Spicy Drinks

I’m subbing in for Hannibal and today’s topic is spiced drinks, with or without alcohol.

Below is a guide to homemade Eastern European Honey Liqueur. It’s a favorite for Christmas in Ukraine, Poland and the Baltics, with names such as Medivka, Boilo, Krupnik, and Viryta. There are a million variations and family recipes, so feel free to improvise your own. The usual mix is honey, spices, citrus and vodka, grain alcohol or whiskey. However, you also can make honey/citrus/spice mix and add it to tea or cider if you want a booze-free drink too.

Maybe try this kind of thing? Or do you have another spiced winter warmer you like? Nutmeggy egg nog? Cinnamony Puerto Rican Coquito? Spiced Christmas Ale? Mulled Wine or cider? Or does the whole idea of spice and drinks make you gag?

How I made It

I used a 750 ml bottle of basic vodka as the base booze, which I think is most common, although some people use grain alcohol that’s been diluted, or even whiskey. There’s definitely no need to buy pricey liquor, since the flavor will be drowned out, just not total rotgut. Fancy honey is probably a waste too. Assuming you use OK but not pricey vodka and honey, your total cost should be about $20 or less for about 750 ml.

750 ml may be more than you want, so feel free to scale down by half or two thirds.

I think the prep time is about ten minutes, there’s about 20-30 minutes of stove time, and then after that a week or two of waiting, plus a little time to strain and bottle.

To start, I added about 12 ounces of honey to a two quart saucepan. You can certainly add a bit more or less depending on your preference, but this should definitely have a healthy dose of honey.

Then I washed and cut up a couple of oranges, squeezed the juice into the saucepan, then thinned out the mix with half a cup of vodka and stirred until mixed and nice and liquidy.

Then I tossed in the rinds. Since orange rinds can be kind of gross as they go through the marketing process, it’s a good idea to hit the oranges with a bit of soapy water, a scrub and a good rinse before you use them.

Then I added whole spices. Don’t used powdered, since you can’t strain them out, and the powders will eventually make the mix sludgy and gross tasting.

Going clockwise from the top, I used one cinnamon stick, a teaspoon of caraway, a teaspoon of cloves, a quarter of a nutmeg, a teaspoon of cardamom pods, a chunk of fresh ginger (I sliced it before adding), and a teaspoon of coriander.

Different people used different spices in different amounts, but at a minimum I’d recommend a cinnamon stick and cloves. I’d avoid anything like hot pepper or mustard. Things like whole allspice, anise or fennel seed, or whole mace would work too. Maybe pick up one of those big tea bags of mulling spices they sell in groceries? Think classic Christmas flavors.

Everything went into the pot and I gradually brought it to the boiling point. You want to watch it and stir it occasionally to avoid a boilover or burning.

Once it hit the boiling point, I took it off the heat and put a lid on it and let it sit for ten minutes to steep. Then I put it in a couple of quart mason jars and covered with the rest of the vodka.

These jars and lids were just out of the dishwasher so they were pretty well sanitized, but if your jars have been sitting around for while it would be a good idea to give them a good wash and rinse and then sanitize them — for instance, wash and rinse with hot water, then add a couple of cups of boiling water. Cap loosely and let them steam for a while. (Never add boiling water to cold jars!) Then dump the water before filling with your liqueur.

Let the jars sit and give them a shake every day or two to encourage everything to mix and steep. After a week or two, toss the orange rinds then run the booze through a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or even a clean dish towel to catch all of the spices. Then pour the liqueur back into the vodka bottle and keep it somewhere out of direct light and harsh temperatures.

You may have a little more liqueur than will fit in the bottle, so you may need to have a small jar for the extra.

It should be good to drink now, although many people suggest letting it sit and mellow over time. It will tend to develop a bit of sediment over time, and it’s a good idea to shake it before serving to distribute it.

What’s It Like?

It’s like Christmas in a glass. Honey, orange, spices, booze — what’s not to like? I like to heat it up just a touch in the microwave or on the stove before serving so it’s warm and you can really smell it. Vodka is typically 80 proof and this ends up diluted so it’s closer to 50 proof, which is still pretty boozy. Don’t drink a ton at once. Old Eastern Europeans like to have a shot daily to ward off what ails you.

Like I said at the beginning, you can make the honey/spice/orange mix and add it to nonalcoholic drinks like cider or tea. Just thin it with a cup of water instead of vodka during the heating stage.

However, you should let it simmer longer to extract the flavor — like half an hour — and keep an eye on it and add a bit more water if it starts to get thick. Then strain it and use it, or else freeze it. If you let it sit at room temperature without booze, it will pick up wild yeast, mold and bacteria, and has a high chance of going skunky or worse. Cider or tea with this kind of flavor freezes nicely and can be reheated later.