Hot Beverages to Warm You Up This Winter

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Hot Beverages to Warm You Up This Winter | Duluth Moms Blog

I don’t know about you, but on a cold winter’s night I love nothing more than to warm up by wrapping up in a blanket and sipping a hot beverage by the fire. Sometimes it’s the only way to get rid of that pesky bone-chilling cold that seeps in during these arctic winters. Here are three lovely and warm, fool-proof recipes that you can enjoy with family and friends this holiday season and beyond. 

Warm Spiced Apple Juice

Serves 6

4 Cups of apple juice
3 cloves
1 orange, cut into thin slices
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 T honey

Place all the ingredients, except for the honey, in a saucepan. Simmer for 15 minutes to allow flavors to infuse. Add honey, stir, and serve immediately. 

What I love about this recipe is that you can get creative with it depending on what ingredients you have at home. The only real ‘must have’ is apple juice. If you don’t have an orange, use a lemon instead. If you don’t have a cinnamon stick, use a pinch of ground cinnamon. You can also grate some nutmeg and add 1/4 of a bay leaf into the saucepan for additional flavor. If you don’t have honey, use white sugar instead. I would add the sugar at the beginning, so the granules can disintegrate while it’s simmering away. I also love that it’s a tasty drink that everyone in the family can enjoy. 

Hot Beverages to Warm You Up This Winter | Duluth Moms Blog

Mulled Wine

After church on Christmas morning, my mother and father-in-law invite their neighbors and friends to their home for an hour or so to greet one another and socialize. It’s funny how in the winter you can go for months without chatting with your neighbors because every one is rushing from their car to the house to stay warm and dodge the snowflakes, or in our case in Ireland, the raindrops. This mulled wine will be simmering on the stove top when the guests arrive and offered to anyone who would like a glass. Not only does it warm you up from the inside out, it fills the house with a lovely Christmas-y aroma. My mother-in-law has been making it for so many years that she doesn’t really follow an exact recipe per se, so this is our best estimate of what goes into the delicious beverage. 

Serves a small group

2 bottles of red wine (no fancy wine needed, any basic dry red will do)
1 cup of orange juice
4 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
10 cloves
zest of one lemon
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar

Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan and simmer gently for about 10-15 minutes on the stove top. Ensure that it does not boil and remove from heat when the wine begins to steam. Then strain to discard the orange and lemon slices, star anise, cloves and cinnamon sticks. At this stage you can add a splash of brandy and a touch more sugar to taste, then serve in heat proof glasses. This can be made up to a day in advance and reheated when you want to serve it. Alternatively, you can place all the ingredients in your slow cooker and it will heat up on low in 1-2 hours. The slow cooker will then maintain a warm, even temperature. 

This is also a really flexible recipe and can be tweaked anyway you desire. For example, if you prefer, you can sweeten the drink with white sugar, maple syrup or honey rather than brown sugar, or you can use more or fewer cloves, star anise and cinnamons sticks based on your preferences. And, if you don’t have cinnamon sticks, whisk in a little ground cinnamon. 

And last, but not least:

Hot Beverages to Warm You Up This Winter | Duluth Moms Blog

The Perfect Irish Hot Whiskey 

The final recipe I want to share is a warm beverage that can be served all winter long. 

1 measure of Whiskey
8 cloves
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
1 slice of lemon

The instructions for this drink are a bit particular, and it’s important to follow them fully. 

Step 1: Fill kettle and boil hot water
Step 2: Cut a slice of lemon, remove any seeds and stud the lemon with cloves. 
Step 3: Place a small metal spoon into the glass/mug you’ll be using for the drink. When the kettle is boiled, pour the boiling water into the glass. With this step you’re pre-heating the glass, and if you don’t the drink won’t turn out hot enough. The spoon ensures that the glass doesn’t shatter when the boiling water hits it. Let the boiling water sit in the glass for a few minutes, then discard the water.
Step 4: Place the sweetener (sugar or honey) in the glass and add 1 measure (shot) of whiskey and stir so the sugar granules disintegrate. 
Step 5: Place clove studded lemon in the glass.
Step 6: Top with boiling water and stir. Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite hot beverage not mentioned above? I’d love to know the recipe!