When thinking of the winter season’s best cozy beverage options, several classic holiday drinks come to mind, ranging from warm hot cocoa and homey apple cider. To decide the best option, The Pitch compiled and rated our top five winter drink recipes to make this season. All of these options include simple ingredients and easy cooking to maximize the practicality of concocting these tasty drinks.

In less than five minutes, you can have a cup of perfectly creamy hot cocoa with a twinge of vanilla ready to drink. Hot cocoa is the default drink for the holiday season, and it almost never disappoints. Whether store bought or made at home, this go-to is sure to give you a warm and cozy feeling. When made at home, hot cocoa can be on the sweeter side, but for many that makes it even more delicious than the store bought version. Overall, because of the beverage’s classic, creamy, and chocolaty components, hot cocoa earns a perfect five out of five feathers. 

With just apple juice, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, lemon juice, and a splash of orange juice, within 20 minutes, you will have a cup of winter warmth and joy. This perfectly spiced and equally tangy drink will keep you in the holiday spirit all winter long. Apple cider’s undertones of cinnamon add a hint of spice to give the beverage depth, and the apple juice works to add that classic apple cider taste. With a pop of lemon and orange zest make the drink almost perfect, this warm cinnamon and apple flavor combination earns this holiday drink four out of five feathers. 

It may be a pain to simmer chai for hours, but afterwards your house will be filled with the aroma of chai and nutmeg, a delicious scent sure to get you in a cozy and relaxed mood. Chai is made up of a blend of spices simmered in water with added black tea and sweetener, usually paired with warmed or chilled milk. Cardamom pods add a sweet peppery dash while the chai’s cinnamon spicy character nicely complements the pepper. Nutmeg and ginger perfectly top off this classic festive winter drink, deserving four out of five feathers.

Eggnog is sweet, rich, and creamy and is another quintessential holiday drink. While eggnog is definitely on the more difficult side to make at home, if you get the recipe right, the results can be amazing. There is always the option of classic store-bought eggnog for those who don’t feel like making it themselves, which is almost as good, but nothing beats homemade. This straightforward beverage is made up of eggs (hence the name), nutmeg, milk, and sugar. It can almost be compared to melted vanilla ice cream, but the spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon give the drink a more cozy holiday feeling, earning three and a half out of five feathers.

Though it may not be the most traditional holiday drink, milk tea is definitely something to explore this winter season. Despite being chilled, this sweet and silky drink is perfect to enjoy any December day. Milk tea’s creamy consistency is just right for dairy lovers. Accompanied by notes of black tea and brown sugar make for the best winter sweet treat, deserving three out of five feathers.

After making and trying all of the drinks, it is safe to say that  traditional holiday drinks are almost always the best. Hot cocoa is the easiest to make and the best tasting drink, while milk tea is the least well known and the most difficult to make. When it comes to winter drinks, the classics are the way to go.