winter drinks

[salex]

Yay, winter drinks!

What my husband affectionately calls cocoa coffee is Cocoa mix with strong coffee.  I make it with decaf in the evening.  He uses a milk frother to make it lighter.  We also have grandma tea (tea with cream and sweetner) some evenings. 

Baileys is always good, or coffee with Kaluaha.  For fall nights, we've had apple cider with Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey....

 

[Arete]

Hot chocolate with a splash of Bailey's is the BOMB.

 

Aurora Rising, in Greece raki is drunk straight up from the shot glass, for "courage".   However, a glass of water and a few little tidbits are served on the side, like slice cucumber and tomato, or just olives and cheese cubes in winter.  

Another good one is hot milk with a shot of Turkish/Greek coffee mixed in.  You can add a small pinch of cinnamon and a little sugar.  It is actually relaxing, but you have to be conservative with the coffee, because it is extremely concentrated.

[Pretzel]

@Aurora rising, could you tell me the ratio of the spices for your tea blend? That would be awesome!

[Aurora rising]

@Pretzel: Uh. That´s a tough question.. it depends completely on my mood and on your taste. Most of the times I use around 1 small spoon cardamon (capsules, slightly opened), a small stick cinemon, a few cloves, around 3 cm ginger (chopped), a few pepper and fennel seed and one anis. Be careful if you don´t like it too hot, the ginger and pepper is strong in this one...

[Pretzel]

Thanks, I'll really try that ratio and then go from there. I love it hot spicy, so the ginger and pepper will be appreciated. I'm not so keen on the anise, though. If I drank alcohol, I wouldn't like Rakı and the like, either. 

[sawasdee]

Getting jealous here, as it never gets cold where I live - so no excuse for lovely warming drinks.  But I still enjoy an Irish Coffee made with Baileys instead of whiskey!

[Pretzel]

@Pretzel: Uh. That´s a tough question.. it depends completely on my mood and on your taste. Most of the times I use around 1 small spoon cardamon (capsules, slightly opened), a small stick cinemon, a few cloves, around 3 cm ginger (chopped), a few pepper and fennel seed and one anis. Be careful if you don´t like it too hot, the ginger and pepper is strong in this one...

The blend is mindblowing. I LOVE it. Instead of the fennel (had none) and the anise (yuck!) I used an inch of Vanilla bean, cooked it in 12 oz (350 ml) of water, added a tablespoon of raw honey and 3 oz (50-80 ml) of milk. It's brilliant. 

[purple_summer]

This may be a little lame but we always make warm milk. We buy those torani coffee syrups (or just use pure vanilla), a little bit of raw sugar and zap for about 30-45 seconds. Just the right amount of richness and it feels really "homey".

[Aurora rising]

The blend is mindblowing. I LOVE it. Instead of the fennel (had none) and the anise (yuck!) I used an inch of Vanilla bean, cooked it in 12 oz (350 ml) of water, added a tablespoon of raw honey and 3 oz (50-80 ml) of milk. It's brilliant. 

I skip anise as well and use only fennel when my husband forces me to do it...

Glad that you liked it! It´s even better if you let it simmer a little bit with the honey and the milk.

[JillyO]

I am a Glühwein (mulled wine) kind of girl. Occasionally, I will make Heißer Apfelwein (hot apple cider - I guess I'd have to say hard cider since it contains alcohol) for some variation.

Why yes, I am drunk all winter, why do you ask?

[7thchild]

Plain black hot tea for winter, unless I'm sick, then the brandy slushies come out.

recipe: steep 4 tea bags in 4 cups of hot water, discard teabags, add a can of frozen orange juice concentrate, a can of frozen lemonade concentrate and a cup (or 2) of your favorite flavored brandy (I go for cherry), stir it all together and freeze overnight. Serve by scooping the mixture into a glass and adding clear soda, sprite or sierra mist both work well, to get an icy/slushy consistency. Very soothing for a sore throat or clogged sinuses, may even help you sleep.

 

[Bethella]

Plain black hot tea for winter, unless I'm sick, then the brandy slushies come out.

recipe: steep 4 tea bags in 4 cups of hot water, discard teabags, add a can of frozen orange juice concentrate, a can of frozen lemonade concentrate and a cup (or 2) of your favorite flavored brandy (I go for cherry), stir it all together and freeze overnight. Serve by scooping the mixture into a glass and adding clear soda, sprite or sierra mist both work well, to get an icy/slushy consistency. Very soothing for a sore throat or clogged sinuses, may even help you sleep.

 

Do you think the slushies could be served warm? When I'm sick I usually prefer hot drinks like tea.

[alwayscaffeinated]

I'm a morning coffee drinker year round. I love a hot cup of tea in the evening during cold months, however. Usually honey vanilla chamomile or Bigelow Salted Caramel. 

[7thchild]

Do you think the slushies could be served warm? When I'm sick I usually prefer hot drinks like tea.

you could mix up a batch and give it a go, just without the soda. Might want to use it 1/2 and 1/2 with a cup of hot tea. The juice concentrates would probably taste really strong if you don't dilute it with something.

[RosyDaisy]

Homemade hot chocolate and grandma's secret spicy apple cider.

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

I like tea all year round, but I mostly switch to iced in the summer. Some of my favorites this season are Sweet Harvest Pumpkin (black), Sugar Plum Spice (herbal), and Caramel Apple Dream (decaf black). I still can't find Nutcracker Sweet in the stores and I really don't want to pay twice as much (or more) to get it online. 

On Thanksgiving and Christmas (sometimes New Year's Eve) my mom makes a special hot drink she's started calling grog. We used to just call it cranberry apricot nectar. 

Equal parts apricot nectar and cranberry juice cocktail. Add whole spices in a bag or infuser. (Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, maybe something else?) Simmer on low heat. Drink. Usually made in large quantity in a 6 qt or larger pan on the stove. 

It's one of those things Mom never measures, changes some ingredients from time to time, and yet it still always tastes the same. I really have to nail down those spices for posterity!

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

On Thanksgiving and Christmas (sometimes New Year's Eve) my mom makes a special hot drink she's started calling grog. We used to just call it cranberry apricot nectar. 

Equal parts apricot nectar and cranberry juice cocktail. Add whole spices in a bag or infuser. (Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and whole allspice) Simmer on low heat. Drink. Usually made in large quantity in a 6 qt or larger pan on the stove. 

It's one of those things Mom never measures, changes some ingredients from time to time, and yet it still always tastes the same.

I checked. The missing spice was whole allspice. 

[Pixiedust1960]

I like hot milk with molasses and vanilla at bed time

 

[salex]

Oh, I had forgotten.... Cocoa with butterscotch schnapps....

[OldFadedStar]

My husband has really been enjoying hard apple ciders with some fireball whiskey added. 

[Lynn18]

Oooooo, Angry Orchard + Fireball=  An Angry Ball

Blue Moon + Fireball= A Blue Ball

 

TeeHee

 

[OldFadedStar]

4 minutes ago, Lynn18 said:

Oooooo, Angry Orchard + Fireball=  An Angry Ball

Blue Moon + Fireball= A Blue Ball

 

TeeHee

 

Hmm I'll have to get my husband some blue moon to try the blue ball. He tends to like blue moon

 

He really liked the seasonal "Cinnful Apple" Angry Orchard and fireball. 

 

I'm not big into beers and such though. I do enjoy an occasional angry orchard.