Hot Streak

When you can’t seem to shake off winter’s chill, literally warming your spirits can lift your own. Enjoying room-temperature tequila—as it’s traditionally served—allows you to experience the full dimension of agave flavors. Adding fire turns up the volume: Using tequila in hot cocktails magnifies all the notes your nose and tongue encounter, including some you may otherwise miss. Blanco becomes a bit earthier, while reposado and añejo burst with vanilla, baking spices, and caramel.

Heat also softens tequila’s bite for a smoother, cozier, more approachable cocktail. This way, you can play more with other ingredients, like fruit and floral teas. Whether you spike your cider, cocoa, coffee, or another hot beverage, these drinks will be a warm welcome to your bartending repertoire.

Crisp Harvest

Created by Anne Curro, assistant general manager and bar lead, Ella’s by Christian Petroni, Nashville

Consider this an oven-fresh apple pie that you can sip. Reposado lends hints of vanilla and baking spices, amplified by the allspice dram and apple pie syrup.

• 1½ oz. reposado
• 2½ oz. apple pie puree syrup (recipe below)
• ½ oz. allspice dram
• 6 oz. hot water
• Whipped cream and caramel syrup for garnish

Add all ingredients to a warmed mug. Stir for 3 to 5 seconds, then top with whipped cream and caramel syrup.

Apple Pie Puree Syrup

• 1 red apple, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1⁄3 cup brown sugar
• 1 star anise
• 4 tsp. orange juice
• 3 Tbsp. water

Add apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, star anise, and orange juice to a pot over high heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid is extracted from the apples. Add water and bring to a boil, then immediately turn off heat. Let steep until cool. Transfer to a blender and puree on high for 3 minutes until smooth. Strain liquid into an airtight container. Keep refrigerated up to 1 week.

Cafe Piazza

Created by Benjamin Kirk, beverage director, Bastia, Philadelphia

Take your café de olla to another level by adding not just cinnamon but also vanilla, chocolate, and tequila.

• ¾ oz. Arette reposado (or other reposado)
• ½ oz. Walcher amaretto
• ¼ oz. cinnamon syrup (recipe below)
• 1 tsp. dry curaçao
• 3 dashes chocolate mole bitters
• 4-5 oz. hot coffee
• 1-2 oz. whipping cream
• A pinch of sea salt, orange zest, and grated chocolate for garnish

Add tequila, amaretto, cinnamon syrup, curaçao, and bitters to an Irish coffee mug. Top with coffee and stir lightly for about 3 to 4 seconds to incorporate. Shake whipping cream for 15 to 20 seconds, then use a barspoon to float on top. Garnish with salt, orange zest, and chocolate.

Cinnamon Syrup

• 1½ cinnamon sticks
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup sugar

In a small pot, toast cinnamon over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add water and sugar, turn heat to low, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool, then strain into an airtight container. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

La Bomba

Created by Tracy Eustaquio, lead bartender, Pascual, Washington, D.C.

“In this aromatic, multi-sensory take on the Hot Buttered Rum cocktail, as the butter melts, the cocktail becomes more unctuous and silky, balancing the spice and zest of the drink,” Eustaquio says.

• 2 oz. Fortaleza añejo (or other añejo)
• ½ oz. blue agave nectar
• ½ oz. fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp. water
• ½ chile de arbol
• 1 chamomile teabag
• ½ tsp. orange-ginger compound butter for garnish (recipe below)

Combine tequila, agave nectar, lemon, water, chile de arbol, and teabag in a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm until just starting to simmer, being careful not to let it boil. Strain into a mug and drop butter into the cocktail to let it melt immediately before serving.

Orange-Ginger Compound Butter

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted room temperature butter
• Zest of ½ large navel orange, microplaned
• ½-inch knob of peeled ginger, microplaned
• ½ tsp. blue agave nectar
• ½ pinch salt

Using a fork, combine all ingredients until the compound butter is homogeneous. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Blue River Invierno

Created by Chad Michael George, founder of Proof Productions, Denver

Using sipping chocolate creates indulgent cocoa, while espresso liqueur and a hint of orange add depth.

• 1⁄3 cup hot milk
• 3 Tbsp. Trader Joe’s Sipping Chocolate flavored cocoa mix
• 1½ oz. Riazul blanco (or other blanco)
• ½ oz. Caffe Borghetti espresso liqueur
• 1 barspoon Grand Marnier
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 4 dashes Bittermens Xocolatl mole bitters
• Orange peel and shaved cocoa nibs (optional) for garnish

Add milk and cocoa mix to a warmed glass mug, stirring until well combined. Add remaining ingredients and stir for 2 seconds. Express orange peel over top and garnish with cacao nibs, if desired.

Fuego de Invierno

Created by Lucas Warren, creative director, Arcano, Coral Gables, Florida

“Tequila’s caramel and oak notes weave into spiced apple cider, while honey adds silky sweetness to this smooth, uplifting cocktail,” Warren says.

• 4 oz. apple cider
• 1½ oz. Casamigos reposado (or other reposado)
• ½ oz. cinnamon-honey syrup (recipe below)
• ½ oz. fresh lemon juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• Thin apple slice for garnish with optional clove

Warm cider in a small saucepan or microwave until steaming, not boiling. Combine tequila, cinnamon-honey syrup, lemon juice, and bitters in a heatproof mug. Pour hot cider on top and stir gently for 5 to 7 seconds to integrate. Float apple slice on top to garnish.

Cinnamon-Honey Syrup

• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cinnamon stick

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until honey dissolves fully, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain and transfer to a clean glass jar. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.