One of the best secrets to staying warm outdoors in cooler weather, through winter and early spring, is to eat tasty hot food and enjoy steaming hot alcoholic drinks. You could go on a coffee frenzy and make delicious exotic coffees for your guests, of course, or stick to tea, still one of the nation’s best-loved hot drinks. But what if you’re in party mode? You need a choice of hot toddies and mulled treats to enjoy outdoors. Here are some recipes for gorgeously tasty, seriously warming hot alcoholic drinks.
Beef it up – Make boozy hot chocolate
This is one of the simplest hot alcoholic drinks recipes we’ve found – and it’s a beauty. Simply make a large mug of steaming hot chocolate the normal way then add a generous measure of tequila and a good sprinkle of chilli powder, and top it off with a whirl of whipped cream. If you like the heat, garnish it with even more chilli powder.
This one also works wonderfully well when you use rich, dark, pure cocoa powder and honey instead of a ready-blended hot chocolate mix that already includes powdered milk. Add a dash of full cream milk to make it uber-creamy.
Gin o’ clock, anyone? It’s time for a hot gin punch treat
Make a great big jug of this stuff and it’ll keep you and your guests incredibly toasty from the inside out. Take a bottle of gin. Glug as much of it as you like into a jug and add the exact same amount of sherry. Add lemon slices, pineapple chunks and honey – as much or as little as you like – plus a few cloves, some ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Throw in some brown sugar if it isn’t sweet enough for you, then bring it to a gentle rolling boil and simmer for twenty minutes. Garnish it with orange slices and you’re ready to rock ‘n’ roll.
Good old mulled wine, the outdoor party classic
Everyone has their own mulled wine recipe. The basic ingredients are red wine, sliced oranges, fresh fruit juice, cloves, cinnamon sticks, brandy and honey, in any combination that works for you. Combine the lot then bring it to a simmer before reducing the heat to low. It’ll be ready in ten minutes, after which you can either keep yours on the stove at a low temperature or let it cool and heat up glasses of it in the microwave.
The infamous hot toddy – The original hot cocktail
This super-simple hot cocktail is totally delicious, a fabulous party-warmer. While it won’t actually cure a cold like the old wives tale says it will, it’ll definitely help you sleep if you’re feeling all snotty and horrid. And that alone will help you feel better.
All you need is boiling water, sugar, lemon and either Irish whiskey or Scotch whisky. Plus a few cloves and some dark brown sugar, the darkest you can find. Fill some mugs with boiling water, stick the cloves and lemon peel in, add the sugar and stir it so it dissolves, then add lemon juice and whiskey. If you leave the ingredients out and do it DIY, people can create their drink to suit their own taste.
A hearty cider wassail
How do you like the sound of a spicy blend of cider, pomegranate juice, cognac and rum? Awesome! All you do is throw the ingredients into a large pan, set it on the stove and simmer it over a low heat for at last an hour to get all the rich flavours working together like magic.
Your ingredients? Mix cider, pomegranate juice, cognac and rum, fresh orange juice and fresh lemon juice, in any combination you like, to your taste. Add brown sugar to sweeten it, plus cinnamon sticks and whole cloves.
Need more ideas?
The interweb is stuffed with brilliant recipes for hot alcoholic drinks. Here are some cool links to whet your appetite.
- Serious Eats
- Mashed
- Brit & Co
- Town and Country magazine
- Yummly
No chiminea? No problem!
If you don’t have a chiminea yet and need one to huddle around with your hot alcoholic drinks, take a tour of our splendid
chiminea shop, stuffed full of gorgeous designs of every imaginable kind. Happy shopping!
