Where to get mulled wine and hot festive drinks in Hong Kong this Christmas

Rosewood Hong Kong always puts its most fabulous foot forward for the holidays, and its jazzy cocktail salon, DarkSide, is fully onboard with the programme this year with a sophisticated mulled wine ($180). Made with Orientalist Solera 23 rum and Ratafia Rossi La Vecchia cherry wine, and spiced up with pear, jujube, goji, and bay leaf, this elegant take on the classic Christmas drink is made even better with a soundtrack of live music.

XX also has another version of mulled wine ($180), made with Ratafia Rossi, Grand Marnier, and a spice blend with berry and citruss notes.

Hopewell Hotel opened quietly this time a year ago, so if you missed out on its festive surprises then, here’s your chance now. From December 16 to 31, Lobby Bar will be shaking up six special Christmas drinks, including a traditional mulled wine ($98) with cinnamon, star anise, and dried orange that will warm the cockles of your heart.

Upscale izakaya The Aubrey is putting a modern Japanese twist on Christmas drinks this season, bringing an East-meets-West feeling to festive beverages. Dubbed hot wine, this mulled wine-inspired concoction uses barley-based mugi shochu, red wine, Ratafia Rossi cherry wine, spices, and citrus peel for a creative interpretation of holiday traditions.

LPM is seasonally trading in French Riviera sunshine vibes for French Alps winter cosiness this December with a slew of festive menus, specials, and feasts. We’ve got our eyes on La Chalet ($148), an indulgent version of the timeless vin chaud (French mulled wine) that’s been livened up with an extra boost of Rémy Martin VSOP cognac and rooibos tea – it effortlessly encapsulates that distinctive apres-ski feeling on alpine holidays.

Move over, peppermint and gingerbread – at Rajasthan Rifles, it’s all about the chai. Up on the Peak, in a charming dining hall full of nostalgic touches, this Black Sheep restaurant is stirring up a spiked masala chai ($78) from December 24 to 26 just in time for the holidays, blending Darjeeling tea, ginger, cardamom, and muscovado sugar with a splash of Old Monk dark rum, famous for its rich caramel, molasses, and vanilla notes.

Hosting a Christmas party? No need to toil over the stove to perfect your batch of hot drinks, in addition to all the other food prep that’s on the to-do list – just bring the festive flavours home with you with Feather & Bone’s Three Butchers Mulled Wine ($188). Made in-house by Feather & Bone, this seasonal bottled treat combines rich red wine with winter spices and the brightness of orange and lemon juice. Buy it from FAB locations or online.

Uncle Ming’s Whisky Bar is spreading Yuletide cheer with a curated mixology selection of two hot festive drinks, honouring European traditions as well as cleverly drawing inspiration from Asian flavours for these limited-time creations. Its special mulled wine ($168) is a crowd-favourite hot cocktail that adds the sweetness of fresh strawberries to a mix of red wine, cognac, cinnamon, and cloves. Meanwhile, the dried longan and red date tea ($168) is a riff on a Chinese vitality tonic, with a warming herbal palate thanks to ingredients like ginger, goji, dried longan, and red dates.

At this Michelin-starred Cantonese dining destination, you can pair indulgent Chinese winter dishes with hot festive drinks from now until the end of December. Duddell’s signature mulled wine ($130) with red wine, Christmas spices, and Dry Curaçao sets the tone for a more classic beverage, but the Fireside Amaro Latte ($130) would appeal to the curious and adventurous. Amaro Averna, Frangelico and coffee liqueurs, spiced honey, bourbon, and milk mixed together creates a nutty, creamy, and bittersweet delight.

Swap the coffees and teas for an aromatic mulled wine ($88) at Nordic café Venner this season! Lovingly homemade with festive spices, red wine, and dried citrus, the soothing drink is the ideal accompaniment for Venner’s lineup of seasonal treats – Christmas chocolate log cake and gingerbread cheesecake, anyone?

A mulled wine so nice, we deserve to have it twice – or three, or four, or five times. Based on positive feedback from the previous year, Bourke’s is bringing back its popular mulled wine ($110) for the festive season, so you’ll get to enjoy this raved-about take on the classic winter beverage all throughout the holidays. Adriatico Amaretto, spiced rum, bourbon, and a blend of secret spices are what make the dream work. Bourke’s is also whipping up a homemade boozy eggnog ($110) for the occasion, where brandy, bourbon, and Madeira wine meet dairy, eggs, and a finish of fresh nutmeg.

Head to Honky Tonks Tavern for a lively remix of a classic holiday bevvy. Honky’s mulled wine ($85) melds spiced rum, bourbon, fruits, chestnut, and a jumble of secret spices to create a piping-hot toast to Christmas cheer. Served in retro-style enamel mugs, you may not be huddled around a roaring fireplace or a sputtering campfire telling Yuletide tales, but the fragrant blend is sure to transport you to a festive plane regardless.

Terracotta Lamma’s Mediterranean-inflected Christmas feast of labneh, hummus, lamb shoulder, and the like might forgo the more traditional turkey and ham affair, but mulled wine remains a mainstay on any festive table. Its signature mulled wine ($70) is an aromatic tipple that uses spiced rum, bourbon, citrus, spices, and Birlou aperitif liqueur.

Judging by its name, Terrible Baby might be forever destined for Santa’s ‘naughty’ list, but the cocktail bar’s festive drinks are firmly on the ‘nice’ side of the equation. All throughout December, you can enjoy the Ho Ho Ho mulled wine ($110), where Ratafia Rossi cherry wine, honey, and a closely guarded blend of spices come together to create “Christmas in a cup”, as the literature proclaims. Best of all, the bevvy is served in a cute-as-a-button Santa mug – we simply can’t resist a dash of whimsy with our Christmas drinks.