10 Of the best warming drinks

Comfort can come in all sorts of ways: one of my favourite is in a mug.  Coffee is great, but sometimes you don’t want the caffeine hit. Luckily, there are lots of other delicious concoctions to try. Here are some the best:

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Turmeric lattes are all the rage at the moment, and they fit the warming drink brief exactly. A great recipe for a homemade instant turmeric latte powder: mix this up once, and you can have a mug of hot, vibrant turmeric and coconut flavoured drink in as much time as it takes to boil a kettle.

Get the recipe for instant turmeric latte 

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The classic hot drink is, of course, hot chocolate. This drinking chocolate recipe is a lot more than just empty a sachet and add boiling water: it uses red wine to intensify the chocolate taste and give the drink a bit of a kick. It’s topped with traditional mini marshmallows for extra indulgence.

Get the recipe for red wine hot chocolate 

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Sahlab, also known as salep, is a thick fragrant milky drink made originally made from ground orchids, and flavoured with vanilla and rosewater. Generally thickened with cornflower rather than the orchids nowadays, it’s a Middle Eastern drink that deserves a wider audience.

Get the recipe for Sahlab

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Another hot chocolate, but again not a run-of-the-mill recipe. This recipe uses almond milk (or plant milk of your choice), raw cacao and tahini for a nutty flavour, sweetened with honey, or maple syrup for vegans. Deliciously different.

Get the recipe for tahini hot chocolate 

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From the familiar to something a bit less common: sea buckthorn. Packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein and fibre, sea buckthorn is one of the most nutrient- and vitamin-dense foods in the world. The berries might be more difficult to acquire, but the juice is available online, and here’s a great way of turning it into a vibrantly coloured warming drink with a difference.

Get the recipe for magic sea buckthorn tea with honey and cinnamon 

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Milk meets spices again in khas khas doodh. Originating from India, it’s warming, earthy and has a hint of sweetness. It’s based on white poppy seeds, and includes almonds, cardamom and sugar. This recipe also adds some turmeric for an extra hit of flavour.

Get the recipe for khas khas doodh 

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There are plenty of edible conifers: pine, for example, as well as spruce and fir. You can also eat the nuts, bark and needles of the pine tree. Here’s a traditional tea made using tree needles, from any of these three species. Just go with a tree that wouldn’t have been sprayed with chemicals and is situated away from a road.

Get the recipe for healing conifer tea    

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From something oozing naturalness and healthiness, to a warming drink that’s pure indulgence. Hot chocolate with peanut butter, topped again with mini marshmallows and for the full effect. Not one for every day, but for when you really want to treat yourself to an over-the-top drink.

Get the recipe for peanut butter hot chocolate 

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Halloween is the season when pumpkin spice is everywhere. It’s not, however, necessary to visit a coffee shop to treat yourself to this tasty flavour combination: here’s a recipe for an easy-to-make pumpkin spice drink to whip up at home. You can roast and puree pumpkins, and freeze in portions to make this drink easy to make from scratch in not too much time.

Get the recipe for hot pumpkin spice drink 

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Finally, another staple of the coffee shop: the chai tea latte. Here’s a vegan version, using spices, black tea, oat or other plant milk, sweetened with maple syrup and topped with coconut whip cream. Delicious!

Get the recipe for vegan chai tea latte

Helen Best-Shaw, is a freelance food & travel writer, recipe developer & photographer. She has been blogging at Fuss Free Flavours for over 10 years.

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