Cocktail tips
How to craft winter cocktails
When we consider any season, we want to capture the flavors and aromas encompassing the spirit of that time of year. While summer calls for vibrant floral ingredients, winter demands bold spices and drinks that create a sense of comfort. By identifying the ingredients and flavors that capture the essence of winter, you'll be perfectly placed to create delicious festive cocktails that add a little extra magic to the season.
The flavors of winter
Winter cocktails are all about evoking feelings of coziness while you get comfortable by the fire. The components typically used in cocktails used to help develop this ambient atmosphere include:
- spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg
- winter fruits, including orange, cranberry, and pomegranate
- robust spirits such as whiskey, rum, and brandy
- rich syrups
Let us delve a little deeper into why each of the above components can help you craft delightful winter cocktails for you and your friends and family.
Spices
Spices like cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves have long been staples of winter beverages. Whether they're being infused into a mulled wine or grated over a carefully crafted hot chocolate, the use of these spices in drinks is a sure sign that winter is well and truly here. These spices are perfect for the holiday season thanks to their bold and aromatic structure, warmth, and sweet undertones, which help them evoke a much-needed sense of coziness during this time of year.
While the mention of these spices may make warm drinks like mulled wine or hot toddies spring to mind, you can also use them to transform some classic cocktails. Try the following to add a winter twist to some of your favorites:
- Turn a negroni into a spiced negroni by infusing some cinnamon or cloves into your gin or Campari. Leave it for a few days for a subtle flavoring or a few weeks for a more pronounced influence from your spices.
- Use cinnamon syrup for your winter old fashioned to add a different kick to this timeless classic. Make your syrup by adding a cinnamon stick to your water and sugar mixture while you warm it through on the hob, allow it to cool, then mix it with your bitters, whisky of choice (bourbon or rye whiskey are popular choices), and stir with ice. Add a winter garnish by topping with a small piece of star anise. Find the full recipe for this cocktail in our cinnamon old fashioned recipe blog.
- If you're an espresso martini enthusiast, you can add a bit of winter spirit by grating some fresh nutmeg over the top of your cocktail after you've poured it into your cocktail glass.
Try serving the spiced negroni or cinnamon old fashioned using our Spiegelau Perfect Serve D.O.F Glass. Your nutmeg espresso martini will look the part in a variety of Spiegelau glasses, including our Spiegelau Perfect Serve Coupette Glass, our Spiegelau Style and Spiegelau Lifestyle Coupette Glasses, or our Spiegelau Espresso Martini Glass.
Warming fruits
Some fruits lend themselves particularly well to winter indulgences. The likes of pomegranate, figs, and cranberries are strongly associated with the season due to pairing well with popular winter ingredients - particularly in the case of cranberries and turkey. There are also examples like orange and apple, which cut through and complement the robust spirits often used in winter cocktails.
Whichever fruit you use in your winter cocktails, the vibrant acidity they bring to drinks containing rich, heavy ingredients like spices and dark spirits is crucial. Coupled with the tart qualities shared by the types of fruit mentioned, these qualities make for an essential part of a successful winter beverage. Here are a few examples of how you can use these fruits to establish some new winter favorites in your life:
- Use orange to transform a summer's margarita into a wintery star of the show. Adding some fresh orange juice to a traditional margarita recipe mix puts a zesty and, most importantly, festive spin on proceedings.
- Prosecco lovers can capture the essence of winter by mixing up a pomegranate smash. Simply fill a long drink glass with ice, add 50ml pomegranate juice, one teaspoon of maple or honey syrup, 25ml vodka, and top with prosecco. Stir gently but well, and garnish with a tablespoon of pomegranate arils.
- Sweeten an original Manhattan with some tangy cranberry sweetness. Add rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters to a mixing glass with ice as you usually would for a Manhattan, then add 1-2 teaspoons of cranberry syrup for a festive twist. Stir until well-chilled, then strain into your coupe glass and garnish with a brandied cherry or a lemon twist. Find the full recipe for this cocktail in our cranberry Manhattan recipe blog.
For the above suggestions, you can enjoy your orange margarita from our Spiegelau Perfect Serve D.O.F Glass if you're enjoying it served over ice. The pomegranate smash is best enjoyed from our Spiegelau Perfect Serve Long Drink Glass, while the cranberry Manhattan will shine in our Spiegelau Style Coupette Glass, our Spiegelau Lifestyle Coupette Glass, or our Spiegelau Perfect Serve Coupette Glass.
Robust spirits
When it comes to wintery cocktails, darker spirits rule the roost. The rich, caramelized flavors and warming sensation provided by spirits like whisky, rum, and brandy make for the perfect base for the heartier ingredients often used in cocktails at this time of year.
Since many classic cocktails already use robust spirits in their base, you might not need to change your spirit. There are, however, some examples where substituting a cocktail's lighter spirit for a darker one can transform the drink while keeping it delicious. For example, you can swap vodka for dark rum when making your espresso martinis, creating a more caramelized cocktail with greater depth. For a more subtle tweak, swap your silver tequila in your margarita for an agd tequila for a margarita with a richer, smoky flavor.
If you have another cocktail favorite that traditionally uses a lighter spirit that you'd like to transform into a more winter-appropriate drink, explore which dark spirits might provide a viable alternative. You might just discover your new favorite festive cocktail!
Rich syrups
As mentioned with our cinnamon old fashioned suggestion, rich cocktail syrups can be a great way of elevating your cocktails into standout winter pleasers for your guests. Using sweeteners like honey syrup, maple syrup, or syrups infused with spices like cinnamon in place of sugar or simple syrup can deliver new layers of flavor to your cocktails that complement the bold, spiced flavors of the drink while delivering a silky texture.
Be sure to tailor your syrup to the other qualities of your winter cocktail. Molasses are a good addition to many rum-based cocktails, while maple syrup can complement a whiskey sour brilliantly. If you're enjoying spirit-forward cocktails like an old fashioned or a Manhattan, consider creating your own spice-infused syrup to add an extra dimension to the cocktail.
We hope you found that useful for your winter cocktail-making endeavors. Of course, you're free to use these ingredients and enjoy our suggested cocktails at any time of year, but if you're looking to maximize your festivities this year, we think the above suggestions will help you to do it in style.
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