Hot cocktails

It's almost the end of winter, so before the weather starts getting warmer, there's still time to enjoy cold weather-friendly food and drink.

Hot cocktails are...well, hot right now. After all, who wants to be sipping frozen cocktails in their thermals? Traditionally, there are a few well known hot alcoholic drinks including Christmas favourite, eggnog (cream, whisked egg, cinnamon, nutmeg and brandy), hot buttered rum (as served at the recent TOYS dinner by cocktail whizz Luke Ashton) and of course, popular flu-favourite, the hot toddy.

Here are a few places you can try hot cocktails this winter:

Aperitif 
7 Kellett St
Potts Point NSW 2011
(02) 9357 4729

Known for it's late-night bordello-chic supper club stylings, the food continues to rock - the veal tongue, boudin noir, celeriac puree, grilled apple rocks - but as the name suggests, they know a thing or two about the business of (classy) booze. Aperitif currently have a few hot cocktails on the specials list including their take on the classic brandy eggnog, but ask Christian and team to create something special and they'll most likely be up for the challenge: the hot whiskey with cloves and orange peel will cure what ails you (or at least kill it), just don't inhale as you sip.

The Gourmet Viking
33 Enmore Road, Newtown
(02) 9557 8999
www.gourmetviking.com.au

This kitschy little restaurant is largely Danish, reading from the menu but in general, The Gourmet Viking specialises in Nordic food favourites, including plenty of smoked, cured, salted fish: 'sill' (pickled herring), laks (salmon) and pickled pork and more. Swedes know a thing or two about dealing with ridiculously cold weather and glögg is a perfect example. A take on the mulled wine concept, glögg is red wine, cinnamon, almonds, orange peel, cardamom, ginger, vanilla, brandy and raisins - gently heated to create an aromatic (and potent) drink. The Gourmet Viking is making vats of it this winter, so drop by for some roast pork loin, picked herring and a glögg to warm your bones.


Mulled Wine Recipe

Here's an easy mulled wine recipe to try out at home:

Ingredients

1 bottle red wine (clean skins these days are generally good quality and great value - perfect for this kind of recipe)
2 cinnamon/cassia quills
1 star anise
3 cardamom pods, cracked
1 heaped tablespoon of brown sugar
1 generous slug of honey
A peel of orange rind


Method

Combine all ingredients into a saucepan and heat gently for about 15 minutes until the mixture becomes aromatic.
Drink immediately!

Check out some other hot cocktail recipes here.