Hot Drinks for Cold Winter Days and Nights

As I sit staring out my office window in my home in Big Bear, CA it is snowing...hard! It snowed most of the day yesterday, a good part of the day before that, and all last night. It's beautiful. I welcome the great skiing it brings, and it helps fill up our lake in summer, keeps the forests green, and helps prevent fires in other drier seasons. I actually enjoy the workout that shoveling provides (yes, I have a short driveway). But it's cold.

So, I thought it was a good time to browse the FabulousFoods.com collection of hot drink recipes. As I have always been a fan of creative hot drinks, we have many good ones, both non-alcoholic and leaded. So explore some of the recipe links below and mix up a batch of hot toddies to warm everyone up.

Favorite Non-Alcoholic Hot Drinks

• Mayan Hot Chocolate with Orange and Chiles (pictured right) -- This recipe combines chocolate, chile, and orange to create a flavorful hot cocoa with a piquant chile bite.
• Agave Sweetened Hot Chocolate -- This healthy antioxidant rich recipe is from The Biggest Loser's nutritionist Cheryl Forberg's fabulous book, Positively Ageless.
• Mexican Style Hot Chocolate -- You can make this chocolate with or without an addition of liqueur.
• French Style Hot Chocolate -- This rich hot chocolate is full of spicy flavor -- the prefect thing to warm a crowd after skating, sledding or skiing.
• Slow Cooker Spiced Mulled Cider -- Enjoy the comforting taste of warm cider all day... and all night. This slow cooker method makes it easy.
• Mulled Rosy Cider -- This healthy, diabetic friendly non-alcoholic cider recipe comes from the American Institute for Cancer Research

Favorite Hot Drinks with Alcohol

• Traditional Irish Coffee (pictured right) -- Chef Joe Sheridan, of Foyne's Restaurant in County Clare, is credited with inventing Irish Coffee in the 1940s. Use these instructions to enjoy this classic cocktail at home.
• Hot Spiced Brandy Wine -- With wine, brandy, fruit juices and spices, this is a perfect winter warm up.
• Hot Buttered Rum -- This classic toddy has been popular for generations, it's so delicious and easy to make that it will doubtless remain in demand for years to com.
• Brown Russian Hot Chocolate (pictured top of this post) -- A rich mouthful of chocolate that gets its complexity from chai-like spices best served in tall Russian coffee glasses.
• Hot Brandy Milk Punch -- This old fashioned favorite is still delicious today. It's the perfect thing to warm cold snow bunnies at an after ski party. It's also much lower in fat than most other drinks of its kind.