The Best Winter Beverages In NYC To Keep You Warm

Toby’s Estate is one of NYC’s most beloved coffee roasters. They have multiple café locations around the city, and they brew coffee that’s served in many of the city’s favorite bakeries and restaurants – you can even take home-brewing classes at their school. Along with all of these wonderful things, they serve the seasonal Maple Sage Latte that’s just as comforting and soul-warming as it sounds.

The only thing better than tea in a teacup is a cocktail in a teacup, and that’s exactly what’s coming to the menu at The Garret East – a cocktail bar that’s been serving inventive drinks since it opened in 2015 in the East Village. This fall, they’ll add two warming drinks to their menu. There’s the ‘Torchlight Toddy’ – a drink with Rittenhouse rye, Bjork Birch Schnapps, maple sugar, chamomile, and lemon oil – as well as the ‘Cowboy in Sweden,’ made with tequila, Scandinavian fernet, Velvet Falernum, star anise, and orange oil.

At first glance, El Rey Coffee Bar and Luncheonette looks like a typical café serving avocado toast and salads. And while they do serve these tasty dishes, the versions at El Rey are unique – designed by their chef, Gerardo Gonzalez. Similarly, they serve coffee concoctions that are anything but ordinary – their Mexican Iced Mocha is to die for – and this winter, they’re making a caffeine-free chicory latte with chicory root syrup and warm milk.

At Bar Goto on the Lower East Side, the bartenders are serving up some of the most inventive Japanese cocktails around, a few of which are perfect for winter. The first is a ‘Yuzu-Apple Toddy,’ a Japanese twist on a hot toddy, and the second is a ‘Rum Oshiruko,’ a unique cocktail/dessert. ‘Oshiruko’ is a sweet Japanese red bean soup, and at Bar Goto, they’ve added rum and are serving it with a scoop of mochi ice cream.

Roberta’s Pizza has become one of NYC’s most famous restaurants – they serve arguably the best pizza in the city (but this is a widely debated subject). They grow veggies and other ingredients in their rooftop garden, have a radio station and an amazing beer garden, and feature a high-end tasting menu available at Blanca, the restaurant attached to their space. On top of all of this, they serve one of the most delicious, sinful, and comforting winter drinks – their hot buttered rum. It’s clearly made with a secret ingredient because the moment the warm, frothy, buttery concoction touches your lips, you’ll realize that you haven’t lived until that moment.

Most people know Grom as the place serving some of the best gelato in NYC, but not everyone is aware that they also serve a decadent hot chocolate. It comes in three flavors – ‘bacio’ (a hazelnut-chocolate flavor), ‘fondente’ (a dark chocolate flavor), and ‘al latte’ (milk chocolate) – and each one is a chocolate lover’s dream. Only top quality ingredients are used, and they’re best enjoyed alongside a scoop of Grom’s famous gelato.

Everything on the menu at Pies ‘n’ Thighs is designed to be warm and comforting. It’s the sort of place where you’ll find fried chicken and waffles, biscuits, mac and cheese, and grits. And along with these homestyle classics is the Renegade – a drink consisting of ‘honey, lemon, and fresh ginger.’ It’s the perfect thing to keep you warm while you wait for your food and will also help you digest all the good stuff you’ll eat.