Home comforts: Three winter cocktails to try
Welcome the cold winter nights with these warming concoctions from some of the UK's finest bartenders
Aubaine's White Mulled Wine
Forget the red, shake up traditional mulled wine by using a bottle of white instead. French restaurant Aubaine pairs it with an aromatic blend of spices for a warming winter treat.
1 bottle white wine1 lemon1 orange25g honey175g sugar3 star anise2 cinnamon sticks6 whole cloves150ml waterExtra orange and star anise to garnish
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Cut the lemon and orange into thin quarter-slices and add to a pan, before adding the honey, sugar and star anise. Next, cut the cinnamon sticks in half lengthways, then in half again, and add to the pan. Heat all the ingredients on the hob until they begin to lightly caramelise, then add the water. Allow to simmer for five minutes, add the wine to the pan, and let it simmer for another five minutes. Decant into a large soup dish and keep warm. Serve in a latte glass with a star anise and a quarter-slice of orange to garnish.
Mr Lyan's Spiked Hot Chocolate
You can make this adult take on hot chocolate extra indulgent by using cream (in addition to the milk) and extra chocolate and serving it much shorter. For a different take, layer in additional flavours by warming spices – such as anise, chilli or even basil – in the milk before straining. These can also be incorporated successfully into chocolate, or you can change the liqueurs to match your tastes.
1tbsp Chartreuse1tbsp Poire William1tsp unrefined sugar100ml whole milkPinch vanilla salt (a vanilla pod split and infused into sea salt for at least a day)30g good dark chocolateNutmeg or cinnamon to garnish
Pour the Chartreuse and Poire William into a pre-warmed mug. Add the sugar, milk, vanilla salt and chocolate to a saucepan and heat. Whisk constantly but don't allow to boil. When gently steaming, pour into your mug and top with some freshly grated nutmeg or cinnamon.
Recipe from Ryan Chetiyawardana's Good Things to Drink with Mr Lyan and Friends (Frances Lincoln, £20), available from Amazon and masterofmalt.com; mrlyan.com
MeatUp's Cinnamon Buttered Rum Manhattan
This recently opened restaurant comes with a fine pedigree – head chef Stephen Hinkley has previously worked at Meatopia and Foxlow and has brought a similar focus on locally sourced, high-quality meat to this upmarket barbecue joint. Equal attention is paid to the drinks menu, with a cocktail list that's littered with creative combinations. Recreate this rich, lightly spiced concoction at home – it's well worth the extra effort.
50ml cinnamon buttered rum*12.5ml Carpano Antica Formula10ml Luxardo Maraschino5ml sugar syrupCherry and cinnamon stick to garnish
* To make the cinnamon buttered rum, melt 300g butter and add a whole bottle of Havana 7-Year-Old rum. Put in the fridge to split and set, and then strain through a muslin. Put the mixture back into the bottle with a stick of cinnamon and then it’s ready to serve or use in cocktails.
Shake together all the ingredients and serve in a chilled martini glass with a cherry and cinnamon stick to garnish.
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