Hot Drink

The addition of an anise-flavored liqueur turns this hot cocoa into the liquid version of chocolate-covered licorice.

Hard liquor, served hot. In times past, hot toddies were often prescribed as a head-cold remedy. Today, liquor as medication is generally frowned upon because of its dehydrating effects. However, if you're one of those people who can't tolerate over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, this beverage may offer the relief you need—just drink an extra glass of water to replenish your body.

"If rum won't give you that warming glow of wellness, the hot tea will." -Benjamin Schiller, beverage director of The Berkshire Room

With a twist of French Vanilla, this Hot Vanilla Chai from CARNATION BREAKFAST ESSENTIALS® is the perfect way to stay warm during frosty winter days.

Perfect for the fall, this Pumpkin Spice Latte will warm you up inside. Try this CARNATION BREAKFAST ESSENTIALS® reader-submitted recipe today!

In North Africa (and Marseille!) mint tea is generally drunk enormously sweet—the kind of sweetness that makes you a bit thirsty—which is exactly how I like it. Start with 1/4 cup of sugar and add more if you want it sweeter. To avoid any bitterness, do not let the tea boil once the mint has been added. For an earthy, Tunisian touch, dry roast a handful of pine nuts and drop them in the glass just before serving.

Miód Pitny na Ciepł Mead—fermented honey—is a Polish drink that goes back to the Middle Ages. In Polish sagas and epics, warriors drink mead before battles. Even now it has an indefinable, and probably undeserved, reputation as a healthier form of alcohol. In Poland you can buy bottled mead, the making of which grows more sophisticated every year. At a dinner organized in Warsaw not long ago by Slow Food Polska—the Polish branch of the international Slow Food movement—Anne was served several extraordinary organic meads, each made by a slightly different method. The company that produces them, Pasieka Jaros, has been researching and experimenting with ancient methods of mead production for more than thirty years. This recipe is something slightly different: It's a hot form of Honey and Ginger Spiced–Vodka, which you can make at home. Serve this as a winter cocktail—or after a day spent cross-country skiing—and drink it in front of a roaring fire.

Swap out your morning coffee with matcha for an antioxidant boost.

Way to warm up the room—especially if it's spiked.

This heady mulled wine recipe is perfect for the holiday season—or any time you’re looking for something fragrant and cozy.

Homemade hot cocoa is in a category all by itself, and once you try this rich, vanilla-infused version developed by cookbook author Tracey Seaman, you’ll find just how much is missing from the store-bought variety. Use the highest-quality chocolate and vanilla you can find—Valrhona, Lindt, and Ghirardelli are all great options. And if you really love the delicate warm notes of vanilla, go ahead and use the full bean. Turn this decadent treat into an edible gift with decorative canisters, crocks, jars, or even cellophane bags, then trim your presents in festive ribbon and attach gift tags with the serving directions.

This is the water-based ganache that we use as the foundation for our hot chocolates and mochas . After extensive tests by our training department, we found that using water (rather than milk or cream) to melt the chocolate yielded the most rich and delicious drinks. We're lucky to have neighbors on both coasts who make chocolate for us; in San Francisco, we use a drinking chocolate made by TCHO, and in New York, we use a single origin dark chocolate made by the Mast Brothers. The type of chocolate you use will affect the strength of the ganache, so you may need to adjust the amount to taste.

Sure, the mocha is often a gateway to other coffee drinks—it just takes some customers longer to move along than others. One of our very first regulars at the Hayes Valley kiosk became so addicted to mochas that, at the apex of his habit, he consumed five mochas in one day, earning the nickname Five Mocha David. Eventually, David moved on to drinking straight black coffee, but he hasn't been able to shake his chocolately moniker. Since the ganache is extra-thick and is used warm, we have to respectfully deny requests for iced mochas; we've found the chocolate will seize up into unsightly globs in a cold and icy environment.
Note: omit the espresso and voilà, you've got a hot chocolate.

Beef "tea?" Is that like beef broth? Well, kind of. It's a dish that goes back in time to the days when the British were trying to find the essence of what gave beef its nutritional value. Since this was before vitamins and protein were known, they weren't sure what they were looking for. Along the way, somebody noticed that this very mild liquid was soothing and comforting. Give it a try when you're feeling under the weather, but don't go looking for a scientific reason for its effectiveness. For steeping the "tea," you will need a 1-quart wide-mouth glass jar or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.

These cinnamon-sugar dusted fritters are traditionally dunked in a cup of creamy hot chocolate—and who are we to argue with tradition?