Warm Beverage Mixes

On a frosty morning or evening, or for a break in the afternoon, a warming drink is a welcome companion.  Many of these recipes are from my very old internet site at geocities that opened in 1996. so I’ve been collecting them for a long time.  Open your home to friends and family and offer some of these very warming, delicious drinks…….

Coffee ~ My favorite of all. I buy whole beans, usually 8 0′Clock brand. I bought a Black and Decker grinder at a yard sale that had never been out of the box! And every morning I grind the beans and make the best cup of coffee in the world. Ah… nothing like it. I use 1 level tablespoon per 6 oz cup of coffee, boil the water and pour it through my coffee maker that doesn’t work any more. I use a gold basket filter. Who cares if the machine doesn’t work?? It makes great coffee. However, for Christmas I have asked for a French Press coffee maker.

Flavored coffees are good for a change and if you don’t like black coffee as I do. I’ve seen tons of flavored coffee recipes, made up a lot of my own to but my favorites are here.
I don’t normally like to use instant coffee but for some of these mixes it is useful and tastes good.

CAPPUCCINO COFFEE MIX
This is surprisingly good! I made a ton of it one Christmas and put it in plastic bags, inside pretty tin containers.

1/2 cup instant coffee granules
1/2 tsp. grated dried orange peel
1 cup non-dairy powdered coffee creamer
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Finely grind coffee and orange peel in a blender or food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process until well blended. Store in an airtight container. To serve: Stir 2 or more teaspoons of coffee mix into 6 ounces hot water. Yield: about 1 2/3 cups mix.

TOFFEE COFFEE
This is a little like the Cappuccino coffee but it has no cinnamon or orange. You could make it even better by adding toffee chips!

2/3 cup instant coffee
1 cup non dairy creamer
1 cup brown sugar

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until powder. 1 to 2 teaspoons with 1 cup hot water. You may also use decaffeinated coffee.

BUTTERED RUM COFFEE
1/3 cup ground coffee – not instant
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/4 tsp rum extract
1/8 tsp butter flavoring

Process in food processor or blender. Add extract and flavoring with processor running. Follow directions in chocolate almond coffee recipe. Store in an airtight container.

SPECIAL TOFFEE COFFEE
This is one of my personal favorites…

2/3 cup instant coffee
1 cup non dairy creamer
1 cup crushed toffee candy or toffee pieces. Don’t crush the toffee to a powder, just leave it in small chunks.
Add 2 tsps to a mug of hot water, adjust amount to taste.

GINGER TEA
…this will warm up the frostiest person in your family, and its great for those who are ailing.

4 cups water
2 oz fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
5 whole cloves
Juice of one lemon

Bring all to a boil, simmer for 2-3 minutes. Strain into cups and sweeten as desired with honey, sugar or agave nectar.

Spice Bags for Warm Winter Drinks recipe

8 sticks cinnamon, broken into small pieces
2 whole nutmegs, crushed
1/3 cup whole cloves
1/3 cup minced dried orange peel (or 1/4 cup ground – I buy this at the bulk store)
1/4 cup whole allspice berries
Optional: garnish with cinnamon sticks,
slice of orange, lemon peel

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Tie in sachets of 1 tablespoon each in a double thickness of cheesecloth; transfer to an airtight container. One sachet of the mixture will flavor 1 quart of cider or tea. To use, simmer 1 quart of the chosen beverage with 1 sachet for 20 minutes; ladle into mugs, garnish with orange slice and cinnamon stick.

Chai Tea Concentrate
This is a regular hot drink in my home. We have it a couple of times a week when the weather is cold.

1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

If you prefer a less sweet tea, use evaporated milk and add sugar to taste when tea is served.

Mix the spices and condensed milk thoroughly. Refrigerate at least 24 hours before using, and store in refrigerator. To use, brew a strong black tea. Stir in 1/2 to 2 heaping teaspoons of Chai concentrate mix per cup of freshly steeped tea. I like to add a tiny bit of vanilla extract to the finished product.

RUSSIAN TEA
My take on an old stand-by

1 cup instant tea mix (unsweetened and no lemon)
2 cups dry tang powder
1 pkg lemonade, unsweetened powder
2 – 3 oz boxes apricot flavored gelatin
1 cup sugar
1 TBSP nutmeg
1 TBSP allspice
1 TBSP cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and store in air tight container. To use, place 1-2 rounded teaspoons of dry mix to 1 mug of hot water.