Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I come to you after a week-long hiatus, during which I allowed my liver to play catch up. I know you all missed me. I missed you, too. Yes, you.
Anyway, it’s getting colder! Actually, here in Georgia, it’s not getting that much colder at all. In fact, it’s been pretty warm the past couple of days. But, it should be getting colder any day now, and I imagine it’s pretty cold in other parts of the world.
So, it’s with that hopeful imagination that I present to you this week’s adventure on Six Drinks Too Many: hot drinks. Simple enough, right? Maybe if we enjoy some hot drinks together, we can will it to be cold and wintery, as it should be.
And if not, these drinks are enjoyable anyway, and it will get cold eventually. But don’t let the weather stop you — if you want a hot drink with booze in it, then damn it, enjoy a hot drink with booze in it.
First though, a disclaimer for the coffee lovers: None of these are coffee drinks. There are enough coffee-based alcoholic drinks that I’ll be doing a coffee-themed post somewhere down the line, rather than interspersing a few here.
And now, without any more interruptions, let’s begin.
Contents
Hot Grog
- 1 1/2 oz Myers’s Rum or other Dark Rum
- 3/4 oz Honey
- 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
- Hot Water
- Cinnamon Stick
So, I sat down and I said to myself, “Self, what’s the number one concern of most people on the Internet today?” The answer became immediately obvious. Fighting scurvy, of course! Therefore, I thought I’d help you all out. You’re welcome, by the way.
To my knowledge, this drink was created on the high seas. The rum was used to make the water drinkable, and the lemon provided vitamin C to fight scurvy. I’m not sure if honey was used in original recipes, but if it was, it was probably to make the drink more palatable. If anyone knows more about the history of grog or can correct me an any point, please share in the comments.
In any case, the name is weird and a lot of people probably don’t realize what it actually is, but this is a pretty decent little drink. It’s not particularly interesting, but it’s nice. The different flavors work well together, and this will definitely warm both your body and your soul. Also, this is basically a Hot Toddy but with rum instead of whiskey. So, if you prefer bourbon to rum, do that instead.
If you want to keep yourself fighting-fit and scurvy-free, start by pouring the honey into a mug and add a splash of hot water. Stir it a bit to thin the honey out before making the drink. Add the rum and lemon juice and fill with hot water. Stir and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
Next drink!
Hot Buttered Rum
- 2 oz Dark Rum
- 1 tsp Brown Sugar
- Hot Water
- 1 tsp Butter
- Grated or Ground Nutmeg
This is one of those hot drinks that people know about, but don’t really tend to try, as far as I can tell. If you’ve never tried it, it is exactly what it sounds like: rum with butter. The temperature also happens to be hot.
It’s pretty good, and even though the idea of adding butter to a drink is kind of gross, the butter is really a fucking awesome idea. It’s like a nice piece of angel poop floating on top of warm liquor. And no, you have never read anything so delightful before.
But, yeah, it is really disgusting to drink butter. Drinking this drink probably won’t make you feel good about yourself, in any case. But, I’m an American, which means that by any measuring stick, I’m behind in the drinking butter world when compared to my peers. Really, it’s the little things that make you feel better.
Start by putting the brown sugar and a splash of hot water in the bottom of a mug and stir it until to sugar dissolves. Add the rum, fill with hot water, and stir. Float the slice of butter on top and sprinkle some nutmeg on that bitch.
Let’s do something a little sweeter now.
Hot Brandy Alexander
- 1 oz Brandy
- 1 oz Dark Crème de Cacao
- Hot Milk
- Whipped Cream
- Grated or Ground Nutmeg
The cold version of this drink is a classic — interestingly enough even more of a classic than the regular Alexander with gin. Turns out that the hot version is also pretty good. It’s chocolate, milk, and booze, after all. At any temperature, that’s hard to argue with.
So, if you like chocolate, you’ll probably like this. I don’t even like brandy (which just so happens to taste like the piss of Margaret Thatcher), and I like this. Of course, if you don’t like chocolate, then why don’t you go back to the Hell pit you crawled out of?
To make this yummy little drink, pour the brandy and crème de cacao into a mug, and fill with hot milk. Add a dollop of whipped cream on top and sprinkle some nutmeg over it.
Bull’s Milk
- 1 1/2 oz Dark Rum
- 3/4 oz Cognac
- Hot Milk
- 1 tsp Maple Syrup
- Grated or Ground Nutmeg
What can you expect from a drink that sounds like a euphemism for semen? Well, it’s about as enjoyable as that, but with just a hint of maple.
I do not care for this drink at all. The liquor component of it is a little too rough, and the maple doesn’t really do a lot for it — but it does lend a nice aftertaste. The problem is that the actual taste is so godawful that the aftertaste is like someone apologizing to you after setting your house on fire and kicking you in the genitals. I’d say it’s worth a try, but quite frankly, there are so many better options for a hot drink. You can drink better drinks with your time.
Alright, truth be told, I’ve had much worse drinks. But this doesn’t measure up to the other drinks I’ve had for this post so far. But, if you like brandy and rum, this might appeal to you, and making it is simple. Pour the liquor into a mug, fill it with hot milk, and add the maple syrup. Stir and sprinkle some nutmeg on top.
Sevilla Flip
- 1 1/2 oz Light Rum
- 1 1/2 Ruby Port
- 2 oz Cream
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
I picked this drink because it looked interesting. I saw that ruby port was included in the recipe and thought, “Say, is that a fortified wine in a recipe for a hot drink? It is! By all mighty Zeus, that’s interesting! I must try it — and I’m certain that it won’t be disgusting, even though my initial surprise at the inclusion of port in the recipe would signify that there’s a definite reason why I didn’t expect this eccentric ingredient to be included.”
Well, it turns out there is a reason why I initially thought the port was a really fucking weird inclusion. That reason is that it is a REALLY WEIRD INCLUSION. At first, you won’t like this drink, but then it just gets extremely weird. I don’t know if I should recommend it or not. It’s too weird for me to know what’s happening — it’s like Donnie Darko was a drink instead of a movie.
I don’t love it. I don’t hate it. I’m just confused by it.
So, making it is a bit more labor-intensive than the previous drinks. Start by combining the cream and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the rum and port and bring it to a low simmer. Pour it into a mug, and try to enjoy — even though it may be futile. I will say that the cream likes to separate. I don’t know if it’s supposed to. In any case, you can keep stirring it if you want it all combined. Otherwise, don’t worry about it.
Southern Chai
- 1 oz Bourbon
- 1/4 oz Triple Sec
- 1/4 oz Amaretto
- 8 oz Chai Tea Concentrate
- 3 oz Milk
- Lemon Wedge studded with Whole Cloves
I really like chai tea. It’s pretty much the only thing I ever get at Starbucks. But, as much as I like chai tea, I’ve never been drinking it and thought that it would be improved by bourbon. But then, I don’t think that most things would be improved by bourbon. If you’re the type of person that tends to consume something and think that it could be improved with bourbon, I don’t think we’d get along very well.
That being said, this drink isn’t bad. It’s chai-tastic, and it has some nice liquory notes and interesting aromas from the added ingredients. I think I still prefer regular chai tea, but this isn’t a bad alternative, especially if you’re a whiskey drinker, or are just looking to get drunk off of chai.
This is another labor-intensive drink. In a small saucepan, combine the chai concentrate and milk and bring it to a simmer. Pour it into a mug, and add the alcoholic ingredients. Stir, and garnish with the studded lemon wedge.
As a side note, my lovely fiancee tells me that I studded the lemon wedge wrong. Apparently, you’re supposed to stud the peel. I studded the meat of the lemon, because I thought that made more sense. It’s a lot easier to stud the meat instead of the peel. But, I will bow to the “correct way.” However, both ways will provide you with the aroma of lemon and cloves, so the difference might be purely visual.
Denouement
The weather outside is … well, pretty mild. But, the drinks inside are fucking awesome. Warm so water, add some booze, and raise a hot glass to the winter months, dear drinkers. I’ll see you next week.
