You'll be hearing from the staff at FOOD52 every week in Too Many Cooks, our group column in which we pool our answers to questions about food, cooking, life, and more.
It snowed in New York this week, which sent us scrambling not just for our coats, scarves, hats, and mittens, but also for our saucepans. Why? To make warm drinks, of course.
This week we're sipping from our mugs by a roaring fire and answering the question: What's your favorite cold-weather drink? Be sure to check out Peter's nostalgia-licious hot chocolate memory!
Amanda: Well, I do like my second place hot toddy with dried cherries and lime but I'm also a fan of "brandy and milk" (aka my old lady drink) -- brandy, a pinch of sugar, a few shavings of nutmeg, and hot milk.
Merrill: I love a cup of warm milk with a drop or two of vanilla extract (or better yet infused with half a vanilla bean) and a whisper of sugar. No caffeine, so it's a great pre-bed treat!
Kristy: I like port with a little bit of chocolate on the side. But when I'm not that exciting (which is all the time), just give me tea or warm homemade cashew milk steeped with some vanilla bean.
Kenzi: Hot toddies have been winning a lot lately. I always kind of daydream about having a pot of mulled wine gently warming on my stove, but that hasn't been happening. Bourbon it is.
Marian: Ginger tea with lemon and honey. It's kitschy, but I love Bigelow's Ginger Snappish tea, which I now order in bulk from Amazon. Hot toddies make a regular appearance as well.
Kristen: Hot chocolate -- the not-too-sweet, highly drinkable kind (like this one), not the thick, sludgy, liquid chocolate bar kind. How are you supposed to drink a giant mug of that stuff and not feel crazy? And no, I won't settle for less than a giant mug.
Stephanie: Mine is hot chocolate made with lots of milk and good chocolate plus a little bit of cardamom.
Peter: Crappy instant hot cocoa...in a styrofoam cup...too hot to drink...consumed one plastic soup spoon at a time (to the ever-increasing frustration of my father)...while sitting by the fireplace...at the main ski lodge at Vermont's Mount Snow.
Jennifer: I have to confess, it's my husband's favorite cold-weather drink -- but I'm hooked -- the PERFECT Manhattan: Woodford Reserve Bourbon, 3 drops dry vermouth, 2 drops Angostura bitters, and a jigger of sweet vermouth, stirred (never shaken), and poured into a chilled martini glass garnished with LUXARDO -- The Original Maraschino Cherries from Italy.
Amanda Li: Irish Coffee with whiskey, not the Bailey's stuff.
Gheanna: Gløgg!
Karl: +1 on the Gløgg, a Scandinavian favorite!
Maddy: Glühwein. Ever since I had my first mug at a Christmas market in Germany a few years ago, it's become a winter tradition. It's one of those make-it-to-taste drinks, and I prefer mine strong, fortified with rum. Also, it reheats beautifully. I'll make a big batch, strain out the orange peel, cloves, and cinnamon, chill it, and then draw down from it as needed.
Michael: One part cognac, one part Grand Marnier.
Molly: A little bourbon on the rocks or Earl Grey tea with almond milk.
Ryan: A simple hot cider for me. Preferably nicely spiced. At all of the outdoor farmer's and holiday markets the large steaming pots on the camp stoves always catch my eye immediately. While delicious, the cup's primary purpose is usually a handwarmer.
Lindsay-Jean: Soy gingerbread latte with whipped cream. Yup, the kind that comes in a red cup.
Nozlee: A good chocolate milkshake, preferably consumed outside. Something about being cold and consuming something cold feels good!
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