A winter ritual Mr. Domestique and I have been doing for the last few years is taking an after-dark stroll around our neighborhood to look at holiday lights. We live in Colorado, so this stroll is usually pretty chilly. To combat the chill and add an extra special thing to look forward to, I usually make a warm drink like hot chocolate or apple cider for us to fill our thermal cups with.
When talking about this year’s walk, Mr. Domestique asked a simple question that I had a hard time answering: what’s your favorite, hot chocolate or apple cider? I honestly don’t think I could say that one is my preferred drink over the other, I suppose it depends on my mood. Last year I actually made 2 different hot chocolates: dark, dark hot chocolate for Mr. Domestique (which, unfortunately, I did not write a recipe down for - insert face palm emoji), and a peppermint hot cocoa for me.
So that got me thinking, I wonder if there’s a favorite-across-the-board hot drink (that’s not tea of some sort). I will put this to you, dear readers! Take the poll below, and I will report back with the findings.
In the meantime, here is a roundup of some delicious looking warm drinks to try!
Oaxacan hot chocolate which adds a small amount of almond butter for creaminess
Herbal hot toddy (with or without alcohol)
Peppermint hot cocoa (I have made this one, and it is delicious)
A mulled apple juice (cider) recipe
This post lives on my blog, but I thought I’d share the recipe for you here for easy making. It’s one of my favorites and is very forgiving and customizable, meaning you can use whatever you have on hand. Use more cloves if you like them, omit the cardamom pods (although I would suggest to add at least some ground cardamom just because I love it!). Add some star anise. I bet you could even add some pepper or peppercorns to spice it up. Let me know how you decide to make it!
8 cups organic apple juice (the ingredients list on the bottle should just read: apples.)
8-10 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and halved
dash ground or 1 whole nutmeg
dash ground cinnamon
4-5 cloves
Optional: 1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
Optional: sliced fresh lemon or orange
Combine all ingredients. You can either put the spices into a cheesecloth bag or just throw them in on their own. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove the spices and ladle the juice into mugs. Drink while still warm.
How to make oat milk might come in handy if you want to use that instead of cow’s milk in any of the recipes above.
Things that have been inspiring me lately
This idea for a neighbor punchcard is so sweet! I really appreciate the idea of getting to know your neighbors in creative ways like this.
A quilt that makes me smile - it’s eggs!
How to not cut your fingers off while cutting winter squash is certainly helpful this time of year.