Spiced Pear Cider at Rapscallion
Rapscallion, 2023 Greenville Ave. (Lower Greenville)
This Southern-inspired restaurant's bar program is doing great things for the hot cocktail right now, thanks to bar manager, Ravinder Singh. Their full warm booze menu offers everything from a traditional toddy to an Earl Grey and lavender gin concoction. The Spiced Pear Cider combines St. George Pear Brandy and Liqueur with beverage director Eddie Eakin's family wassail, allspice dram and cream to make a decidedly adult apple cider.
Granny's Applesauce at Mudhen
Mudhen Meats and Greens, 900 S. Harwood St. (Farmers Market)
Grandma's got nothin' on this hot whiskey cocktail from Mudhen. Stop in after a visit to the Farmers Market to warm up with this apple goodness that combines Bulleit Whiskey, spiced chai tea, fresh juiced green apples, honey and lemon.
The Holy Grail Pub makes their Hot Buttered Rum in four-gallon batches ... so drink up!
Susie Oszustowicz
Holy Grail Pub, 8240 Preston Road, Plano
While it may sound a bit out there to drink a hot cup of butter and rum, if you've never tried hot buttered rum, you're not living your best life. Making this rich hot cocktail is absolutely exhausting, so leave it to the pros. Starting with fresh apples, pears and ginger root, Holy Grail adds a healthy (read: not healthy) amount of rum and rounds out the flavor profile with allspice, ground cloves and brown sugar. Oh, and don't forget the cup of butter, because you know this cocktail is Paula Deen-approved.
The Issa at The People's Last Stand
The People's Last Stand, 5319 E. Mockingbird Lane (Midtown)
The meaning of "Issa" in Egyptian is "God saves." God must have had something to do with this drink, because it's positively heavenly. The flavors of the sweet potato and pecan-infused bourbon play perfectly with the cinnamon brown sugar and star anise, and the lemon brings a nice balance to the drink. Curl up with the Issa in one of the over-stuffed leather couches at this cozy bar and you'll knock the chill right out of your bones.
The Puffy Brew-Stir (drink in background) brings unexpected bedfellows together to make a more unexpected and oddly colored drink with Fernet Branca, Fernet Menta, Godiva liqueur, coffee, and a Green Chartreuse marshmallow.
Courtesy of The Libertine Bar
The Libertine Bar, 2101 Greenville Ave. (Lowest Greenville)
This weird-as-it-could-get-and-yet-somehow-still-on-a-drink-menu cocktail brings a motley crew of odd flavors together to create a warm drink that is as tasty as it is unexpected. Fernet Branca, Fernet Menta, Godiva and Green Chartreuse blends all the best parts of mint and creamy chocolate. Sip with caution, and don't let the color of the Green Chartreuse marshmallow put you off.
Trinity Hall's Hot Toddy is as traditional as it can get, and yet is still a delight every time.
Susie Oszustowicz
Trinity Hall, 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane (Mockingbird Station)
The hot toddy has been a traditional Irish drink for years, but its roots can be traced all the way back to Britain before America was even a thing. While it is said that one can cure what ails you, it's a delicious drink even when not intended medicinally. Trinity Hall sticks with the basics in this potent potable — "lemon for vitamin C, clove to solve the throat tickle, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey to raise your temperature, brown sugar to sweeten the deal and hot water to soak it all in," according to owner Marius Donnelly.
Whiskey Cake's Irish Coffee brings together Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, French-pressed coffee, cinnamon simple, freshly whipped cream, and a dash of Angostura bitters.
Courtesy of Whiskey Cake
Whiskey Cake, 3601 Dallas Pkwy., Plano
One of the quintessential hot cocktails, the history of this eye-opening treat started at a restaurant at an airbase in Foynes, Ireland, in 1942 when Joe Sheridan first whipped up this grog using whiskey, coffee and cream to help some weary travelers get over their grogginess. The key to a great Irish coffee is good coffee, great whiskey and perfectly whipped cream, but Whiskey Cake adds a twist with a bit of cinnamon simple syrup and a dash of bitters.
Hot Wassail at Paschall Bar
Paschall Bar, 122 N. Locust St., Denton
In honor of Denton's annual Wassail Fest, Paschall Bar makes a traditional version of the warm punch whose roots reach back to Medieval England. Their version adds a bit of extra boozy umph to the apple cider with nutmeg, anise and orange slices thanks to the whiskey-soaked cinnamon sticks and, of course, the brandy.
