From the classic hot toddy to mulled wine to wassail, here are nine Atlanta bars doling out warm cups of good cheer this season.
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Hot buttered rum
This warm drink dates back to the 18th-century and incorporates rum, hot water or hot cider, and a pat of butter or butter batter comprised of baking spices. While it leans on the richer side, if made properly, this warm cocktail can be surprisingly light on the palate as well as soothing. Sip the classic made with spiced rum, unsalted butter, baking spices and brown sugar at Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall garnished with a star anise. S.O.S Tiki Bar gives the hot buttered rum a tropical makeover with rum, coffee liqueur, cinnamon, maraschino, cream (in place of butter) and tea. Keep the mug once finished for a few "extra clams".
Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall, John Wesley Dobbs Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-458-6838, ladybirdatlanta.com.
S.O.S Tiki Bar, 340 Church St., Decatur. 404-377-9308, vicsandwich.com/sos.
Credit: Beth McKibben
Credit: Beth McKibben
Wassail -- Victory Sandwich Bar and Edgar's Proof and Provision
Dating back to 5th-century Saxon Britain, wassail has seen many spirited iterations from warm spiced wine and mead in England to cider, brandy and Madeira in America. Back again this year at Victory Sandwich Bar in Decatur, the batched Wet Your Wassail is a play on beverage director Chasity West’s grandmother’s recipe. The cider-based hot beverage is mixed with spiced rum, pineapple and orange and seasoned with warm spices like clove and nutmeg. If you’re headed to the Fox Theatre, stop at Edgar’s Proof and Provision for a cup of good cheer from beverage director James Wampler. Wampler’s wassail contains cider and dark rum with lemon and a secret blend of holiday spices topped with a fragrant star anise.
Victory Sandwich Bar, 340 Church St., Decatur. 404-377-9300, vicsandwich.com.
Edgar’s Proof and Provision, 659 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-897-5045, thegeorgianterrace.com/edgars-proof-and-provision.
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Vino Navegado (mulled wine) - El Super Pan
Beverage director Alejandra Dudley was looking for a mulled wine recipe for the menu at El Super Pan that reflected the restaurant’s Latin roots when she came across a Chilean version called Vino Navegado. This warm, spiced wine drink is made with carménère (a medium body red from Chile), anise, cloves, cinnamon and citrus. Dudley spikes the cocktail with rum and Casa Mariol vermut negre.
El Super Pan, Ponce City Market, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave, NE, Atlanta. 404-600-2465, elsuperpan.com.
Irish coffee - Ticonderoga Club
While not strictly a winter cocktail, the Irish coffee lends itself well to the colder months as it achieves keeping the drinker warm and awake. The Irish coffee is a perennial hot beverage at Ticonderoga Club listed under the “After Dinner” portion of the menu. Don’t expect any riffs on this classic. The Club sticks to the original formula of Irish whiskey, coffee and sugar topped with a layer of whipped cream.
Ticonderoga Club, Krog Street Market, 99 Krog St. NE, Atlanta. 404-458-4534, ticonderogaclub.com.
Credit: Beth McKibben
Credit: Beth McKibben
Bad Santa - Miracle on Monroe and Miracle Two (photo in system The hot milk punch Bad Santa at Miracle on Monroe pop-up mixes overproof rum with Batavia Arrack. Photo: Rachel Harrison)
Christmas has taken over Tapa Tapa in the Midtown Promenade and at Shops Buckhead through Christmas Eve. Miracle on Monroe and its Buckhead sibling Miracle Two are part of a worldwide holiday bar takeover with Christmas-themed cocktails, Christmas music and movies, and guest bartenders from around Atlanta. Try the hot cocktail Bad Santa with mulled red wine, tawny port, orange liqueur and warm spices. Open Wednesday and Thursday, Sunday, 5 p.m. to 12 a.m., Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Both Miracle bars are 21 and up.
Miracle on Monroe (Tapa Tapa), 931 Monroe Dr. NE, Atlanta. 404-481-5226. Miracle Two, Shops Buckhead, 306 Buckhead Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-963-5259, miraclebaratlanta.com.
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Hot apple toddy - 8Arm
A warm and soul-soothing cocktail, the hot toddy is traditionally made with whiskey, scotch or brandy, lemon and a touch of honey. In its early iterations, the toddy was often prescribed for medicinal purposes to help ward off colds and coat a sore throat or even to calm the nerves and settle the stomach. It helped that the toddy also numbed everything else. 8Arm keeps the classic simple with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, honey and a dash or two of aromatic bitters but adds some octane with a bonded apple brandy.
8Arm, 710 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 470-875-5856, 8armatl.com.
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