Hot stuff for cold nights (Hot Drinks)

Member Name: GentleGenius

Product:	Hot Drinks
Date:	21/03/09 (317 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Deliciously warming, tasty, easy to make

Disadvantages: Might not be that great in hot weather

Though for the most part I am a cold drinks person, especially from the aspect of thirst quenching above enjoyment, there are a few hot drinks which I have over the years come to enjoy.

There is nothing more comforting than, on a cold winter's night when the wind, snow, hail, rain, sleet - or whatever happens to be tumbling from the sky - is raging away outside, snuggling on the sofa with my hands cupped around a mug of a steaming, tasty hot drink. Even if a hot drink doesn't have much nutritonal value, I believe that the psychological benefits can be tremendous, going a fair way towards creating a drop in stress levels and a delicious sense of well-being.

As you have probably gathered by now, I love to experiment with food and drink when the mood takes me, and I have managed to collect a little catalogue in my mind of hot drink experiments that have turned out well and that I regularly enjoy. I'd like to share five of these recipes with DooYoo readers, and hope that if you try any of them, you come to love them as much as I do......so, here goes, and each recipe is intended to fill one standard sized coffee mug.

1. CREAMY BOOZY COFFEE

INGREDIENTS:

Strong, hot black filter coffee (2/3rds of a mugful)
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon runny honey
Half a Cadbury's Chocolate Flake, crumbled
1 very generous swirl of canned squirty cream

Place the honey and brandy in the mug. Mix thoroughly, then rapidly stir the hot black coffee into the honey & brandy mixture. Using a can of squirty cream, spray a huge swirl onto the surface of the coffee mixture, then sprinkle the top of the cream generously with the crumbled Cadbury's flake. For maximum enjoyment, drink as hot as you can stand it. This is rather a sweet drink, and will appeal to those with a sweet tooth.

2. CINNAMON CITRUS BURST

INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon lime cordial
1 teaspoon good quality orange squash
1 teaspoon grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
A good pinch of ground cinnamon
Fresh mint sprigs
Boiling water

Mix the lime cordial, orange squash, grapefruit juice, lemon juice and brown sugar together in the mug. Top up with boiling water and sprinkle the surface with the cinnamon. Float a couple of mint springs on the top of the liquid, and drink as hot as possible for full flavour.

3. TANGY SAVOURY BEEF & TOMATO WARMER

INGREDIENTS:

Boiling water
1 teaspoon Bovril
Half a teaspoon lemon juice
2 little drops of Worcester Sauce
1 teaspoon of tomato ketchup or tomato puree

Mix the Bovril, lemon juice, Worcester Sauce and tomato puree/ketchup (whichever is used) until it forms a smooth paste. Gradually, stirring continuously, add boiling water until the mug is full. Drink as hot as possible.

4. STRAWBERRY MINT CRUSH WITH HOT RED WINE

INGREDIENTS:

5 medium-sized, very ripe fresh strawberries
1 teaspoon mint jelly
Half a coffee mug of red wine
1 rounded teaspoon icing sugar
A sprig of mint to decorate

Cut the strawberries into pieces and place in a mug with the mint jelly. Using a hand blender, whizz until it forms a smooth paste. If you don't have a hand blender, then you can sieve the strawberries to make a puree, then mix with the mint jelly in the mug. Heat the wine in a saucepan until almost, but not quite boiling. Place the icing sugar in a bowl, and add just a TINY drop (less than half a teaspoonful) of the wine, and mix quickly to a smooth paste. Mix that paste into the strawberry/mint jelly, then top up with the remainder of the hot wine. Decorate with the mint sprig, then drink! Delicious!!!!

5. CINNAMON & VANILLA BANANA MILK

1 bottle or carton of banana-flavoured milk shake
1 tiny drop of vanilla essence
1 tiny pinch of ground cinnamon

Measure out about three-quarters of a mugful of banana milk shake into a small saucepan and stir in the vanilla essence. Heat very gently until almost boiling. Pour into a coffee mug and sprinkle the top with the ground cinnamon. For some reason, this drink goes particularly well with a slice of hot buttered toast.

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Well....those are my favourite hot drinks. If you find that you don't like any of the ingredients contained therein, you can either substitute another ingredient that captures your imagination and is suitable for the overall flavour, or omit altogether.

To make more than one mugful of each drink, just multiply the recipe quantities accordingly by however many more mugs you are using.

Maybe I should have posted this at the beginning of or during the winter, but we still could have some not so warm weather between now and any summer we may be lucky enough to get.

Happy hot drinking, and thanks for taking the time to read this.

Summary: Great if you feel cold, or need a bit of soul-nurturing