London Fog

Ingredients

Hot

1 cup water
1 bag Earl Grey tea
1/2 oz 2:1 simple syrup
1/4 tsp Penzeys Vanilla Extract (either single-strength or Mexican)

Iced

1 cup water
1 bag Irish Breakfast tea
1/2 oz 2:1 simple syrup
1 oz Vanilla Nupod Creamer

Directions

Hot

Brew tea. Add the simple syrup to the tea. Add the vanilla to the milk separately, warm, froth, and add to the tea.

Iced

Brew tea. Add the simple syrup to the tea. Pour over ice. Top with creamer.

Notes

My son loves the iced version, and I love the hot one. So easy to make!

Turmeric Tea

Credit: Lisa Bryan, Downshiftology

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
few grinds black pepper
1 tsp honey

Directions

Add water, lemon juice, turmeric, and black pepper to a pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and add honey.

Notes

So, after indulging in all the things on New Year’s Eve, I woke up feeling nauseated. I made this and immediately felt better! Next time I’d try adding the lemon at the end, so it doesn’t simmer so long. Also it’s important to strain this. So comforting and a beautiful color.

Turkish Coffee

Credit: Merve

Ingredients

1 tbsp Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi Turkish Coffee
1/4 cup water
1 cardamom pod

Directions

Mix coffee and water in a Turkish coffee pot (cezve). Break open the cardamom pod and add the seeds to the pot. Heat on high heat until boiling and foamy. Pour half the coffee mixture into a cup. Bring the remaining half of the coffee mixture to a boil again, then pour that into the cup as well.

Notes

A Turkish coworker taught me how to make this over a video call, and then we enjoyed our coffee together! It’s the only coffee I can drink with no cream or sugar. It’s especially fun to sip it in a double-walled espresso glass.

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Averna Toddy

Credit: Elena Lepkowski, Serious Eats

Ingredients

1 oz Amaro Averna
1/2 oz brown sugar syrup
1/2 oz lemon juice
4 oz boiling water
lemon peel garnish

Directions

Combine everything in a mug and garnish with lemon peel.

Notes

Note: I didn’t make the spiced syrup that Elena Lepkowski includes in her article, because I wanted to make this with ingredients I already had on hand. This was fantastic, and the bizarre thing—it tasted exactly like hot apple cider! Like, exactly. It was the funniest thing!

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Irish Coffee

Credit: Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Ingredients

2 tsp brown sugar syrup
1 1/2 oz Irish whiskey
3 oz coffee
1 1/2 oz heavy cream, lightly whipped (technique below)
Serve in a traditional Irish coffee glass

Directions

Fill glass with hot water until it heats up, then dump out the hot water. Heat up brown sugar syrup, whiskey, and coffee, then add to glass. For the whipped cream, pour heavy cream into a mason jar and shake for 15 seconds, then gently spoon it on top of the drink.

Notes

This is just perfect, and the easiest Irish coffee I’ve made. Apparently sweetening the cream is a faux pas, and it turns out you don’t need to! The whipped cream technique is from Mr. Morgenthaler’s The Bar Book.

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Hot Buttered Rum

Credit: How to Drink

Ingredients

2 oz brown butter-washed banana rum
4 oz hot water
1/4 oz cinnamon syrup
star anise and cinnamon stick garnish

Directions

Stir ingredients in a warmed glass mug. Garnish with star anise and a cinnamon stick.

Notes

This is unbelievable. It tastes like hot liquid banana bread. Sip slowly—it goes down easy!

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Hot Chocolate (European Style)

Credit: Alice Medrich, Fine Cooking

Ingredients

2 1/2 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup whole milk
pinch of salt
whipped cream

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate, salt, and boiling water. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. When it begins to simmer at the edges, whisk in the milk and continue to cook until steaming hot, ideally no more than 180°F. Just before serving, whisk to a froth. Serve in small cups with whipped cream.

Notes

Ok, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to the hot chocolate from Les Deux Magots in Paris. I’ve tried 1 oz chocolate to 1 cup milk and it wasn’t as rich. I’ve also tried adding cornstarch, which certainly thickened it but not in the right way. David Lebovitz’s recipe uses the same ratio of liquid to chocolate, but replaces the water with all milk. I might need to try that next time!

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Hot Toddy

Credit: Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon
1 oz ginger syrup
3/4 oz lemon juice
1 tsp allspice or pimento dram
3 oz boiling water
orange peel garnish

Directions

Heat a mug with hot water, then empty it. Add all ingredients in the mug, stir, and give it a final zap in the microwave if needed. Garnish with the orange peel.

Notes

Despite forgetting the garnish, this was great. Quite spiced—an upgrade from bourbon, honey, lemon, and water. I made this after trying 3 different cocktail recipes that I didn’t care for (Batida de Milho Verde, Arbitrary Nature of Time, and Leilani Volcano 2.0), getting tired, and just wanting to collapse on the couch with something warm. This was comforting and easy to drink. I’m curious to try this with spiced rum, or short-cut this with American Honey.

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Cereal Milk Café au Lait

Ingredients

2 oz cereal milk
6 oz coffee

Directions

Froth hot cereal milk in a mug, then add hot coffee.

Notes

When I started drinking this hot, it tasted like a nice mug of milk and coffee, but I couldn’t taste the cereal milk unless I spooned froth off the top. However, when it cooled down a bit, the Corn Flakes came though. It’s also a nice proportion of fat, as this cereal milk is 1 part cream, 4 parts milk. In the future, I’d save the cereal for drinking in mixed drinks with alcohol that enhances the flavor—such as American Honey, Mellow Corn, or maybe even Biscotti liqueur—as I think coffee mutes the flavor too much.

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Cafè Corretto

Credit: Brad Thomas Parsons, Amaro

Ingredients

1 espresso
1/2 oz Amaro CioCiaro

Directions

Add amaro to espresso and enjoy.

Notes

This was such a happy moment. We had dinner with friends, who fortunately have an espresso machine. I’ve never been a huge fan of espresso as it’s too bitter—I typically have coffee with soy milk. I only added 1/2 oz of amaro since I don’t like drinks too boozy—however Brad Thomas Parson’s Amaro recommends equal parts espresso and amaro.

I can’t think of a more perfect pairing! Looking forward to trying amaro in coffee.

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American Honey Coffee

Ingredients

1 oz Wild Turkey American Honey Liqueur
3 1/2 oz coffee
float whipped cream on top (see: Irish Coffee for how)
Serve in a traditional Irish coffee glass

Directions

Fill glass with hot water until it heats up, then dump out the hot water. Add liqueur and coffee to glass and gently stir. Float whipped cream on top.

Notes

I first tried the Kentucky Coffee recipe from Spruce Eats and found it way too bitter and boozy. When I made this with just the American Honey liqueur, it was marvelous. The orange notes from the liqueur come through beautifully, and it was sweet enough without any sugar syrup. (This liqueur would also make a super-easy hot toddy I imagine.)

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