A NOTE TO OUR READERS:
"Holiday Cheer" is from the Home for the Holidays 2007 issue of Southern Living.
Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all
information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans.
Take a sip of the season. Hot or cold, celebratory or calming,
we've found the perfect drinks to pleasure your holiday palate. Savor
the flavor—and think of yourself!
Mexico in a Cup
Destination: Hugo's in Houston, where chef Hugo Ortega shares his
traditions; www.hugosrestaurant.net.
The Drink: Hot Mexican Coffee (aka Café de Olla)
Yum Factor: Coffee infused with Mexican cinnamon; piloncillo (an
unrefined sugar); and cocoa beans from Oaxaca, Mexico, ground in Hugo's
kitchen. Imagine the taste of caramel, chocolate, and coffee with a
smidgen of orange.
Other Holiday Options: Request lechero, a steamy drink of coffee
and two kinds of hot milk, poured into the glass simultaneously or
ponche (a punch of apple juice, guava, sugarcane, and cinnamon).
Simmer the Wine
Destination: Château Morrisette,
in Floyd, Virginia, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway;
www.chateaumorrisette.com .
The Drink: Black Dog Mulled Wine
Yum Factor: A semidry red wine blend heated and infused with
cinnamon sticks, dried orange peel, allspice, cloves, natural apple
cider, and brown sugar; it's served beside a roaring fireplace in the
32,000-square-foot winery.
Other Holiday Options: Take the $5 tasting tour any day, or stop
by the holiday open houses for free mulled cider wine from noon to 4
p.m. on December 1, 2, 8, and 9.
Chillin' Out
Destination: The Ritz-Carlton Amelia
Island, Florida; www.ritzcarlton.com.
The Drink: Grandma's Cookies
Yum Factor: A martini glass, rimmed with red sugar, brimming with
shaken-not-stirred cinnamon Schnapps, butterscotch Schnapps, and Baileys
Original Irish Cream.
Other Holiday Options: Jeff Dziak, food and beverage director at
The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, also suggests a Cranberry Christmas
Cooler: frozen cranberry concentrate, Champagne, and a few berries for
fun.
