With winter temps rolling in and the possibility of snowfall on the horizon, comes a bevy of winter warmers and seasonal sippers. We’ve compiled a list of the Philadelphia region’s noteworthy hot cocktails, sure to keep any imbiber toasty and satisfied all season long, from locales including Assembly Rooftop Lounge, Bluebird Distilling, Butcher Bar, Char & Stave, The Dutch, Oloroso, Red Owl Tavern, MilkBoy, and The Twisted Tail.
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Assembly Rooftop Lounge, The Logan Hotel’s swanky year-round rooftop bar and lounge, has transformed into Alpine Heights, a ski lodge-inspired pop-up, through the end of February. Guests can enjoy Assembly’s four outdoor fire pits, a plethora of outdoor heaters, cozy blankets, warming comfort food and flatbreads, all while sipping on a selection of hot cocktails, such as Liquid Love ($18), made with Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, ganache hot chocolate and Chantilly cream; Alpine Floral Toddy ($16),with Evan Williams Bourbon and fall spiced mulled apple cider; and Spiced Mulled Wassail ($16), built with Cruzan Aged Dark Rum, Maggie’s Farm Falernum, lemon, hibiscus tea and simple syrup.
Hours of operation: Sunday through Thursday 4pm – 10:30pm; bar closes at 12am; Friday and Saturday 4pm – 10pm; bar closes at 2am; Happy Hour is Sunday through Thursday 4pm – 5pm
1840 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy | 215.783.4171 | Website Instagram Facebook Twitter
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Bluebird Distilling, Phoenixville’s award-winning grain-to-glass craft distillery, offers a bevy of hot cocktails that guests can enjoy while sidled up at the bar or in the expansive, open-air (and dog-friendly!) seating area equipped with radiant overhead heaters! Imbibers can warm up with a cup of Thai Hot Chocolate ($12), made with hot cocoa, coconut, cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, and any Bluebird spirit (the staff recommends Bluebird Distilling’s Vodka, Winter Whiskey, or Coconut Rum), in addition to tried-and-true classics, like the Hot Toddy ($12), crafted with Earl Grey tea, Bluebird Distilling’s Four Grain Bourbon, lemon, cinnamon, and a touch of raw sugar.
Cocktail service hours are Monday through Tuesday 4 – 11pm, Wednesday through Thursday 4pm – 12am, Friday through Saturday 1pm – 12am, Sunday 1 – 11pm
100 Bridge St, Phoenixville, PA | Website Instagram
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Butcher Bar, the Rittenhouse hub for comfort food, an expansive brown spirits collection, and grilled fare that hearkens to the local butcher’s revered place in American culture, is home to the Yule Whiskey Lodge, an ideal spot for imbibers to warm up with a hot cocktail in hand. Through January 31, guests can get toasty in the heated Patio and Whiskey Garden spaces with a winter warmer like Mulled Wine ($12), made with red wine, brandy, orange, lemon, cinnamon, allspice, clove, and vanilla bean (fun fact: Butcher Bar’s Mulled Wine is an original recipe passed down from Chef John Strain’s grandfather!).
Hours of operation: Monday – Wednesday 4 – 9 pm, Thursday 4 – 10 pm, Friday 4 – 11 pm, Saturday 11:30 am – 11 pm and Sunday 11:30 am – 8 pm, with Happy Hour served Monday – Friday 4 – 6:30pm. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 am – 3 pm.
2034 Chestnut St, Philadelphia PA | Website Instagram
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Char & Stave, Bluebird Distilling’s coffee roastery and full-service café-by-day and cocktail bar-by-night with locations in Chestnut Hill and Ardmore, is home to a robust menu of coffee- and tea-inspired cocktails that are sure to warm imbibers up this winter. Alongside classics like a Hot Toddy ($12) or Irish Coffee ($12), Char & Stave also serves cold weather libations like the Hot Dirty Pirate ($13), a Dirty Chai Oat Latte (featuring the roastery’s signature barrel-aged espresso and a touch of whiskey caramel) spiked with Bluebird Distilling’s Dark Rum, Duke of Suffolk ($11), made with Bluebird Distilling’s Juniperus Gin, a sweetened blend of Earl Grey and English Breakfast tea, topped with unsweetened whipped cream, and Whiskey Smash Latte ($7), crafted with barrel-aged espresso, salted whiskey caramel, and milk (make it boozy with one of Bluebird Distilling’s spirits!).
Hours of operation: Monday through Thursday 7am – 11pm, Friday through Saturday 8am – 12am, Sunday 8am – 11pm
21 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore PA | 8441 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia PA | Website Instagram
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The Dutch, the popular breakfast-through-dinner eatery with a focus on reinventing the Pennsylvania Dutch classics, is making the most of the cold winter days with a number of hot cocktails, perfect for guests to imbibe in while lounging at the bar or enjoying an elevated prix fixe dinner courtesy of the popular Dutch After Dark tasting menu. Toasty tipples include Hot Rum Toddy, crafted with rum, Demerara syrup, ground allspice, ground nutmeg, and black tea, Hot Apple Cider with vanilla cognac and apple cider, seasoned with warmed spices such as star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg, and Buena Vista-style Irish Coffee mixed with Rival Bros. Coffee and whiskey, and topped off with hand-whipped heavy cream.
Hours of operation: (Brunch) Monday through Friday 8am – 3pm, Saturday – Sunday 8am – 2pm, (Dinner) Wednesday – Thursday 5pm – 9pm, Friday & Saturday 5pm – 10pm
1537 S 11th Street | 215.551.5000 | Website Instagram Facebook Twitter
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Oloroso, Philadelphia’s premier Spanish tapas restaurant and sherry bar in the heart of Center City, beckons winter revelers with their delightful Sherry-Spiked Hot Cocoa, a timeless seasonal warmer adorned with velvety homemade whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon sugar (served table-side), generously fashioned with Pedro Ximénez Sherry, an ode to its robust in-house Sherry selection.
Hours of operation: Opens at 4:30 on Tuesday through Sunday, closing at 10 pm on Tuesday – Thursday, and Sunday, and closing at 11pm on Friday and Saturday.
1121 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 | (267) 324-3014 | Website Instagram Facebook
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Red Owl Tavern, the contemporary kitchen and bar located across from Independence Hall in Old City, is making these frigid months a bit easier to bare with the Glühwein ($15), a steamy Swedish favorite comprised of a red wine blend, white rum, bourbon, Laird’s Apple Brandy, raisins, winter spices, and garnished with an orange peel and cinnamon stick. This cocktail is just one of the restaurant’s many festive seasonal cocktails available this winter, which also include non-alcoholic options perfect for Dry January, all thoughtfully curated by Lead Bartender Christopher Devern.
Hours of operation: Monday through Friday 7:30am – 10:45am, Saturday and Sunday 8am – 10am (breakfast); Monday through Friday 11:30am – 4:30pm (lunch); Monday through Friday 4:30pm – 10pm, Saturday 5pm – 10pm (dinner); and Saturday 10am – 4pm and Sunday 10am – 2pm (brunch).
433 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106 | 215.923.2267 | Website Instagram Facebook
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MilkBoy, the iconic Philadelphia-born brand known for booze, bites, and music, is extending a warm welcome to folks during this chilly stretch of the year with a diverse variety of piping hot cocktails to warm the soul, available at their Chestnut Street location. Winter warmers include Gimme S’more ($13), crafted with coffee liqueur, Bailey’s Irish Cream, hot cocoa, and marshmallows, Spice Up Your Life ($12), comprised of whiskey, Fireball, steamed cider, and star anise, and Earl Sweatshirt ($11), made with whiskey, blue chamomile, and earl grey tea.
Hours of operation at MilkBoy Chestnut Street: Monday through Friday 7am – 2am; Saturday & Sunday 11am – 2am
MilkBoy Chestnut Street | 1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19107 | Website Instagram Twitter Facebook
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The Twisted Tail, Headhouse Square’s southern-inspired restaurant, bar and live blues venue, offers a hot cocktail guaranteed to warm guests this cold weather season. The Hot Apple Cider ($12)with winter spiced bourbon, topped with cinnamon whipped cream is the ideal cocktail to sip on to cure the winter blues.
Hours of operation: Monday – Thursday 4pm – 10pm; Friday 4pm – 12am; Saturday 11am – 12am; Sunday 10am – 10pm
509 S. 2nd St. | 215.558.2471 | Website Instagram Facebook Twitter
– Alana Shapiro