Hot Toddies: Mulled Wine, Buttered Rum, Spiced Cider, and Other Soul-Warming Winter Drinks

by Christopher O'Hara, William A. Nash

When the weather outside is frightful, what could be more delightful than a hot toddy? From the scent of nutmeg-laced hot buttered rum to the fizz of a poinsettia cocktail, there’s nothing like a classic winter drink to bring true festivity to the season. And it’s easy as pie—whipping up an eggnog from scratch is a whole lot simpler than cooking the perfect turkey, and your guests will appreciate the gesture as much as the taste. From spiced cider to champagne punch, Hot Toddies is the perfect little collection of winter refreshments, with fail-safe recipes that will make any holiday party shine.

These delicious seasonal drink ideas are as perfect for wintertime as a cold smoothie is for summer. Rather than offering guests the same lackluster wine, heat it with sweet spices, spike it with Aquavit, and serve up an authentic Swedish glögg for some true Christmas spirit. Tempt friends with the luscious richness of chocolate eggnog, topped with real chocolate whipped cream. Curl up on a blustery winter’s day with a steamy, frothy Irish coffee, or combine apple cider, bourbon, and spices for a Thanksgiving Day batch of harvest moon punch. In addition to these flavorful recipes, useful tips on everything from keeping punch cold to stocking a bar will help you concoct special drinks all winter long—even the whole year round.

Whether it’s a stocking stuffer, a hostess gift, or a great addition to your next holiday party, Hot Toddies is the perfect guide to celebrating the season.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food

96 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2002

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

So yes, I do very much appreciate that in Hot Toddies: Mulled Wine, Buttered Rum, Spiced Cider, and Other Soul-Warming Winter Drinks author Christopher O’Hara not only provides a diverse and delightfully decadent array of tempting and potent winter drinks (and not only hot ones either), but that he also features detailed and educational supplemental information and details on the various types of ingredients used (from diverse spices to how to safely use raw eggs for traditional egg nogs), and indeed and happily so, that there are also accompanying photographs for each and every recipe suggestion included in Hot Toddies: Mulled Wine, Buttered Rum, Spiced Cider and Other Soul-Warming Winter Drinks (and yes, William Nash’s photographs, they are also and equally beautiful and visually stunning).

Highly recommended is Hot Toddies: Mulled Wine, Buttered Rum, Spiced Cider and Other Soul-Warming Winter Drinks but with the necessary caveat that these drinks are all alcohol based and thus in my humble opinion more to be consumed as occasional treats and of course only suitable for adults (although hot toddies, mulled wine and buttered rum also do work pretty well to combat cold and flu symptoms). And yes, the only reason why I am not rating Hot Toddies: Mulled Wine, Buttered Rum, Spiced Cider and Other Soul-Warming Winter Drinks with five stars is that personally, I would appreciate if Christopher O’Hara were to include more wine based hot drinks, since there are oh so many more mulled wine type recipes than Scandinavian Glögg, which really is only one of many types of spiced and heated wine.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

These drinks are beautifully photographed... There are over 40 recipes for party drinks here. The recipes are clear, but not so easy to make... Glogg, Wassail bowl, Eggnog, and Coquito...all take many ingredients and cooking. The punches also have several (more than 3 ingredients), but the offerings are of a wide variety.

There is a nice beginning chapter on Ingredients & tools which was very helpful

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book describes and show how to make the more popular hot alcoholic drinks. It is short and to the point. I found the book highly useful when I faced a very cold winter and was looking for ways to ward off that winter chill. If you are curious about the subject, I would highly recommend starting with this book.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must confess, I have only tried a few of these recipes, but I live in the desert...my window of opportunity for hot buttered, mulled drinks is somewhat small. The hot buttered rum made with Vanilla ice cream is a personal favorite of mine. Try it with Brandy too!

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

can't wait for 21