"winter 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.

I know it's a couple of days after St. Patrick's Day and spring is coming up and we're all supposed to be thinking about flowers and running through meadows and wearing shorts, but I hate spring and summer and I'm not quite ready to release winter from my cold hands yet. So, here's a hot chocolate recipe with a little kick.

It's the Bachelor Buzz, and besides hot chocolate it contains raspberry syrup, hazelnut syrup, and espresso. I'm not quite sure what makes this bachelor-ish, but pretend you're drinking it in some swingin' pad.

It's going to be March in a few days, a month I truly hate. March means warm weather is on its way (ugh) and March Madness basketball (again, ugh), so it's one of my least favorite times of year. But it's still winter, and it's cold out there in many parts of the country, so there's still time to down some tasty winter drinks.

Forbes.com has a list of the best winter cocktails, including this one called a Bourbon Furnace, which is a hot cider concoction, with cloves, cinnamon, and, well, bourbon. Full recipe after the jump.

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.

The high today where I am topped off at 22 degrees. That was in the daytime, with the sun shining, so you can imagine how cold it's going to get tonight (I'm not complaining, I actually love this weather). So since it's so cold and since it's winter, how about warming yourself up with a nice Gin Toddy?

We've had a lot of winter toddy drinks here at Slashfood, but there's something about hot gin and cinnamon that intrigues me. I'm not a big drinker of hot alcoholic drinks, but I'm going to make this tonight and curl up on the couch with a good book.