Christopher OHara - Hot toddies: Mulled wine, buttered rum, spiced cider, and other soul-warming winter drinks

Text copyright 2002 by Christopher B. OHara
Photographs copyright 2002 by William A. Nash

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publisher.

Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, New York, New York.
Member of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.
www.randomhouse.com

CLARKSON N. POTTER is a trademark, and POTTER and colophon are registered trademarks of
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
OHara, Christopher B.
Hot toddies/Christopher OHara1st ed.
Includes index.
1. Beverages. 2. Christmas cookery. I. Title.
TX815.0353 2002
641.87dc21 2001057792

eISBN: 978-0-7704-3393-2

v3.1

Unless youre Bukowski or Hemingway, most writers who have a penchant for quaffing cocktails dont get paid to write about it. Thanks to Chris Pavone, who conceptualized this book.

While Chris acquired the book, the person behind the editorial details is Adina Steiman. Adina wields a red pencil like a neurosurgeons scalpel; she did a great deal to turn a collection of drink recipes into a small, beautiful book that I am very proud of.

My thanks to Jane Treuhaft for doing such a wonderful job designing the book, and to Marysarah Quinn, Trisha Howell, Alison Forner, and the rest of the team at Clarkson Potter as well.

Its the most wonderful time of the year.

E DDIE P OLA AND G EORGE W YLE

Between dinner parties, family get-togethers, and errand-running, wintertime can be a cause for exhaustion rather than celebration. The frenetic pace and expense of modern life can negate feelings of goodwill towards men faster than a revolving mall door on December twenty-third. While this book doesnt presume to restore the cold months to their bygone glory, it does contain a distinctive treasurea wealth of steamy, spicy, luscious holiday drinks that can give the innumerable dinners and parties of the season a festive flavor thats more Tiny Tim than Ebeneezer Scrooge.

Taking the time to make an old-fashioned punch, or making eggnog from scratch rather than purchasing it at the supermarket, can bring warmth and fun to a casual get-together or make a holiday party truly special. Great parties are remembered for a long time, and the secret to making them memorable is offering something wonderful to your guests; showing your friends that you care enough to go the extra yard makes your guests feel special. Best of all, most of these drinks are dead easy to make (a lot easier than roasting a turkey).

I hope you will use this guide to both classic and new holiday drinks to bring back a bit of the old-fashioned, homemade feeling of hospitality, and as an invitation to have lots of fun at your next wintertime party.

Allspice Allspice is the household name for the berry of the West Indian myrtle tree. Also known as pimento (not to be confused with pimiento, the popular pepper found inside your martinis olive), allspice is an essential ingredient in the Tom & Jerry, wassail bowl, and Grandmothers punch, to name a few. Used sparingly, allspice imparts a subtle but unique flavor similar to a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Some of the recipes call for easily available ground allspice, but most call for the whole dried berry. You can find whole allspice in gourmet shops, specialty stores, and online at dozens of sites.

Brown Sugar Brown sugar is simply regular white sugar combined with molasses, which gives it a soft texture and richer taste. Dark brown sugar has more molasses than the light brown kind. Brown sugar is a key ingredient in many traditional holiday punches, including mulled wine and the wassail bowl. Its also the perfect sweetener for tea-based punches, and you cant make chocolate eggnog without it. Brown sugar blends perfectly with liquor, mildly sweetening with a taste reminiscent of a freshly baked cakethe ideal flavor association for a holiday drink. To soften not-quite-fresh brown sugar, place a chunk of it on a small dish along with an apple wedge or a slice of soft white bread, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave for 30 seconds. Discard the apple or bread and stir the sugar.

Cardamom Unless you mix your own curry blends, make Arabic coffee, or bake a lot of bread, you will seldom have the opportunity to grab cardamom off the lazy Susan. And thats a shame, because cardamom is actually a wonderfully versatile spice, adding a unique, pungently sweet flavor to coffee (sprinkle a bit in the grinds before brewing), coffee cake, and apple pie. A member of the ginger family, cardamom is usually sold as small, cranberry-sized pods that contain about 20 seeds, which are more pungent than the pod itself. White cardamom pods are the type most often found in supermarkets, but the green (not the black) pods stocked in Indian groceries may be substituted if you have trouble finding the white pods. For maximum flavor, purchase cardamom whole rather than preground, as the essential oils in ground cardamom dissipate quickly, resulting in less flavor. To make your own freshly ground cardamom, pry open the pods and remove the seeds. Then crush the seeds using a rolling pin or a mortar and pestle. For a milder flavor, add whole seeds to warm punches such as glgg.