Something to warm you up? Try one of these!

Spicy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients for Spicy Hot Chocolate: Serves 4; prep time: 5 minutes total cooking time: 10 minutes

• 4 cups organic skim milk
• 1/4 cup Valrhona cocoa
• 4 77% Dark cocoa discs
• 1 teasponn cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 shot of aged tequila
• cocoa nibs and whipped cream for garnish

Heat the milk in a medium suacepan at medium high heat.  Heat until milk is scalded or almost boiling, about 2 minutes.  Mix in the cocoa powder, spices and chocolate discs and let it sit for 1 minute.  Using a whisk or hand blender, whisk the mixture until frothy.  Serve hot and top with whipped cream and sprinkle generously with cocoa nibs.  Garnish with hot chiles if desired.

Hot Spiced Drunken Apple Cider

Serves 8-10

• 1/2gallon apple cider (I have used unfiltered)
• 3/4bottle of gewurztraminer (or other white wine which is not too dry, or you can use even semi sweet one like Muscat)
• 4-5sticks of cinnamon
• 4-5cloves
• 1/4teaspoon nut meg
• 1 vanilla bean split lengthwise
• 3-4tablespoons honey (depends on how sweet the wine you're using)
• cup or so of fresh cranberrries (of cubes of apple if not in cranberry season)

1. 
   
2. 
   
3. Put the cider and all spices in a pot and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. When on low heat add the wine. Do not boil again so the alcohol won't evaporate too much, just let it warm.
6. Add the cranberries and simmer for a few more minutes until they color the liquid a bit
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13. .

Champagne Cocktails for New Years Eve

New Years Eve Champagne Cocktails

FRENCH 75
3/4 oz. Grand Marnier
3/4 oz. Fresh Sour Mix
1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
3 oz. Champagne
Mix together in a 10 oz. (chilled) Martini glass (no ice). 
Garnish with orange zest.


MELON FIZZ
1 oz. melon liqueur
4 oz. chilled Brut Champagne
In a champagne glass, pour melon
liqueur. Add the champagne, stir gently.
Garnish with twist of lemon or kiwi fruit.


SPARKLING MOJITO
3 Lime Squeezes (then discard)
1 oz. Simple Syrup
5-6 Mint Leaves
3 1/2 oz. Champagne
Mix lime juice, simple syrup and mint
leaves in ice. Add to a 14 oz. glass
and pour Champagne. Garnish with
a mint sprig & lime zest.

Cheerful
Single Serving:
1 oz. cherry brandy
1/2 oz. triple sec
1 oz. fresh pineapple juice
4 oz Brut Champagne

Add cherry brandy, triple sec, and pineapple juice to shaker with a handful of ice, shake and strain into a chilled flute glass, then fill with champagne. Garnish with fresh cherry if available. 

The Morning After Drinks Redesigned

Green Bloody Mary

Servings:1 glass

Ingredients

Green Mary base

EQUAL PARTS

yellow tomatoes, chopped

tomatillos, husks removed

cucumber, peeled and chopped

green apple, peeled and chopped

Cocktail

1 1/2 ounces vodka

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

3-4 dashes green jalapeno Tabasco

1/2 teaspoon white horseradish

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1 splash olive juice

Directions: 

1. Blend the tomatoes, tomatillos, cucumber and apple until smooth.
2. In a cocktail shaker, combine the puree with the rest of ingredients 1 cup of ice. Shake and strain into a 12 oz glass.
3. Finish with a pinch of salt and float a few grounds of black pepper on top.
4. Garnish with celery heart, cucumber slices, lime, and green olives.

Level of Difficulty: 

Moderate

Prep Time: 

10 minutes

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Bloody Mary Al Fresco

The Bloody Mary al Fresca

About 3 or 4 ounces Vodka

1 small tomato or half of a large tomato

6 basil leaves

Splash of white vinegar

Splash of lemon juice

4 dashes Worcestershire sauce

8 dashes Tabasco

salt and pepper

New Bay seasoning 

Rim a Collins glass with New Bay seasoning. Muddle tomato and basil leaves in bottom of glass. Add vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire and Tabasco. Fill with ice and vodka. Garnish with a sprinkle of salt and pepper on top.

Wassail!

Traditional Wassail

You’ll be ready to go a-wassailing with this hot toddy recipe that blends apple cider, orange juice and fall spices into a delicious warm beverage.

Yield: 8 servings of ⅔ cup each
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Difficulty Rating: Easy

Nutritional Highlights: Apples contain cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber.

Recipe Created By: Charlyn Fargo
Ingredients  

• 1 gallon apple cider
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup lemon juice
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 orange, sliced
• ½ cup brandy, optional

You can use bourbon, sherry even Maderia to try something different 

Instructions

1. Mix juices, sugar and seasonings together. Add the brandy at this point to make the alcoholic wassail.
2. Slowly bring to a boil in a large saucepan or pot. Boil for 1 minute.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Serve hot with sliced oranges floating in the punch bowl.

Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats!!

Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats

What’s different about these? Oh, just a bit more (cough double) butter which you toast until it’s brown and nutty and help along with some coarse salt, just minor things. But it changes everything.

Makes 16 2-inch squares or 32 1- x 2-inch small bars

4 ounces (1/4 pound or 1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)

Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.

As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.

Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. I liked to use a piece of waxed or parchment paper that I’ve sprayed with oil to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners, though a silicon spatula works almost as well.

Let cool, cut into squares and get ready to make new friends.

How to make Glühwein

How to make Glühwein

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Renée Nesbitt in Food & Drink

When researching Glühwein, I found an overwhelming number of different mulled wine recipes, each one claiming to be the best. Doubtful of the authenticity of all these recipes, I asked for advice from my German friend Sarah and, after a few quick phone calls to her family, she got back to me with the simplest recipe instructions I have ever received – ‘cinnamon, cloves, lemon, a little bit of sugar, red wine and… never ever bring to the boil!’

All I added to the mix was star anise, a couple of cardamom pods and I finished it off with a slice of orange rind. This recipe was an absolute pleasure to make and even lovelier to drink – I now understand why ‘glow wine’ has remained such a treasured tradition for centuries. 

Ingredients for four glasses:1 bottle of red wine (750ml)

1 lemon
2 sticks of cinnamon
3 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 star anise
3 tbsp of brown sugar (You can substitute the brown sugar with honey for a slightly different flavour)
4 thin slices of orange rind (optional)

Method:
1. Slowly heat the red wine in a large saucepan or pot (don’t bring to the boil at any point as this will cause the alcohol to evaporate).
2. Slice the lemon and add it to the wine along with the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise and sugar.
3. Stir slowly until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes (again, don’t allow it to boil).
4. Remove the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise and lemon slices.
5. Pour into individual glasses (a ladle works well) and finish off by adding a thin slice of orange rind to each glass. Serve hot.

Melka CJ Cabernet 2009....

Still looking for a great bottle of wine for Christmas? 

Give this Cabernet as a gift or treat yourself! Will not disappoint!!

From the Critics:

• "The 2009 CJ is a big, rich wine bursting with dark fruit, smoke, tobacco and licorice. It flows across the palate in a rich, generous style that is immensely appealing. This is huge and delicious. In other words, a quintessential Philippe Melka wine at an approachable price. The 2009 is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot from vineyards in Soda Canyon, Pritchard Hill and Yountville. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017." - 91+ Pts Antonio Galloni - The Wine Advocate
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