What could be tastier after a walk on a frosty winter day than a cup of aromatic warming punch or mulled wine. These drinks improve your well-being, raise your mood and are very easy to prepare.
Mulled wine
It is a drink with red wine as its main ingredient. Mulled wine is always served hot in a special heat-resistant glass. The ideal choice for a drink would be dry and semi-dry wines of small strength. There are recipe options where rum and cognac are found in the ingredients. And don't forget the spices!
Traditional mulled wine in German
Ingredients:
- 750 ml red wine
- 400 ml water
- 100 g sugar
- 100 ml brandy
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5-6 cloves
- 1 lemon
Preparation:
Pour wine and water into a saucepan, bring to a boil over low heat. Add spices, cover and leave for 10-15 minutes. Strain and stir in cognac. Pre-heat special glasses for mulled wine, pour the drink into them. Place a slice of lemon in each glass and serve immediately.
Apple mulled wine
Ingredients:
- 500 ml white wine
- 200 ml apple juice
- 2 sweet apples
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Preparation:
Wash the apples and cut them into small pieces - you don't need to peel the peel. Place apple slices and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan. Add juice and wine and heat over moderate heat, do not bring to a boil. Pour into mulled wine glasses, serve with cinnamon sticks.
Punch
Punch in Hindi means "five", because that is how many ingredients are included in the classic recipe for the drink. The main ingredient is usually tea, but you can also make punch in water.
Lemon punch
Ingredients:
- 500 ml of water
- 6 liqueur glasses of rum, brandy or whiskey
- 2 half teaspoons of sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
- lemon or orange slices
Preparation:
In a saucepan, stir in water, alcohol, granulated sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Put on low heat and bring to a boil, immediately remove from heat, not allowing the mixture to boil. Pour the punch into warmed, heat-resistant glass and serve with a slice of citrus.
Eggnog
One of the most popular Christmas drinks in Europe and the United States. It is a mixture of eggs, milk and sugar, served hot. There are both alcoholic and non-alcoholic eggnog recipes.
Traditional eggnog with cinnamon
Ingredients:
- 1 liter of milk with a fat content of 3.5%
- 4 egg yolks
- 100 g sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- a pinch of ground cinnamon
- a pinch of nutmeg
Preparation:
Mix egg yolks with granulated sugar. Pour milk into a saucepan, add cinnamon, put on fire and bring almost to a boil. Wait for bubbles and in a very thin stream, gently add it to the yolk-sugar mixture. Stir the mixture constantly.
Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat until the drink thickens. Do not forget to stir periodically, add ground spices. Egg nog will take about 10 minutes to cook. Pour into glasses, garnish with a cap of whipped cream, sprinkle with grated chocolate or crushed cookies. Serve hot.
Hot chocolate
A drink that is loved all over the world. Use only high-quality chocolate bars with a high cocoa content - at least 60% for its preparation.
Hot chocolate with spices
Ingredients:
- 250 g dark chocolate
- 150 ml cream, 28% fat
- 100 ml milk
- 1 vanilla pod
- pinch of cinnamon
Preparation:
Break the chocolate into slices, place in a saucepan and melt in a water bath. Make sure that no water gets into the chocolate, otherwise it will acquire a grayish tint. To melt chocolate faster and without unnecessary hassle, you can use the microwave oven - the average time for the chocolate to melt is a couple of minutes on high power.
Stir the cream into the chocolate to make a homogeneous mass, add cinnamon. Heat the milk separately, add the seeds from the vanilla pod, leave for a few minutes, and then strain through a sieve. Now combine the vanilla milk and the creamy chocolate. Pour into ceramic cups immediately.
