10 winter warming cocktails

In order for people not only to warm up in winter, but also to have fun, hot alcoholic beverages were invented a long time ago. Actually, there is not much alcohol in all of them and the degree is small, but these drinks warm up much better than ordinary tea or coffee. 

In order not to grab a drink that you won't like, it's better to figure everything out in advance. For example, what is the difference between mulled wine and punch and both of them from glegg? What drinks were invented by the cunning French, and what will please fans of a higher degree.

This is the most famous and popular of hot alcoholic beverages, which is prepared in winter almost everywhere with small national differences. Mulled wine is a red wine boiled with sugar and spices; very often fruits are added there. It appeared in the Middle Ages in Europe, was originally made on the basis of Bordeaux and claret. Now dry and semi-dry red wines are used for cooking.

Mulled wine is prepared in winter in almost all European countries, sold from stalls at Christmas markets, and in many cities such stalls are open from December to February – you can drink a glass, stopping for a minute on the street. However, there are slight differences in different countries. For example, in Germany, a little rum and agave syrup are added to wine, in England - gin, honey and rosehip syrup. There is even white mulled wine – for those who do not like red wine.

There are many original drinks in France that are produced only in this country, and calvados is one of them. It is obtained by distilling apple cider, and with the onset of the cold season in Normandy, they begin to prepare a hot cocktail based on calvados. It is not for nothing that it is produced here! The classic local recipe assumes the presence of calvados, apple juice and ginger. The mixture should be quite hot, but not scalding, and is usually served in transparent glasses. This is a fragrant, warming and very healthy drink.

The water-diluted rum with spices was invented by Edward Vernon, nicknamed Old Grog, vice admiral of the British Navy, back in the XVIII century. He ordered, in order to save money, to distribute rum diluted with hot or cold water to the sailors, and the crew suddenly liked it. The drink took root, over time spices were added there, and now it is one of the most popular hot cocktails. 

Grog is a quick and easy-to-prepare winter drink, since there are few spices needed here (usually cinnamon, ginger and cloves, and even then if desired), only strong alcohol and lemon juice are needed. Sometimes milk, honey or coffee infusion is added and the resulting drink is served in porcelain cups. The traditional rum-based grog is served either in glasses for "Irish coffee" or in heated glasses with cup holders.

In the north of Europe, mainly in Germany, Poland and Sweden, they came up with a drink with hot beer. Its taste is quite peculiar, although it does not cancel the warming properties. Beer is a specific thing, it needs to be approached very carefully to heat it, and therefore the recipe for "hot beer" also includes eggs, sugar and lemon, plus a little nutmeg. Light wheat beer is used for cooking. 

Sometimes there is also a "dark" option – then brandy and coffee liqueur are added to the beer. For completeness and an interesting combination of flavors, whipped cream is also added on top. You should definitely try this cocktail if you find it on the menu! Mulled wine is sold on every corner, and such exotics are prepared only for true gourmets.

A fun collective drink that is so nice to cook for a big company. Now this name is collective: if in England, which got the idea of punch in colonial India, it is still a drink with rum, then, for example, in Germany, punch is usually called a mixture of fruit juices with spices and the addition of wine or liqueur. Everyone agrees on one thing: fruit must be present in the punch. Usually these are apples, lemons, oranges, pears. The French, who are inclined to originality, add melon, strawberries and bourbon vanilla to their version of punch.

It's time to warm up for those who prefer whiskey. The Old Tom cocktail is very much loved by conservative Englishmen: apparently, the name and composition resemble the patriarchal atmosphere of closed clubs, the soft light of table lamps and the invariable cigar smoking in an ashtray. 

The composition includes whiskey, water (it must be hot), honey and a little lemon juice. It also happens that first a stick of cinnamon and cloves are boiled in boiling water, and then whiskey, sugar, lemon and honey are added. A couple of lemon slices are necessarily put in the glass itself. You won't find this cocktail at street vendors, but in most cafes it is served quite often in winter.

Invented more than a hundred years ago in Ireland, Irish coffee consists of hot black coffee, Irish whiskey, brown sugar and whipped cream. According to the main version, its author is the bartender of the Irish international airport "Shannon" Joseph Sheridan, who figured out how to add whiskey to coffee to frozen Americans and called this mixture Irish coffee. The highlight of this cocktail is not only the contrast of coffee and whiskey, but also the combination of a hot drink and cold whipped cream.

The sweetest drink is, of course, hot chocolate. And if you add rum to it, as they do in winter in many European countries, then it turns into an incredibly warming one. Sometimes not thick hot chocolate is used for cooking, but cocoa, but this does not interfere with the taste qualities at all.

To prepare a drink, you need dark Cuban or Jamaican rum, from the Dominican Republic is also suitable. Sometimes vanilla, grated coconut or even chili pepper are added for taste. It happens that rum is replaced by liqueur or vodka (then the drink, like many mixtures with vodka, is called "Russian" – do not forget us in Europe). Besides the fact that this drink is warming, it is also very nutritious and will allow you to hold out until the next meal.

This Scandinavian version of mulled wine is definitely worth trying in Sweden, Denmark or Norway. It resembles the German version, but tastes much sweeter, due to the addition of raisins to the wine. The recipe also necessarily contains apples, lemon, cloves, cinnamon and almonds. In Denmark, ginger is added to this, and Sweden generally pours vodka there and pours cardamom. The resulting result warms for a long time. 

To make the taste sensations even better, it is recommended to snack on glegg gingerbread, oranges and tangerines. In cafes and restaurants it is served in glasses and glasses, on the street it is poured into simple plastic cups and cooked in vats. And according to tradition, glegg must be sniffed first, inhaling deeply the aroma, and then drink.

Vin chaud is a specific French version of mulled wine, which is served on special occasions. It is preferred by gourmets when it comes to winter cocktails. It is served in glasses, lemon oil, Provencal rosemary and almonds are added to the composition of the warmed wine. 

Traditional components of mulled wine – all these citrus fruits, apples, cinnamon, cloves, ginger – are not welcome: it is believed that they will spoil the noble taste of the drink. But in simpler families and restaurants, they do not disdain to add all this. In the south of France, you can't do without an orange at all. There are so many of them there for nothing – there is no good to be lost. And with an orange, the wine becomes even more fragrant.