DIY: Wintertime Brunch Cocktails

If not obvious already, I'll plainly state that the mimosa is my favorite brunch cocktail. Don't get me wrong, I won't shy away from a good bellini or mint julep, and I think a well made bloody mary is a rare treat. Other than being daytime appropriate alcoholic beverages, the common trait among all of these -- nay most -- brunch cocktails is that they're served cold. Having grown up in the North East where winters are cold and emotionally crippling (much like me in relationships), I wanted to highlight some hot cocktail alternatives to the chill of tradition.

Coffee is a great base for wintertime brunch drinks because it's generally served hot and it's caffeinated, which means it's the perfect way to start your day(time drinking).

Kicking off the first cocktail on the list is the poorly named, deliciously diabetic Coffee Milk Punch -- it's basically the least healthy grownup incarnation of hot chocolate ever dreamed up. And it tastes like heaven.

Coffee Milk Punch

Ingredients

• 6 cups strong brewed hot coffee 
• 1/2 cup hot fudge topping
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 2 cups half-and-half 
• 1 cup coffee liqueur
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Whisk together hot coffee, fudge topping, and sugar in a large Dutch oven until smooth. Add half-and-half and remaining ingredients, stirring until blended. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Serve immediately.
(Recipe courtesy of SouthernLiving.com)

Something more basic but still coffee based is the Irish Coffee. It's literally just spiking your coffee with whisky. Irish whisky if you're a stickler for tradition, but I'm pretty sure the Irish don't really care if you bastardize this one. Recipe is included below for proportions sake.

Irish Coffee
Ingredients

• 1 cup of coffee
• 1.5 ounces of Irish Whisky

Put the whisky into the coffee. 

This next cocktail could be considered a super fancy Irish Coffee, which would make it comically un-Irish.

The Blizzard Cocktail

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces Irish whiskey
• 1/2 ounce hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico
• 1/2 ounce Irish cream liqueur, such as Bailey's
• Coffee

Stir together whiskey, hazelnut liqueur, and Irish cream; top with coffee. If you're feeling super fancy or  grew up on Starbucks blended drinks, garnish with whipped cream.

(Recipe courtesy of MarthaStewart.com) 

Since not everyone loves coffee, I'll close out with a twist on a classic. It's not hot, but it's a red so you can tell children it's the blood of Santa.

The Poinsettia 

• Orange liqueur
• Champagne 
• Cranberry Juice

Fill a quarter of a champagne flute with triple sec, splash with cranberry juice, fill the rest of the glass with champagne. Garnish with an orange twist if you're so inclined.

Happy Holidays.