hot toddy and mulled wine

The weather has finally cooled down – to the lovely point of chilly! Since our Fall Picnic was held outside, as the best picnics are, I needed my signature cocktails to be hot.

I made hot toddies and mulled wine. The wine is spicy and tasty, but the hot toddy – the hot toddy is the BOMB!

You’ll need tea bags for the toddy. I use my favorite Ginger Twist tea from Mighty Leaf Tea because apple and ginger are the absolute loveliest combination. Any tea you like will work just fine, from Breakfast to Earl Grey and beyond.

Along with the drink recipes, allow me to show you the way I set up the buffet table.

Plaid was a big part of the theme, so this vintage Thermos brand oval cooler fit right in. I filled it with ice and placed bottles of “Butter” white wine inside and a couple of bottles of “Jam” red wine next to it. How perfect are Butter and Jam for a picnic?!?  By the way, the wines are made by Jam Cellars and I found them at Costco.

In front of the cooler, sits a cute 3-step metal server filled with French radishes and salt, seedless grapes, and cute mini white pumpkins.

• Next to the cooler is a cloth-lined wicker picnic basket filled with herb plants.
• The cork-filled urn, with the candle in the middle, is my everyday centerpiece of this outdoor table, I left it since it fits right in.
• A plaid tin filled with fresh flowers sits on an overturned vintage Pepsi crate along with my prized vintage plaid thermos. Mason jars were used to serve the drinks because my plaid mugs are packed away with the Christmas stuff.
• Wicker domes cover the main course sandwiches.

The tall plaid thermos was just a prop and not used for the cocktails, instead, I had the wine in the smaller red thermos and the hot toddy in the green thermos.

Hot Toddy

• 4 cups apple cider
• 6 tablespoons honey
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus another lemon cut into slices for garnish
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 4 tea bags
• 8 ounces brandy

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, bring the cider, honey, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the honey.

Remove from heat, add the tea bags and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and stir in the brandy.

Remove the cinnamon sticks and place one stick in each of the four mugs or Mason jars. Pour the hot toddy into a thermos.

Garnish each mug or jar with a lemon wedge and allow guests to serve themselves.

Serves 4

Mulled Wine

• 1 bottle red wine
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tablespoons cardamom pods
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1/2 cup sugar

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to simmer, stir to dissolve sugar, then simmer an additional 10 minutes for flavors to blend.

Strain the wine into a thermos and provide mugs or Mason jars for guests to help themselves.

Serves 4