cold weather. The Gangsta’s Paradise combines calvados, Pommeau de Normandie, caramel, lemon, pimento, and smoked Applewood salt. Warm up with the Jailbird, made with bourbon, calvados, madeira, macadamia, almond, pimento bitters, served hot with a cream float.

Death & Co.
The cocktail menu at Death & Co rotates twice a year and there are plenty to sip for the winter. Among the stirred cocktails are Lost Cause, which combines cider, sparkling wine, St. George spiced pear, pear eau de vie, and vanilla. The shaken Hustle and Cuss is made with Buffalo Trace bourbon, cacao, cinnamon, maple, lemon, and aromatic bitters. Save room for the bar’s vintage egg nog.

Junoon
The Michelin-starred Indian restaurant has designed a unique hot drink for the winter. Mixologist Hemant Pathak wanted to make a “bartender’s soup” as he’s received many hot drink requests during previous winters. This year, he has come up with Winter is Coming, which combines Laird’s Applejack with coconut liqueur and his own recipe of butternut squash soup. The drink is garnished with apple-chili oil and cinnamon dust.

Olmsted
Olmsted’s backyard garden isn’t just for the summer. It’s inviting you to enjoy the garden with warm cocktails, make your own s’mores, heaters, and cozy blankets. Bartender Mike Bohn has created some warm drinks that will be served in a Stanley thermos. There’s a Hot Toddy with rye and spiced porter syrup, a Posset that combines egg yolk, milk, cream, sugar, and IPA; as well as a mulled cider made using spiced honey syrup. Teetotalers can also join the gathering with a hot chocolate and marshmallows.

Porchlight
Danny Meyer’s Southern-style bar brings back winter classics, including the Old Apple Toddy, made with Old Overholt whiskey, Laird’s apple brandy, honey, lemon, and ginger. Skip the grocery store variety and try Porchlight’s housemade egg nog, which combines bourbon, apple brandy, Jamaican rum, cream, demerara syrup and a whole egg. For those who want something more experimental, Three Rings is an Old Fashioned variation that uses bourbon, apple brandy, dried cherry syrup, black strap rum, bitters and cider vinegar.

Nitecap
Nitecap’s latest cocktail menu, launched in November, is space-themed and you can star-gaze into the winter sky while sipping drinks like Long Distance Lover, made with Amontillado and Moscatel sherries, apple brandy, kummel, amaro, spiced pear, orgeat, and muddled fruit. Taste the stone fruits with The Hall Pass, which combines apple brandy, scotch, lillet blanc, apricot, and orange bitters.

The NoMad
Slip into the swanky Nomad Hotel and perk up with a glass of the Loving Cup, made with coffee-infused Marseilles dry vermouth, amaro, grapefruit, lemon, cinnamon, vanilla, and tonic. Imagine yourself going Into the Woods with the cocktail that combines Chambery Blanc vermouth, Douglas Fir eau de vie, maple syrup, lemon, egg white, and rosemary. Since winter is also truffle season, impress a date with the Coq-tail (for 2) which includes a glass of the black truffle-infused Absolut Elyx mixed with sherry, vermouth, lemon, and orgeat.