Alcohol-Free Holiday Drink Recipes 2015

It’s the holiday season once again. Just because you want to avoid alcohol doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a festive beverage. Try one of these alcohol-free holiday drinks.

 Hot Spiced Cider

Ingredients
·         6 c. apple cider
·         6 cinnamon sticks
·         10 cardamom pods
·         2 tsp. whole cloves
·         1 tsp. allspice berries
·         ¼ tsp. black peppercorns

Directions
Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Strain into mugs and serve hot.

Peppermint Eggnog

Ingredients
·         6 large eggs
·         2 large egg yolks
·         1/2 cup sugar
·         2 tablespoons more sugar
·         1/4 teaspoon salt
·         1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
·         1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
·         4 cups whole milk
·         12 peppermint candy canes, broken into pieces
·         3 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
·         1/2 cup heavy cream
·         Peppermint sticks, for garnish

Directions
1.    Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, sugar, salt, and the extracts in large saucepan over medium-low heat until combined. Pour in milk in a slow, steady stream, whisking until fully incorporated. Raise heat to medium. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 30 to 35 minutes.

2.    Pour milk mixture through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Set bowl in ice-water bath; let mixture cool completely. Transfer custard to an airtight container, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

3.    Process candy canes in a food processor until finely crushed. Sift in a strainer to discard dust. Transfer to a shallow dish.

4.    Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Let cool 5 minutes. Dip rim of each cup into melted chocolate, then crushed peppermint. Refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.

5.    Remove custard from refrigerator; set aside. Put cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; mix on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into cold custard until combined. Fill cups with eggnog. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint, and garnish with peppermint sticks; serve.

 Blood orange cocktail

Ingredients
·         1 liter of blood orange Italian soda
·         1 cup of raspberries
·         1/2 cup of orange sugar crystals
·         1/2 cup of honey

Directions

1.    Add the honey to a shallow plate. Add the sugar crystals to another shallow plate. Neatly dip the top of each glass into the honey and then dip into the sugar.

2.    Pour the blood orange soda and top with a few raspberries.

Note: If you can’t find blood orange Italian soda, mix sparling water with blood orange juice and sweeten as needed with simple syrup.

** Photo: Jennifer Bartoli