Though people think that spring and summer aren’t the best times for hot drinks and punches, they can still be very comforting on cool summer nights. Some of them are old favorites and some of them can be fairly exotic. But whatever the recipe, they’re delicious on the tongue and warm and cozy in the tummy. A lot of them have a delicious smell, too. Here are nine recipes.

Hot Cocoa

Hot cocoa can be surprisingly complicated to make and require all kinds of exotic or expensive ingredients. But this is a standard recipe.

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tbs. sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 cups milk, preferably hot
• A few drops of vanilla
• Whipped cream

Mix the cocoa, sugar and salt with the water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil gently for about two minutes. Then, add the milk and heat to just the boiling point. Whisk and add a few drops of vanilla. Pour into cups or mugs and add a nice dome of whipped cream.

White Hot Chocolate

• 3 cups of half and half
• 2/3 white chocolate, broken into pieces
• 3 cinnamon stick, about an inch long
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• Ground cinnamon for garnish

In a saucepan combine 1/4 cup of the half and half, the chocolate, the stick cinnamon and the nutmeg. Stir over low heat till the chocolate is melted.

Add remaining half and half and cook till heated through. Remove from the heat and remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Stir in vanilla and almond extract and sprinkle each serving with a bit of ground cinnamon.

Burgundy Cider

• 2 cups water
• 2 large tea bags
• 3 quarts of apple cider
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 whole allspice
• 6 whole cloves
• 6 cinnamon sticks, about three inches long
• 6 whole star anise
• 1 bottle of Burgundy
• Lemon slices and cinnamon sticks for garnish.

Boil two cups of water in a Dutch oven. Remove from heat and add the tea bags. Cover and let stand for five minutes. Discard tea bags after squeezing.

Add the cider, lemon juice, sugar, allspice, cloves cinnamon and star anise. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes. Then remove the spices and discard. Stir in the burgundy and cook till heated through. Ladle into mugs and garnish with lemon slices and cinnamon sticks.

Hot Spiced Punch

This smells as good as it tastes!

• 3 slices of fresh ginger, about 1/4 inch thick
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 8 whole cloves
• 4 cardamom seeds
• 1 gallon of apple cider
• 1 quart of pineapple juice
• 6 lemons, peeled and sliced
• 6 oranges, peeled and sliced

Place ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom in a cheesecloth bag, then add it to the cider and remaining ingredients in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Afterwards remove and discard the spice bag. Serve warm.

For a bit more of a kick, stir in 1 1/2 cups of rum before serving.

Hot Apple Cider

• 12 whole cloves
• 6 whole allspice
• 3 sticks of cinnamon, broken
• 1 tbs. grated orange rind
• 4 blades of mace
• 8 cups of apple cider
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 cup cranberry juice
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 1/2 cup apple brandy or Calvados

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the cloves, allspice, cinnamon on a cookie sheet and roast for about ten minutes, then allow to cool completely.

When the whole spices are cool, add them with the orange rind and the mace in a cheesecloth bag and add these to the cider in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook 15 minutes or till reduced to about 4 cups.

Remove the spice bag and discard it. Then stir in the orange juice and remaining ingredients and simmer until heated through.

Hot Buttered Rum

• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sweet butter
• 3 tbs. light rum
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1 stick cinnamon

Add the first five ingredients in a saucepan and cook till just heated. Remove and discard the cloves. Pour the rest into a mug and add the cinnamon stick.

Pineapple-Apricot Wassail

• 1 quart pineapple juice
• 1 can apricot nectar
• 1 quart apple cider
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• 1 tsp. cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• Cinnamon sticks for garnish

Add the pineapple juice, apricot nectar, apple cider, orange juice cinnamon sticks, cloves, ground cardamom and salt in a Dutch oven, then bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce eat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the cinnamon sticks and garnish with fresh cinnamon sticks. Serve immediately.

Hot Spiced Apple Cider

• 8 cups of apple cider
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp. whole allspice
• 1 tsp. whole cloves
• 8 orange wedges (optional)
• 8 whole cloves (optional)

Combine the brown sugar and cider in a saucepan. Place the cinnamon, allspice, the teaspoon of whole cloves and allspice in a cheesecloth bag. Add to the cider mix.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. While the beverage is cooking, stud the orange wedges with cloves. Then serve the cider in mugs with the studded orange wedges.

Glogg

This is a Christmas favorite.

• 1 bottle of dry red wine
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup of gin, vodka or aquavit
• 1/3 cup sugar
• The peel of one orange
• 8 broken sticks of cinnamon
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 cardamom pods, opened
• 1/4 cup blanched whole almonds

In a Dutch oven stir the wine, raisins, liquor and sugar. Place the orange peel, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom in a cheesecloth bag and add to the wine mixture.

Heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for about ten minutes, but don’t allow to boil. Then, remove and discard the spice bag. Stir in the whole almonds just before serving.

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