Hot Beverage Recipes for the Holiday Season

When family and friends gather in your home on a brisk fall day for a Thanksgiving, Christmas or other holiday meal, you can warm them up from the inside with some delightfully delicious hot beverage options. These hot beverage recipes go perfect with everything from appetizers to a slice of your favorite pie.

Wassail

If you have never tried this hot beverage recipe, you are missing out. Wassail is an aromatic spiced warm punch that can be made in a variety of manners. Some use wine or ale in their wassail hot beverage recipes while others use an assortment of fruits and fruit juices. This recipe utilizes that wonderful standby, your slow cooker, so that you can mix the ingredients ahead of time, turn on the cooker and forget about it until you are ready. It is the perfect warm drink for Thanksgiving or any holiday gathering.

Ingredients

2 quarts apple cider
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup honey
3 sticks cinnamon
2 whole cloves
1 whole orange

Pour liquid ingredients into crockpot. Stir in cinnamon and cloves. Wash orange thoroughly and into rings without removing the rind. Float on top of the liquid. Cook on high for two hours. Turn down to low for four hours. Keep on warm setting while serving.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee

What hot beverage recipe would be a better warm drink for Thanksgiving than pumpkin spice coffee? Savor it with a slice of pumpkin pie or enjoy it as you talk around the glowing fire. This recipe serves eight, but be prepared to make seconds!

Ingredients

5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup ground coffee (your favorite)
8 cups of water
Whipped topping

Pour pumpkin pie spice into coffee filter. Pour coffee on top of spices in filter. Brew using the eight cups of water. Serve and top with whipped topping.

Honey-Apple Tea

One of the best things about these hot beverage recipes is that you are likely to have most, if not all of the ingredients necessary on hand. For example, you can make a warm drink for Thanksgiving using your favorite tea. This recipe, as well as the Masala Chai that follows, were provided by the folks at Tetley Tea.

4 Tetley® Classic Blend Tea bags
3 cups boiling water
1/3 cup honey
3 cups unsweetened apple juice
Lemon slices

In a 2-quart pot, brew tea bags in boiling water. Remove tea bags and add honey and apple juice.
Simmer until hot. Ladle into cups and garnish with lemon slices. Serves 6 to 8.

Masala Chai

8 teaspoons whole coriander
1 star anise
4 cinnamon sticks, broken
2 teaspoons each: whole black peppercorns, allspice, cardamom pods, cloves, dried orange peel and
ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 gallons water
6 Tetley® Classic Blend Tea bags
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Honey, milk or cream to taste

In a small bowl, combine coriander, anise, cinnamon, pepper, allspice, cardamom, cloves and orange
peel. In a spice mill or coffee grinder, coarsely grind the spices. Mix in ginger and nutmeg. Pour
water into a 2-gallon pot and add spice mixture. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add tea and vanilla extract and steep 3 to 5 minutes. Strain liquid into large pitcher and add honey,
milk or cream or wait to offer guests on the side. Tea can be served hot or chilled. Yield: 1 1/2
gallons.

The next time you are enjoying company during the fall or winter seasons, be sure to whip up one of these hot beverage recipes. You are certain to be admired and appreciated for your good taste!