Winter cocktail drinks are ideal when loved ones are gathered around the fireplace. Most of these drinks evoke a sense of richness and luxury that only a hot drink can provide making them the perfect inclusion to winter cocktail menus. Moreover, they are not only fun drinks but also useful tools for English learners as they are rich in vocabulary that revolves around social interactions, cooking, and for sipping on various delightful flavors. There are ten primary cocktails that provide learners with descriptions and expressions that inspire the texture of the drink, such as it being
‘cozy’ or
‘warm’ .
1. Hot Toddy
Hot Toddy is a commonly known winter drink but is also believed to be a healing drink because of the amalgamation of whiskey, honey, lemon, and hot water in it. Due to the presence of honey in the drink, one also experiences a soothing effect which should be perfect for a cold winter night. Once more we learn that cocktail ingredients can be best described using these words:
‘soothing,’ ‘healing’ or
‘comforting’ , while
‘melt’ or
‘brew’ is sometimes more efficient vocabulary than saying
‘hot Irish whiskey with honey’ .
2. Mulled Wine
Mulled wine is comprised of heating red wine and adding spices such as cloves and orange, and even brandy. This cocktail is warm and fragrant and is good when enjoying with family or friends. The vocabulary here includes terms such as
“aromatic,” “spiced,” and
“infused” which allow students to talk about the sense of taste and smell. Explaining the term
“mulling” is also a good activity for practicing the use of various forms of verbs in sentences.
3. Irish Coffee
One of the drinks that are the easiest to come across in Irish pubs across the globe is renowned Irish coffee. This drink can be said to be an Irish classic since it was Irish emigrants that originally invented this drink. The drink has become synonymous with Ireland among the Irish emigrants which combine whiskey, coffee, sugar, and cream. The composition of Irish coffee is good since it acts as both a source of caffeine and body warmth to help someone trying to combat the winter cold.
In Irish coffee, there are quite a number of terms that are good for English students as it allows them to learn more vocabulary:
brew coffee ,
mix the coffee with the whiskey , and
beat the cream into the coffee . From the perspective of mouthfeel and the taste qualities, Irish coffee is rather diverse in that it has a smooth creamy texture that counters the bitterness of coffee adding layers. Featuring vocabulary like:
rich ,
smooth , and
bold are good for students in this instance.
4. Spiked Apple Cider
Spiked Apple Cider is a good example of a drink that can be enjoyed hot but garnished with a twist. This drink is an alcoholic classic and consists of hot apple cider along with the popular addition of rum, whiskey, and/or brandy. Students of English can be assisted by the addition of the phrase
'spiked apple cider' and utilize the phrases
‘apple cider’ along with
‘sweet’ and
‘cider’ when trying to describe what the drink consists of. Or even better, students can express their opinion using phrases such as
'I like it when my cider is more spicy.' This can be considered to be a valuable skill when personal preferences are pronounced on a more spiced drink.
5. Hot Buttered Rum
Dark rum, hot water, butter, sugar, and spices make for an excellent indulgent drink on a cold night. This is because the combination has a buttery and rich taste. English learners can describe this drink as
“creamy” ,
“decadent” , and
“rich” . Describing the method of making this cocktail allows learners to practice vocabulary describing the procedure of making it, such as
“stir,” “blend,” and
“melt” when giving instructions.
6. Gingerbread Martini
Taking the seasonal martini taste to another level is the Gingerbread Martini which has the combination of sweet, spicy, and creamy ingredients. This can be a spectacular example of how a cocktail can be constructed and will get students to work on words like
‘spicy’ ,
‘sweet,’ and
‘creamy’ that will help them describe the cocktail. The making of this drink can also help students learn the vocabulary of
shaking and
stirring along with the use of gentle or careful adverbs.
7. Eggnog
Eggnog is a drink filled with memories of a family reunion, as it has a lot of cream, eggs, sugar, and milk mixed together and adds some final rum or brandy on top. Students would be able to describe it with words like
‘sweet,’ ‘rich,’ and
‘boozy’ along with
‘creamy’ or
‘spiced’ to add more context. Furthermore, we will be able to show the historical background of making the drink that would force students to use procedural and descriptive languages.
8. Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shot
For greater amusement, especially during winter festivities, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shot is a great shot made out of Fireball cinnamon whiskey and RumChata. Scrumptious and creamy, this drink promises to be ideal for a good night. Learners may further be able to call this cocktail
“sweet,” “spicy,” and
“creamy.” On a more informal basis, this drink is also good for improving the student’s informal spoken English, especially when handling drinks at a party or any social gathering.
9. Peppermint Bark Martini
Chocolate liqueur, vanilla vodka, and peppermint schnapps are the ingredients usually used to make this martini which is both alcoholic and festive. The combination is perfect as it brings out a taste similar to a peppermint bark candy. As for students, this on the other hand allows one to utilize their sensory vocabulary as they can describe it as
“minty,” “chocolatey,” and
“sweet.” This will especially help them in improvising some expressions which have fairly complex meanings such as
“a balanced amalgamation of mint and chocolate” in the English language.
10. Warm Chocolate Martini
Chocolate lovers will relish a Warm Chocolate Martini as it is composed of tasty additions of chocolate liqueur, vodka, and cream. This sweet cocktail is both pleasurable and satisfying. Learners of English could use expressions like
‘decadent,’ ‘rich’ and
‘silky’ when talking about the texture and the taste of the drink. Even the making of the cocktail can involve language useful for blending and amalgamating, such as
‘mix,’ ‘shake,’ ‘dollop,’ and
‘decoration.’ Conclusion
In using these ten cocktails, students are able to widen their vocabulary range which may begin from the parameters of the ingredients and taste to the descriptive language and other procedural terms. Every drink has this special element where students can learn English from a subject that is entertaining and useful. Knowing the procedures of describing drinks, stating their preferences, and giving a detailed explanation in English helps students further enhance their confidence in using English to deal with the real-world context.
