Spirited Tastes: Spiked Coffee, Hot Toddies and More

Hot Toddy On a blustery winter afternoon, after a day spent shopping or running errands in freezing temperatures, it's just too hard to decide. Will it be a steaming cup of robust coffee, soothing tea, or rich hot chocolate? Or is a cocktail the only thing that will truly soothe a weary soul? Well, how about both, together, in one cup? Spiked coffees and other hot toddies provide the perfect antidote to winter's harsh bite.

In its original and most basic form, a hot toddy consists of hard liquor-such as whiskey, rum, or brandy-mixed with a hot beverage-such as coffee, tea, cocoa, or water. There is usually a sweetener involved, and some type of aromatic-such as cinnamon, cloves, or citrus zest-is often infused into the hot liquid. Sometimes a little pat of butter is swirled in at the end. Simple versions of hot toddies can be found in cookbooks dating back to the late 1800s-and some not-so-simple versions as well.

An early edition of The Joy of Cooking provides formulas for such intriguing and/or silly sounding libations as Vin Brûlé, Grog, Glogg, and a Hot Tom and Jerry. For a Vin Brûlé, wine, cinnamon, orange, and sugar are quickly heated to a simmer, and ignited. Grog is just a kooky name for a pretty basic form of hot toddy-rum, lemon juice, sugar, and hot tea-while the more intriguing Glogg calls for aquavit and red wine infused with orange zest, cardamom, and cloves. This mulled mixture is then poured hot over whole almonds and raisins. (A cocktail you can chew. Hmmm...) The Hot Tom and Jerry involves whipped egg whites and beaten yolks fortified with powdered sugar, spices, and rum before being portioned into mugs. Hot water, milk, or coffee is then added, creating a cappuccino-like float.

Spiked coffees are the contemporary version of the hot toddy. Most restaurant bars offer the obligatory list of "international" coffees, which consist of a shot of liqueur added to a plain old cup of coffee, embellished with a dollop of whipped cream, and named after whichever country the particular liqueur is associated with. A Mexican coffee, for example, might call for Kahlua or Tia Maria, while an Italian coffee will likely call for Amaretto, Frangelico, or Sambuca. An Irish coffee, of course, calls for Irish whiskey, and so on. More creative versions combine two or more liqueurs. The Nutty Irishman sports both Irish cream liqueur and hazelnut liqueur, while a Keoke coffee brings together coffee liqueur, crème de cacao, and brandy.

In Italy, a charming version of spiked coffee is often served after dinner in the form of un caffe corretto, or "corrected coffee." The term refers to the practice of pouring a small jigger of grappa or other cordial directly into a freshly brewed shot of espresso, thereby "correcting" it. The Spanish version is called carajillo, and for this a few granules of ground coffee are simmered with brandy, sugar, and lemon zest and then added to a shot of espresso.

At A Bar of Chocolate, in Portland, Maine, owner Sara Martin serves as both bartender and barista,* and offers her customers a variety of spiked hot beverages. Because her establishment is both a coffee shop and a bar, she takes the quality of the coffee she uses in her spiked drinks seriously. Martin uses Jim's Organic Coffee, saying, "You need a nice, robust, strong coffee," to make a good coffee drink. One customer favorite is the Boozachino, a cappuccino with any two liqueurs added. Hot chocolate with crème de menthe or raspberry liqueur is popular, too, and she has had requests for a shot of vanilla vodka added to a cup of chai tea. "I'll pretty much do whatever someone wants," she says, and even for the simpler drinks, she likes to add special touches. For Irish whiskey, she heats Jameson whiskey with brown sugar and brews a dark roast coffee. She insists on using freshly whipped cream for her hot cocktails, rather than settling for the convenience of something from a canister.

At J. Buck's Espresso & Wine Bar, in Amesbury, Massachusetts, owner Jenny Gann Buck starts many of her spiked coffee drinks with freshly brewed, organic hazelnut or vanilla coffee.

When she first thought about opening her own place, a little over a year ago, her plan was to open just a coffee shop. "I'm from California," she says, "and when I moved out here, I couldn't get a really good cup of coffee." Amesbury in particular, says Gann Buck, didn't really have a coffee shop where you could go and sit and relax over a cup of good brew. She decided to open a place where customers could do just that, but when she heard that someone else was already opening a coffee shop, she decided to open a wine bar instead. Then the competitor's plans fell through, so she opened both.

Because J. Buck's opened without a full liquor license, Gann Buck thought her customers would be drinking coffee or beer, wine, and port, but her license allows for an array of cordials, so spiked coffees have proven to be popular. "We have a few coffees that will warm you up for the winter," she says. "Any freshly brewed coffee or latte can be spiced up with your choice of Kahlua, Baileys, or Amaretto," she says.

Gann Buck still likes her original idea of having a glass of port or dessert wine alongside an espresso with a nice pastry. "We have seven ports, a fabulous viognier late harvest dessert wine, and a chocolate-infused dessert wine that goes great with our selection of hand-made truffles."

At Popovers on the Square, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, bar manager Matthew Clark is happy to oblige customer requests for hot cocktails. He notes that drinks made with espresso and cappuccino, rather than just a plain old cup of coffee, are catching on. For the winter, Clark puts his chilled martini menu on hiatus and changes the focus to hot cocktails. He plans to serve a warmed-up version of his Raspberry Mochatini with Chambord and a Godiva Liqueur and Espresso, and will be creating daily batches of homemade hot chocolate for his Irish Hot Cocoa with Bailey's. He is also looking forward to one of his wintertime favorites, Spiced Hot Cider fortified with rum.

Are you tempted? Turn to page 119 for winter warmers to try at home.

Traditional Irish Coffee

Serves 2

Irish coffee shouldn't be stirred once the whipped cream is added. Instead, the flavors of the whiskey and the coffee should be sipped through the cream.

4 ounces (1⁄2 cup) Irish whiskey, divided
4 teaspoons brown sugar, divided
2 cups freshly brewed strong coffee
1⁄2 cup unsweetened freshly whipped cream

1. Heat two coffee mugs by filling with boiling water. Once the mugs are hot to the touch, pour out the hot water.

2. Place 4 tablespoons Irish whiskey and 2 teaspoons brown sugar in each mug and stir to dissolve the sugar.

3. Pour one cup of coffee into each mug and stir to combine.

4. Divide the whipped cream evenly between each mug. Serve immediately.

Chai Toddy

Serves 2

2 chai tea bags
1⁄2 cup whole milk
1⁄4 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons sugar
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) vanilla vodka, divided
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) cinnamon schnapps, divided
Cinnamon, for garnish

1. In a small pan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the tea bags and let steep for 4 minutes.

2. Keeping the tea bags in the pan, add the milk, half-and-half and sugar, and heat to almost a simmer.

3. Heat two coffee mugs by filling with boiling water. Once the mugs are hot to the touch, pour out the hot water.

4. Place 2 tablespoons vanilla vodka and 1 tablespoon cinnamon schnapps in each mug.

5. Remove the tea bags from the hot tea mixture. Divide the hot tea mixture evenly between the two mugs. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve immediately.

Orange Truffle Café Corretto

Serves 2

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) Grand Marnier or other high

quality orange brandy, divided

1 ounce semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, grated

2 freshly brewed espresso shots

1. Place 3 tablespoons of the Grand Marnier into each of two brandy snifters. Place the snifters in the microwave and heat for about 30 seconds, or until the Grand Marnier is hot.

2. Remove from the microwave and divide the grated chocolate evenly between the two snifters.

3. Pour the hot espresso shots into the snifters. Serve immediately.