Winter drinking has moved well past opening the biggest red in the house and calling it a night.
At home, cold-weather drinks are getting richer, spicier and a little more nostalgic. Think mulled wine bubbling gently on the stove, hot toddies during a cold snap, cider warmed with cloves, and bottled cocktails doing the heavy lifting when you want the bar experience without leaving the couch.
From classics that never really left to seasonal spins worth keeping in the cupboard, these are the winter drinks making a strong case for staying in.
Mulled Wine
The winter classic for a reason. Red wine gently warmed with cinnamon, star anise, orange peel and cloves is hard to beat once the temperature drops.
For ours, Mullet Wines Hard Shiraz is the move, especially at thirteen bucks a pop in-app at BWS. Pour it into a saucepan, add your spices and citrus, keep the heat low, and whatever you do, do not let it boil.
MULLET WINES
HARD SHIRAZ
Mulled Mead
Mead is an underrated winter warmer, and Greedy Bear makes the case pretty clearly.
The Sydney-brewed craft mead works especially well mulled, with the Original Sparkling Mead taking nicely to orange, cinnamon, cloves and a little extra Aussie honey.
For an even easier pour, Greedy Bear is already brewed with molasses and a hint of cinnamon, making it a solid winter warmer straight from the can.
GREEDY BEAR
OLD
Hot Toddy
Whisky, honey, lemon and hot water. Simple. You can dress it up with a cinnamon stick or keep it stripped back, but either way it remains one of the easiest winter drinks to make at home.
Redbreast is considered the gold standard here, and their winter warmer recipe is about as reliable as it gets.
REDBREAST
12 YEAR OLD
Hot Cider
Hot spiced cider is having its moment, and thankfully it is very low-effort at home. Apple cider warmed with cinnamon, clove and orange is already a winner, but it hits even harder when the weather turns properly miserable.
Willie Smith’s is the quintessential Tassie crew to reach for. Warm it gently, throw in your spices, and you are basically done.
WILLIE SMITHS
ORGANIC CIDER
Irish Coffee
Coffee, whiskey, brown sugar and cream: a reliable classic that still knows exactly what it is doing. It sits somewhere between a drink, a dessert and a very reasonable excuse to wrap your hands around a warm mug.
Jameson is the no-brainer here. Make a strong coffee, sweeten it with brown sugar, add whiskey, then float cream over the top if you are feeling committed.
JAMESON
IRISH WHISKEY
Hot Buttered Rum
A little less common than mulled wine, but very much built for this weather. Dark rum, butter, brown sugar and warming spices make for a rich, nostalgic serve that feels like something you should absolutely be making in slippers.
The Kraken Black Spiced Rum is the obvious pick. Mix it with a spiced butter batter, top with hot water, and let it do its thing.
KRAKEN
THE KRAKEN BLACK SPICED RUM
Warm Spiced Negroni
A negroni might not scream “winter warmer” at first, but the right spiced version absolutely gets there. For ours, Never Never’s Panettone Negroni is the standout.
The bottled serve has just been named World’s Best Contemporary Cocktail at the 2026 World Drink Awards in London, proving a festive, spice-laced negroni can hold its own on the world stage.
Keep it in the fridge, pour over ice, garnish with orange, and call that your at-home cocktail bar for the night. Check out their Triple Juniper Negroni recipe if you want to keep things a little cooler.
NEVER NEVER
PANETTONE NEGRONI
Hot Gin and Juice
This one is essentially a hot citrus gin punch: gin warmed through with apple juice, orange juice, lemon and a little honey. It keeps the bright, botanical thing gin does well, but softens it into something cosy enough for a cold night on the couch.
To make it at home, gently warm apple juice and orange juice in a saucepan with a squeeze of lemon, honey, cinnamon and a slice of orange. Take it off the heat, add the gin last, and give it a quick stir. Do not boil it, unless you want to wave goodbye to the good stuff.
A coral or spiced gin works best here, but honestly, this is a pretty forgiving winter pour.
APPLEWOOD
GIN