Warming up with a hot, sweet winter drink
When I left the house one morning, heading to the hospital, a gust of icy cold wind crawled up the back of my coat, sending shivers through my back and bones. The dark morning greeted me with the first Canadian bitter cold morning of the year.
“I need a hot beverage,” I thought. Then, of course, I thought about alcohol! These thoughts inspired this column. Here are a couple of tasty hot, alcoholic beverages to warm your heart and your bones.
Alcohol and sweetness are comfort foods! I say “sweetness” instead of sugar so that you choose healthy substitutes. Substitutes for the sugar, that is, not the alcohol. All the beverages can be made with sugar substitutes or local Wren Lane Farm honey or local Staples maple syrup.
I don’t have any substitutes for alcohol. And I choose not to find one. In my opinion it is downright Canadian to enjoy a hot, alcoholic beverage in this weather and as we head into the holiday season.
I tasted my first hot toddy at the age of 12. It was weak, of course, but had enough alcohol to soothe my nerves after having been a passenger with my father driving in a scary dark night winter car ride over black ice. By the time we arrived home I was shaking. My mom put a little Canadian whisky, fresh lemon juice, honey and boiling water in a cup. It helped calm my nerves and sent me to dreamland. (No wonder I like alcohol.)
I’m not really a fan of whiskey, so I use rum. As an adult I now can enjoy Wren Lane Farm Spiced Rum Toddy. To a large heavy-duty cup add an ounce of Captain Morgan’s Dark Rum (CSPC 2196), $26.25, 2 tablespoons of local Wren Lane Farm honey, juice from a lemon (to taste), the rind off 1/2 of the lemon, and nutmeg to taste. Stand a cinnamon stick in the cup. Pour the boiling water over the ingredients and stir. Adjust honey to suit your sweetness level. Sip slowly and enjoy. Don’t drive.
Have you tried the drink called “Let’s get the Hell Out of the Kawarthas and Head to the Tropics?” This drink is made of hot chocolate with Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum (CSPC 454892), $26.95, and it is absolutely delicious! It will soothe your mind, belly, and spirit when you cannot get to the tropics. You can make healthy hot chocolate with cocoa powder and a sugar substitute.
In small saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 cup of Kawartha Dairy milk and 1 cup of Kawartha Dairy half-and-half until milk is almost to the boiling point. When milk starts to coat the bottom of the pan, you’ll know it is done. Remove from heat and add 3 ounces of good quality organic dark chocolate (finely chopped) and 2 ounces of coconut rum. Stir until the chocolate melts. Top with a generous dollop of Kawartha whipped cream.
How about “Hot Kawartha Buttered Rum?” In a food processor or blender beat together 4 ounces of Kawartha Dairy unsalted butter, half a cup of brown sugar (or sugar substitute), 1 teaspoon orange zest, half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, half a teaspoon of ground ginger, and half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg. Blend on medium for 1 minute.
Combine 2 tablespoons of this Kawartha Dairy spiced butter with 2 ounces of Bacardi Black Rum (CSPC 112433), $26.45, in 4 heatproof glasses. Pour about 3/4 cup boiling water over each mixture, and stir. Top each glass with a squeeze of fresh orange juice.
I also love the beverage I call “Christmas in the Kawarthas.” It’s made of hot chocolate with Bacardi Black Rum, toasted coconut and no sugar added chocolate drizzle. Shari Darling’s books and other publications are available at understandpublishing.com