The 12 best hot cocktails to drink in NYC right now

The Honey Well’s subterranean space is especially cozy this time of year, and some of its warmth is generated by flaming cocktails. Its Hot Thotty, however, is a toasty tipple without the fire, made with lemon juice, hibiscus agave, honeybush tea-infused bourbon, cinnamon and orange-infused water and a cinnamon stick or lemon wheel for garnish. 

One of NYC’s best restaurants, Leland Eating and Drinking House has four hot drink varieties this season: A a cafe en fuego that’s only available at the bar, a Mexican hot chocolate, mulled wine and a hot spiked apple cider. The cider's made with rye whiskey, orange, Thai chili, star anise and cinnamon in addition to the titular fruit base. 

Oft-lauded Dante frequently appears on local, national and global best-of lists. It’s also simultaneously known for a lot of different things, depending who you ask, including negronis, martinis and hot cocktails. We’re partial to the hot buttered rum, with allspice, amontillado, and English breakfast tea.

One of NYC’s coziest outdoor dining spots naturally has an über-warming drink to sip. Industry Kitchen’s glühwein mixes red wine, orange, lime, star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to make its mulled wine. A boozy hot chocolate and a hot cocktail with bourbon, pomegranate liqueur and lemon juice are also on the menu. 

This hot cocoa is, as they say, adulting. Its maturity does not come from paying taxes or hanging out with friends it would honestly rather not, but rather from the mezcal the and raspberry liqueur that meet its spiced dark chocolate. Have it with the Instagram Thing cheesecake for a kind of double dessert. Now that’s grown up. 

Good Judy has two hot options to choose from this season: Hot cider with bourbon or rum, spiced with cardamom, allspice, cinnamon and cloves, and hot toddies with bourbon or rum, with housemade honey syrup and clove-studded lemon. Sip ‘em around the bar on the ground floor, up in the piano lounge or out on the patio before it gets too cold. 

This fun one from Leyenda is a (monster) mash of two classic drinks. It's made with rum, pineapple, passion fruit, honey and lime. Sip it inside if you can nab a seat in the popular spot, or get some fresh air at one of its two outdoor spaces.

One of Astoria’s best bars for more than a decade, Sweet Afton has a hot mulled apple cider with bourbon, spiced rum or apple jack brandy to toast to the season. Its photogenic enclosed garden’s retractable roof evokes outside vibes without having to fully commit to the bit.

Of course an Irish bar that also happens to be one of NYC’s most honored would have an excellent Irish coffee–and be so bold as to name it ‘World Famous.’ Dead Rabbit’s World Famous Irish Coffee mixes java, demerara sugar, a whiskey blend and freshly whipped cream for an intoxicating jolt of caffeine much more delicious than any espresso martini. 

The ever-changing backyard at Schaller & Weber on the Upper East Side has shifted for the season once more, back into wintery ski lodge form. Hütte has also reintroduced two glühwein varieties for the occasion: A red mulled wine with star anise, cinnamon and cloves, and a white, with cloves, orange, apple and star anise. 

The newly renovated Gansevoort Meatpacking on the west side of Manhattan side has a refreshed look and a warming new drink on its menu. The Take it Outside tips mezcal, triple sec, chai tea, steamed oat milk and agave syrup into a tall toasty, mug to wrap your frigid fingers around.  

The speakeasy-themed restaurant and bar below the Andaz hotel recently reopened with new cocktails on its menu. Fashioned after the Mexican hot chocolate, The Bar Downstairs & Kitchen’s The Fellow includes tequila or mezcal, chile liqueur, house-made cocoa mix and oat milk with peppermint foam on top.