3 DIY Warm Winter Drink Recipes

Winter is here and as New Year’s Eve is just around the corner, everyone is looking for appropriate drinks to accompany the cold evenings. Alcoholic or non-alcoholic, there’s no need to emphasize why it can be a true joy to your senses. Here is our top warm winter drinks selection for this season:

Mulled Cranberry Punch

What you’ll need:

• 1 orange
• 8 inches stick cinnamon, broken
• 8 whole cloves
• 4 whole allspice
• 1 32 – ounce bottle cranberry juice
• 1 11 1/2 – ounce can frozen white grape-raspberry juice concentrate
• 4 cups water

How it’s made:

• Use a vegetable peeler to remove several 2- to 3-inch-long sections of orange peel from the orange, avoiding the white pith underneath. Juice the orange.
• For a spice bag, cut a 6-inch square from a double thickness of 100%-cotton cheesecloth. Place orange peel, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice in the center of the square. Bring the corners together and tie closed with 100%-cotton kitchen string.
• In a 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, combine cranberry juice, juice concentrate, the water, orange juice, and spice bag.
• Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove spice bag and discard. Serve immediately or keep warm on low-heat setting for up to 2 hours

Chai Tea

What you’ll need:

• 8 cardamom seeds
• 8 cloves
• 4 black peppercorns
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
• 2 cups whole milk
• 4 bags black tea (such as Darjeeling)
• 8 teaspoons sugar or more, to taste

How it’s made:

• Place the cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns in a re-sealable plastic bag and crush with a heavy skillet.
• Place the crushed spices in a medium saucepan, along with the cinnamon sticks, ginger, milk, and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add the tea bags, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes.
• Strain into cups. To each cup, add 2 teaspoons sugar or more, to taste.

Hot Coconut Cocoa

What you’ll need:

• 1 14 – ounce unsweetened light coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

How it’s made:

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring with a whisk, until mixture is hot but not boiling.