Make it Monday: Hot Bevies!

Don't be fooled by the beautiful sunshine of late - the mornings and eves are feeling crisper by the day and we're finding ourselves reaching for woolies and wellies. Here are a few hot bevie recipes to keep you warm during these cool (and wet!) times to come.

Chai Tea

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of water

1 1/2 inch stick of cinnamon

8 cardamom pods

8 whole cloves

1/4 inch fresh ginger root (sliced thin)

2/3 cup of milk

6 teaspoons sugar

3 teaspoons of Darjeeling Tea leaves

Method:

Place water, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to low setting and simmer for 10 minutes. Add milk and sugar and again bring to simmer. Next, add the tea leaves, remove from heat and cover. Let steep for 3 minutes and strain.

Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)

2 1/2 cups powdered milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Hot water

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. In a small pot, heat 4 to 6 cups of water.

Fill your mug half full with the mixture and pour in hot water. Stir to combine. Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely in the pantry. This also works great with warm milk.

Hot Apple Cider

Ingredients:
6 cups apple cider

1/4 cup real maple syrup

2 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

6 whole allspice berries

1 orange peel, cut into strips

1 lemon peel, cut into strips

Method:

Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan. Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture. Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling. Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving if desired.

Blueberry Tea

Ingredients:

3/4 oz Grand Marnier

3/4 oz amaretto

orange pekoe tea

orange wheel for garnish

Method:

Pour the Grand Marnier and amaretto into a preheated brandy snifter. Fill the snifter two-thirds of the way to the top withorange pekoe tea. Garnish with an orange wheel. Stir and enjoy!