Temperatures have been dipping down low this winter in the DMV but there are plenty of seasonal cocktails available to help warm you up.
Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar is offering a special warm cocktail on its menu this winter: the Spiked Café Cuba Libre with Cuban coffee, steamed coconut milk, whole milk and spiced rum. It is priced at $8.
All four Washington, DC area Legal Sea Foods offer guests two warm libations to ward off the cool winter nights. There is the Mexican Coffee with Patrón XO Café, cinnamon, coffee and whipped cream and the classic Hot Toddy with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, honey, lemon and cloves. These two cocktails range in price from $9 to $10.
Ambar Clarendon and its sister restaurant BABA are both offering a special warm cocktail from the Balkans this winter: The Balkan Hot Toddy, made with Maraska slivovitz (plum brandy), scotch whiskey, hot water, brown sugar cubes and lemon juice, garnished with a lemon peel and star anise. Guests can also select the Irish Coffee with Irish whiskey, regular coffee, brown sugar cube and lightly whipped heavy cream or opt for the Mulled Wine with red wine, oranges and various mulling spices. These cocktails are priced from $10 to $11.
Park Hyatt Washington‘s Blue Duck Tavern is offering guests a tempting warm cocktail perfect for the season. The Blitzen Hot Toddy is made from a combination of chai-infused Aquavit, saffron water, yellow chartreuse, Four Roses bourbon, black sesame honey, simple syrup and lemon juice, garnished with a cinnamon stick, lemon twist and a sugar rim. It is priced at $18.
Downtown Silver Spring’s All Set Restaurant & Bar is offering guests five seasonal cocktails that are sure to warm things up as the temperature drops. Guests can enjoy All Set’s version of the classic All American Hot Toddy with lemon, mint-basil syrup, ginger syrup, Falernum, cinnamon whiskey and Angostura bitters; Irish Coffee with hot coffee and Jameson, topped with whipped cream and ground cinnamon; Mexican Coffee with hot coffee, Kahlúa, tequila and whipped cream; Amaretto Coffee with hot coffee, amaretto and whipped cream, garnished with toasted sliced almonds; or the White Russian with vodka, Kahlúa, Baileys Irish Cream and milk. These seasonal cocktails are priced at $8.
Reston’s family-owned Red’s Table is offering the Hot Scotty, made with a combination of Glenmorangie whiskey, orange-chamomile simple syrup, clove, lemon and hot water. It is priced at $12.
Sixth Engine loves its warm cocktails and is offering the Firehouse Toddy with Sixth Engine’s house Woodford blend, Krupnikas Honey liqueur, lemon, and honey; Mulled Apple Cider made up of Bourbon-spiked hot apple cider mulled with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise; and Irish Coffee with Irish Whiskey, M.E. Swings coffee, brown sugar cube, topped with Bailey’s whipped cream. These cocktails are $10.
Arlington’s The G.O.A.T. serves the Salted Caramel Apple Sangria, made with caramel cinnamon apple syrup, sparkling apple cider, salted caramel vodka and pinot grigio topped with whipped cream and served with a cinnamon stick. It also has The Cavalier. It is Exotico Resposado Tequila mixed with lime juice, honey simple syrup, and the G.O.A.T.’s own chili syrup before being garnished with chili lime sea salt. For a heated effect, The Cavalier is then put in a Fontessa Smoke Box and smoked with applewood chips for 20 seconds. These cocktails are $10.
In Old Town Alexandria, BRABO’s lead bartender Bret Oye is very excited to offer the Spiked Apple Cider. It is made with brandy, fresh-pressed apple cider, Chinese Long Pepper, star anise, and cinnamon. It is priced at $13.
Dirty Habit has three warm cocktails on its winter menu: When Harry Met Meghan, made with One Eight Distilling Untitled No. 3 Gin, chamomile-honey syrup, pear brandy, baked apple bitters, Earl Grey Tea, and dehydrated pear garnish; Far North, made with Alander Spiced Rum, chocolate (based with coconut milk), hot water and a coconut espuma with shaved Tonka garnish; and Trade Gone Bad, made with Makers Mark, mulled East India Sherry, benedictine, hot water and a cinnamon cotton candy garnish. These cocktails are priced at $13. As an added bonus, Dirty Habit has its outdoor patio open for any guests who wish to enjoy a warm cocktail by the fire pits. The restaurant even has blankets on hand, to add an extra layer of bundled-up coziness for guests.
Near Dupont Circle, Firefly is offering the Campfire. It is made with torched and muddled chocolate, vodka, walnut liquor, Kahlua, All Spice Dram Liquor and egg white. Serve in a cedar rosemary-smoked glass garnished with torched coconut marshmallows. It is priced at $16. NOTE: This is a secret menu item and only available upon request — and you must ask very, very nicely.
Radiator has the Sarah’s Hot Buttered Rum, named for lead bartender Sarah Rosner. It is made with Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, butter, winter spices (cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg), ginger, and hot water. “The gluttonous warmth of this butter and sugar packed libation is perfect for warming the soul and easing the mind on a cold gloomy day,” says Rosner. It is priced at $13.
At The Graham Georgetown’s hip speakeasy, The Alex, you can enjoy the Chai Garam. It is made with Buffalo Trace bourbon, coconut milk infused with a hand-picked chai Blend, and house infused coffee liqueur. It is priced at $XX.
The U Street Corridor’s Service Bar has a trio of creative warm cocktails: Gingerbread Toddy, made with cognac, Calvados, Gingerbread Rooibos tea, 10 spice, apple, pear, and clarified citrus; Coffee, Chocolate, Booze, made with El Silencio Mezcal, dark and white chocolate, coffee, vanilla, chiles, cinnamon, egg white foam, and chicory; and Hot Buttered Cider, made with Calvados & Rye Whiskey, apple juice (made and clarified in house from five types of apples), ginger, and butter. These cocktails are priced at $10.
At the Tabard Inn Restaurant you enjoy tasting warm cocktails sitting next to a crackling fire, which will be burning all winter. You will find two classic drinks on the menu: a Spiced Mulled Cider with Rum and a Hot Buttered Rum. The Tabard’s Hot Buttered Rum is made with a “batter” of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and orange, and finished Don Q Anejo Rum, a Puerto Rican rum with some oak aging, to add more depth and richness to the drink than a simple white rum. They are priced at $13.
