column cocKtails
warm wInter drInKs Tomas Vikario
From elegant cocktails to creamy hot chocolate, there’s something for everyone this winter. We’ve goNe gradually this year from summer to autumn and there’s been no sudden rush from hot to cold. But eventually, the tall glasses of cold drinks will give way to large mugs of coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate, and I suggest - the hot toddy or any other winter warmer drink following below.
HOT TODDY Also known as a ‘hot totty’, it warms you from the inside, delivering a smooth clean taste with a touch of honey at the end. Warm and toasty and just in time for winter, the Hot Toddy is a classic hot drink. Feel free to experiment with your favourite types of tea or skip it all together and use hot water alone. Be free to combine great Monin syrup flavours in your toddy as well.
MULLED WINE & SPIKED HOT CIDER Hot, boozy cosiness in a cup, mulled wines and spiked ciders make us feel warm inside. My favourites start with New Zealand’s locally sourced ciders and amazing New Zealand red wines, plus a pinch of the wintery spice. In the 1800s, a special mulled wine is popular in Europe known as ‘gluhwein’, which began to incorporate the special Glogg ingredients - raisins and almonds.
GLOGG Glogg is made with red wine, and each small glass has a few almonds and raisins (sometimes dried figs and apricots) in it as well as the spirit. Glogg also tends to have more sugar as well as heavier alcohol content.
HOT WINTER PUNCH Punch can be made virtually with any spirit. Hot water, fresh citric fruits, honey and spirits make this delicious winter concoction. Punches are an ideal way to serve a large number of guests without making individual drinks.
HOT SAKE AND TAMAGOZAKE Sake purists may freak out, but I think a cup of hot sake is just the ticket on a cold night. Tamagozake is a drink consisting of heated sake, sugar and a raw egg. Outside of Japan, Tamagozake is sometimes referred to as sake-nog, due to its resemblance to eggnog.
EGGNOG A drink developed that mixed warm milk and eggs with sugar, sherry or brandy to keep the chill. This was served in a noggin - a small, wooden mug. This became nicknamed as eggnog and became hugely popular, especially at Christmas time. Flavour your eggnog with the great range of Monin syrups like cinnamon, almond, amaretto, maple spice.
HOT MILK POSSET – CZAR’S MILK – MILK PUNCH In Europe, alcohol was a traditional sleep aid for all ages back then and today as well. It contains hot milk, honey and sometimes a dash of rum or brandy.
GROWN UP HOT CHOCOLATE & BOOZY COFFEE Adult hot chocolate is everything we want when we come in from the cold. Skipping chocolate? Try the Irish coffee variations. Many hot drinks use illy dark roasted coffee as their base, laced with whisky, rum, brandy or liqueurs or a combination of several of these. Whichever you choose remember the best hot drinks are made with high quality ingredients: hot, freshly brewed coffee or tea, quality hot chocolate like Ghirardelli, freshly whipped cream, quality fruit syrups from Monin and fresh spices. Most important of all, remember that hot drinks can be a tantalizing experience for your guests. Let the mug warm your hands. Savour the aroma before you take that first sip. By the time you’re done, you’ll have warmed not only your body, but your guests’. So impress your guests and mix up a new cocktail - or mocktail - at your next winter gathering. Cheers. Tomas Vikario is the beverage innovation manager at Stuart Alexander Ltd; importers of Monin, Perrier, Illy and Tabasco. For more information email: TVikario@stalex.co.nz
12 www.drinksbiz.co.nz june / july 2012