"hot drinks" news and stories

Many hot drinks, unlike most cold ones, hail from a long line of magical medicinal elixirs. This is true whether you prefer to be healed with or without alcohol.

Cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa and clove -- perennial holiday spices -- pop up in dozens of warming cocktails not just because they are wonderfully aromatic, but because they relieve upset stomachs. Coffees, teas and chocolates are noted for their antioxidants as much as their terrific flavor versatility; you can easily make them extra sweet, spicy or boozy. And whiskey and rum, the usual go-to ingredients in warm cocktails, have long been known to soothe the soul.

The ten hot drinks listed after the jump represent both specific libations and general cocktail categories. Serve in mugs or snifters -- they warm the hands too.

Winter has made a comeback in the Northeast today. We're supposed to get 8 to 10 inches in my area, so I'm in one of those "hot chocolate, read a book, watch some DVDs on the couch" sort of moods, so I thought I'd post a hot chocolate recipe.

But this isn't just for one cup of hot chocolate, it's a mix you can store so you don't have to keep making one cup at a time. I've been meaning to try the recipe that Tyler Florence made on one of his holiday shows on Food Network a while back but I haven't. This one comes from Epicurious.com and it has a hint of vanilla (or maybe it's more than a hint, who knows). It makes 24 servings.

It's really chilly here in the Northeast. I love the cold weather, it's just that the first big chill of the season can be shocking, especially since we had such an oddly warm October. This is the first time I had to turn on the heat this fall.

So how about some hot chocolate? Having a nice hot mug of hot chocolate on a cold evening is one of the great things in life. Here's a recipe for Easy Mexican Hot Chocolate (which includes cinnamon and chili powder) and here's one for Avenue' S Hot Chocolate (though I've never had Valrhona chocolate). Here's one that uses coffee from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, and Jamie Oliver has one he calls The Best Hot Chocolate. I wanted to try this recipe for Hot Cocoa and Homemade Marshmallows from Tyler Florence last year but didn't. I'll correct that this holiday season (though I have to admit I'll probably go with packaged marshmallows or Fluff instead of making my own).

Hot Drinks for Cold Nights: Great Hot Chocolates, Tasty Teas & Cozy Coffee Drinks is all about finding the perfect drink to keep you warm when the weather is somewhat less than temperate. The book covers recipes that are both classic and unusual, alcholic and non-alcoholic, and a selection of treats to serve with the drinks as after-dinner noshes. Orange-Scented hot Chocolate and Green Tea Cappuccinos are just two of the many options in this volume. Just about every recipe can be prepared in quantities to serve to guests or just by one cup at a time to indulge yourself.

Although this book is titled specifically mentions night as being the best time for hot drinks, there is nothing with having a few of the (non alcoholic, preferably) drinks to get your day started in the morning, either. Tea is at least as good with breakfast as coffee, and hot chocolate is good any time.

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So today is not only Valentine's Day, it's also a great day for hot chocolate (for much of the country, anyway...you stay classy San Diego). So let's combine the two and see what we get.

And that would be Hot Chocolate Cones! They're cocoa, mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, and a red gum drop placed inside cone-shaped cellophane wrappers. Makes a cool gift:

3/4 cup cocoa mix
two 6" x 12" cone-shaped cellophane bags
2 clear rubberbands
scissors
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup mini marshmallows
1 large red gumdrop