Suburban bars mix hot drinks for cold nights

With temperatures below freezing, going out for a cold one might not always seem appealing. If you'd rather have something warm — be it Irish coffee or a not-for-kids cocoa — bars and restaurants are mixing up hot cocktails to comfort patrons willing to brave the elements.

Claddagh Irish Pub in Geneva rolled out a menu of hot drinks in November that includes a port made with ruby port, hot water, lemon and cloves ($5) and coffee spiked with Bailey's Irish cream and topped with house-made whipped cream ($6.50).

“People want to come in from the cold weather,” said manager Jack Weatherspoon. “It's something to warm people up.”

While the classic Irish coffee — a strong, bitter brew tempered by Jameson, brown sugar and whipped cream ($7) — remains Claddagh's most popular hot drink, customers also love the hot cider mixed with Fireball cinnamon vodka and served with a brown sugar and cinnamon rim ($6) and the Hot Scotch, hot cocoa with butterscotch schnapps topped with caramel-drizzled whipped cream ($5).

“The hot scotch tastes like butterscotch,” Weatherspoon said. “It's amazing.”

Maria Kousiantas, general manager of Jimmy's Charhouse in Libertyville, said the restaurant's hot cocktails are popular after-dinner drinks.

“It's almost considered a dessert,” she said. “A lot of times if it's a snowy night, it's cold outside, if it's below-zero temperatures, (the cocktail) helps. Having that hot beverage before going home lifts their spirits a bit.”

The restaurant offers a year-round menu of coffee specialties, with top picks including the Irish coffee mixed with Jameson and crème de menthe, and the Peppermint Kiss, hot chocolate blended with peppermint schnapps (both $7). During the winter, the restaurant adds extra warm drinks that correspond to their liquor specials, with current offerings including hot chocolate spiked with Kahlua's limited edition peppermint mocha liqueur and a hot toddy made with Jim Beam's Red Stag Hardcore Cider (both $7).

“The cider flavor is really good with the hot toddy,” Kousiantas said. “It gives it a cinnamon kick.”

The Lobby Bar at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort launched a pair of complex hot cocktails in January. The Peppery Ginger Hot Cider features Maker's Mark bourbon, Koval ginger liqueur, lemon juice and cracked black pepper. While the idea of pepper in a drink spooked some customers, assistant restaurant manager Michael Nahat said those willing to try it have enjoyed it. “It's everything you could ever want in a winter cocktail. Nothing says winter like ginger.”

The bar's Bacon, Bourbon and Hazelnut Hot Chocolate is also a hit. The cocoa is thickened with bacon fat and cornstarch to keep it from getting watered down by the addition of Buffalo Trace bourbon and Frangelico hazelnut liqueur.

“Even though it's a more labor-intensive drink, my bartenders enjoy making it,” Nahat said. “Just having it in front of you makes you want to drink it. Once one person orders it, other people start ordering it.”

At the Post in Elk Grove Village worked with liquor distributors to design a menu of $6 “Fall Features” that they launched in the beginning of December. While most costumers see them as after-dinner drinks or after-work warmers, some people have come in for lunch and replaced their regular coffee with a Mexican Coffee, made with tequila and Kahlua, or the Handicappers Choice, coffee mixed with amaretto and Irish whiskey. Another hit has been the Cozy By the Fire, hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps topped with whipped cream. “The catchy name and the whipped cream topping may be the most appealing thing about the drink,” said manager John Joyce.

Despite all the hot options Jimmy's Charhouse offers, Kousiantas said not everyone seems to want to warm up. “Even though it's so cold outside, a lot of people are still ordering frozen drinks like Brandy Alexanders and grasshoppers,” she said.

Maybe they're already dreaming of spring.