Five Winter-Proof Hot Toddies and Holiday Drinks You Need to Try

By Kerensa Cadenas

Why is it that whenever you assume a New York winter will arrive with enough time to brace and gird your loins for the cold, it never actually happens like that? What kind of mean, morbid celestial force would allow for a blissfully temperate fall to dissolve in an instant, leaving us to desperately scramble for gloves and beanies and puffers and hoodies and just a sliver of sun after 4 p.m.? These aren’t unreasonable or overly existential questions to ask in late-November, which historically presents the last few breaths of fall we get to take before it’s just violently cold and raining for nine consecutive days at a time.

If the very thought of these conditions feels depressing and bleak, you’re not alone. But we might as well lean in. There is, after all, at least one bright spot to the cold season settling in—the reliable resurgence of hot toddies as a guiltless and deeply gratifying seasonally accessible joy that makes winter a little less miserable. A staple of the bitterly brick months ahead, hot toddies are typically some configuration of hot water, lemon, spices, and liquor (dealer’s choice), usually best served while curled over the lip of a bar or huddled around a campfire. This borough, however, has its own thoughts on what a toddy is and can be. And we’re here for it, honestly—some of our favorite variants ditch a lot of that, opting for bold, creative, and yes, occasionally chocolatey, spins instead. Some of them are arguably not hot toddies at all, and would probably be better filed under different categories, and we’ve expanded the headline of this list to reflect that. All of them, though, are worth the careful layering and quiet courage it will require to seek out a good swig, even through winter’s worst.

Cheer up and thaw out this season with some of the best hot toddies and holiday drinks we’ve had in Brooklyn lately.

Photo by Kerensa Cadenas

Enso Omakase
117 Berry St.

The deeply chic Enso Omakase, which was added to The Michelin Guide in July, serves omakase and à la carte pieces. Aside from having excellent edomae-style sushi, the Williamsburg spot also boasts a lively and thoughtful cocktail menu. They’re still sorting out their winter menu, but it will be built around Seko Gani (female snow crab), and the drinks will follow suit. That includes a warm whiskey cocktail which has Sekk Sato Shiki Single Grain, Goji, Citrus, and Butte—a perfect cap to a multi-course Michelin-stamped meal.

Photo by Karensa Cadenas

Leland Eating and Drinking House
755 Dean St.

One of Brooklyn’s coziest spots also boasts some of the best food in the borough. In these colder months ahead, settle in where the staff will make you feel at home and order the Chicken Jook Porridge, which is bound to warm you right back up. The Prospect Heights restaurant and bar, known for its cocktail program, is also getting some special toddies ready for the season. Their winter menu features the “Fireside Negroni,” a mix of gin, faccia brutto, amaro, lemon, and simple syrup, as well as the Hot Spiked Apple Cider (also available zero-proof), a spin on the traditional formulation with whiskey, apple cider, lemon, and a dash of chili and star anise. And, never one to sleep on a classic, Leland also has their own hot toddy, which is simply perfect: whiskey, amaro, lemon, and honey.

Photo by Kerensa Cadenas

Ray’s
905 Lorimer St.

The Greenpoint outpost of the buzzy, celebrity-adjacent LES bar keeps the good times going, filled with cold drinks and hot people all year round. This winter, though, Ray’s is doubling down on the heat of it all with a special boozy hot chocolate (toddy?), made with Kakow Mexican-style chocolate sauce, Rosaluna mezcal, and marshmallows, ideal for anyone seeking both dessert and bravery in one decadent sip.

The limited-run “Hot Buttered Rum” (Courtesy of Aunt Ginny’s)

Aunt Ginny’s
6-52 Woodward Ave.

Ridgewood’s beloved local spot Aunt Ginny’s is known for its impeccable neighborhood vibes and excellent bar food, courtesy of I Like Food (Pro tip: order their play on a Taco Bell crunchwrap). Facing down the winter, Ginny’s just rolled out a menu with myriad hot toddy permutations. Two rum-based drinks take the drink in very different directions—the “Christmas Vacation” pairs Malibu coconut rum with hot chocolate, and the limited-run “Hot Buttered Rum” puts some heft on the original recipe with Misguided Caribbean rum, spiced butter (?!), and whipped cream. Then there’s the “Problem Child,” a punched-up riff on a toddy with Fireball whiskey, lemon, and ginger syrup, topped with a Tajin-specked lemon.

Courtesy of The Richardson

The Richardson
451 Graham Ave.

For those seeking out a pure, undisturbed classic, The Richardson has you covered. The East Williamsburg bar not only has an incredible whiskey collection for the liquor snob in your life, but also consistently presents one of the best toddies in town.