Winter drinks. 8 delicacies to enjoy with friends
Winter drinks: 8 international delicacies to sip with friends
January and February are definitely the coldest months of winter. It often rains or snows outside and temperatures drop to the lowest. When you go indoors, therefore, you gladly warm yourself up with a warm drink, preferably an alcoholic one, that will help get rid of the cold feeling and cheer up your spirit. We have selected 8 winter drinks that are true classics, easy to prepare at home for friends or your partner.
8 Winter drinks
VIN BRÛLÉ
A classic of Northern Italy, also called glühwein in Germany and Austria. The recipe is very old and seems to date back to the Middle Ages. At that time, in fact, when the wine turned sour, it was simmered with herbs and spices and drunk hot, to avoid it being thrown away.
INGREDIENTS: 1.5 litres of fruity red wine, such as Merlot or Cabernet; 3 cinnamon sticks; 250 g of sugar; 10 cloves; 2 untreated organic oranges; one untreated organic lemon; 1 apple.
PREPARATION: Wash the fruit, leaving the peel on the lemon and orange, and cut it into wedges. Pour the wine and all the other ingredients into a saucepan, bringing everything almost to the boil. The wine does not have to boil, but it is sufficient that it exceeds the evaporation temperature of the alcohol (83°). If desired, add red fruits or spices such as star anise, cardamom and nutmeg.
Also try the white version, for which you start with 1 litre of Chardonnay, Müller-Thurgau or Sauvignon. To this base, add 2 tablespoons of honey, 2 cm of peeled and sliced fresh ginger, 4-5 lightly crushed cardamom berries and the zest of an untreated lemon. Bring everything to a simmer, stirring so that the honey dissolves.
MULLED WINE
Popular in Anglo-Saxon countries, it is a spiced wine very reminiscent of mulled wine. The recipe we propose is by Jamie Oliver, and is designed for several guests.
INGREDIENTS: 2 clementines, 1 lemon, 1 untreated lime; 200 g of sugar; 6 cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 vanilla pod; 3 bay leaves; 1 whole grated nutmeg; 2 pieces of star anise; 2 bottles of Italian red wine like Chianti.
PREPARATION: Cut curls from the peel of the citrus fruits with a potato peeler. Squeeze the clementines. In a saucepan, heat the sugar with the juice from the clementines and the citrus peel. Add cinnamon, bay leaves, nutmeg, cloves and the vanilla cut in half.
Pour in enough wine to cover the sugar. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved, then boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring. The consistency should be similar to that of a syrup. Lower the flame and add the star anise and the rest of the wine. Simmer over a low flame for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. The mulled wine is now ready to serve.
NEGUS
Similar to mulled wine but ‘watered down’, this is a drink much loved by 18th century writers, in fact it is mentioned in the novels of Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Charles Dickens, John Galsworthy and W. M. Thackeray.
INGREDIENTS: 1 litre port; 1 tablespoon sugar; the juice of 2 lemons; the grated rind of one lemon; 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder; 3 cloves; nutmeg to taste; 1 litre boiling water.
PREPARATION: Heat the wine without letting it boil. Add all the other ingredients except the water and leave to stand in a warm place for 15 minutes. Pour off the boiling water and serve. A little more grated lemon zest can be added if desired.
MULLED CIDER
In the same family as mulled wine, it is practically a mulled cider. Here is Jamie Oliver’s recipe.
INGREDIENTS: 2 litres of traditional apple cider; 6 cloves; 3-4 pieces of star anise; 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 vanilla pod opened lengthways; the juice of 1 orange and 2 clementines; the juice and seeds of 1 pomegranate; 4-5 tablespoons sugar.
PREPARATION: pour the cider into a high-sided pan and heat over low heat for a few minutes. Add the spices and juices and turn up the heat. Once it reaches boiling point, lower it to a simmer for 5-8 minutes. Taste and adjust the sugar (it should not be too sweet). Serve hot. Those who wish can ‘correct’ it with whisky or bourbon.
WHITE GLOGG
It is a Swedish drink that is served to guests as soon as they enter the house, still chilled from the cold temperatures outside.
INGREDIENTS: 750 ml apple cider; 1/2 apple; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 pieces of star anise; 2 thick slices of ginger; 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds; 4 cloves; 1/4 teaspoon mace; 1 bay leaf; 3 allspice berries; 10 black peppercorns.
PREPARATION: Place all the ingredients in a thick-bottomed saucepan and cook over very low heat for about an hour. Strain and serve garnished with an apple slice and some star anise.
EGGNOG
A traditional Christmas drink in Anglo-Saxon countries, its origin dates back to the 17th century. Legend has it that a pub owner to a beer of the time, known as nog, mixed sugar, cinnamon, egg yolks and lemon peel, and served it at Christmas, achieving great success. Today, the recipe comes in many variations. Here is the one we have chosen.
INGREDIENTS: 4 egg yolks; 60 g sugar; a small glass of whisky; 1 dl fresh cream.
PREPARATION: Place the yolks in a round-bottomed saucepan. Add the sugar and whisk until light creamy. Pour in the whisky and cook in a bain-marie over a low heat, always continuing to whisk, until you obtain a swollen, fluffy cream. Whip the cream and add it to the eggnog. Pour the cream into glasses, garnishing with a dusting of bitter cocoa.
ZABAIONE
One of the great classics of our cuisine, it has ancient but uncertain origins. Legend has it that the inventor was a Spanish friar, Pasquale de Baylon, later sanctified and considered the patron saint of pastry chefs. The friar had settled in Turin in the 1500s and here he advised women who complained about their husbands in the confessional to prepare a corroborating cream. This cream was later called ‘sanbayon’ in the Turin dialect, after Saint Baylon.
INGREDIENTS: 4 egg yolks; 4 tablespoons of sugar (about 60 g); 8 tablespoons of dry Marsala (or other fortified wine such as Port, Madeira, Sherry, Malvasia, Vernaccia or Vin Santo).
PREPARATION: Place the egg yolks in a round-bottomed, bastard-type saucepan. Add the sugar and whisk until you obtain a smooth, light cream. Dilute with Marsala. Cook in a bain-marie over very low heat (the water must never boil), continuing to whisk until the mixture is puffy and fluffy. Serve hot or lukewarm.
CARIBOU
Straight from Quebec, here is one of the most invigorating and alcoholic winter drinks. It is served during the Quebec Winter Carnival, where it comes in plastic cups with straws so you can sip it during the event.
INGREDIENTS: 75 ml Vodka; 75 ml Cognac; 355 ml Canadian Sherry; 355 ml Port; 1 tablespoon maple syrup.
PREPARATION: Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes.
Conclusion: Winter drinks: here are 8 international delicacies to sip with friends, warm and easy to prepare. Ideal for those very cold days.
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