16 restaurants and bars to grab a warm cocktail in Charlotte

I’m from Florida so the concept of a warm cocktail is pretty much foreign to me. I’m fascinated by them. Who doesn’t love something warm to sip on while you cozy up near a space heater or wood-burning fireplace?

The big picture: I found that you can order a hot toddy (hot water or tea, whiskey, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon stick) pretty much anywhere. The cocktails on this list get a little more creative.

The Broken Spoke

• The Other Irish Coffee: Drumlish Irish poitin, hazelnut liqueur, honey syrup, coffee, hand-whipped cream
• Holly Jolly Cafe: Salamander Vodka, peppermint syrup, chocolate syrup, cocoa bitters, coffee, whipped cream, peppermint crumbles, cocoa powder
• The Nutcracker: Salamander Vodka, Kahlua liqueur, coffee, whipped cream, bourbon cherry

The Cellar and Link & Pin

• Irish Coffee cocktail (secret menu item available upon request): Fresh-brewed coffee is lightly sweetened with Demerara sugar and a liberal pour of Irish Whiskey. “We make a Vanilla bean heavy cream in-house to gently float on top,” Nate Robbins, the administrative assistant at Duckworth’s Grill & Taphouse tells Axios. 

Cloud Bar

• Spiked Hot Chocolate; Hot chocolate, Baileys, rum, whipped cream, Hershey’s chocolate chips

Dot Dot Dot

• Hot Buttered Rum: Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Hot Water, Butter Batter, Cinnamon, Clove, Brown Sugar
• Mexican hot chocolate: Patron Tequila, Mexican cacao, milk, cinnamon, whipped cream

Fahrenheit

• Bad and Boozy- Bourbon, Baileys, house-made cocoa, whipped cream, crushed candy cane
• Naughty List- Bourbon, lemon juice, star anise, honey syrup

Graham Street Pub & Patio

Graham St Eggnog: Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, eggnog, nutmeg

Irish Coffee: Irish Whiskey, whipped cream, crème de menthe

Lincoln Street Kitchen & Cocktails

• Good as Gold: Blanco Tequila, coconut milk, cardamom, turmeric

Merchant & Trade

• The Wake Up Call: La Colombe coffee, Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon, Vanilla Demerara, Frangelico hazelnut foam. The bartenders finish this drink with freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of salt.

Miracle at Backstage Lounge

• Bad Santa: Aged rum, velvet falernum, mixed spiced butter, oat milk, nutmeg

Spindle Bar

• Yippekay (hot buttered rum): Dark rum, gingerbread spices, butter

• Help Me, I’m Feeling (mulled wine): Red wine, mulling spices, orange, brandy

Reigning Doughnuts

• Spiced Apple Cider: Available Dec. 7-Feb. 6.

The Royal Tot

• Yule Log Grog: Gin, falernum, cranberry syrup, ginger liqueur, lime

Tyber Creek Pub

• Coffee & Cocoa Old Fashioned: Evan Williams 1783, coffee, simple syrup, coffee & cocoa bitters

Winter Wonder Bar at Bocado

• Drop it Like it’s Hot Chocolate: Bourbon, gourmet chocolate, steamed milk, whipped cream
• Griswold Gluhwein: Mulled red wine, brandy, pressed oranges, spices

The Workman’s Friend

• Irish coffee: Jameson Irish whiskey, Pure Intentions coffee, brown sugar
• Hot chocolate: Salted caramel or minted chocolate Baileys