In these freezing Maine temps, what’s better than curling up with a blanket in front of a fire with a hot boozy beverage?
These are three of our favorite cozy drinks.
The Montenegro
Amaro Montenegro is an Italian amaro – an herbaceous blend of 40 botanicals including orange, eucalyptus, and vanilla. Make this super simple hot cocktail by placing 2 cups of Amaro Montenegro, 4 cloves, 1 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 12 prunes (stoneless), and the zest of one orange into a saucepan, cover, bring to just before a boil, and then remove and let infuse for at least 2 hours.
When you’re ready to hunker down, gently reheat the infused amaro on the stovetop on low. Scoop out some of the prunes and orange zest in a mug or stemless wine glass, pour over the amaro, and enjoy this coziness in a cup.
Classic Mulled Wine with Brandy
What is more wintery than an aromatic pot of spiced mulled wine (with some added liquor to kick it up a bit)? We love making crowd-pleasing mulled wine in big batches for cold weather gatherings.
And in the interest of simplicity, we like to throw the spices and wine into a slow cooker so we can free up the stovetop for other tasks. In goes the allspice berries, whole cloves, star anise pods, and cinnamon sticks – toast these for a few minutes until they’ve produced a wonderful, toasted smell – and then dispense with a 750 ml bottle of red wine, ½ cup of water, and ¼ cup of maple syrup or honey and cook on low for two hours.
When the mulled wine is ready, stir in some brandy or Cognac and squeeze a whole orange in for extra zestiness. If you’re feeling festive, garnish the mulled wine with a slice of fresh orange and a sprig of rosemary. Gorgeous and delicious!
Hot Toddy
The iconic libation of winter – the Hot Toddy – is our personal favorite drink to whip up on a frosty day.
Boil a bit of water, pour in a big mug, and add a healthy pour of whiskey, some honey, and some freshly squeezed lemon juice. Taste to make sure it’s right, and add more of any of the above ingredients until your toddy is perfect. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and a slice of the lemon to make it even cozier.
Are you vegan? No worries! Use real maple syrup instead of honey.
Fighting a cold? While we don’t recommend drinking alcohol when you’re sick, our Spiritless Kentucky 74 nonalcoholic bourbon tastes wonderful in this classic hot toddy recipe.