As soon as we enter the month of December, all I think of are the Christmas carols and a joyful holiday season. My excitement knows no bounds once the festivities begin. With a lot of enthusiasm, I take out the Christmas tree every year and decorate it with all the colourful hangings, cute little stockings, candy sticks and miniature Santas too. The star on the top is like icing on the cake. Swirling a string of lights over the tree in a zigzag pattern, it shines brightly in the dark. Another thing that gets me super excited is hot chocolate.
Every year, we prepare hot chocolate for the season and drink it together as a family while watching a Christmas movie. However, hot chocolate is not the only beverage to rejoice. There are a plenty of special holiday drinks that can add to the celebrations. Coffee is one of them. With the cold winds blowing and the weather becoming chilly, a hot beverage is usually on our list. Hot and warm jackets and sweaters might protect us externally but it’s a hot cup of coffee that can provide you with the inner warmth.
Picture this. It is a cold winter night and you are all cozy in your blanket, reading your favourite book in dim light. You turn the pages of the book with one hand while sipping a hot cup of coffee from the other hand. Seems surreal, doesn’t it? While there are a plethora of ways to brew a cup of coffee, there are some specials which are best aligned with spirits of the holiday season.
From special spice mixes to other ingredients, there are hosts of ways in which you can spruce up your regular coffee and give it a touch of the season. Here are some winter coffees that you can try to keep up with the festive spirits.
1. Caramel Brulee Latte
Coffee has a strong and aromatic flavour which when mixed with milk, gives a strong colour. To balance that out, a tinge of caramel can be enough to sweeten the brew. The essence of vanilla adds to the taste as well as appetizing aroma of this festive latte.
2. Mint Chocolate Coffee
This might not be your cliché idea of coffee but is definitely worth a try. A unique take on the regular hot chocolate, this is a perfect union of coffee and chocolate. Mint-flavoured chocolate gives the otherwise pure white drink a beautiful shade of green. Drop an expresso shot in that glass and get a minty dose of caffeine this holiday season.
3. Gingerbread Latte
The festive season is full of tables, laden with pies, puddings, cookies and gingerbreads. The aroma of ginger is symbolically associated with the festive cheer and works well for the winter season too. With the freshness of cinnamon and ginger, this latte might feel like a bite of ginger bread to you.
4. Pumpkin Spice Coffee
The specialty of this popular winter drink has to be the spice mix. Yes, it has the flavour of pumpkin and it is delicious. The combination of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and a few other spices is blended together with the coffee, whipped cream and sweetener. The brewed coffee is poured into a glass and topped off with a scoop of cream.
5. Peppermint Coffee
The strong aroma of peppermint captures the holiday mood pretty well and lends a festive smell in the air. Dunk the peppermint in your cup of coffee and spruce it up with some sprinklers on top.
6. Irish Coffee
Want to get a little boozy this holiday season? A cup of Irish coffee would be enough to do that. The highlight of this coffee is that it is actually a cocktail. The hot coffee is brewed along with sugar and Irish whiskey. This concoction is poured in a glass and finished off with a dollop of cream.
7. Log Cabin Latte
Infused with the essence of maple syrup, this coffee is all things sweet and strong. Cinnamon and butter lend a distinct taste to the drink while the contrast of expresso and maple syrup blends really well into the holiday flavours.