Beverages to Toast the Holiday Season
Winter winds, crunchy snow, sledding, skiing, or whatever your
cold weather activities are - nothing warms you and gives your
body a lift like an aromatic hot beverage - sipped by an open
fire, sitting in a cozy chair near the fireplace, or by a window
watching the snow fall - *** Holiday Coffee: 2/3 cup cocoa, 2
tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. salt, 2 14-oz. cans sweetened
condensed milk, 8 cups water, 3 cups strong coffee, cinnamon
sticks, ground nutmeg Combine cocoa, cinnamon and salt in a
large pot. Add sweetened condensed milk, stirring until smooth.
Place pan over medium heat; gradually stir in water and coffee.
Heat thoroughly but do not boil or the milk will curdle. Garnish
each serving with a cinnamon stick and sprinkle with nutmeg.
Refrigerate leftovers if there are any. Add 1 cup brandy and 1/2
cup light rum along with water and coffee if desired. A touch of
warmth - a bit of spice! *** Hot Buttered Rum: 1 cup butter,
softened, 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 2 cups sifted
powdered sugar, 1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 pint vanilla ice
cream, softened, 1-3/4 to 2 cups light rum, 7-1/2 cups boiling
water, whipped cream, ground nutmeg, cinnamon sticks Combine
butter, sugar, and cinnamon; beat until light and fluffy. Add
ice cream, stirring until well blended. Spoon mixture into a
freezer container; and freeze until firm. To serve, thaw mixture
slightly. Combine butter mixture, rum, and boiling water; stir
well. Top each serving with whipped cream and sprinkle with
nutmeg. Serve with cinnamon stick stirrers, if desired. An
old-fashioned trip to flavor! *** Wassail: Peel of 1 lemon, 3
slices peeled fresh gingerroot, 1 stick cinnamon, 6 cups dry red
wine or cranberry juice, 6 cups apple cider, 1/2 cup sugar, 2
oranges, unpeeled, cut into 6 wedges each, 36 whole cloves Place
lemon peel, gingerroot, cinnamon and allspice on a small piece
of cheesecloth or in a paper coffee filter. Bundle up the
corners and tie top with kitchen string, leaving excess string
to hang out of pot for easy retrieval. Set sachet aside. In a
large pot, combine wine, apple cider, and sugar. Add sachet.
Bring to boil over high heat stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Cover. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 mins. Remove
sachet. Keep wassail warm over low heat. While wassail simmers,
stick 3 whole cloves into peel side of each orange wedge. Place
one wedge in each serving cup and ladle hot wassail over top.
Serve hot. A Charles Dickens memory! *** Hot Chocolate Supreme:
1 cup sugar, 1/2 cu unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa, 1/4 tsp.
salt, 5 cups water, 2 cups milk, 1 cup heavy cream In a pan,
combine sugar, cocoa, and salt. Whisk in water. Bring to a boil
over high heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.
Reduce heat to medium. Add milk and cream. Heat through. Keep
warm over low heat. Serve chocolate topped marshmallows or
whipped cream sprinkled with crushed peppermint candies To your
delight - a toast! ******************************** Warm up to
these wonderful Holiday beverages and toast your family,
friends, and guests - ENJOY!