The 7 Best Après Drinks to Sip this Winter

Published on 07/15/2022 · 10 min readSki Expert Evan Scheiber shares his seven favorite drinks to relax with after a long day on the slopes. Explore his recommendations below. Cheers!
Evan S, Ski Expert
By Ski Expert Evan S

Photo by Taylor Friehl

If you’ve ever spent any time out on the hill, sliding effortlessly and freely on the snow, then you know how good a great drink can feel when you pop those boots off at the end of the day. That first drink sets the tone for the rest of the afternoon and puts you in that relaxed mood you’re looking for after enjoying a day spent on snow. This has set me on the hunt for some of the best après drinks far and wide. I’ve put together a select list below that includes some beverages you can even make at home. Recipes are linked below too. Enjoy!

The Classic Hot Toddy

Photo by Anita Jankovic

The Hot Toddy is a classic mixed drink that has been consumed for hundreds of years to soothe and relax people on those cold and snowy or wet and rainy nights. It consists of whiskey, near-boiling water, sugar, honey, bitters, and, at the best of times, a cinnamon stick garnish. If you want to get really nifty, you can get cinnamon sticks able to be used as a straw and drink your Hot Toddy that way.

This warm beverage is best suited for drinking a few hours after a day on the mountain. It’s great for late winter nights when you’ve got your feet up in front of the fire. It’ll warm you up all the way down to the bone. The other great thing about Hot Toddies is that they’re lighter than many other hot alcoholic beverages and they’re more hydrating. The warm, tingly happy place that you’ll be in after having a second drink post hot tub session will leave you mellowed out and refreshed for the next day of sliding on snow.

Recipes

Here are a few great recipes to try at home:

Smoky or Smooth Old-Fashioned

Photo by Paige Ledford

Next up is the Old-Fashioned. This cocktail has one major advantage: it’s served almost everywhere whiskey is found. This is a simple drink that is made up of a shot of whiskey, an orange peel, Angostura bitters, and a dash of sugar. This drink has withstood the test of time, with whiskey aficionados around the world repeatedly returning to its signature notes.

It’s best served with a whiskey ball or rock; the water will let the whiskey breathe if you want a smoother taste. The Old-Fashioned is a drink that hinges on the quality and flavor of the whiskey you choose, so make sure to go with something you like to drink. This is a hearty drink that will warm the soul and muscles right up. If you take a big slug of it, you can feel the warmth on your cheeks. The Old-Fashioned can have a combination of signature flavors from smooth to smoky, depending on the whiskey that is used in the cocktail.

Recipes

A few of the best Old-Fashioned recipes are:

Your Local Après Ale

Photo by Blake Carpenter

Typically, the best part about enjoying a nice beer at the end of the day is that it’s either been pulled out from a cooler at the skin track parking lot, or you get to drink it in your local après bar. If you’re really lucky, you can enjoy your choice ale at the same establishment it's brewed in, and you might just so happen to be right around the corner from your local hill.

Nothing can be more refreshing than when that first hoppy rush hits your lips after popping your boots off, especially after a hard-won and fully accomplished day of getting after it on the hill. Even though all beer is composed of some variation of grain, hops, yeast, and water, it tastes so much been when you know it's been brewed locally.

I know many people are hankering for a darker and richer beer in the wintertime, such as an amber ale or dark ale. Amber ales are known for having a medium-to-high malt ratio and usually include American variety hops. However, one of my favorite types of beer to drink during the winter months is a blonde ale.

Top Choices

I’ve linked some of my personal favorites below:

Rumple Minze

Photo by Colin Lloyd

This German liqueur is like a Christmas punch in the mouth. Rumple Minze has a peppermint flavor that will take you back to those cold and windy late-December days when the promises are always high for a new season. Dreams of candy canes and the fresh new snow to come in January pop into my mind whenever I drink this.

While it can be good for cocktails such as a Rumplesnuggler — a hot chocolate, Bailey’s Irish cream, and Rumple Minze concoction — this drink is best served in a chilled shot glass, usually when you’re at the lodge bar warming up after an especially cold day or right when you walk in the door from a long day on the hill. Rumple Minze can sometimes act as a bolt of energy because of its powerful flavor, so it can be a great lunch break drink after a long and early session.

Recipes

Here are a few good recipes to try:

Spiked Cider

Photo by Alexander Mils

This is another warm beverage favorite for anyone who enjoys outdoor activities in cold climates. Spiked cider is best at the beginning of the season when football is on and the feelings of fall are lingering, but you still want to warm up your body. Plus, that’s always around the holidays at the end of the year, and the flavor of apple cider always gets me in the mood for some holiday cheer.

Spiked cider is made of mulled hot apple cider, which is cider that has been flavored with citrus and different spices, and then a dark alcohol. You can choose your favorite; I usually go for bourbon or dark rum, but even vodka will do in a pinch.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy this type of drink is while sitting out on the front porch, watching the snowfall and seeing the steam rise from my cup of hot cider. As long as you wear a warm jacket, the hot cider will combat the cold just enough for you to enjoy the fresh air. Just make sure you’ve already set up all of your gear to dry out at the end of the day. Otherwise, that’s a lost cause after one or two of these relaxing drinks.

Recipes

Here are my top picks for spiked cider recipes:

Wine

Photo by Timothy Eberle

While I can’t say that I’m a sommelier, I can tell you that a great Cabernet-Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir, or Sangiovese can hit different after an extended period of pushing your legs to the limit. Wine, much like beer, comes in many varieties but the four aforementioned categories are some of the best for relaxing after a day spent in the mountains. This one slots in at almost any après hour, but really, the best time is during dinner or after you’ve been able to really finish putting all of the youngins to bed. I’m sure you’re familiar with the taste of wine if you’re reading this article and have even made it this far but these four are dialed for cold weather and weary bodies.

A Cabernet Sauvignon, as is tradition, is always best with a savory steak. The mid-to-full-body flavor combined with the acidic taste is great for a new blast of taste with every sip and bite to eat.

Nebbiolo is on a similar tip as the Cab Sav, but Nebbiolo is really known for having a full-body flavor. So, if you’re more of a white wine and light flavored wine person, you may want to stray away, but for those looking for an extremely aromatic and bold wine, this is your go-to. This is a great wine for coming right off the slopes while you warm your toes in front of the fire.

Pinot Noir is another great dinner wine for your hardy and savory meal after exerting yourself all day.

The final wine on our list, Sangiovese, is a very rustic and fruity wine that is great for drinking in log cabins. It provides some of that old-world feel that you’re looking for when you’re on a ski trip.

Top Choices

Here are some of my top choices for après wine-

Hard Cider

Photo by Olivia Bauso

I might be going out on a limb with this one, and I know we already included spiked cider, but there are just so many great hard cider options that can work almost as a dessert after your epic adventures on the mountain. Hard cider is made in a completely different way from spiked apple cider, so it does have a different flavor.

Hard cider is made when apples are mashed up and then fermented with alcohol. Although, it is still on the sweeter side, so this drink is always good after dinner or for some very casual day drinking when you take a break at the lodge. Usually, hard cider doesn’t make me feel as sluggish if I’m heading back out to crush some of those late-day laps when the lift lines are starting to die down.

Top Choices

Here are a few of my favorite ciders:

And there you have it! These are my top seven picks for après drinks to sip on this winter after a long day of riding. Hit me up on my profile and let me know what drink is your favorite. Reach out to a Winter Sports Expert here on Curated for free, personalized advice and recommendations so you can get geared up to hit the slopes. Cheers!

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