Boozy or not, this hot cocktail looks almost too pretty to drink and is a warming, wintry way to welcome guests or just to enjoy a quiet, dark November night at home. It’s a good way to warm up after you’ve been watching the fireworks, too.
Ingredients
Serves 4
2 satsumas, peeled and segmented
5cm of fresh ginger root
8 x star anise
1 tsp black peppercorns
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp juniper berries
4 x 10cm cinnamon sticks
1ltr unsweetened cranberry juice
2 tbsp honey
2 shots of whisky (optional)
for the topping:
2 tbsp unrefined golden sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
To make
1 Place all the ingredients (except for the topping ingredients) into a large pan over a medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, while stirring, for 10 mins.
2 Meanwhile, mix the topping ingredients in a dish. Slightly dampen the top of each glass with a little water, then dip into the sugar mix.
3 Strain the hot spiced cranberry juice through a sieve into each glass, then add two star anise, a cinnamon stick and a few satsuma segments to each glass to garnish.
4 Add half a shot of whisky to each, if desired, and serve while still warm.
This Hot Cranberry Toddy is just one of the recipes from our November Gathering Pages, which we’ve called ‘Craft-A-Peel’. It’s a menu of snacks and finger foods to fuel you and a few friends while you make decorations for winter together. It also includes recipes for Pomegranate and Goat’s Cheese Bites, French Chestnut Soup, Spiced Flatbreads, Stollen Traybake and a Turmeric Hot Tipple. The recipes and styling are by Kay Prestney and the photography is by Rebecca Lewis.
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