Meet The Team / James Cury

Many hot drinks, unlike most cold ones, hail from a long line of magical medicinal elixirs. This is true whether you prefer to be healed with or without alcohol.

Cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa and clove -- perennial holiday spices -- pop up in dozens of warming cocktails not just because they are wonderfully aromatic, but because they relieve upset stomachs. Coffees, teas and chocolates are noted for their antioxidants as much as their terrific flavor versatility; you can easily make them extra sweet, spicy or boozy. And whiskey and rum, the usual go-to ingredients in warm cocktails, have long been known to soothe the soul.

The ten hot drinks listed after the jump represent both specific libations and general cocktail categories. Serve in mugs or snifters -- they warm the hands too.

The sparkling wine we drink on New Year's Eve is not the stuff we drink at other times of the year. Beyond marking the end of the year, Dec. 31 also caps the end of holiday season, a last gasp of celebration -- and provides a ray of hope for what lies ahead. People want to party, not reflect. Chug, not sip.

Circumstances dictate that the sparkler you give or receive will likely be consumed by many mouths -- some quite inebriated already -- and not just by an intimate group of two or four. These factors influence what you buy.

Generally speaking, the ideal bottle will be inexpensive, widely available and fairly dry. The guide below walks you through New Year's Eve options, from fancy French Champagne to an international stable of less expensive, lesser-known alternatives.

Learn How to Open Champagne

Years ago, booze-free cocktails -- annoyingly dubbed "mocktails" -- would have been considered oxymorons, like sex without release.

Today, no one raises an eyebrow at the request because there are so many obvious reasons why you might not drink: You're pregnant, you're an alcoholic, you're driving, you're sick, you're underage, it's against your religion, etc. Maybe you just drank too much already.

Having recognized the growing niche of people who want to taste fabulous drinks but don't want to get stinking drunk, beverage directors today are building liquor-free cocktails into drink lists -- and teaching bartenders the art of hooch-free flavor combinations. Here are some timeless, clever adaptations of classic drinks tinged with Christmas cheer. If none sounds appealing, there's always O'Douls.

Walk into almost any liquor shop after Halloween, and you'll see an army of old bottles dressed up in holiday clothing. Sometimes the booze has been rendered festive with tinsel or bells. Or there's a sexy cocktail shaker -- or frosted glasses -- sitting next to the vodka bottle in a shiny Christmas-themed box.

Nobody buys these gift-box bottles for themselves; they are quintessential gifts (and re-gifts). But that doesn't mean you can't appreciate the alluring tchotchke inside.

This year's crop elicits many of those "I-want-that!" responses whether you're a fan of vodka, gin, tequila, whiskey, rum or Champagne. Though most are fairly priced between $20 and $60, the gift sets range from $15 to $425. Just remember: Prices and availability may vary.

It's party season, and that means if you have any social life whatsoever, someone will be asking you to bring something to a get-together. Certain foods are obvious no-nos unless you're aiming for cheeky: anything made with aspic, blood sausage or Spam, for example. In general, you want to avoid needlessly messy, borderline unhealthy and unintentionally labor-intensive dishes, as well as ones that simply don't travel well.

The following rules apply no matter what kind of party (potluck, New Year's Eve, birthday, tailgating) or crowd (young, old, football freaks, opera fans). If you can't cook at all, bring good cheese and crackers. That's the universal crowd-pleaser.

Hummus
It seems like such a no-brainer -- who doesn't like dip at parties? But this one has a fatal flaw: garlic. All it takes is one big scoop to render your breath intolerable. Great for family get-togethers, not for swinging singles mixers. How about salsa instead?