A comforting note for everyone who has been suffering through the bitter, relentless cold of a particularly hard Prague winter: The city's best bartenders feel your pain. And so do we at The Prague Post. That's why we asked several of the city's finest mixologists to suggest some concoctions that will warm you in more ways than one.

When it comes to warming up, Czechs know how to get the job done. Long before Jan Becher handed out bitters from his own recipe, a heady mix now known as Becherovka, in the early 19th century, locals had mastered the art of crafting rich, hearty drinks great for thawing out after a tough day in the fields or decompressing after a long day in the office.

But we were after more: Drinks with something special, that extra kick to instantly get the blood flowing again. Here's what we found:

Slivo in Vinohrady

At Hotel Le Palais, a five-star hotel in Vinohrady, some customers stick with the classics — coffee infused with Bailey's, cognac or whiskey. But signature drinks take center stage. One, created by resident barmeister Tomáš Zavadil, brings out the warming qualities of one of the nation's most popular home-brewed drinks, slivovice. Zavadil recommends this original blend, a drink he named Moravian Orange:

Moravian Orange

1.5 dcl warm orange juice

1 teaspoon of honey

2 cl of slivovice

Simply mix all three together for a rich, potent blend.

Sunset on the Square

At the Radisson SAS Alcron Hotel, just a stone's throw from Wenceslas Square, the staff has crafted a long menu of tea-based hot and chilled cocktails. While that includes Scandinavian favorites like rum grog and sailor's grog, the menu relies mainly on the classic ingredients that most bartenders swear by: rum, Grand Marnier and cognac.

Inside the hotel's award-winning BeBop Bar, bar manager Zdenka Trtiková says that hot mixed drinks were en vogue long before cold ones. The citrusy Sunset Tea is a big favorite among her customers.

Sunset Tea

2 cl Cointreau

2 cl Havana Club Anejo Especial Rum

6 cl orange juice

hot black tea

Mix the Cointreau, rum and orange juice, and top off the drink with hot black tea. Add a slice of orange for garnish.

A Tretter's

double shot

At Tretter's Bar in Old Town, owner Michael Tretter often goes the traditional route with mulled wine. But the mulled wine here comes with a twist — lots of Badyán, also known as Star Anise, an eight-sided fruit found in China, Vietnam and other exotic locales. Tretter also whips up a favorite called Jean Gabin when the temperature plunges below freezing.

Jean Gabin

4.4 cl dark rum

2.2 cl Calvados brandy

1 tbsp maple syrup (or almond syrup)

1.5 dcl hot milk

1 pinch nutmeg

Heat the rum, brandy and syrup in a heat-resistant glass, fold in hot milk and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Another drink Tretter is sweet on is the Bombardino — which is easy to find if you're fresh off the slopes in the Italian Dolomites, but elusive in these parts. Here's a way to duplicate Tretter's Bombardino at home, an excellent, smooth blend for sub-zero temperatures.

Tretter's Bombardino

1/3 dark rum

1/3 Advocat

1/3 hot milk

Add whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles to really spruce things up.

Tretter's customers love the Bombardino. But as with many of the bar's most popular frigid weather drinks, it's easy to forget that they contain plenty of alcohol. Hence, moderation is advised, especially when the blood starts flowing again and that warm feeling takes over.