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Baby, it’s cold outside! Here’s a winter drink lineup guaranteed to defrost the body and soul. From chocolate-y and spicy to tangy and sweet, these cool bars in Denver and beyond are serving hot, boozy concoctions to keep all your taste buds cozy warm.
Duke of Suffolk
Curio Bar at Denver Central Market
RiNo
Meeting friends over a Saturday afternoon cocktail can surely warm the soul. This concoction is crafted with two different gins (Forthave Spirits Blue and Tanqueray Sevilla Orange), Earl Grey tea, and sweet cream—which floats on top and is the first thing to hit your lips. It’s perfectly suited for an après shopping stop in RiNo.
Hot Toddy
The Bitter Bar
Boulder
This laid-back cocktail bar mixes an excellent classic hot toddy with bourbon, limon, simple syrup, and Leopold Bros Three Pines Herbal Alpine Liqueur, which adds an herbal aroma and a touch of floral flavor. The golden liquid is zesty with a subtle bite.
The Betty White
Adrift Tiki Bar
Baker
Hot and strong with a balanced sweetness is exactly what we’d expect of a drink honoring a Hollywood icon. Three rums (El Dorado, Appleton Estate, and Cihuatán), gingerbread spices, Biscotti Liqueur, cranberry, house coconut cream, and fresh-squeezed lime juice are expertly mixed to produce this true original. The garnish is a lemon peel perched daintily on the glass’s edge with a cinnamon stick and hibiscus flower.
Hot Pants Rain Dance
Social
Fort Collins
Peel off your wet mittens and wrap your hands around this fragrant golden-colored beauty. The spicy aroma promises to delight—but once you experience the smooth, silky mouthfeel of the expertly blended cocktail, your palate will be begging for more. The mixture of cognac, Dry Curaçao, allspice dram, Earl Gray, vanilla syrup, and bitters is finished with an orange peel studded in cloves. Let it sink to the bottom of the glass for an even zestier infusion.
Bat Country
Suite 6A Death and Company at the Ramble Hotel
RiNo
Call ahead to this prized mezzanine cocktail bar and put your name on a waiting list because it’s worth it for the inventive winter potions. With Hine Cognac, Batavia Arrack, ristretto (highly concentrated espresso coffee), Demerara coffee syrup, and Grand Marnier whipped crème, this boozy cocktail is the perfect pick-me-up. Well-proportioned and defiantly java-forward, it’s definitely a multifaceted sipper.
Winter Antidote
Churchill Bar at the Brown Palace Hotel
Downtown
Tucked inside this elegant downtown edifice, you’ll find a nuanced spin on a classic cocktail. (Psst: It’s not on the menu but ask the bartender to make you one.) The hot toddy with a twist encompasses whiskey, Mure lemon liqueur, and tangerine ginger tea, resulting in a fruit-forward, tart, and citrusy sipper. It’s the perfect excuse to stay inside and people watch over a fine cigar at the iconic bar.
Winter Wonder Dram
Ace Gillett’s
Fort Collins
This sophisticated hot chocolate for grown-ups is a medley of sweetness, chocolate, and mint. Génépy (a traditional botanical liquor that’s popular in France and Switzerland), Scotch, hot chocolate, and peppermint make your tummy tingle (in the best way). Bonus: It’s garnished with two marshmallows dipped in crème de menthe.
Hot Candied Apple
Cherry Cricket
Cherry Creek and Ballpark
Put a little pep in your icy step with this spicy concoction made with Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Peppermint Schnapps, cider, and a dab of whipped cream—all garnished with a cinnamon stick. It’s just the liquid motivation you need to start a night on the town.