The temperatures have dropped, frost has fallen, the outer part of your North Face fleeces have been added…yes my friends, we are entering the dark part of winter. The cold memories we had thought of fondly during that god awful heat wave are back with vengeance. But have no fear, lovelies, I’ll help you prepare, and I promise not to make you wear long underwear.

As someone with a strong addiction to anything hot and caffeinated (*cough* Ryan Gosling sipping coffee in his château *cough*), I’m positive I have found the best combination of drinks to not only warm your hands, toes…all extremities, but also one that will make you feel cozy inside. The kind of cozy feeling that melts hearts and makes you call Mama up just to tell her you love her. Yeah, I’m that good.

Without further adieu, here are the ten BEST winter drinks (yes, I do suggest you limit yourself to one a day…hey, gotta make a good thing last, right?)

initiating the gallery...

That being said, I have a few favorite drinks that do really well in cold weather.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate:

This ain’t your grandma’s hot cocoa. (Or maybe it is…) I like to add a few drops (or shots) of Peppermint Schnapps to hot chocolate for an immediate warm-up. Make the cocoa with milk if you like it creamier.

Cinnamon Vanilla Cream:

One day my love of Starbucks and alcohol collided, and this drink was born. I just poured some Cinnamon Schnapps into my Vanilla Crème, and – voilà – an innocuous looking brew. Yes, I did keep it all in the Starbucks container. You can make your own Vanilla crème by warming up milk, adding a drop or two of vanilla extract, sugar to taste, and topping it off with whipped cream.

Hot (Spiked) Apple Cider:

First, you need to find some alcoholic apple cider. It’s probably somewhere between the beer and wine sections. Two bottles is a good amount to start with. On the stove, get it simmering with two cinnamon sticks, a tablespoon of cloves, a little bit of sugar and some nutmeg. What really makes it piping hot though, is the addition of either rum or apple brandy. Be generous, ladies – the apple cider has lost most of its alcoholic content in the heating process.

Hot Spiced Wine:

Hot spiced wine is like Sangria, only warm. With cinnamon and cloves. You start by boiling about a ½ cup of sugar in a ½ cup of water (for a 2 bottle recipe). Once the sugar is dissolved into the water, add the wine and spices. When you feel that the mixture has sufficiently blended, turn off the heat and add orange and lemon slices and either rum or brandy to taste. Vodka works too, and you can get creative with the fruit you choose to put in. It is best if you make it an hour or so before you serve it.

For a more sophisticated cocktail try the Blushing Reindeer, or any one of these being made at the hippest New York bars. Personally, if I’m the one making the drinks, I shouldn’t have to work to get drunk. I leave the creative mixology to the bartenders.

Any of your own favorite recipes that you want to share?

[Always drink responsibly. Photo courtesy of countryliving.com]

As the temperature drops, you find yourself running from class to class bundled like a sherpa, only to take your seat and spend the whole class trying to get the feeling back in your fingers. Or you are home for break and want to get your drink on, but there is no way in hell you are going out in the snow.

If the stress and the chill start getting to you, or if you just want to curl up with something steamy, nothing takes the edge off quite like a warm, holiday-y cocktail. They are the liquid version of comfort foods; kid’s drinks full of your favorite rich, wintry flavors, spiked with booze for that extra ahhhhhh factor.

The best part? The tastiest ones are also the simplest, so you don’t have to go buy some of those random liquers you’ll use once every ten years (Kirsch? seriously?). Here are a few of my favorite ideas for defrosting from the inside out. Best for apres ski… well, apres anything, really.

Hot Toddy

1 oz (2 tablespoons) bourbon

1 tablespoon mild honey

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup boiling-hot water

Put bourbon, honey, and lemon juice in a 6-ounce mug. Top off with hot water and stir until honey is dissolved.

Mulled Wine

Bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp powdered clove

1 Tbsp whole cloves

2 tsp honey

1 Tbsp brown sugar

Combine ingredients in a large saucepan over very low heat. Warm carefully, stirring frequently. Serve warm.

Spiked Cider

6 oz. hot apple cider

Three whole cloves

One stick of cinnamon

1 1/2 oz. bourbon

Pour cider and bourbon into a stemmed mug. Garnish with cloves and cinnamon. Serve immediately

Hot Buttered Rum

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 cups light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves

Pinch salt

Bottle dark rum

Boiling water

In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Refrigerate until almost firm. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture into a mug. Pour about 3 ounces of rum in, filling about halfway. Top with boiling water, to fill the remaining half. Stir well, and serve immediately.

Irish Hot Chocolate

I saved the best for last, because this is seriously one of my favorite cold weather traditions of all time, even though it barely counts as a recipe. It goes like this:

Prepare hot chocolate mix of choice. Add Bailey’s to taste.

(Works with coffee too! And if you don’t like Irish Cream, well, you’ve got a problem. But Bailey’s now comes in Caramel flavor too! And Godiva makes a pretty delicious chocolate liquor that is aces also.)

[Main photo from http://themillstone.blogspot.com]