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In winter frosts, when the wind is howling outside and it is snowing, it is very pleasant to sit by the window, wrapped in a warm blanket and looking at the ice patterns on the glass. The perfect finishing touch in this picture is a glass with a hot alcoholic cocktail in hand.
What cocktails are considered hot
Such alcoholic cocktails during the preparation process are heated to 80-85ºС, when served, they are cooled to 60-70ºС. The drink is hot, but not scalding.
Receptors are able to perceive all the nuances of taste. This temperature allows additional ingredients to “open up” as much as possible – spices, citrus fruits, herbs, honey.
Important! Any alcoholic drink for a hot cocktail should never be boiled. It just “kills” it, the alcohol evaporates quickly, the taste and aroma disappear.
Is strong alcohol suitable for such cocktails?
The first association among the vast majority of people who have heard or read the phrase “hot alcoholic cocktail” is, of course, mulled wine, which is traditionally prepared with red wine.
But many recipes involve the use of strong alcohol – rum, whiskey, brandy, cognac.
By the way, during the heating process, part of the alcohol inevitably evaporates, so even those who cannot stand strong alcohol can enjoy such a drink.
What you need to make a hot cocktail at home
In addition to the ingredients provided for in the recipe, for the preparation of hot cocktails you will need:
- Pot for heating a drink. Best of all – enameled (without chips) or glass. Metal utensils can “react” with the ingredients, significantly changing the taste of the cocktail.
- Matching glasses. The minimum volume is 60 milliliters. Ceramic cups are ideal for such drinks, helping to retain heat and aroma for as long as possible without burning your hands. But you can serve a cocktail in thick-walled glass goblets.
Important! It is better to drink a cooled cocktail as it is, and not to warm it up again. Otherwise, the taste will change dramatically for the worse.
Top five recipes
Any rating in this case is subjective, because everyone has different tastes. I present to you my favorite hot cocktails.
Mulled wine
You can’t do without the “classics of the genre”. The only “indisputable” ingredient in mulled wine is a bottle of good dry wine. I prefer traditional red. It just needs to be heated with spices to 80ºС. What do I put in the pot:
- a cinnamon stick;
- cloves (12-15 pieces);
- pink pepper (about the same);
- zest of one orange and one lemon;
- anise (2-3 “stars”);
- grated nutmeg on the tip of a knife;
- small piece of peeled ginger root
Important! To give mulled wine strength and a more refined taste, 3 parts of wine are mixed with one part of cognac, rum, whiskey or Calvados. As for sugar or honey, I do not like this sweetness, but no one forbids you to put them in your glass either.
Hot Toddy
For Hot Toddy, brew loose leaf tea. Use your favorite – black or herbal. I usually add aromatic herbs to the teapot (but no more than two at a time):
- thyme;
- leaves of lemon balm or black currant;
- rosehip or juniper berries;
- ginger root.
Then the tea must be filtered through an ordinary sieve and mixed with rum, whiskey or brandy in the proportion of 3 parts of the non-alcoholic component to 1 part of the alcoholic one. Sweetness will provide honey or sugar to taste.
Egg-legs
A good alternative to dessert. The recipe is a little more difficult than the banal “heat and mix”, but the result is definitely worth the effort:
- Pour 3 cups of milk and 22 cups of cream (XNUMX% fat or more) into a saucepan. Add vanilla pod, cinnamon (stick), grated nutmeg (teaspoon).
- Bring to a boil, boil for a couple of minutes, remove from heat.
- Beat 5 egg yolks with 120 g of sugar, turning them into a homogeneous “smooth” white mass. Pour carefully into the saucepan with milk. Its contents should immediately thicken to the consistency of kefir.
- Beat the remaining 5 proteins into a soft foam, pour into the same pan, stir well with a spoon.
- Pour in 100 ml of brandy and 80 ml of rum.
Important! Since alcohol is added last, it’s easy to make eggnog for kids and adults at the same time.
Creamy rum
His recipe also exists in a variety of versions. I prefer one of the simpler ones:
- Melt half a pack of butter (90-100 gr).
- Add 250 g of ice cream, half a glass of brown sugar, ground cinnamon and nutmeg (half a teaspoon each). Beat until smooth, send to the freezer.
- Heat apple juice (1 liter) to a temperature of 70-80 degrees, add rum (200 ml).
- Immediately before serving, add a spoonful of “ice cream” from butter and ice cream, beat it in a glass.
Important! This cocktail is a successful combination of ease of preparation, taste and “non-banality”.
Grog
I prefer to prepare it with strong coffee, although black tea is also suitable. 500 ml of liquid will require the same amount of rum, 100 ml of cognac, half as much sugar syrup. All you just need to mix and pour into cups.
Conclusion
Hot alcoholic cocktails are an effective tool that allows you to warm up even on the coldest days. It is not difficult to prepare such drinks, no exotic ingredients and skills of a professional bartender are required. There are many recipes and their variations, everyone is guaranteed to find a cocktail to their liking.
Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health. Take care of yourself!
Do you have favorite hot alcoholic cocktails, proven or your own unique recipes for their preparation? Or is any alcohol simply unthinkable for you without ice cubes in a glass?