I went to bed on a blood-red sunset and woke to a world glittering with frost. And it wasn’t long before my thoughts started turning from ice-cold martinis to boozy drinks served hot.
One of my absolute favorite winter drinks is the après-ski classic verte chaud – also known as hot chocolate with a shot of emerald Green Chartreuse. This 300-year-old monastic liqueur is flavored with over 130 different botanicals, making it fabulously complex, with reviving notes of anise, mint, ginger, aromatic woods, pepper, tobacco, and lemon zest. It brings real lift to hot chocolate or dishes with earthy cocoa and creamy notes – at London’s Noble Rot restaurant they currently drizzle it over a scoop of housemade ice cream.
There’s been a well-publicized shortage of Green Chartreuse lately, which makes adding it to something simple as a mug of hot chocolate feel especially decadent. Make sure your hot chocolate’s up to scratch by going for a brand with a really high cocoa content – Knoops’s range of single-origin hot chocolate flakes includes varieties from Colombia, Peru, and the Philippines that range from 62 percent to an uncompromising 100 percent.
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Rum, brandy or whisky in hot chocolate is a no brainer – but have you tried agave spirits? A golden reposado tequila such as Mijenta, or a softly-smoky mezcal such as Pensador Espadin, can also harmonize with cocoa really beautifully. For the full effect, whip up a spicy Mexican-style hot chocolate infused with warming cinnamon and chilli (see recipe).
The Irish Coffee was invented in the 1940s as a pick-me-up for transatlantic travelers arriving at Foynes (and, latterly, Shannon) airport in Co Limerick, Ireland – it became so fashionable even Marilyn Monroe was snapped enjoying one in transit. By the 1950s, this sweetened blend of coffee, Irish whiskey, and cream was one of America’s favorite cocktails, with the Buena Vista bar in San Francisco (still an Irish Coffee hotspot) getting through 36 bottles of Irish whiskey a day.
There’s really only one cardinal sin with Irish coffee and that’s serving it in a mug that’s cold – always warm the vessel for a few minutes with hot water first. When it comes to the whisky it should be Irish, of course; a classic blend like Bushmills Black Bush will do just fine. You can sweeten with white sugar, by all means, but a Demerara sugar syrup will provide a deeper, richer flavor. A lot of Irish bartenders I know maintain an Irish coffee should only ever be made with Irish cream because it’s famously silky and thick.
The Irish-born chef Clare Smyth has made the Irish coffee one of the signature drinks at her three Michelin-starred London restaurant Core. Guests can ‘build’ a post-prandial Irish coffee from a choice of three whiskies, a selection of essences including black cardamom, orange, and, vanilla, with toppings including long pepper and dark chocolate. As you’d hope from a place of this calibre, it’s one of the best – and most luxurious – Irish coffees I’ve ever had.
Mulled wine can be a bit of a lottery – and by this point in January I think most of us have drunk our fill. But if you have any port or sherry left over from the holidays, then you could whip up a negus, which is a toddy-like drink that was particularly popular in Victorian times, especially round Twelfth Night (and which, I think, is actually rather nicer than mulled wine). This brew of fortified wine, hot water, sugar, and lemon peel is easy-going and relatively light. So, you can sink one or two and still be in with a chance of descending that black run in style.
Agave hot chocolate
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Ingredients:
– 25ml reposado tequila or softly-smoky mezcal
– 250ml spiced hot chocolate*
*250ml whole milk
– 1 cinnamon stick
– 1 tbsp dark cocoa powder
– Few drops of vanilla extract
– 1/8 tsp chilli powder
– 1 tbsp brown sugar
Heat the milk gently with the cinnamon sticks (don’t boil) for four to five minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks, add the other ingredients, and whisk until smooth and frothy.
Glass: Mug or toddy glass (warmed with hot water first)
Garnish: Grated chocolate (optional)
Method:
Combine the hot chocolate and the tequila/mezcal in the mug and stir.
Negus
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Ingredients:
– 75ml port or sherry
– 25ml lemon juice
– ½ tsp finely grated lemon peel
– 5ml sugar syrup* or honey
– 50ml boiling water
*dissolve two cups white sugar in one cup of water over a low heat.
Glass: Mug or toddy glass
Garnish: Graded nutmeg
Method:
Mix the first four ingredients well in the mug/glass, add hot water, and stir.
Irish coffee
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Ingredients:
– 100ml freshly brewed coffee
– 15ml Demerara sugar syrup*
– 30ml blended Irish whiskey
– Double cream
*Dissolve two cups Demerara sugar in one cup water over a low heat and bottle.
Glass: Warmed mug or toddy glass / sturdy stemmed glass
Garnish: Optional grating of fresh nutmeg
Method:
Combine the hot coffee, sugar syrup, and whisky in the mug and mix briefly. Gently pour a finger-width layer of cream on top.
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