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A boozy hot chocolate in a clear glass mug sits on a bar and is garnished with ample marshmallows
The Snow Day hot cocktail at Short Path Distillery
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

14 Hot Cocktails to Soothe Boston’s Chill

Hot toddies, boozy coffee, and more

by Katie Faust Stryjewski
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The Snow Day hot cocktail at Short Path Distillery
| Katie Stryjewski/Eater
by Katie Faust Stryjewski

Down jackets and wool sweaters are great, but we all know that the best thing to warm you up in the dead of a Boston winter is booze. As the days get shorter and the temperatures start dropping, bars are bringing out hot toddies, Irish coffees, and spiked hot chocolates to help patrons brave the cold and snow. Here are 14 of the most creative and delicious hot cocktails in town to keep you warm and cozy until spring.

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Short Path Distillery

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Short Path Distillery has managed to capture the flavor of a chocolate orange in its Snow Day cocktail. House-made hot chocolate is mixed with the distillery’s own triple sec and rum and topped with a generous handful of marshmallows. This cup of chocolatey goodness will be on Short Path’s menu beginning November 23.

71 Kelvin St, Everett, MA 02149
(617) 830-7954
(617) 830-7954
A boozy hot chocolate in a clear glass mug sits on a bar and is garnished with ample marshmallows. Bottles of Short Path Distillery rum and triple sec sit next to the cocktail.
The Snow Day hot cocktail at Short Path Distillery
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Also featured in:

River Bar

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Take a break from your holiday shopping at Assembly Row with the Swarm & Fuzzy at River Bar. This whiskey and honey hot toddy gets a special bittersweet kick from Amaro Dell’Etna. It’s best enjoyed while curled up beside the outdoor fire pit, overlooking the Mystic River.

661 Assembly Row, Somerville, MA 02145
(617) 616-5561
(617) 616-5561
A hot toddy sits in a tall clear glass mug, embellished with a lemon wedge, on a wooden picnic table. A couple fall leaves are scattered on the table.
Swarm & Fuzzy hot cocktail at River Bar
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Also featured in:

Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar

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Irish coffee is a winter staple in Boston bars, but Rosebud’s take on the classic puts most to shame. The Red Line is made with hot coffee, bourbon, Irish cream liqueur, and a cinnamon syrup. It’s topped with a healthy dollop of whipped cream and a dusting of ground cinnamon.

381 Summer St, Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 629-9500
(617) 629-9500
An Irish coffee garnished with a huge dollop of whipped cream sits on top of a wooden barrel.
The Red Line hot cocktail at Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar
Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar [Official Photo]

Also featured in:

Balani

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Balani in Waltham serves several creative hot cocktails to warm you up. Try the autumn-appropriate Zhivago, pictured (bourbon, butternut squash syrup, lemon juice, sage tincture, maple syrup, and bitters), the fruity Druid (bourbon, Meletti amaro, Pamplemousse, lemon juice, and grapefruit bitters), or the smoky Sly Boots (brown butter-washed rum, Cynar, Laphroaig, and maple syrup).

469 Moody St, Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 472-2805
(781) 472-2805
An orange-red hot cocktail made with butternut squash syrup and bourbon sits in a glass on a shiny black bar. There are flowers on the bar, and a pink wall is visible in the background.
The Zhivago hot cocktail at Balani
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Abigail's

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Drinkers in search of a warming libation will find three hot options on the menu at Abigail’s: a bourbon hot toddy, hot buttered bourbon, and the Baby, It’s Cold Outside, a decadent Rumplemintz-spiked hot chocolate. The whipped cream on top is particularly rich and sweet due to a secret ingredient: Bailey’s Irish Cream.

291 Third St, Cambridge, MA 02142
(617) 945-9086
(617) 945-9086
A spiked hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and fresh mint sits on a picnic table with potted plants visible in the background.
The Baby, It’s Cold Outside... hot cocktail at Abigail’s
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Also featured in:

Parla

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Parla general manager Matt Schafer created his Hot Buttered Bourbon recipe while snowed in with (gasp!) no rum. It turns out that Rock & Rye is a delicious substitute, especially when combined with a brown sugar butter batter infused with cinnamon, cardamom, clove, ginger, allspice, and fenugreek. If you enjoy it, ask for the next hot drink from the “My Favorite Flannel” category of the menu.

230 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113
(617) 367-2824
(617) 367-2824
A hot cocktail is presented in a white coffee mug on a white saucer, which is embellished with a cinnamon stick. The drink sits on a restaurant table.
Hot Buttered Bourbon cocktail at Parla
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Also featured in:

No. 9 Park

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Bostonians in the know are aware that any evening that snow falls (and sticks), they can head into No. 9 Park (or its sister bar in Fort Point, Drink) for a warm Tom and Jerry. This classic Christmastime tipple dates back to the early 1800s. No. 9 Park serves it right, by mixing a whipped batter of eggs, sugar, and spices with steamed milk, rum, and Cognac – in a traditional mug, of course.

9 Park St, Boston, MA 02108
(617) 742-9991
(617) 742-9991
A bartender’s hands grate cinnamon over a hot cocktail in a white Tom and Jerry mug
The Tom and Jerry hot cocktail at No. 9 Park
No. 9 Park [Official Photo]

Also featured in:

Artisan Bistro

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You’ll want to skip dessert and ask for a drink menu at Artisan Bistro, where award-winning mixologist Fraliza Gianniodis-Castillo has combined everyone’s favorite seasonal flavors into one decadent, creamy cocktail called the Lodge. It’s made with rum, butterscotch liqueur, pumpkin beer syrup, and cream, and it’s served with an apple cider donut — for dunking, of course.

The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common, 10 Avery St, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 574-7176
(617) 574-7176
A thick, white hot cocktail is garnished with a cinnamon rim, and a stack of small apple cider doughnuts sits next to it on a tray.
The Lodge hot cocktail at Artisan Bistro
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Also featured in:

Sky Bar at YOTEL Boston

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Just because it’s cold out doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy rooftop views of Boston. Curl up at YOTEL Boston’s Sky Bar with a thick blanket and a hot Smoky the Bear cocktail. This mezcal hot toddy is spiked with a chile simple syrup to create a smoky, spicy cup of warming winter goodness.

65 Seaport Blvd, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 377-4747
(617) 377-4747
A hot toddy in a tall clear glass sits on a patterned scarf on a bench at a rooftop bar
The Smoky the Bear hot cocktail at YOTEL Boston’s Sky Bar
YOTEL Boston [Official Photo]

Temazcal Tequila Cantina

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While you’re in the Seaport, don’t miss Temazcal Tequila Cantina’s take on Irish coffee. The Mexican Coffee brings the cold weather classic south of the border by replacing the traditional whiskey with Patron X/O Café and adding cinnamon. It’s topped with a decadent helping of whipped cream and a dusting of ground cinnamon.

250 Northern Ave #2, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 439-3502
(617) 439-3502
A Mexican coffee cocktail sits on a bar in a tall clear glass mug, garnished with whipped cream and ground cinnamon.
The Mexican Coffee hot cocktail at Temazcal Tequila Cantina
Temazcal Tequila Cantina [Official Photo]

Also featured in:

Eastern Standard

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While Eastern Standard hasn’t released its winter menu yet — which will certainly contain a couple of brand-new hot cocktails — the bar has a long list of hot drinks from years past that the bartenders are happy to fix at any time. The Sid & Nancy (pictured) is a creamy mixture of Plantation rum, cognac, spiced syrup, and steamed half and half that was named as a tribute to the spot’s previous life as legendary punk venue the Rathskeller. Or try the World’s End Toddy, a creative take on mulled wine made with ruby port, Demerara syrup, smoky Laphroaig Scotch, lemon juice, and bitters.

528 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215
(617) 532-9100
(617) 532-9100
A thick, off-white hot cocktail is presented in a clear glass mug on the edge of a restaurant table
The Sid & Nancy hot cocktail at Eastern Standard
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Also featured in:

Five Horses Tavern

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Hot apple cider is a New England winter staple, and Five Horses Tavern knows that the only thing that could possibly make it better is an ounce or two of booze. The bar’ll spike your hot cider with your choice of vanilla vodka, Irish whiskey, or maple bourbon.

535 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02118
(617) 936-3930
(617) 936-3930
A tall clear glass mug of hot apple cider sits on a dark wooden restaurant table. Diners are visible at tables in the background.
Spiked hot apple cider at Five Horses Tavern
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Bully Boy Distillers

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Bully Boy Distillers is serving up a menu of seasonal cocktails made with its own spirits, including this warming tea cocktail, which blends Bully Boy’s popular Amaro with hot black tea, fig, cinnamon, and orange.

44 Cedric St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 442-6000
(617) 442-6000
A dark tea-like hot cocktail sits in a glass next to a bottle of Bully Boy Distillers Amaro on a platter with cinnamon and oranges.
The Bully Today, Drink Amaro hot cocktail at Bully Boy Distillers
Bully Boy Distillers [Official Photo]

Also featured in:

The Haven

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Every year you can look forward to two warming drinks on the Haven’s cocktail menu: mulled wine and the Sherlock Holmes. The latter is a bracing mix of mango and clove-infused Scotch, honey liqueur, smoky lapsang souchong tea, and lemon, served in a glass drinking horn worthy of a Viking. The cocktail’s name, like that of every drink on the Haven’s menu, is a nod to Scotland (birthplace of Arthur Conan Doyle).

2 Perkins St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 524-2836
(617) 524-2836
A hot cocktail is served in a glass drinking horn, which is perched in a wooden holder. A white teapot sits next to it on a tray on a wooden table. A barrel and plaid pillows are visible in the background.
The Sherlock Holmes hot cocktail at the Haven
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Also featured in:

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Short Path Distillery

71 Kelvin St, Everett, MA 02149

Short Path Distillery has managed to capture the flavor of a chocolate orange in its Snow Day cocktail. House-made hot chocolate is mixed with the distillery’s own triple sec and rum and topped with a generous handful of marshmallows. This cup of chocolatey goodness will be on Short Path’s menu beginning November 23.

71 Kelvin St, Everett, MA 02149
(617) 830-7954
(617) 830-7954
A boozy hot chocolate in a clear glass mug sits on a bar and is garnished with ample marshmallows. Bottles of Short Path Distillery rum and triple sec sit next to the cocktail.
The Snow Day hot cocktail at Short Path Distillery
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

River Bar

661 Assembly Row, Somerville, MA 02145

Take a break from your holiday shopping at Assembly Row with the Swarm & Fuzzy at River Bar. This whiskey and honey hot toddy gets a special bittersweet kick from Amaro Dell’Etna. It’s best enjoyed while curled up beside the outdoor fire pit, overlooking the Mystic River.

661 Assembly Row, Somerville, MA 02145
(617) 616-5561
(617) 616-5561
A hot toddy sits in a tall clear glass mug, embellished with a lemon wedge, on a wooden picnic table. A couple fall leaves are scattered on the table.
Swarm & Fuzzy hot cocktail at River Bar
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar

381 Summer St, Somerville, MA 02144

Irish coffee is a winter staple in Boston bars, but Rosebud’s take on the classic puts most to shame. The Red Line is made with hot coffee, bourbon, Irish cream liqueur, and a cinnamon syrup. It’s topped with a healthy dollop of whipped cream and a dusting of ground cinnamon.

381 Summer St, Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 629-9500
(617) 629-9500
An Irish coffee garnished with a huge dollop of whipped cream sits on top of a wooden barrel.
The Red Line hot cocktail at Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar
Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar [Official Photo]

Balani

469 Moody St, Waltham, MA 02453

Balani in Waltham serves several creative hot cocktails to warm you up. Try the autumn-appropriate Zhivago, pictured (bourbon, butternut squash syrup, lemon juice, sage tincture, maple syrup, and bitters), the fruity Druid (bourbon, Meletti amaro, Pamplemousse, lemon juice, and grapefruit bitters), or the smoky Sly Boots (brown butter-washed rum, Cynar, Laphroaig, and maple syrup).

469 Moody St, Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 472-2805
(781) 472-2805
An orange-red hot cocktail made with butternut squash syrup and bourbon sits in a glass on a shiny black bar. There are flowers on the bar, and a pink wall is visible in the background.
The Zhivago hot cocktail at Balani
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Abigail's

291 Third St, Cambridge, MA 02142

Drinkers in search of a warming libation will find three hot options on the menu at Abigail’s: a bourbon hot toddy, hot buttered bourbon, and the Baby, It’s Cold Outside, a decadent Rumplemintz-spiked hot chocolate. The whipped cream on top is particularly rich and sweet due to a secret ingredient: Bailey’s Irish Cream.

291 Third St, Cambridge, MA 02142
(617) 945-9086
(617) 945-9086
A spiked hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and fresh mint sits on a picnic table with potted plants visible in the background.
The Baby, It’s Cold Outside... hot cocktail at Abigail’s
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Parla

230 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

Parla general manager Matt Schafer created his Hot Buttered Bourbon recipe while snowed in with (gasp!) no rum. It turns out that Rock & Rye is a delicious substitute, especially when combined with a brown sugar butter batter infused with cinnamon, cardamom, clove, ginger, allspice, and fenugreek. If you enjoy it, ask for the next hot drink from the “My Favorite Flannel” category of the menu.

230 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113
(617) 367-2824
(617) 367-2824
A hot cocktail is presented in a white coffee mug on a white saucer, which is embellished with a cinnamon stick. The drink sits on a restaurant table.
Hot Buttered Bourbon cocktail at Parla
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

No. 9 Park

9 Park St, Boston, MA 02108

Bostonians in the know are aware that any evening that snow falls (and sticks), they can head into No. 9 Park (or its sister bar in Fort Point, Drink) for a warm Tom and Jerry. This classic Christmastime tipple dates back to the early 1800s. No. 9 Park serves it right, by mixing a whipped batter of eggs, sugar, and spices with steamed milk, rum, and Cognac – in a traditional mug, of course.

9 Park St, Boston, MA 02108
(617) 742-9991
(617) 742-9991
A bartender’s hands grate cinnamon over a hot cocktail in a white Tom and Jerry mug
The Tom and Jerry hot cocktail at No. 9 Park
No. 9 Park [Official Photo]

Artisan Bistro

The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common, 10 Avery St, Boston, MA 02111

You’ll want to skip dessert and ask for a drink menu at Artisan Bistro, where award-winning mixologist Fraliza Gianniodis-Castillo has combined everyone’s favorite seasonal flavors into one decadent, creamy cocktail called the Lodge. It’s made with rum, butterscotch liqueur, pumpkin beer syrup, and cream, and it’s served with an apple cider donut — for dunking, of course.

The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common, 10 Avery St, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 574-7176
(617) 574-7176
A thick, white hot cocktail is garnished with a cinnamon rim, and a stack of small apple cider doughnuts sits next to it on a tray.
The Lodge hot cocktail at Artisan Bistro
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Sky Bar at YOTEL Boston

65 Seaport Blvd, Boston, MA 02210

Just because it’s cold out doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy rooftop views of Boston. Curl up at YOTEL Boston’s Sky Bar with a thick blanket and a hot Smoky the Bear cocktail. This mezcal hot toddy is spiked with a chile simple syrup to create a smoky, spicy cup of warming winter goodness.

65 Seaport Blvd, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 377-4747
(617) 377-4747
A hot toddy in a tall clear glass sits on a patterned scarf on a bench at a rooftop bar
The Smoky the Bear hot cocktail at YOTEL Boston’s Sky Bar
YOTEL Boston [Official Photo]

Temazcal Tequila Cantina

250 Northern Ave #2, Boston, MA 02210

While you’re in the Seaport, don’t miss Temazcal Tequila Cantina’s take on Irish coffee. The Mexican Coffee brings the cold weather classic south of the border by replacing the traditional whiskey with Patron X/O Café and adding cinnamon. It’s topped with a decadent helping of whipped cream and a dusting of ground cinnamon.

250 Northern Ave #2, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 439-3502
(617) 439-3502
A Mexican coffee cocktail sits on a bar in a tall clear glass mug, garnished with whipped cream and ground cinnamon.
The Mexican Coffee hot cocktail at Temazcal Tequila Cantina
Temazcal Tequila Cantina [Official Photo]

Eastern Standard

528 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

While Eastern Standard hasn’t released its winter menu yet — which will certainly contain a couple of brand-new hot cocktails — the bar has a long list of hot drinks from years past that the bartenders are happy to fix at any time. The Sid & Nancy (pictured) is a creamy mixture of Plantation rum, cognac, spiced syrup, and steamed half and half that was named as a tribute to the spot’s previous life as legendary punk venue the Rathskeller. Or try the World’s End Toddy, a creative take on mulled wine made with ruby port, Demerara syrup, smoky Laphroaig Scotch, lemon juice, and bitters.

528 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215
(617) 532-9100
(617) 532-9100
A thick, off-white hot cocktail is presented in a clear glass mug on the edge of a restaurant table
The Sid & Nancy hot cocktail at Eastern Standard
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Five Horses Tavern

535 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02118

Hot apple cider is a New England winter staple, and Five Horses Tavern knows that the only thing that could possibly make it better is an ounce or two of booze. The bar’ll spike your hot cider with your choice of vanilla vodka, Irish whiskey, or maple bourbon.

535 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02118
(617) 936-3930
(617) 936-3930
A tall clear glass mug of hot apple cider sits on a dark wooden restaurant table. Diners are visible at tables in the background.
Spiked hot apple cider at Five Horses Tavern
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Bully Boy Distillers

44 Cedric St, Boston, MA 02119

Bully Boy Distillers is serving up a menu of seasonal cocktails made with its own spirits, including this warming tea cocktail, which blends Bully Boy’s popular Amaro with hot black tea, fig, cinnamon, and orange.

44 Cedric St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 442-6000
(617) 442-6000
A dark tea-like hot cocktail sits in a glass next to a bottle of Bully Boy Distillers Amaro on a platter with cinnamon and oranges.
The Bully Today, Drink Amaro hot cocktail at Bully Boy Distillers
Bully Boy Distillers [Official Photo]

The Haven

2 Perkins St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Every year you can look forward to two warming drinks on the Haven’s cocktail menu: mulled wine and the Sherlock Holmes. The latter is a bracing mix of mango and clove-infused Scotch, honey liqueur, smoky lapsang souchong tea, and lemon, served in a glass drinking horn worthy of a Viking. The cocktail’s name, like that of every drink on the Haven’s menu, is a nod to Scotland (birthplace of Arthur Conan Doyle).

2 Perkins St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 524-2836
(617) 524-2836
A hot cocktail is served in a glass drinking horn, which is perched in a wooden holder. A white teapot sits next to it on a tray on a wooden table. A barrel and plaid pillows are visible in the background.
The Sherlock Holmes hot cocktail at the Haven
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

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