What’s better?

A Corona with a lime from the cooler at the beach in the hot summer or a Blanton’s Bourbon neat near a campfire on a cold night?

Trick question—both are ecstasy.

As we cruise into January, winter will strengthen its grip and at times will almost break us. Day after day…the snow…slicing wind…slush…darkness…as a collective, it will drive a saint to drinking.

A drink on a harsh winter night has multiple benefits:

1. Makes people happy
2. Encourages dancing
3. Spurs love
4. Keeps you warm

If Old Man Winter was a bartender, these are the drinks he would serve.

A Pour of Clase Azul Tequila
No need to shoot it…sip and enjoy. Either the Plata or Reposado, can’t go wrong—enjoy the sweet notes of fresh agave and mint. It’s sweet and soft. It comes in a hand painted porcelain urn and the cap is a bell—100-percent blue agave.

Blanton's Single-Barrel Bourbon Served Neat
At first sip, caramel enters with a mild oak coming in late—its flavors of rye are soft. In 1984, Blanton's became the world's first commercially produced Single Barrel Bourbon. Each barrel was exclusively selected from Warehouse H in Kentucky and taste tested. Bottled by taste and not by age, a panel of tasters all had to agree that the selected barrel was truly exceptional from nose, taste and finish. Look for the barrel shaped bottle topped with a metal horse.

Hot Toddy
Since we have this bottle of Blanton's Bourbon, let’s use it to make one of the godfathers of all winter drinks: The Hot Toddy.

Here’s a simple recipe:

• 1 (or 2) ounces of bourbon
• 1 tablespoon mild honey
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup boiling-hot water

Feel a cold coming on? The Hot Toddy has healing powers—the bourbon, honey, the lemon’s vitamin C and warmth of the hot water is a cold killer.

Shot of Jameson
The Irish describe their weather as temperate, but many would call it “f-----g cold.” It isn’t Chicago in January, but it’s a respectable cold that appears without notice throughout the year, which is why they invented Guinness and Irish Whisky. There are a lot of good Irish Whisky brands: Bushmills, Tullamore and Redbreast—like most booze, the older, the better. You can’t go wrong with a good ol’ basic shot of Jameson. And if you find yourself in Dublin, be sure to check out the Jameson Distillery tour.

Irish Coffee
Since we have this bottle of Jameson Irish Whisky, let’s make Irish Coffee.

Here’s a recipe:

• 1 (or 2) ounces of Irish whiskey
• Half a cup of roasted espresso coffee
• 1 tablespoon of sugar (or Muscovado simple syrup if you’re fancy)
• Top with whip cream

Fischerweber's Brandy Served Neat
An hour train ride south of Munich is Anton Huber’s distillery in the small German town of Tegernsee. Huber is a true Bavarian: he’s a farmer, hunter, distiller and hotelier. His distillery is cleaner than a hospital and the attention to detail lives in the quality of his brandy and liquor. Everything Huber makes is 100-percent natural and sugar is never added. Whether it’s apple, apricot or cherry, it’s the real stuff and few things on the planet are better on a cold Bavarian day than Fischerweber's. And to get it, you gotta go to Tegernsee, Germany, which is one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

No fancy mixologist twisted bar spoon or no orange peel twist needed; these are easy to make, and they get the job done. That’s the ManScore way.