With the cold season not quite over yet, Sam Wylie-Harris suggests some stylish serves to mix up now.

A surefire way to fire up the taste buds during a cold snap is to rustle up a cheeky cocktail.

Whether it's the comforting, warming notes of a hot toddy, or a crafty concoction to stir the senses, these winning recipes are worth shining up your cocktail kit...

1. Aerolite Lyndsay Hot Toddy

A deliciously peaty single malt from the Isle of Islay, Aerolite Lyndsay 10 Year Old (£44.95, 70cl, Master of Malt) is matured in bourbon and Spanish oak quarter casks, and we love its bold and complex character. Smoky with a honeyed sweetness and a trace of salted toffee, a dash of water will increase its maritime aromas, but Aerolite Lyndsay also makes a wonderful hot toddy.

Ingredients: 40ml Aerolite Lyndsay, 20ml lemon juice, 10ml honey water (1:1), cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg.

Method: Add whisky, honey water, lemon juice to a toddy glass. Add a pinch of nutmeg and stir in. Top with hot water and garnish with a clove-studded lemon slice and a stick of cinnamon.

2. Santa Teresa Aragua Old Fashioned

The simplest cocktails can sometimes be the trickiest to make - all that muddling can be a faff. For a tasty, stirred down twist, swap whiskey for an aged rum such as Santa Teresa 1796 Solera Rum (£47.99, 70cl, Amazon), sugar cubes for syrup and reach for high quality bitters - we suggest The Bitter Truth Chocolate Bitters (£13.44, 20cl, Amazon).

Ingredients: 50ml Santa Teresa 1796, 7.5ml brown sugar syrup, 3 drops chocolate bitters.

Method: Fill a rocks glass with ice, add the ingredients, stir well and garnish with with orange zest or chocolate-coated coffee beans.

3. Smoky Casa Margarita

Margaritas aren't just for summer, especially with the A-list Casamigos Mezcal (£64.95, 70cl, The Whisky Exchange), whose smoky flavours play well with the citrus elements of the classic margarita served with a flamed orange peel.

Ingredients: 50ml Casamigos Mezcal, 25ml fresh lime juice, 12ml agave nectar, two dashes of orange bitters.

Method: Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the ingredients, shake vigorously, strain into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with a flamed orange peel.

4. CIROC Winter Warmer

Smooth and pure, CIROC Vodka (£34.99, 70cl, Very) doesn't miss a step when its infused with everyone's favourite wintry flavours, such as sweet honey, spicy nutmeg and fresh cinnamon. This cocktail will give you sweet, spice, and everything nice.

Ingredients: 40ml CIROC, 10ml Cointreau, 10ml honey, 15ml lemon juice, grounded nutmeg, mint and cinnamon stick for garnish.

Method: Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the ingredients, shake vigorously and strain into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with nutmeg, mint and cinnamon stick.

5. Copper Dog Boulvardier

Famed for being bitter, boozy and sweet, the Boulvardier is packed with flavour and there's enough body to this drink to warm your insides. This version balances the wonderful taste of a negroni (with whisky in place of gin) with spicy and honey notes from Copper Dog Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (£27, 70cl, Amazon). Can be enjoyed as a strong aperitif or as a digestif.

Ingredients: 45ml Copper Dog, 30ml sweet vermouth, 30ml Campari, cherry to garnish.

Method: Half fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients, stir slowly and strain into a chilled martini glass, garnish with a cherry.

6. Martin Miller's Gin & Ginger

According to industry experts, one of the hottest trends in the world of gin is the deliciously warming kick of ginger. A more aromatic and flavourful twist on gin's traditional tonic accompaniment makes this the perfect cocktail for a cosy night in. The zest and warmth of the ginger bring out the earthy and citrus notes of Martin Miller's Gin (£22, 70cl, Amazon), perfectly complemented with a lime and mint garnish to create a refreshing finish.

Ingredients: 50ml Martin Miller's Gin, 150ml ginger ale or ginger beer, wedge of lime and mint leaves.

Method: Fill a tumbler with ice, add the gin, top with ginger, stir slowly and garnish with lime and mint.

7. Bacardi Rhubarb Daiquiri

A modern twist on a classic Prohibition-era cocktail, the addition of rhubarb liqueur with Bacardi Carta Blanca (£16.99, 70cl, Drink Station) provides a sharp, acidic tang, which is immediately offset by the sweet, candied notes of the white rum and sugar/simple syrup, giving the drink a smooth and light finish.

Top tip: If your drink is too tart, add more syrup. Too sweet, add more lime.

Ingredients: 50ml Bacardi Carta Blanca, 20ml rhubarb liqueur, 25ml lime juice, 10ml simple syrup.

Method: Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, shake vigorously and serve into a chilled coupette glass, garnish with rhubarb ribbon.

8. Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger Hot Ribena

With the unique flavours of tart rhubarb and spicy ginger in Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger Gin (£26, 70cl, Sainsbury's), and marriage of sweet blackberry with fresh zingy lemon peel to give a deliciously balanced spiced cocktail, this drink is packed full of flavour and we love the warming aromas to fend off a seasonal chill.

Ingredients: 50ml Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger Gin, 50ml blackcurrant cordial, 25ml lemon juice, 150ml hot water, lemon wheel to garnish.

Method: Add all the ingredients into a mug, stir and top with the hot water and lemon wheel.

9. Banks Green Tea Punch (serves 6-8)

"Classic punches are comprised of five ingredients: spirit, sugar, citrus, spice, and a more substantial portion of a liquid such as tea or wine," says Jim Meehan of Mixography, co-founder of Banks rum.

"The grassy sencha tea reinforces the herbal notes in Banks 5 Island Rum (£37.95, 70cl, The Whisky Exchange), while the aromatic mint and nutmeg brighten the earthy mixture."

Ingredients: Banks 5 Island Blend, 375ml sencha tea, 375ml mint tea, 200ml lime juice, 200 grams demerara sugar.

Method: Brew the tea, then stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Add 4 cups of ice to chill and dilute the mixture, then add lime juice and rum. Chill well and serve in a punch bowl filled with one large block of ice and garnish with grated nutmeg.