3 New Hot Cocktails to Sip Outside as the Weather Gets Cold

A turmeric-and-sherry hot toddy, an amaro-spiced cider, and a gentle chamomile-laced tequila drink to keep you warm. 
Photo of two glasses of a Hunky Hot Toddy two mugs of a Frankie Marshall Hot Cider and a mug of Warm Comfort with a...
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton

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It feels like autumn is pulling in both directions. We want so much about this challenging year to speed up, to bring us through to some better situation. We want the light at the end of the tunnel to be within arm’s reach. At the same time, though, before the rains come, before we’re shivering in our marshmallowy puffer coats, we want to linger: to take long walks, to kick up piles of leaves, and most of all, to gather at a safe distance, outdoors.

Like a fire pit or patio heater, something warm in your cup can prolong that outdoor-socializing season. So I called on a few of my favorite bartenders to share their favorite hot cocktails to get us through. These are drinks that can soothe, sipped from a travel cup or camping enamelware. (Of course, they’re good indoors too, steaming up from your favorite pottery mug while you nestle under a cozy blanket on your couch.)

A chamomile-tequila hot toddy is a glorious innovation.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton

Two takes on the hot toddy

A hot toddy can be truly simple: Just take whiskey, a little honey and lemon, and add a few ounces of boiling water. But a surprising range of spirits—and even full-blown cocktails—can be toddied. The best mixtures highlight what’s going on in each spirit, like this combination from Oakland bartender Jared Hirsch of floral herbal tequila with chamomile tea, balanced with a touch of agave nectar and fresh lemon juice.

Sometimes, a winning hot toddy combination is also a flexible one. Take this mix of earthy turmeric and nutty sherry from bartender Claire Sprouse, the mastermind behind Hunky Dory in Brooklyn. “Hot toddies can be tricky,” Sprouse says, “because there is so much water involved. You have to figure out how to maximize flavor within that framework.” Once you’ve brought in deeply savory amontillado sherry and full-flavored turmeric (Sprouse uses Diaspora Co.), you get to play: The earthy-nutty base pairs wonderfully with heartier spirits like bourbon, aged rum, mezcal, or scotch, but this drink is also shockingly delicious when made with gin.

And spiced cider, but better

Mulled cider is fine, but amaro’d cider is better. In this luscious drink from New York bartender Ms. Franky Marshall, cider gets well-rounded spice from Averna, a Sicilian liqueur that tastes citrusy, cinnamony, and herbal, with a mellow chocolaty flavor that’s wonderful in mixed drinks. “Apples and oranges don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” Marshall says, so she sweetens the mix—and boosts the citrus quotient—with Grand Marnier and balances it with a squeeze of lemon. The final comforting touch: a pat of salted butter. It all comes together like a salted-caramel-apple dream.