A lot of things can stir up warm and fuzzy feelings in you but none as well as a hot cocktail. It gets you toasty on the inside (yay, alcohol) and the outside (hot mug, plus throw on a blanket and some snug socks) too, so in line with the holiday season and winters. These DIY warm/hot beverages will correct that immediately, oh and they are super duper easy to make, thanks these ingredients easily available and our trusty friend, booze.
Hot Holidays: Cosy Up With These 6 DIY Winter Cocktails!
Spiced Chocolate Eggnog
₹280
The queen of home cooking, Martha Stewart, has a recipe of a Spiced Chocolate Eggnog, so duh, it had to make the list. Besides, if there's a drink almost synonymous to the season it is the rich, creamy and sufficiently boozy, eggnog. All you'll need are readily available ingredients at home, except for good quality Indian chocolate, which of course, you will find in Pascati Chocolate's 81 per cent Single Origin Kerala Dark Chocolate on LBB. We're assuming you have brandy. You can freely leave it out in case you want a non-alcoholic version.
1. Heat milk, sugar, a pinch of salt, vanilla extract and cinnamon sticks in a pot. Stir till sugar melts. Then cool.
2. On an ice bath (bowl with ice), in a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks till they turn pale. Add the cool milk mixture, in small portions and whisk together.
3. Now heat this entire mixture on low to medium, constantly stirring and without bringing to a boil. The idea is to heat the entire mixture through.
4. Add the Pascati 81 per cent Single Origin Kerala Dark Chocolate to this mixture and mix till melted. Next, pour the mixture into a large bowl over an ice bath and stir till cool.
5. Add brandy to this (don't skimp, especially if you want a strong alcohol note). Serve the eggnog in a mug topped with some whipped cream and a sprinkling of nutmeg and chilli powder.
Caramel Apple Hot Toddy
₹490
A hug in a mug. What else can we call this cracker of a cocktail that will just hug you from the inside in one sip? A mix of vodka, bourbon and Conscious Food Organic Apple Cider Vinegar makes this a warming and comforting winter drink that can't be beat! And it literally calls for two steps.
1. Combine vodka, bourbon and Conscious Food Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and cinnamon sticks in a pan and heat till it comes to a gentle simmer.
2. Pour into a glass and top with sweetened whipped cream. Enjoy.
Spiced Orange Brandy & Mocha Hot Chocolate
₹495
Sure, hot chocolate is classic and all you need is three ingredients but why stop at just that when you can have this Spiced Orange Mocha Hot Chocolate? Believe us, you won't want hot chocolate any other way simply because we're pairing two matches made in heaven: coffee and chocolate and orange and chocolate. In our version we're using Entisi Chocolatier's Hot Chocolate Mix, Nid'z Dark Zesty Orange Chocolate and Bili Hu Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold Espresso.
1. Make a strong espresso decoction using Bili Hu's Mysore Extra Bold Espresso and set aside.
2. In a deep saucepan, add milk, Chocolatier's Hot Chocolate Mix, Nid'z Dark Zesty Orange Chocolate. Heat to melt and combine.
3. To this, add Thoa's Espresso Dark Chocolate Demerara Sugar, the espresso decoction and a good helping of brandy, mix and simmer.
4. Finally, to this add cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder and orange zest. Bring to boil and turn off.
5. Serve hot topped with chocolate shavings or whipped cream.
Pomegranate & Orange Mulled Wine
₹200
Mulled wine truly does warm the cockle of your hearts and it is a fan favourite all round winter season. In our version, we're bringing in some Pomegranate Black Tea from Infinitea Blooming Teas for a fun twist! To make it more fruit forward we're also adding some orange juice.
1. Steep the Infinitea Teas' Pomegranate Black Tea for a good 15 to 20 minutes.
2. In a separate saucepan, heat a bottle of red wine.
3. Add orange juice, pomegranate juice, the tea decoction and cinnamon sticks to this and heat through.
4. Add brown sugar, star anise and sliced rounds of orange and bring to a boil. Then bring to a low and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Pour warm into mugs and garnish with orange slices and a cinnamon stick.
Hot Buttered Hazelnut Rum
₹295
Hot, buttery and irresistible comfort is what this drink offers on the coldest days of the year. Imagine filling up a big mug of this and sipping on it, reading a book while occasionally licking off that buttery moustache. Winter wonderland indoors, right there! To make ours more special we're adding a decadent Hazelnut Butter by 9Grams, it has a hint of cocoa too.
1. Melt full fat butter and 9Grams Hazelnut Butter in a pan.
2. Add confectioner's sugar and dark brown sugar to this and mix till melted.
3. Remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool and then whisk in some vanilla ice cream, and cinnamon and Salz & Aroma Nutmeg Powder.
4. Take as much of this Buttered Rum Batter, add to a coffee mug, add some rum and boiling hot water.
5. Mix this well and voila! Hot Buttered Rum! Top it with more nutmeg for good measure and enjoy.
Old Monk Cinnamon Chai
₹449
This one hot cocktail every Indian will freely surrender to. Who wouldn't want a version of the iconic masala chai but with dark rum, and not any old dark rum, but our own trusty, Old Monk? Mmh, mmh, mmh! Plus, this recipe switches out regular milk for it's creamy, rich and sweet cousin, condensed milk. To make ours extra special, we're using Chai Craft Masala Chai and El The Cook Cinnamon.
1. In a sauce pan boil water. Add your Chai Craft Masala Chai to this and bring to a boil. Follow this with El The Cook Cinnamon and a piece of ginger.
2. To this add the condensed milk and bring to the boil. Add Old Monk to this and mix well.
3. Turn off heat. Strain in a big mug and enjoy hot.
