What's a cozy, preferably non-alcoholic drink to enjoy for cozy wintery nights?

🇭🇺 Sült tea / 🇨🇿 Pečený čaj

The name means “baked tea” and it is just as popular on Christmas markets in the Visegrád countries as Glühwein (mulled wine) is in Germany. It probably isn’t sold where you live but you can make it at home.

• Sterilize some jam jars.
• Take all sorts of warm wintery fruit (apples, pears, oranges, plums, raisins, grapes, strawberries, cherries, mandarines, blackberries, blueberries, currant, raspberries, figs, anise, lemons) and chop it into small pieces, like 8x8x8 mm at most. Remains from juicers are OK. Add sugar (300 g/fruit kg) and cinnamon (1 tsp/fruit kg), perhaps some spices (such as clove).
• Preheat your oven to 180-220 °C.
• Bake in an open roasting pan for 30 minutes. Stir every 5-10 minutes.
• (Optional) add 100 ml/fruit kg rum and mix it in while the fruit is still hot.
• Fill the jars, wipe their edges, screw on the lids and leave them to cool upside down.

To make the tea, put 1-2 tablespoons of the mix into a mug with 250 ml of hot water. Once you've drunk the fruity tea, use a teaspoon to eat the fruit.

You may argue that it is actually food, and point taken. However, for some reason this is the thing I think of when someone says “beverage”.

Mulled wine. You can go as heavy or as light on the spices you like. I'm a fan of mulled mead. Great cold weather drink.

Just caught N / A. In that case, hot apple cider or a big mug of Earl Grey. Can't go wrong with black tea.

Earl Grey, or fresh mint tea.

You Guys, I settled on Ginger Lemon tea and Chunky™️ Chicken Noodle 😁. Also a king-sized glass of wine...

Lots to try throughout rest of season tho!

I've grown fond of these little chats we have :)

Glögi

Inka Polish grain beverage. Hard to find in US stores but can be ordered. Add the powder to fully boiling water then add what you like. My preference is honey and soy milk to end up like a love child of coffee and hot chocolate.

Simple hot chocolate without any spices is my favourite hot cozy drink

Ponche, Latin American hot fruit drink with chunks of fruit in it. Usually has cinnamon but there's no reason you can't leave it out.

Horlicks/Ovaltine/malted milk

Korean Yuja tea is really nice during cold winter months. It's one of my favorite drinks when it's cold. It's sweet and it warms you right up. You can buy the marmalade at Asian grocery stores.

edit: It's not really tea, but marmalade dissolved in hot water. Sweet, thick and heartwarming. Also the rinds are nice to chew on :)

Mint tea

Eggnog? Often with cinnamon, but there are endless varieties, and I'm sure some have no cinnamon. No chocolate. Rarely spicy.

Try a home recipe; it's not complicated. It's great cold and hot, and it's not bad with a shot of espresso in the morning, either.

Have you ever made eggnog yourself? It’s not that hard and it’s fucking wonderful

Hot camomile tea; can add a spoonful of honey. I buy a pound at a time and lasts a long while.

Milk tea with a pinch of tea masala. Or the simple version, a small pinch each of ginger and cardamom.

Warm milk is my go to hot bedtime drink

Are you looking to relax and willing to shell out $$? Kin Dream Light with pear juice and a little bit of lemon is a lovely non alcoholic nightcap.

Milk kefir is also good, or water kefir from tibicos.

None of these are literally warm, as I live where it's hot. But they are relaxing and non alcoholic. If you aren't sensitive to caffeine, do like the Spanish and have a coffee at night.

I often drink hot water when it is cold outside.

Hot Sake. From what I understand, the expensive stuff is what is generally served cold. The cheap stuff is served hot.