Author Topic: Thoughts on Hot Seasonal Beverages!  (Read 19685 times)

Offline Brown Eyes

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Thoughts on Hot Seasonal Beverages!
« on: December 02, 2007, 05:02:03 pm »



The lovely topics of apple cider and mulled wine have come up in the egg nog thread.  And, it occurs to me that there are lots of very interesting hot, seasonal beverages out there.  So, it seems there might be a nice demand for this topic.

It also seems that different countries have really interesting and unique traditions.  So please feel free to post suggestions and traditions not on the current poll list.  And, let me know if something should be added to this list.  Learning about all these different traditions and recipes is just fascinating!

I'll start by posting a recipe for Swedish Glögg, which is a recipe introduced to our family by one of my mother's best friends who is Swedish.  It's a version of mulled wine.  I think there are tons of versions of mulled wine so it will be interesting to see what alternative recipes for mulled wine might come in here.

<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/2975549-be9.jpg" border="0" />

There are lots of variations on this recipe, but this one posted here comes from this website: http://www.hurrah.com/cookbook/glogg.html
Quote
Swedish Glögg
Makes about 1 gallon
1.5 litre bottle of inexpensive dry red wine
1.5 litre bottle of inexpensive American port
1 bottle of inexpensive brandy or aquavit
10 inches of stick cinnamon
1 Tablespoon cardamom seeds
2 dozen whole cloves
Peel of one orange
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup blanched almonds
2 cups sugar
Garnish with the peel of another orange

Notes
There is no need to invest in expensive wine or brandy because the spices are going to preempt any innate complexity of a fine wine, but don't use anything too cheap. Remember, the sum will be no better than the parts. Do not use an aluminum or copper pot since these metals interact chemically with the wine and brandy and impart a metallic taste. Use stainless steel or porcelain.

Cardamom comes in three forms: pods, seeds, and powder. Do not use powder. If you can only find the pods (the look like orange seeds), take about 2 dozen and pop them open to extract the seeds. Cardamom seeds may be hard to find, so you may need to order them from a spice specialist like Penzeys.com.

Assembly
Pour the red wine and port into a covered stainless steel or porcelain kettle. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, orange peel, raisins, and almonds. Warm gently, but do not boil. Boiling will burn off the alcohol.

Put the sugar in a pan and soak it with half the bottle of brandy. Warm the sugar and brandy slurry over a low flame. The sugar will melt and bubble until it becomes a clear golden syrup of caramelized sugar. If you wish, you can speed up the process a bit and create quite a show by flaming the brandy. Flaming will create a 2 foot high blue flame, so be sure there is nothing above the stove that can catch on fire. Then, stand back and light the brandy. Turn out the kitchen lights and watch it burn! This caramelization is crucial to developing complexity.

Add the caramelized sugar to the spiced wine mix. Cover and let it mull for an hour. Just before serving, strain to remove the spices, and add brandy to taste (about 1/2 pint). You can serve it immediately, or let it age for a month or two. If you are going to age it, make sure the bottle is filled as high as possible and sealed tight.

To serve glögg, warm it gently over a low flame or in a crockpot, and serve it in a mug. Garnish it with a fresh orange peel, twisted over the mug to release the oils.

You can easily tailor the recipe to your own tastes by changing the sweetness, potency, or other ingredients. Try brown sugar if you wish. Or Southern Comfort instead of brandy. The orange peel garnish, however, is essential to the fragrance. Drink while seated and give your car keys to a friend.


cheers!
Amanda




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Offline serious crayons

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Re: Thoughts on Hot Seasonal Beverages!
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2007, 06:45:07 pm »
That sounds delish! Bud, if we ever start a Beverages Forum, you should moderate! Or when we all get together for the Brokie Christmas party ...  :D

OK, mine are

-- Hot apple cider + cinnamon stick + brandy

-- Mulled wine (just heated red wine + spices (cloves, cinnamon, etc.) -- no hard liquor, the way I've made it)

-- Hot chocolate -- especially with, of course, liquor  ;D possibilities for which include white creme de menthe or kaluha

-- Hot buttered rum. But here I like it a certain way that I used to get at this one restaurant a long time ago. It's actually probably more like a Tom & Jerry than classic buttered rum. You add melted vanilla ice cream and brown sugar, I think.

I also like hot brandy, which I think is made with hot water, lemon and honey.

There were a few on your list I'm not familiar with. What's posset? What's hot Christmas punch? And of course I've heard of wassail ("Here we go, a-wassailing, among the leaves so green ...") but I don't know what it is.


Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Thoughts on Hot Seasonal Beverages!
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2007, 07:42:39 pm »
That sounds delish! Bud, if we ever start a Beverages Forum, you should moderate! Or when we all get together for the Brokie Christmas party ...  :D

Ooooo, a Brokie Christmas/ Holiday/ Winter party sounds awesome!  Something new to add to my Brokie-experience wish list.  8)

OK, mine are

-- Hot apple cider + cinnamon stick + brandy

-- Mulled wine (just heated red wine + spices (cloves, cinnamon, etc.) -- no hard liquor, the way I've made it)

-- Hot chocolate -- especially with, of course, liquor  ;D possibilities for which include white creme de menthe or kaluha

-- Hot buttered rum. But here I like it a certain way that I used to get at this one restaurant a long time ago. It's actually probably more like a Tom & Jerry than classic buttered rum. You add melted vanilla ice cream and brown sugar, I think.

I also like hot brandy, which I think is made with hot water, lemon and honey.

There were a few on your list I'm not familiar with. What's posset? What's hot Christmas punch? And of course I've heard of wassail ("Here we go, a-wassailing, among the leaves so green ...") but I don't know what it is.


I've never put liquor in hot chocolate... but, of course that sounds good.  And, I'm pretty much 100% sure I'd like butter rum, but I've never tried it.  So, I couldn't really vote for it. 


Posset is something I learned about whilst researching for this thread. It's apparently popular in Scotland. 

Here's one description of posset from: http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/pubsandbars/hot-drinks-feature-993.html
Quote
Possets
Possets are hot, alcoholic, milky drinks which were all the rage back in the Middle Ages. A classic Scottish posset combines milk, oatmeal, salt, honey, grated nutmeg and a large shot of whisky heated until it is nearly boiling.

Wassail is another drink I've never tried, but some versions of it sound really yummy to me.
here are two different recipes (there seem to be zillions).

This wassail recipe is from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/102329
Quote
Ingredients:
 10 small apples
10 teaspoons brown sugar
2 bottles dry sherry or dry Madeira
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cloves
3 allspice berries
1 inch stick cinnamon
2 cups superfine sugar
1/2 cup water
6 eggs, separated
1 cup brandy

Preparation:
Core the apples and fill each with a teaspoon of brown sugar. Place in a baking pan and cover the bottom with 1/8-inch of water.
Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or until tender. Combine the sherry or Madeira, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice berries, cinnamon, sugar and water in a large, heavy saucepan and heat without letting the mixture come to a boil. Leave on very low heat. Beat the egg yolks until light and lemon-colored. Beat the whites until stiff and fold them into the yolks. Strain the wine mixture and add gradually to the eggs, stirring constantly. Add the brandy. Pour into a metal punch bowl, float the apples on top and serve in 8-ounce mugs.

And here's a very different, simpler alternative from http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1922,153182-240205,00.html
Quote
1 gal. apple cider
1 qt. orange juice (pure)
1 c. lemon juice
1 qt. pineapple juice
24 whole cloves
4 sticks cinnamon
1 c. sugar

Mix all ingredients and simmer (very low heat) for 1 to 2 hours. Serve warm. Yield: 1 1/2 gallons.

And, here's the mother of all wassail websites with a million different variations, histories, etc. http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5567/wasdrink.html#About%20the%20Drink


Christmas Punch seems to also be another drink with lots of variations.

Here's one of many recipes to be found on the internet.
From: http://www.answers.com/topic/hot-christmas-punch
Quote
Hot Christmas Punch

Recipe origin: Guatemala

Ingredients

    * 8 cups apple juice
    * 8 cups cranberry juice
    * 5 cinnamon sticks, broken
    * 5 oranges, sliced ¼-inch thick

Procedure

   1. Place all ingredients into a large, stainless kettle and bring to a boil.
   2. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour.
   3. Strain and serve hot.

Serves 8.


« Last Edit: December 02, 2007, 09:06:36 pm by atz75 »
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: Thoughts on Hot Seasonal Beverages!
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2007, 08:36:17 pm »
Those all sound good! I was kind of thrown by the oatmeal in the posset, but who knows -- I'd try it. I'd be tempted to try making the wassail sometime. The Christmas punch seems to be missing one key ingredient: alcohol. But when did that ever stop me from adding some?

 ;D

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Thoughts on Hot Seasonal Beverages!
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2007, 09:05:27 pm »
Those all sound good! I was kind of thrown by the oatmeal in the posset, but who knows -- I'd try it. I'd be tempted to try making the wassail sometime. The Christmas punch seems to be missing one key ingredient: alcohol. But when did that ever stop me from adding some?

 ;D

Yeah, I think the oatmeal is somewhat questionable too.  It definitely sounds hearty and it also seems to make sense that it dates all the way back to the Middle Ages.  I don't get the sense that it's hugely common, but the little description I posted above is from what seems to be a very-current website about London bars and pubs.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to throw some unusual options into the poll... and to try to include options from various countries and cultures.

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Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Thoughts on Hot Seasonal Beverages!
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2007, 09:21:18 pm »
I only picked three:

Hot mulled cider--my favorite!

I'm not big on marshmallows, so I picked hot chocolate without 'em.

I also checked off specialty coffee, though I have to admit that what I had in mind was just Starbuck's Christmas Blend.
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Offline dot-matrix

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Re: Thoughts on Hot Seasonal Beverages!
« Reply #6 on: December 03, 2007, 12:53:54 am »
I picked hot chocolate with whipped cream, mulled apple cider, and Glögg (love, love it on cold nights when we're walking outside looking at lights and decorations.) but it is potent stuff a little goes a long way.  I also picked "other" because I like just plain columbian coffee with a shot of Baileys Irish Creme or Frangelico topped with a healthy dollop of extra heavy cream from Trader Joe's.
 
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Offline ifyoucantfixit

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Re: Thoughts on Hot Seasonal Beverages!
« Reply #7 on: December 03, 2007, 01:51:58 am »


            I chose, hot chocolate with no, marshmallows


            Coffee, with Baileys irish Creme,  or Baileys and Kahlua   with whipped creme.
           



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Offline serious crayons

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Re: Thoughts on Hot Seasonal Beverages!
« Reply #8 on: December 03, 2007, 01:59:55 am »
Oh! I forgot Bailey's! The problem with Bailey's is that I don't even want to dilute it with coffee. I could suck that stuff down like chocolate milk. It's dangerous!


Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Thoughts on Hot Seasonal Beverages!
« Reply #9 on: December 03, 2007, 02:28:35 am »


So, aside from Glögg I also picked hot chocolate with marshmallows (I love marshmallows), mulled hot apple cider and hot white chocolate.  I know a lot of folks don't like white chocolate, but I really do.  I love the richness of white chocolate.

There are definitely some on the list that I really want to try.

And, yes, Baileys is definitely a great treat!

Does anyone know of any great peppermint flavored drinks?  I'm realizing that that's one "holiday flavor" not yet really represented on this list.

the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie