WINTER WARMERS

INTERNAL COMBUSTION

HUNKERING DOWN BENEATH A BLANKET, ZIPPING UP IN A ONESIE OR PLACING YOUR SLIPPERED FEET A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE HEATER OR FIRE IS PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE DURING THE COLD SEASON. BUT THERE’S AN ALTOGETHER MORE PLEASANT WAY TO PASS THE COLD MONTHS ...

Fishermen have long been known to enjoy a little nip of Old Brown, its sweet, nutty sherried flavour helping to ward off the chills while out on the rocks, beach or lakeside. And many is the spectator at a winter rugby match who might take a short pull on a whisky or brandy-filled hipflask. Or the early morning game drive where the sun peeking over a flat-topped Acacia thorn tree isn’t enough to warm the cockles of the heart – so a splash of Amarula or Wild Africa cream in a mug of coffee does the job. These little alcoholic comforts might make one feel a little warmer but, truth be told, they aren’t really helping.

Medical science shows that drinking alcohol to keep warm is the exact opposite of what anyone should do when chilled! Alcohol is a vasodilator, opening up your blood vessels and making blood rush to your extremities – which explains why people feel warmer because their skin warms up, becoming flushed and slightly red faced after one or two drinks. But this removes blood from the body’s core, causing their temperature to drop.

Furthermore, this vasodilatory effect also stops the body from shivering and getting the chills – which is the body’s way of preserving itself by keeping heat in its core, specifically the heart and other vital organs.

The term ‘hot drinks’ makes people think of things like coffee, tea or possibly hot chocolate. But in CHEERS magazine you know there’s going to be a bit more of a spirited angle to it all! There are a few hot drinks most people would associate with alcohol; glühwein would be one of the first named, and Irish coffee would also be up there – as would the hot toddy although it is most often consumed to ward off flu and colds.

Whether it is winebased glühwein or a honey-sweetened hot toddy [inset] with whisky or brandy, these hot drinks are ideal fireside compatriots.

HOT BUTTERED RUM 100ml rum 200ml water 25g butter 1 orange, zested and juiced 4 cloves 1 star anise 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp maple or golden syrup Heatall the ingredients in a pan until hotbutnotboiling, while stirring. Letitsitfora fewminutes,then strain into glasses ormugs. (Itcan also be poured into a flaskin orderto keep ithot.)

Wikipedia reliably informs that the hot toddy is a mixture of liquor and hot water with honey and/or spices, traditionally served hot. Locally, South Africans tend to make it with a good squeeze of lemon juice, hot water, honey and either whisky or brandy. A twist of lemon peel or even a shaving or two of ginger can be added. The honey soothes the throat, the lemon juice brings the flu and cold fighting vitamin C to the party while ginger is known to reduce muscle pain and aches. The hot water and whisky or brandy add the heat and lingering warm glow.

Glühwein or mulled wine has been around for centuries and is reliably thought to have had its origin

in Roman times. With the Roman legions conquering Helvetia, Gaul and even the island the Anglo-Saxons called home, their practice of heating wine and adding spices became well established and adopted by many of the oppressed nations.

There is even a medieval recipe book dating back to 1390 which details the spices to be used for mulled wine: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, long pepper, marjoram, cardamom and galangal – along with sugar and red wine.

It’s a drink for cold weather and many is the tourist visiting Austria, Germany or Alsace in France in the runup to Christmas who has returned home with one or two of the cheery mugs which glühwein is served in at the many festive markets. One of the best known is held annually in front of Vienna's Rathaus on the large cobbled square dotted with market stalls selling a variety of seasonal fare.

The Irish coffee is believed to have originated around the early 1940’s. It’s said that a chef at the Foynes airbase

flying boat terminal in County Limerick added a healthy glug of the Emerald Isle’s favourite spirit to coffee before topping it all off with cream.

One of those passengers stranded by the inclement weather is believed to have taken the concept back to the United States where the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco became famous for it in the early 1950’s.

However, an alternate version has it that one Joseph Jackson of Jackson’s hotel in County Donegal, Ireland, would make the Irish coffee to keep his fellow soldiers lively and alert while fighting the Germans during World War II.

Something seldom seen in South Africa is hot buttered rum, a drink which apparently signals the winter holiday period in the United States, starting with Thanksgiving in mid-November. Thanks to both Google and Wikipedia we know that in the mid-19th century a bartender called Jerry Thomas noted two recipes for this drink in the Bon-vivant’s Companion or How to Mix Drinks. The first was called Hot Spiced Rum while the second was simply Hot Rum.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN GLÜHWEIN: For every 500ml of red wine, allow one large cup of water, sugar and spice to personal taste. So for a 750ml bottle of red wine, a cup-and-a-half of water and sugar would be needed.

Spices most commonly used include star anise, cinnamon quills, cloves and nutmeg along with strips of orange or lemon zest. Cardamom and ginger can also be used, depending on personal preference.

The delightfully quaint Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management recommends boiling the spice in the water in order to infuse it with the spicy flavour before adding the sugar and wine.

Bring the mixture to the boil and then turn off the heat.

The glühwein should be served piping hot – but not boiling!

Traditionally the drink is mixed with rum, butter, cider or hot water and a variety of aromatic spice – most often cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. In Thomas’ first drink all of the above appear while in his Hot Rum recipe the spices are left out – barring a sprinkling of nutmeg which is grated over the top of the drink.

In a nod to World Chocolate Day which is celebrated on July 7 South African liquor giant Distell commissioned local cocktail specialist Owen O’Reilly to create a winter cocktail or two. One recipe he developed is called the Van Ryn’s Pumpkin Chocolate Pie (published here) – and anyone brave enough to try making it will undoubtedly be surprised at how good roasted pumpkin can taste in boozy liquid form.

But then again, just a mug of hot coffee or cocoa with a shot of your favourite liqueur (Tia Maria, Kahlua, King’s Ginger, Creme de Cacao, Amarula ...) and a dollop of cream, enjoyed by the fireside ticks all the boxes for a boozy hot drink. VAN RYN’S PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE PIE Ingredients:

50 ml Van Ryn’s 10 Year Old Vintage Brandy 35 ml pumpkin puree* 2 heaped teaspoons Hot Chocolate Top with boiling water ( leave space for cream) Whipped cream Preparation: 1 Build all ingredients in a serving vessel. Pour brandy and pumpkin puree into mug/glass. Add the hot chocolate and stir to a paste, add boiling water and stir briskly. 2 Top with whipped cream and garnish with pumpkin puree and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Serve with a dessert spoon.

*Pumpkin puree: 1 Use any dessert pumpkin (butternut works well). Cut pumpkin in four, remove seeds and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice (a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, cloves and dried ginger) and bake at 200°C for an hour or until pumpkin is soft to the touch. 2 While baking, make a spiced syrup: 300ml water with 200g sugar and 2 heaped teaspoons pumpkin pie spice on the stove top. Bring to the boil while stirring and simmer for 10 minutes. 3 Add chunks of baked pumpkin (skin removed) to a blender or food processor and add the spiced syrup. Blend until smooth and strain through a fine strainer. Add a little water if the puree is too thick. Use immediately or store in fridge for up to three days.