London is waking each morning to white rooftops and frozen windscreens, as heavy frosts come in the night and refuse to slink away come sunrise. Temperatures are hitting minus six, even in central, and there has been snow fluttering about the capital.
Now is the time for a warming cocktail — forget dry January and convince yourself that this is not for indulgence but survival: whisky steaming with honey, citrus cutting the gloom. Fog your glasses, loosen the shoulders, and settle in.
The seven drinks below have been kindly offered by bartenders across London bars, restaurants and a few favourite producers. Some are to share — others are better not.
The Harvest Bishop, Bar Swift
- 40ml red wine
- 15ml bourbon
- 15ml cognac
- 15ml port
- 10ml orange liqueur
- 25ml orange sherbet
- 2 dashes orange bitter
Add everything to a pan on a low heat and stir until warm, then grate in some nutmeg. This one should serve at least two, or last you over an evening.
Hot Buttered Brandy, Hawksmoor
- 100ml brandy
- 100ml sloe gin
- 500ml cloudy apple juice
- 4tsp salted butter
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2-3 star anise
- 30g honey (or 50g quince quince paste)
The perfect January warmer. With this one, there’s plenty of fruit and spice from the apple and sloe gin, with a big kick of brandy and soft hug of butter. Any brandy should work, but Seven Tails works best as it has a distinctive flavour, as it’s a blend of armagnac and cognac. Simply warm all the ingredients in a pan, being careful not to boil, for 10 minutes and skim of any whey from the butter. Serve with cinnamon sticks. This one is another to share, unless you’re planning an early night snoozing on the sofa.
The Italicus High Tea, the Coral Room
Coral Room
- 40ml Italian
- 15ml Fino sherry
- 2 spoons of raspberry jam
- 3 dashes of bitter orange
- 125ml English sparkling win
Shake all the ingredients up in a shaker with ice, strain the mixture into your flask, top with English sparkling wine and then add orange zest. A coupe glass suits this best. The orange brings that warming feeling.
- 50ml scotch whisky
- 25ml sweet vermouth
- 2 dashes angostura
- 1 dash orange bitters
- An optional 5ml Benedictine or cherry brandy
A Rob Roy in its simplest form is two parts (50ml) scotch whisky followed by one part (25ml) of sweet vermouth. These two ingredients are then stirred down with a couple of drops of Angostura bitters and a dash of orange bitters.
If you want to jazz up your Rob Roy, sweeten it up with 5ml of a liqueur such as Benedictine or cherry brandy. You can also increase the vermouth to make the drink a touch richer with more warming spice.
Winter Warmer, Jura Whisky
- 40ml scotch whisky
- 10ml fresh lemon juice/orange juice
- 10ml honey
- 60ml cloudy apple juice
- 1 star anise
- A lemon/orange slice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Cloves
Add all ingredients to a pan and apply low heat until warmed through. Serve in a heat-proof glass or flask and garnish with a cinnamon stick and clove studded orange slice.
Sherry Martini, East London Liquor Co.
- 50ml gin
- A dash of Palo Cortado sherry
- Pickled onion to garnish
Stir the gin and sherry over ice, strain into a walking vessel of your choice. The sherry turns the usually ice-cold martini into something soft and sophisticated, something that comforts rather than chills. Garnish with pickled onion.
Blood Orange Christmas Fizz, Arlu Rum
Didsbury Gin
- 50ml rum
- 40ml ginger beer
- 20ml cranberry juice
- 15ml lime juice
- 10g ginger
- 5ml honey
- Prosecco
- Grated nutmeg for garnish
Grate some fresh ginger and muddle it with lime juice and honey in a shaker. Shake together with rum, cranberry juice and ginger beer. Strain the mixture into a coupe or a flute, and top up with prosecco. Dust with nutmeg and enjoy.