Winter: it’s a love-hate thing. We hate your icy mornings when we’re walking to the train station and your 5pm darkness. But, we love how you encourage nights on the couch curled up under a blanket, and the cocktails we can make while we endure your three months of low temperatures and arctic winds. On that note, here are the winter cocktails we’ll be shaking, stirring and sipping this season. Why not try a couple for yourself? 

A twist on an Old Fashioned 

Starward says
The clever bartenders at Bar Liberty in Melbourne know a thing or two about creating some Old Fashioned magic. In an ode to Melbourne and its unparalleled and vibrant bar scene, we thought we’d share Bar Liberty’s recipe – which swaps out sugar syrup in favour of Muscat. Try this at home or, better yet, sip it in a dimly lit corner of this intimate haunt on Johnston Street in Fitzroy. And for the love of whisky, order their wholemeal sourdough flatbread. 

Ingredients
45ml (1.5 oz) Starward Nova
20ml (0.6 oz) 20YO Muscat
2 dashes Orange Bitters
Orange twist garnish

Pull it all together
Grab a glass, pour in Starward Nova, Muscat and Orange Bitters – stir with a bar spoon. Add one large ice cube or three or four smaller cubes. Stir until chilled and properly diluted, about 30 seconds. Garnish with the orange peel twist and voila! 

A Winter Whisky Hot Toddy

Starward says
This quintessential winter cocktail is like a big warm hug on those nights when you can see your breath in the air. It’s comforting, it’s delicious and it’s a great excuse to drink alcohol out of a mug and ditch your fancy glassware.

Ingredients
45 ml (1.5 oz) Two-Fold
90ml (3 oz) boiling water
15ml (0.5 oz) lemon juice
15ml (0.5 oz) honey
2 dashes of orange bitters
Orange twist garnish

Pull it all together
Add all ingredients to your favourite mug and stir until the honey is fully dissolved. Garnish with a dehydrated orange peel and settle in under a rug on the couch.

A Cinnamon Maple Whisky Sour

Starward says
There’s something unexplainably comforting about cinnamon. In this cocktail it’s giving Christmas in July – or December if you live in the northern hemisphere. The other twist on this classic whisky sour is the addition of maple syrup in place of standard simple syrup. It offers the perfect warming flavour for cold winter days when leaving the house isn’t on the agenda.

Ingredients
45 ml (1.5 oz) Two-Fold
30ml (2 oz) fresh lemon juice
15ml (0.5 oz) maple syrup
A pinch of ground cinnamon

Pull it all together
Fill a cocktail shaker about two-thirds full with ice. Pour in all your ingredients and the pinch of cinnamon if you fancy. Shake, shake, shake! Pour fresh ice into your cocktail glass and strain the cold mixture into the glass. Yum!

An Irish Whisky Cocktail

Starward says
Somewhere between a nightcap and dessert sits the Irish Whisky cocktail. If you’re one of those people who can have a coffee before bed and still sleep like a log, then this recipe is for you! We love that it’s a total winter warmer and a traditional cocktail that should always resurface when the weather gets chilly.

Ingredients
120 ml (4 oz) coffee
2 teaspoons soft brown sugar to taste
45 ml (1.5 oz) Solera 
30ml (1 oz) lightly whipped cream

Pull it all together
Grab a heatproof mug or glass and pour in coffee before adding sugar. Pour in Solera and stir, ensuring all the sugar has dissolved. Pour the lightly whipped cream slowly over the back of a spoon to allow it to float on top of the coffee. Decadent and delicious – just how we like it!