Hot Toddies & Mulled Wines to Make You Content

Now that winter has set in and we are at the start of the festive season I thought some recipes for hot toddies might be useful. Firstly then, yer actual hot toddy …

Cough & Cold Medicine for Adults aka Hot Toddies

Per person …

1 tablespoon of runny honey
1 measure of whisky (bourbon works well if you are out of the normal stuff!)
2 cloves (I always leave these out!) or a star anise
1 cinnamon stick
200ml just boiled hot water or hot brewed tea of your choice 
2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
1 slice of lemon

~   Stir together the honey, whisky and cloves or star anise in a heatproof glass or mug.
~   Pour in the hot water or tea, add the lemon juice and slice and stir with the cinnamon stick.

Cranberry Orange Hot Toddies

As above but replace the hot water/tea with hot cranberry juice and use orange juice instead of lemon.

Mulled Wines

Mulled Wine Syrup

Making mulled wine syrup in advance is a brilliant idea; much better than the traditional way of heating a whole bottle of wine with the flavourings. It is quicker and easier at the time of serving and, crucially, a lot less wasteful of alcohol!

This makes 75ml which, as luck would have it is sufficient to mull one bottle of wine and 2 tbsp of syrup is enough to mull 1 standard glass of wine.

1 orange
1 lemon
250g light brown sugar
60ml red wine
1 cinnamons stick
1 vanilla pod
2 slices of fresh ginger
a generous grating of nutmeg

~   Remove the zest from both fruits in long strips – make sure not to get any of the white pith involved.
~   Squeeze the juice from the orange (set the bald lemon aside to do something else with sometime) and put in a small (non reactive is best) pan with the zests, the sugar and the red wine.
~   Stir together over medium heat till the sugar has melted.
~   Add the spices, turn up the heat and cook at a gentle boil for about 5 minutes to form a light syrup.
~   Cool to room temperature before removing the spices then strain the syrup pressing on the debris to get out all the delicious juices.
~   Pour into a clean bottle and keep in a cool place till needed.

How to use mulled wine syrup …

Warm the syrup gently over low heat, add the red wine and heat through.  Don’t allow to boil or some of the alcohol will evaporate off.  Speaking of alcohol a little brandy could advantageously be added to the glass when serving.

Mulled White Wine

Makes a change!  Make a syrup as above but using white wine and caster sugar instead of brown sugar.

Wassail – Mulled Cider

Wassail comes from the Old Norse phrase “ves heill” meaning meant “good health”.  In addition to being a general festive greeting, accompanied by a bevvy, it was also a way of honouring apple trees by going to the orchard and toasting them with mulled cider. As a result, the trees would obviously feel all proud and happy and yield a bumper crop in the coming year.

1½ ltr dry cider (and for my American readers I mean the alcoholic type) divided into two halves
125g soft light brown sugar
12 cloves 
2 cinnamon sticks
about 2cm fresh root ginger- sliced
1 orange – sliced
1 apple – sliced
a little rum, brandy or, best of all, Calvados – optional

~   Pour half the cider into a large pot and add the rest of the ingredients except the rum.
~   Simmer together gently for about half an hour.
~   Add the rest of the cider, taste and add a little more sugar if necessary, if you do then simmer a few mins to dissolve it.
~   Ladle into glasses to which you may, or may not, have added a tot of spirit.

Moose Milk

Not the ice cream based drink, obviously, as that probably wouldn’t work hot! This is a surprisingly delicious and very easy hot moose milk!

Irish (or other Nationality) Coffee

As illustrated on the cover of my stunningly good (IMHO – but its worth a look!)  Christmas cookbook.

Per person …

30ml of your preferred delicious spirit or liqueur
1 teaspoon sugar
a cupful of hot strong black coffee
60ml/2 fl oz double cream

~   Warm a generous wine glass in warm water (this is to stop it cracking with the heat of the coffee) and put a teaspoon in it – so is this!
~   Put the sugar and half the coffee in the glass and stir to dissolve the sugar.
~   Stir in the alcohol and then add enough coffee to come to about 1cm/½” below the top of the glass.
~   Stir then slowly pour the cream over the back of a teaspoon onto the surface of the coffee where it should float.

If you are a black coffee drinker, then this might be more to your taste …

Ponce Livornese

This is from Tuscany; Livorno in Tuscany to be precise.

2 teaspoons of sugar
30ml rum or brandy
a twist of lemon peel
30ml espresso or strong black coffee

~   Put the sugar, spirit and lemon peel in a heat proof glass and muddle them together with a teaspoon to merge the flavours.
~   Add the coffee and stir to dissolve the sugar.
~   Serve immediately.

I was not quite sure about the lemon in this, but it works quite well!

Useful Tip when Making Hot Toddies!

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