It’s mid-Winter and while it was hard to lockdown in April and May, the cold makes self-isolation (aka hibernation) that much easier! Spending more time at home and, well, running out of wine (let’s be honest) might have inspired you to opt for something a little more adventurous, even if it involves digging around in the back of your booze cabinet.
Easy enough to make at home from items most of us have in our grocery cupboards, and using spirits that many of us may have neglected in the back of our liquor cabinets, here are our top Winter Warmers to snuggle up with.
THE HAUNTED
Ingredients
50ml Irish Whiskey (we recommend The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey because it’s Irish. And a single malt. Yum!)
5ml Coffee liqueur
5ml Maple syrup
2 Dashes chocolate bitters (or mix a teaspoon of cacoa powder with a tablespoon of water as a cheeky lockdown substitute)
Method
Pour all ingredients into a shaker, add ice, shake and serve on the rocks.
LIFE’S A PEACH
Ingredients
50ml Rum (we recommend Don Papa 7-year old Oak-aged Rum for its long-textured finish and vanilla, honey, and candied fruit flavours)
30ml Apple Juice
25ml Stewed Peach Puree (stew some dried peaches, whizz them up in the blender until they’re smooth and bob’s your uncle!)
20ml Lemon Juice
Ginger Ale
Method
Shaken, strained and topped with Ginger Ale.
BRAVE AND BOLD
Ingredients – makes two (because who likes to drink alone?)
1 1/2 cups Water
1 bag Chamomile tea
2 teaspoons Honey
60ml Whisky (we recommend Bannerman’s Finest Scotch Whisky for its smoothness and slight sweetness)
15ml Elderflower syrup
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
Garnish with a Lemon wedge (when life gives you lemons!)
Method
Boil water and steep the Chamomile tea for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bag and stir in two teaspoons of honey. Allow to cool completely. Here is the fun part: in each rocks glass stir 30ml Whisky and 7.5ml of Elderflower syrup over ice. Pour 2/3 of a cup of tea into each glass and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
And if you haven’t got a drop of alcohol in your house, have no fear – you can always order a bottle of Seedlip non-alcoholic distilled spirit here (link to takealot/yuppiechef) and make yourself a delicious alternative to a hot toddy!
GARDEN TODDY
Ingredients
50ml Seedlip Garden 108
20ml Fresh Lemon Juice
20ml Cloudy Apple Juice
10ml Lemon Verbena Syrup (make it by bringing 2 cups of water and a handful of lemon verbena to the boil, infuse it for 30 minutes and then add 4 cups of caster sugar. Cool, pop it in the fridge and use it after 24 hours.)
Physical liquor stores are currently closed in line with South African lockdown regulations, but many online retailers are encouraging consumers to place orders for delivery once regulations allow.
