MONSOON COCKTAIL - How to Make Hot Cocktails

MONSOON COCKTAIL

Two Hot Cocktails to Warm You up in the Rain

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Monsoon Rains have arrived in Pune. It is raining incessantly all day – windy, damp, cold, squalls of rain drench me from the insides as I stand in my balcony in Wakad enjoying the awesome view of the Misty Mula Valley, surrounded by the instantly Green Hills, and the silhouette of the mighty Sinhagad Fort barely visible in the distance.

In order to enhance the experience of such moments you desperately need something to warm your insides.

A cup of tea?

Let us fortify your tea with something stronger.

Here are two recipes for Tea Based Hot Cocktails from my Foodie Archives – Take your pick …

WHISKY TEA TODDY

Here is one of my favourite “Hot Cocktails” – a rousing Whisky Tea Toddy – just the right thing to fire you up inside out on the dampest of days and coldest of nights – a recipe breathtaking in its simplicity.

By the way, I am sure you know there are five ways of making a cocktail:

1. Layering

2. Building

3. Blending

4. Shaking

5. Stirring.

Here we will “build” our Whisky Tea Toddy, which means that we will pour the ingredients directly in a large mug (or a glass tumbler), one by one, strictly in the order given in the recipe below.

Brew one cup of steaming hot tea (orange pekoe steeped for 5 minutes if you prefer the flavour and aroma or your usual “boiled” CTC tea if you want it strong and rejuvenating).

Strain and keep the tea brew piping hot on the stove or in a vacuum flask.

Now let us “Build” our Whisky Toddy Cocktail.

1. First, pour a generous spoon of Honey into a glass (or mug). Let the honey settle at the bottom of the glass.

2. Add a large peg of Whisky.

3. Optional Ingredient (Lemon Juice) - The person who taught me this recipe liked to squeeze in a wee bit of lemon juice, but I prefer it without the lemon juice – you can experiment and see for yourself, but if you do add just a very few drops. Remember, just add the drops of lemon juice – Do Not Stir at this stage and ruin the Cocktail.

4. Pour in the steaming hot brewed Tea

Now that you have “built up” your Cocktail you can give it a light stir to enable all the ingredients to mix.

Now cuddle up on your warm sofa and sip the invigorating Tea Toddy.

Close your eyes, focus on your insides as the hot whisky toddy goes down inside you and experience how it warms you inside out.

If you prefer, try a large peg of Brandy instead of Whisky, but do not substitute Rum in lieu of the Whisky.

Rum Toddy is made differently –  this cocktail is “blended” not “built” and you will really have “spice it up”.

I am giving below the recipe for Rum Toddy.

RUM TODDY - A ZESTY HOT COCKTAIL

(A Spicy Cocktail with Tea, Rum and Brandy)

1. Brew one cup of steaming hot tea (orange pekoe steeped for 5 minutes if you prefer the flavour and aroma or your usual “boiled” CTC tea if you want it strong and rejuvenating).

2. Strain the tea in another vessel and keep this tea brew simmering on a slow flame.

3. Add a few cloves (lavang), a pinch of nutmeg (Jaiphal) powder, a small stick of cinnamon (dalchini), close the lid and simmer for some time.

4. Blend in a teaspoon of honey.

5. Pour in One Large Peg of Rum and blend in.

6. Pour in One Large Peg of Brandy and blend in.

7. The moment the concoction boils, strain and pour into a glass tumbler.

This steaming hot spicy rum cocktail is guaranteed to warm your insides and drive away the chill on a cold, damp, wet, rainy day.

(If you are allergic to tea, use water instead of tea and caramelized sugar instead of honey, for both the Whisky and Rum Hot Cocktails)

Hey, what are you waiting for?

Just rush to your Kitchen (or Bar) and quickly make your Hot Cocktail and “Down the Hatch” – I guarantee it will enliven your spirits on the dampest, wettest and coldest of monsoon days.

Do tell us which of these two cocktails you liked more.

Cheers.

Top Up and Dance in the Rain and enjoy the Monsoon Season. 

VIKRAM KARVE 

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

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About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
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Email: vikramkarve@sify.com

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.