Shannon’s Favorite Glühwein
Shannon Carnevale, Winter Haven
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup orange juice (fresh is best, but juice is OK too)
1 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
1 bottle of dry red table wine (no need to splurge on the good stuff)
orange slices and strips of zest, if available
1. Add all ingredients to a sauce pot or other pot large enough to hold the ingredients.
2. Bring to a simmer.
3. Let simmer for just a minute or two, to make sure it’s evenly heated.
4. Take off the heat and allow to sit for at least ten minutes.
5. Pour into small mugs and enjoy with friends and family.
“Glühwein is German hot mulled wine. This Glühwein recipe is a favorite in our home when the weather turns crisp, especially when we have guests over. It’s also at the heart of one of my favorite holiday traditions. Starting Thanksgiving week, we eagerly await the first cold snap – or December 11, two weeks before Christmas, whichever comes first. That’s when we make this Glühwein, turn on some holiday music, and start putting up the Christmas lights outside. If the tree’s already up, we’ll decorate it and the inside of the house, too.
Experiment with extra whole spices like star anise or additional cloves, if you’d like! I‘m not a fan of clove, so 5 is just right for us. The recipe is simple and easy to adjust to suit your family’s taste. Not a regular red wine drinker? Glühwein is traditionally made with Spätburgunder, a German pinot noir. Cabernet and dry red blends work well, too. Avoid very oaky or tannic red wines, they can turn bitter when heated. This recipe works great with non-alcoholic wine as well—just look for one that’s not too sweet.”
Naughty List Eggnog
T. Michael Stavres, Winter Haven City Manager
10 eggs separated (whites and yolks)
3/4 cup sugar
1 pint (or more) of good bourbon
1 cup (or more) of good rum
1 quart of heavy cream
1. Blend 10 egg yolks, slowly stir in 3/4 cup of sugar.
2. Pour bourbon, rum, and cream into the egg mixture and combine.
3. Beat 10 egg whites until light and fluffy. Fold egg whites into bourbon mixture.
4. Enjoy responsibly.
“Note – this is real eggnog, so if you are a connoisseur of the stuff in the grocery dairy aisle, you might want to fasten your seatbelt and designate a driver.”
M.J.'s Hot Toddys
M.J. Carnevale, Winter Haven Deputy City Manager
8 ounces water
1 earl grey tea bag (caffeinated or decaf depending on preference)
1-2 ounces of good bourbon
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce honey
(This scales to large batches easily, just multiply the ingredients by the number of people you are serving) 1. Bring your water to a boil in a small pot. Add your tea bag(s) and steep for a few minutes, then remove the tea bag(s).
2. Measure out your honey and lemon juice in a heat proof vessel. (Pyrex measuring cups work well for larger batches). Mix enough of the warm tea into the honey and lemon juice to dissolve the mixture and then add to the pot with the tea.
3. Pour bourbon into pot with tea mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour into mug(s) and serve. Garnish with a slice of lemon if you have it. Best enjoyed with friends in a cozy setting.
“This is one of my friend group’s absolute favorites on a cool night, especially if camping or somewhere like a ski cabin. It has been steadily refined by my wife and I over the years. The ingredients are simple, so get the best quality versions of them you can find. It originated from a desire for hot spirited beverages that could serve the masses in a house we lived in during college with many friends, but poor insulation and no heat. It is a perennial feature on our cool month adventures.”
Homemade Kahlua
T. Michael Stavres, Winter Haven City Manager
3 cups of filtered coffee
4 cups brown sugar
1 full vanilla bean, sliced long-way
1 liter vodka
1. Make coffee. Run 3 1/2 cups of water through a full cup of quality coffee grounds using a regular drip coffee machine; you should yield approximately 3 1/4 cups of finished coffee.
2. Transfer coffee to a sauce pot and add 4 cups brown sugar. Heat to just a boil and then remove from stove.
3. Add one full size vanilla bean. For best results, slice the bean long-ways to expose the inside. Let sit until room temperature.
4. Add 1 liter of your favorite vodka. For a unique twist, try a flavored vodka such as peppermint. Once blended, bottle and enjoy.
“This is a great homemade gift. You can make a large batch and bottle in festive mason jars to give to friends and families. Or you can just keep it all for yourself. Not judging!”
