Oh the holidays! How I love you. So many presents. So much warmth. So much food. And of course, so much family time. And of course, I love sipping on a Ginger Apple Hot Toddy.
Over the next few days, you might find yourself in a typical holiday scenario: piled into the den, grandma and dog included, watching a movie that the whole family, after a ridiculous 15-minute debate, has finally decided on.
At first everything will be fine, the movie will be moving right along, you might even be having a little fun…until, the film’s two lead actors start to kiss and get all attracted to each other while on this random killing spree/adventure.
You think nothing of it, until their kissy-face-action starts again, and then next thing you know, you’re watching a sex scene with grandma. This is terrible, guys. This is what awkward is.
Even though grandma has birthed five children, and her children have birthed children, it doesn’t matter! Watching sex scenes with grandma/mom/dad is embarrassing.
What you need is a scapegoat, a reason to high-tail it out of the family den. Sure, you could fake a “I have to go tinkle” situation, but you risk returning and it still being on!
My vote is for this scenario: popcorn-making or even better, hot toddy-making…
My hot-toddy-making/consuming obsession has been in high-gear for the last month.
I realized that not every hot toddy was treated equally.
Some employ rum, gin or bourbon. (Bourbon, hi!)
Others like their hot toddies to have the flavor of tea, think Earl Grey or English Breakfast, heavily-spiked.
Other people are purists and like it with hot water, a squeeze of lemon, honey and whiskey.
In the past month, I’ve had more than 5 or 6 different takes on this drink, and the one you see pictured is my favorite.
I start with unfiltered apple juice (and I used my favorite, Martinelli’s). And then add spices like freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon and star anise. I add a few slices of lemon, a heaping tablespoon of honey and a few glugs (weird word) of bourbon.
I’m a little heavy-handed with the bourbon, so I apologize. (Not really.)
This variation is one that I’ve decided I love the best.
The recipe time on this is about 15 minutes.
Ginger Apple Hot Toddy
Ingredients
- 4 cups apple cider
- 2/3 cup bourbon whiskey
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 whole cinnamon stick
- 3 whole star anise
- 3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger from a 1-inch knob
- 4 lemon slices
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Add apple cider, bourbon, honey, cinnamon sticks, star anise, grated ginger, lemon and nutmeg to a medium pot and place it over medium heat.
- Slowly bring the mixture up to a gentle simmer; once the mixture reaches a simmer, bring it down to low heat and steep for
- 10 minutes. Divide mixture between 4 to 6 mugs and garnish with cinnamon sticks, star anise or lemon slices.
Ginger & bourbon are a match made in heaven.
Sex scenes and parents/grandparents are not!
Funny story, when I was like 14, I asked my grandma to take me to see Austin Powers in Goldmember. Now THAT was awkward…But also kind of hilarious.
wow!
http://studsanddreams.blogspot.co.uk/
Bahahaha! I still feel it is so weird watching movies with sex scenes with my parents. It gets to be that weird deafening silence where nobody even breathes because everbody is so uncomfortable, sigh, the holidays!
Oh my gosh, I didn’t know that other people had this hangup too. My mom and I have a pretty open relationship, so I don’t really care about watching inappropriate stuff with her, but it’s kind of mortifying with my dad. My sister and I came up with the brilliant solution of googling “insert movie name here” + “parents guide” before suggesting movie options to our dad now. That way you can find out exactly how much nudity and sexytime you’ll have to sit through, and make an alternate decision if necessary.
Anyway, this drink looks delicious! I’m all about drinking my booze hot this time of year!
Making a delicious drink is ALWAYS the perfect way to avoid an awkward situation with the fam! Yours looks especially delightful!
I’m SO making these – we’re doing Christmas with our best friends this year and I have a feeling they’ll be a huge hit!
I love your fun party sparkly nail!
When I was a kid and we’d be watching a movie as a family and some illicit scene snuck on, my parents would make usput our hand over our eyes. Super effective; I know. As a 27 year old grown woman, I still do the exact same thing if I happen to be watching a movie with my parents and some kind of sexy times flash across the screen. I can’t help myself!
I never knew what a hot toddy was…I always heard about it though! Hmmm…maybe I’ll try it out!
Ergo – Blog
I hate whiskey and I would happily drink that entire pot full!
My family has always been pretty open about sex, yet I still die a little inside whenever there’s a sex scene in something that we all watch. Ugh, I want to throw up just thinking about it.
I love a hot toddy. We like to make a big pot of this when it’s gross outside and we have friends over: http://lollingabout.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/wasted-wednesday-hot-rummy-lemonade/
so worse than watching sex scenes with your family is watching them with your boyfriend in the room. like so awkward. and yes, i’m almost 30 and i can’t handle it.
Oh my yum! I loooove making up versions of ho toddys as well, my fav uses apple cider from TJ’s!
Yum! Sounds like just the thing to cure my cold 🙂 I might have some tomorrow with one of these mince pies: http://wakemeupwithasmile.wordpress.com/2012/12/21/mini-mince-pies/
Anise, cinnamon, and nutmeg a perfect triptych!
Count me in not only for hot toddy but with feeling awkward watching sex scenes with my parents! But here multitasking comes in hand – usually when I watch something with my family at the same time I read book or magazine so when the sex scene comes I dive into reading, takes awkwardness away as miracle 🙂