5 Warm Drinks to Conquer Cold Weather

Conquer winter’s coldest temperatures with help from a few drinks that are sure to keep you feeling warm and toasty.

Check out these recipes and try to warm up with an Irish coffee, hot apple cider, hot lemonade, hot toddy or hot chocolate.

Irish Coffee

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hot brewed coffee
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 ½ ounces Irish whiskey
• Heavy cream, slightly whipped

Directions: Pour hot coffee into a mug until it is about three-fourths full. Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Blend in Irish whiskey. Top with whipped heavy cream by pouring gently over the back of a spoon. Serve hot.

For an Irish coffee that really packs a punch, try adding 1 ½ ounces of Irish cream liqueur to the 1 ½ ounces of Irish whiskey. This Irish coffee variation found on allrecipes.com suggests topping the drink with whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg.

Hot Apple Cider

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 6 cups apple cider
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 6 whole allspice berries
• 1 orange peel, cut into strips
• 1 lemon peel, cut into strips

Directions: Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a saucepan. Put cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth. Fold the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the items and tie it with kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture. The allrecipes.com listing suggests placing the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cider is very hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat. Discard spice bundle. Ladle into mugs and add a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving, if desired.

Prefer a little rum with your cider? Try Emeril Lagasse’s recipe for hot apple cider with rum, found on foodnetwork.com.

Hot Apple Cider with Rum

Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 apple
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 1 orange, thinly sliced
• 2 quarts apple cider
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• Pinch grated nutmeg
• 1 cup dark rum
• Cinnamon sticks

Directions: Stud the apple with the cloves. In a medium pot, combine the studded apple and remaining ingredients, except the rum. Slowly bring to a simmer over low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the rum. Discard the apple. Ladle into mugs and garnish each with a cinnamon stick. Serve immediately.

Hot Lemonade

Makes 3 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 cups boiling water
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3 tablespoons rum, if desired

Directions: In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in honey, lemon juice and rum.

Next, check out a hot toddy recipe featured by Food Network’s Alton Brown.

Hot Toddy

Makes about 13 4-ounce servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
• ½ cup demerara sugar
• 1 quart water
• 2 ½ cups Scotch whisky
• Freshly grated nutmeg

Directions: Combine lemon, sugar and water in a small slow cooker set to high. Cover and heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves completely, 20 to 30 minutes. Add the Scotch whisky and stir. Reduce heat to low and serve warm with lemon slices and freshly grated nutmeg.

Allrecipe.com’s Chocomint Toddy

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce coffee flavored liqueur
• 1 ounce peppermint schnapps
• 6 ounces boiling water
• 1 envelope instant hot chocolate mix
• Whipped cream and shaved semisweet chocolate for garnish

Directions: In a large mug, mix coffee flavored liqueur and peppermint schnapps. Pour in boiling water and stir in hot chocolate mix. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Hot Chocolate

Whether it’s made with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, milk or water, hot chocolate can be a delicious way to keep warm on a winter day.

Take a look at four hot chocolate variations found on bettycrocker.com.

Caramel Hot Chocolate

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups light chocolate soymilk
• 2 tablespoons fat-free caramel topping
• Frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed, if desired
• Chopped pecans, if desired

Directions: In 1-quart saucepan, stir soymilk and caramel topping. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until hot. Pour into two mugs. Garnish with whipped topping and pecans. Betty Crocker suggests substituting vanilla soymilk for the chocolate.

Cinnamon Hot Chocolate

Makes 5 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups light chocolate soymilk
• 2 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed, if desired

Directions: In 2-quart saucepan, heat soymilk, chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for four minutes, stirring frequently to blend flavors. Garnish each serving with whipped topping. Betty Crocker suggests using vanilla soymilk for a milder chocolate flavor.

Alpine Mint Hot Chocolate

Makes 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened baking cocoa
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 6 cups milk
• 3 cups white vanilla baking chips
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
• Candy cane or crushed hard peppermint candy, if desired

Directions: In a chilled small bowl, mix whipping cream, powdered sugar, cocoa and ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract with mixer on high speed. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. In a 2-quart saucepan, heat milk just to simmering over medium-low heat. Reduce heat to low. Add baking chips. Stir constantly with wire whisk until melted and smooth. Stir in ½ teaspoon peppermint extract. Pour hot chocolate into mugs. Top each serving with whipped cream. Garnish with candy cane for stirring, or sprinkle with crushed candies. Betty Crocker expert tip: Melt white vanilla baking chips carefully. They burn easily, so be sure to cook over low heat and stir constantly. Use 1/3 cup peppermint schnapps for the ½ teaspoon peppermint extract in the hot chocolate to make it alcoholic.