Some International Drinks for Christmas Cheer

Sometimes I just want to drink hot chocolate and watch holiday movies. Hot chocolate has a long and storied history. It is believed to have been invented by the Mayans in Mexico, as far back as 500 BC. It was formed from ground-up cocoa seeds mixed with water, cornmeal, and chili peppers. The Aztecs would also eventually consume a chocolate drink called xocōlātl, around 1400 AD.

Cortez brought cocoa beans and chocolate drinking equipment with him when he returned to Spain in 1528, after defeating the Aztecs. Emperor Charles V became fond of the chocolate drink, which allowed it to grow in popularity with the upper class. This led to the development of sweet chocolate, which quickly expanded as a luxury item with the nobility.

The first cocoa powder producing machine was eventually built, in the Netherlands in 1828. The Dutch brought hot chocolate to the U.S during the 1700s; the colonists were selling hot chocolate by 1755. Remember, happiness is hot chocolate, so go cuddle with a cup of cocoa. Check out this amazing recipe from Isabel at Isabel Eats.

Feel free to add whiskey, rum, vodka, or chocolate liqueur if you want to spice it up a little.

Glögg is a spiced mulled wine, typically served with liquor, served in Scandinavian countries. It is usually consumed as a Christmas drink. Hot wine has been common in Nordic countries since the 16th century, and was brought to Finland from Sweden. Spiced wine appears popular though, for thousands of years. The Greek epic “The Iliad” mentions soldiers drinking spiced wine with goat cheese. The Romans also had a similar drink called “Conditum”, which can be roughly translated as “spiced”.

Glögg recipes vary. They commonly begin with white or sweet wine or spirits such as brandy or cognac. The making of glögg begins by boiling water and adding spices to it. After a few minutes of simmering, the mixture is sieved and fruit juice, wine or clear spirits are added. Other versions begin by warming up the wine, alcohol, and sugar (not boiling it) and letting the spices steep in it overnight. The most customary spices are cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. Other ingredients can include orange or lemon peels, raisins, or almonds.

Glögg is sweet, spicy, and hot; perfect for autumn and Christmas. If you’re in the mood for Glogg, try this recipe by Stacy from the Spruce Eats.

It’s a snow day and you’re feeling pine? Well, eat drink and be merry with a delicious hot buttered rum. Hot buttered rum is a traditional drink containing rum, butter, hot water or cider, a sweetener, and different spices. These can include cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It is commonly linked with the holiday season. It is also extremely popular during autumn and winter.

In the United States, hot buttered rum has a long history going back to colonial days. Jamaica began importing molasses to the colonies in the 1650s. During that time many families had their own individual recipes, and early Americans believed rum to be nutritious and a strengthener of the body. Rum was one fifth of the colonial economy, before the American Revolution.

January 17th is commonly celebrated as National Hot Buttered Rum Day, although I couldn’t find the history behind it. If anyone knows, I’d be glad to find out. Here is a tried and tested recipe from Colleen at the Spruce Eats.

How do I take my coffee? Seriously, very seriously. Stressing during the holidays? Ain’t nobody got thyme for that!” Seriously though, when it’s cold outside, the holidays are inbound, and the in-laws are visiting, day drinking is always acceptable. One of the most respectable ways to day drink is coffee; well coffee with booze. Enter Irish Coffee.

Irish coffee is a cocktail consisting of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar, stirred, and topped with cream. The coffee is drunk through the cream. Irish Coffee was possibly created in the winter of 1943 by Chef Joe Sheridan, at Foynes Port near Limerick, Ireland. One evening, a flight had to turn back to Foynes in the middle of its journey. Sheridan decided to whip up something special for the weary passengers to drink. “Hey Buddy,” said a surprised American passenger, “is this Brazilian coffee?” “No,” Sheridan replied, “that’s Irish Coffee.”

In 1952, Irish Coffee was possibly introduced to the United States, by writer Stanton Delaplane. He brought it to the attention of Jack Koeppler, a bartender at the Buena Vista Hotel in San Francisco and asked him to recreate it. The cream kept sinking when Koeppler tried to make the drink, so he traveled to the source, Chef Joe Sheridan in Limerick, Ireland to learn the correct way to make the drink.If you love Irish Coffee, give this recipe from thekitchn.com a try.

I guess you can say I’m getting into the proper Christmas spirits...Sbiten is a traditional Slavic hot winter beverage. It has a dark purple appearance and can be very spicy and/or very sweet. It had the reputation of a Russian Glühwein, although it normally contains no alcohol. Sbiten is a non-alcoholic drink and has existed since the early 12 century and has been quite popular all over Russia among people of all backgrounds. Eventually coffee and tea took precedence and this hot beverage lost its place.

However, certain manufacturers in Russia have revived the Sbiten recipe and are mass producing the beverage, to restore the popularity of the drink. Sbiten is prepared by mixing honey, water, spices and jam and boiling them together. Another way to prepare the drink is to make a sbiten flavor by mixing spices and juices and combining it with honey, which is then boiled to make a highly aromatic and delicious drink.

If you want to sample Sbiten, see this recipe from Russian Kitchen.

Canelazo is a hot alcoholic beverage consumed in the Andean highlands of Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. It is a hot spiced cinnamon drink, usually made with a sugar cane based alcohol called aguardiente. Its origins date back to Colombia but street vendors in Ecuador sell it during Christmas.

Check out this recipe at the Travel Bite.

Beer. Do I need to say anything else? Especially when it comes to German beer. No recipe listed here. Just go to the store and try Heller Bock.
Brewer: Mahr’s Brau, Bamberg, Germany
Style: Bock
ABV: 6.8%

It’s beginning to look a lot like cocktails! Toast with this creamy, sweet, Chilean drink. Made with milk and flavored with hints of coffee and cloves, it’s a fabulous must try beverage. It’s easy to make and perfect for those who don’t enjoy eggnog. I actually do enjoy egg nog though. It’s an excellent way to get you into the holiday spirit!