22 Warming Drinks to Cozy Up With, All Season Long

As the weather turns chilly and the air gets crisp, there’s nothing better than cozying up with a blanket and a warm drink. A steaming mug can bring a little comfort to any cold day, whether you’re planning a holiday party, serving hearty dinner or just settling in for a cozy movie night at home.

These recipes cover all our cold-weather favorites, from rich hot cocoa and spiced apple cider to classic cocktails and fragrant punches. There are plenty of spirited options for a little extra cheer, along with nonalcoholic drinks everyone can enjoy.

Start with our warm hibiscus punch. Taking inspiration from Mexican ponche, this punch is filled with pineapple, prunes, apples and pear, plus guava nectar for a fruity finish. Dried hibiscus gives the drink its deep purple color, while cinnamon adds warming spice. Serve it as is or add tequila, rum or brandy for a spirited twist.

Apple cider is a fall classic, and a little spice makes it even better. Start with your favorite cider from the farmers market and add light brown sugar, allspice and nutmeg, then simmer it with a clove-studded orange. Serve it in warm mugs with cinnamon sticks.

This Mexican spiced coffee has a secret: piloncillo, an unrefined cane sugar with a deep, toasted honey-like flavor. Its sweetness complements the cinnamon, clove and star anise steeped with the coffee. Café de olla is traditionally brewed in an earthenware pot, but a Dutch oven or saucepan works. You can serve it with breakfast or add heated milk to make a latte.

Ina Garten’s classic hot chocolate gets its creaminess from whole milk and half-and-half, while a mixture of bittersweet and milk chocolate balances richness with sweetness. Pure vanilla extract adds warmth and a hint of espresso intensifies the chocolate flavor. Garnish each mug with a vanilla bean or cinnamon stick for a simple twist on the classic.

Matcha is a delicious way to warm up and wake up. Making a matcha latte is a little bit of an art, but it’s a good skill to have: sift the powder, whisk it with hot water until frothy and top it with hot, frothy milk. Add a little simple syrup if you like, and you have a delicious matcha latte at home.

If you’re already opening a bottle of red wine for guests, why not turn it into mulled wine? Ina Garten adds apple cider, honey, cinnamon, orange, cloves and star anise, then lets everything simmer for just 10 minutes. Pour it into mugs and add orange peel for an easy drink that serves eight.

This golden coconut milk is a nod to haldi doodh, Indian turmeric milk. It starts with a paste made from turmeric, coconut oil and black pepper, which gets added to coconut milk simmered with cinnamon and ginger. The extra paste keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week, so you can use it to make more mugs later.

Hojicha is a roasted Japanese green tea with a toasty flavor that has hints of caramel and cocoa. It’s prepared a lot like matcha by sifting and whisking the powder with a bamboo whisk, then adding frothed milk and a little honey. It takes only five minutes, won’t cost you $9 at a specialty tea shop and is low enough in caffeine to sip in the evening.

Don’t forget about fall’s most iconic drink: the pumpkin spice latte. It’s easy to make at home with espresso, milk, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. This version also uses real pumpkin puree for even more pumpkin flavor.

Molly Yeh gives hot chocolate a Japanese-inspired twist with kinako, a roasted soybean flour with a nutty flavor that is a little like peanut butter. It pairs nicely with milk chocolate, kosher salt and your choice of dairy or dairy-free milk. Add flaky salt and marshmallows on top, if you like.

There’s a reason chai is a cold-weather go-to. Maneet Chauhan simmers black tea with fennel, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and star anise, then adds whole milk, rose petals and jaggery. It’s creamy, warmly spiced and especially good with a few biscuits or sweets.

For a boozy take on mulled cider, Kardea Brown simmers apple cider with brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, ginger and orange for an hour so the flavors have plenty of time to steep. Once strained, the cider gets spiked with dark rum and garnished with apple slices and cinnamon sticks.

Peppermint hot chocolate is a great way to ring in the winter season. It’s sweet and warm with just enough mintiness from crushed peppermint, while cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate give it plenty of richness. Top it with unsweetened whipped cream to cut some of the sweetness, then add more crushed peppermint to make it extra festive.

Cranberry is one of our favorite flavors of the cold-weather season, but it can be used for more than cranberry sauce. Geoffrey Zakarian mixes cranberry juice and apple cider with maple syrup, honey, clove and star anise, then spikes the punch with dark spiced rum. The recipe serves 12, so it’s a good one to make when you’re serving a crowd.

Ree Drummond turns the flavors of apple pie into a cozy cocktail with apple cider, maple syrup, vanilla, warming spices and a generous splash of bourbon. Finish each mug with a dollop of whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon to make this spiked treat extra decadent.

Don’t throw away those apple peels after making a pie. Use them to make a tisane, an infusion made without tea leaves, by steeping them with cloves, cinnamon and lemon zest. Add honey or lemon juice to taste, then serve it hot for an easy way to reduce kitchen waste during apple season.

A golden milk latte is the kind of drink to make when you’re feeling under the weather or just want something warm. Turmeric gives the milk its vibrant gold color, while cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg and a little black pepper give it plenty of spice. You can also add instant espresso if you want a little caffeine.

Bobby Flay takes hot chocolate over the top with this red velvet version. Cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate make it extra rich, while vanilla and red food coloring give it that familiar red velvet flavor and color. Then he tops it with marshmallow whipped cream made with heavy cream, cream cheese, marshmallow creme and vanilla for a drink that’s dangerously rich, and that’s the point.

You may recognize wassail from a Christmas carol, but it’s also a warm drink you can sip while caroling. This version simmers apple cider with orange and lemon juices, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, then gets spiked with brandy or cognac. Pour it into a mug at home or pack it in a thermos before heading out to sing.

Maple syrup may be a classic fall flavor, but here it gets a little extra heat. Geoffrey Zakarian mixes it with hot tea, warm rum and lemon juice, then adds a dash of cayenne pepper to bring out the drink’s spice. Best of all, it comes together in just five minutes.