Day 36: Holiday Drinks

The Geek smoked some prime rib and salmon today. Fantastic dinner but both are food items I have blogged about in the past (here and here). In the spirit of the holidays, I thought I'd share some of my favorite holiday drink recipes.

The first is Stephen's Gourmet Candycane Hot Cocoa. This rich, yummy mix makes a lucious cup of minty cocoa but my favorite way to have it is to mix a couple tablespoons-full into a cup of coffee in the morning. It easily beats the expensive seasonal latté drinks at the local coffee shop chain in terms of flavor and economy.

I grew up in Michigan and the arrival of fall meant apple cider and old-fashioned doughnuts. Of course in Southern California, the word "fall" doesn't mean much (as a season) but when I simmer up  a pot of spiced (or mulled) cider, it takes me back to my childhood. This recipe for Mulled Cider is very similar to how I make it.  The cloves and oranges make the drink for me.

Around here it's not Christmas until the eggnog is served. We make Alton Brown's version, which is way better than the thick gloppy stuff you buy at the grocery store. He recommends you use bourbon but we use dark rum and cut the suggested amount in half.

I own a Keurig Single-Cup coffee brewing system (Yep, it's a SYSTEM, not just a coffeemaker!) and love the convenience of having a hot cup of coffee ready to go whenever I want. At Christmas time I stock up on Gloria Jean's Butter Toffee coffee. Add a little bit of sweetener and milk and it's like drinking creamy, buttery toffee.

NOTE: If you're in the market for a single-cup brewing system, be sure to buy a model that will fit a tall cup or travel mug under the spout. Some of them are designed for espresso-size cups and 8-oz mugs. Keurig makes several models and I have been very happy with mine for several years now.

For the Grown-ups

I've been watching the TV show, "Frasier" on DVD, and there is one episode where the Cranes go to a mountain cabin for a few days. Martin (the father) makes hot buttered rum. I love butterscotch and have always wondered what buttered rum tasted like so I went searching online. I came across Emeril Lagasse's recipe for Hot Buttered Rum Cocktail and immediately fell in love. I particularly like the convenience of this recipe: The sugar can be stored in the refrigerator almost indefinitely so you can mix up a cocktail whenever the mood strikes.

A new favorite drink is the Grown-Up Ice Cream Soda from Rachel Ray, which I had for the first time last month and mentioned in my pizza posting. This creamy concoction is pure coffee-creamy-heaven.