5 Trendy cocktails for winter

There’s nothing better than enjoying the winter while drinking with friends. But, it’s even better to surprise your buddies preparing a delicious drink from scratch. Don’t you have experience on that? Good news, you don’t need to be a bartender. Take a look at our selection of 5 amazing drinks signed by the best mixologists around the world that are an invitation for a toast.

1- Havana Cancha

This drink is made up of Rum Havana Club 7 Años and is more than a cocktail itself. It’s inspired on the Canchánchara, a drink created by the mambises (guerrillas who fought for the independence of Cuba in 1868). Combining perfectly the sweetness of honey to the freshness of lemon this cocktail will take you to the Cuba history in each sip.

Ingredients:

50 ml Havana 7 Años
20 ml water and honey in equal parts
10 ml fresh lemon juice
1 lemon slice
Ice cubes

How to prepare:
Shed Havana Club in a glass along with the lemon juice and add the mixture of water and honey. Fill the glass with ice cubes and mix it. Use the lemon slice to garnish the glass.

2- Bébo Boulevardier

Although the French last name, we didn’t leave Cuba yet. Bébo is a coffee flavored liquor made up of handpicked coffee beans in Sierra Maestra, sun-dried and roasted to preserve the particularities and intensity of the ingredient. In Bébo Boulevard, the coffee allies to the strong flavor of Bourbon adding a bunch of personality to this cocktail.

Ingredients:

30 ml Bébo
30 ml Amaro liquor
30 ml Bourbon

How to prepare:

Mix all ingredients and serve it in an old and charming glass along with an orange slice.

3- Carnivorous plant

Inspired by Poison Ivy, a villain in Batman comic books, this cocktail is built around Hendrick’s Gin structure and is at the same time refreshing and with a strong flavor of herbs highlighted by the liquor Chartreuse. It’s one of the new winter cocktails from the famous bar BOB Milano and is signed by the barman Lucian Bucur.

Ingredients:

20 ml lemon juice
10 ml carnivorous plant syrup (see how to prepare below)
3 dash Chartreuse mix (green + yellow)
60 ml Hendrick’s Gin
2 basil leaves
Top Ginger Ale

How to prepare: 

First, prepare the carnivorous plant syrup by combining 5 parts of cardamom syrup (decoction with 100g of cardamom and 550 ml of water letting it boil for 3 minutes) and 7 parts of Rose syrup (hot infusion of 50gr of dried rose in 550 ml of water for 3 minutes). Then filter with double filter and add double sugar. Blend until absorbed and then mix with the rest of the ingredients. Serve it with ice and a top of crushed ice, garnish with a sprig of dill and rose powder.

4- True Confession

Scotish whisky, Vermute, and Gruit are the only three ingredients of this drink created by Antonio Landriscina. The hallmark of the cocktail is the spicy bergamot that can be found both in the recipe and in the decoration.

Ingredients:

40 ml Scotch Whiskey Johnnie Walker Black Label
30 ml Gruit bergamot and Provencal spices
20 ml Vermouth Manciano White

How to prepare:

Combine the ingredients and mix them together, serve it in a cupped glass decorating with grated bergamot.

5- Ardito

Created by the barman Samuele Ambrosi, this drink is inspired by the American Old West at the end of the XIX century. It also brings notes of cognac and whisky resulting in a highly refreshing cocktail. Its special flavor is also reinforced by the intense aroma of lemon and honey.

Ingredients:

20 ml Blended Scotch Whiskey
20 ml Cognac
30 ml fresh lemon juice
25 ml honey
3 dash of absinthe
Scortese Bitter Citrusy Bio

How to prepare:

Blend all ingredients in the shaker and pour into a glass filled with ice. Complete with Scortese Bitter Citrusy Bio, garnish lemon zest.