~Peace~
10 Winter Brews To Warm You Right Up!
Entertaining during the winter months? There are dozens of recipes for you to choose from. For those special occasions with family and friends, reach for ancient recipes like mead or glogg to toast the season. You can enhance a bottle of wine with rich, earthy spices like cinnamon, cloves, star anise, or licorice root. For a warm punch that pleases a crowd, mix wine with liquors like brandy, schnapps, cointreau, grand marnier or galliano. Then jazz it up with stevia, fennel, basil, or woodruff.
Most of the recipes found here are non-alcoholic, but you can jazz it up with a bit of liquor for that added "spirit". You can double the recipes for a larger crowd and keep the brews warm on the stove or even better, in a crockpot.
You can finish up with a pretty herbal flower garnish, like chamomile, lavender, pineapple sage and mint. You can also use edible stir sticks like licorice root, chicory, cinnamon or rosemary bark.
Brew Recipes
Peppermint Patty~The Aztecs considered chocolate a food of the gods. Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, purportedly indulged in the drink know as cacahuatl, more than 50 times a day. Often, chiles, cinnamon, or anise seeds were added to cut the bitterness of this cocoa-based beverage. It wasn't until Cortez brought the recipe back to Spain that sugar was included. The addition of peppermint adds a refreshing bite and promotes circulation.
- 1 tbsp dried peppermint in a tea ball or cheesecloth
- 1/3 cup hot water
- 4 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- Suggested liquor: Peppermint Schnapps
In a medium saucepan, combine peppermint and water. Simmer over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil; stir for two minutes. Remove peppermint bundle. Add sugar and cocoa, stirring constantly, and continue boiling. Remove from heat, add milk and stir. Serves 5
Hot Buttered Cider~Originally, apple cider was a fermented alcoholic beverage manufactured across the world in countries like Spain, France, and England. Early American settlers began making the drink almost as soon as they arrived and it was quite popular in most households. In Pagan cultures, the apple was a symbol of immortality and used in many love spells. (For a simple love charm, cut an apple in half, remove the seeds and share it with the one you adore. Then bury the seeds beneath a full moon for a long and prosperous relationship!)
- 1 gallon of apple cider
- 6 whole allspice berries
- half of a nutmeg seed
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 8 cloves
- 4 pats of butter
- chamomile flowers
- suggested liquor: Spiced Rum
To a large pot, add cider and spices. Simmer for 20 minutes. Strain into a pretty punch bowl and dot with butter. Garnish with chamomile flowers and serve warm. Serves 12
Warm Mead~Thought to have originated in Ireland, mead dates back to ancient times. Brides and grooms toasted with the drink for a month after their wedding. Traditional mead is an ancient fermented beverage made from honey, water, yeast and spices. The original process is very complicate; this is a simpler, heated version.
- 1 bottle chardonnay
- 6 sprigs of sweet woodruff, washed and dried
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1/4 cup honey
In a medium sauscepan, combine wine, woodruff, vanilla and honey. Gently heat until honey dissolves. Remove woodruff and vanilla and serve in goblets. Serves 4
Rosemary Coffee~This recipe might seem strange, but if you love rosemary, You'll enjoy it! And because rosemary stimulates the mind, this caffeinated drink provides a double pick-me-up.
- 1/4 cup fresh coffee beans or ground coffee
- 1 sprig rosemary
- water
Grind coffee beans with rosemary sprig and brew. If you don't have a grinder, chop the sprig first; then add it to the coffee basket before brewing. Serves 10
Hot Toddy~Many Irish grandmothers used the recipe for the kids when they weren't feeling well. It 's great for colds and for sore throats. The honey is soothing, while the lemon detoxifies. Add the whiskey to help you sleep.
- 1 teabag of orange pekoe, green, or black tea
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 wedge of lemon
- Suggested Liquor: Whiskey
Brew tea in water. Remove teabag and pour into a mug and add honey and lemon. Serves 1
Winter's Nap Tea~This tea has all the making to send you to dreamland. Lavender soothes and relaxes, while valerian and chamomile promote sleepiness.
- 1 tbsp loose-leaf chamomile tea
- 1 tbsp dried lavender buds
- 1 tbsp dried valerian
- water
Add all ingredients to a coffee basket and brew with water. Or heat in a saucepan and strain before serving . add honey if desired. Serves 6
After-Dinner Tea~After a big meal, sipping on this tea can help aid digestion and as a bonus, it tastes great!
- 1licorice root, grated
- 1 star anise
- 1 tbsp dried orange peel
- small handful anise seeds
- water
Place all ingredients together into a tea ball or muslin bag. Gently heat in a medium saucepan filled with water. Remove herbs and spice and pour the liquid into mugs. Serves 2
Swedish Glogg~A mulled wine that originated in the Scandinavian countries, glogg is enjoyed around the holidays and includes warm spices, nuts and dried fruit. While many recipes call for a sweet wine like port or even sherry, you may find hat the drier varieties better complement these ingredients. You can substitute the brandy for a fruity Schnapps like peach.
- 1 whole orange
- handful of cloves
- 1 bottle dry red wine
- 1 cup blackberry brandy
- 6 cinnamon sticks
- 1 handful raisins
- 1 handful of slivered almonds
Wash the orange and Pierce it with the cloves. Add all ingredients to a large pot. Gently simmer until warm. Do not strain. Pour into a crock pt to keep warm. Serv n in mugs. Serves 6
New Orleans-Style Latte~Cafe Du Monde is a coffee and pastry shop located in the French Quarter of New Orleans. They serve pots of chicory-flavored coffee alongside tasty Beignets, fluffy triangle-shaped fried doughnuts dusted with powdered sugar. Chicory has been used for centuries as a coffee substitute. Its earthy flavor adds a rich, smokey taste to the hot beverage.
- 1/4 cup coffee beans or ground coffee
- 1 chicory root
- milk
- stevia powder
Grind coffee beans with chicory root, or grate root and add to the coffee basket. Brew with water. Add milk and stevia to taste. Serves 10
Morning Power Tonic~There has been much the news for awhile now regarding "power fruits". Pomegranate, blueberry, goji and acai berries are said to do everything from boost immunity to combat chronic illnesses. Packed with antiodidants and anthocyanins, these fruits are the new wave of healthy eating. But age-old lemon balm here is also known to promote longevity. In A Modern Herbal, author Mrs. M. Grieve claims that John Hussey of Sydenham, who lived to the age of 116, drank lemon balm tea daily for 50 years!
- 1 cup purified water
- 2 tbsp dried lemon balm
- 1/4 cup cranberry juice
- 1/4 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup blueberry
- 1/4 cup acai juice
- 1/4 cup goji juice
Add lemon balm to a tea ball and gently simmer in water for 10 minutes. Remove lemon balm and add juices, simmering for 5 or more minutes. Enjoy at the start of your day for an energy boost. Serves 2
Thanks for checking out my post; have you tried these recipes?
I would love to hear that you think!
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