Best Winter Elixirs for a Cozy Night of Reading

Greetings Fantasy Nerds! This week we will be discussing our favorite winter elixirs for the holidays. Simple recipes, that create delicious drinks for the chilly days ahead. Perfect to pair with a good book curled up in your favorite blankets and relaxing by the fireplace, each sip warming your body and loosening your imagination!

Mulled Wine

Mulled wine is a great drink to serve at a holiday dinner. You can make one or two bottles at a time to serve a group. I love making this recipe in a crockpot because you can just let it heat on low for 30 minutes to an hour, and leave the extras on warm until you’re ready for refills. 

The first step to making mulled wine is to choose a dark, fruity red wine; Merlot or Zinfandel would be great options. You will cut one large orange in half, squeezing the juice of one half into the crockpot and slicing the other half up for garnish. Add the bottle of wine and ¼ cup of brandy (optional) to the crockpot. Then add 1-2 tbsp of honey and mulling spices. You can either get pre-packaged mulling spices, or use 2 cinnamon sticks, 2-star anise, and 4 whole cloves. Let the wine cook until steaming, then pour it into glasses and garnish with the orange slices. 

Mulled Cider

Mulled Cider is very similar to Mulled Wine except you use your favorite cider! Just pour the cider into the crockpot with the same spices: orange, cinnamon, cloves, cranberries if you like, or the pre-packaged mulling spices. You can also add a ¼ cup of brandy to make this cider an adult version, if you use an entire jug of cider I would recommend using ½ cup of brandy. Garnish with orange slices and cranberries! Mulled Cider is what I imagine a group of freezing adventurers drinks when they finally reach the warmth of a tavern. 

Eggnog

Eggnog is one of the things I look forward to most during the holidays. Pumpkin Spice Eggnog mixed with Kraken Spiced Rum is an incredibly delicious combination! To me, eggnog tastes like the holidays, and why not make it a bit more enticing? Typically how I make this divine drink is one shot of rum per 12oz of eggnog (roughly one mug). With this combination, you can barely taste the alcohol, if at all! 

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Our mom makes this incredible homemade white hot chocolate and serves them in these gorgeous winter mugs with intricate tiny plates. The vibe of this drink screams cozy winter nights and it had to be included in this post. Recipe courtesy of our mom!

 To make this delectable drink you will need 3 cups of half-and-half, light cream, or milk, ⅔ cup of white chocolate baking pieces, 3 cinnamon sticks, ⅛ tsp of ground nutmeg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and ¼ tsp of almond extract. You can simply add these ingredients into a pot and stir the mixture until heated through! 

Baileys Salted Caramel Latte

This is a simple recipe that would be great for a cold winter’s morning. The coffee and alcohol will both warm you right up! You can brew your coffee and add 1-2 shots of Baileys Salted Caramel for a delicious spiked salted caramel latte. You can always use regular Baileys Irish Cream if salted caramel isn’t your thing. You can also try adding the Baileys Salted Caramel to the above hot cocoa recipe for a delicious twist!

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What did you think of our chosen elixirs? What are your favorite drinks for winter? Let us know in the comments below! We hope you enjoyed this post and found some new drinks for this season. 

Thank you so much for reading!

-Clever&WTF