Hey guys, Nate here. I'm proud to announce that I'm now the Program Director of Scrawny To Brawny. From now on all of my blogs and articles will be posted on the brand-new Scrawny To Brawny Blog. So if you enjoyed what you read here, please go check it out. (It's awesome, if I say so myself.) I'm keeping the NGE website alive for resource reasons, but will no longer be actively updating it. The best way to get in touch with me is through leaving a comment on the Scrawny To Brawny blog or by posting on the S2B Facebook page. See you guys over at the new blog!
4 Must-Try Winter Warmer Elixirs
I don't know about you, but when there's two feet of snow blanketing my car and a perfectly good Playstation 3 sitting under my TV, well, I'm not going anywhere.
Oh, I know what some of my fitness friends will say. "Nate, you can get some good cardio by shoveling snow!"
Shut up. You don't live in Montana.
Getting bundled up and shoveling fluff is not my idea of a workout. Besides, that's what neighborhood kids are for: manual labor. I'd rather pay Timmy five bucks to shovel my snow.
So when you look in my window and see me staring out at Timmy, smug and warm, holding a mug to my face with both hands, you may think, What's Nate drinking?
Timmy's tears.
No, I'm kidding.
I have something way more delicious. Let me show you.
Hot Whiskey
Full disclosure: I stole this recipe out of Esquire magazine. But hey, imitation is the best form of flattery, right? Right.
I've had a hard time embracing hot alcoholic drinks since most are way too sweet and everything else involves coffee, which I don't really want to drink in the evenings since I'm fairly caffeine-sensitive.
But when I saw this hot whiskey recipe I knew I had found my winter drink. It's just the right balance of strong, hot, and delicious. (Insert your own inappropriate joke here.)
Ingredients:
Good Irish whiskey
Boiling water
Lemon
Cloves
Honey
Directions:
1. Boil water on the stovetop. Cut a lemon wheel in half and stud the white pith with four cloves.
2. Add an ounce to a mug to help it warm up.
3. Add one teaspoon of honey to the mug and stir till it dissolves.
4. Add two shots of Irish whiskey and the lemon.
5. Pour another ounce or two of hot water into the mug.
High-Quality Hot Chocolate
One of my favorite things as a kid was hot chocolate, but I've only recently started to enjoy it again. The sugar-filled packets of my youth weren't the best tasting (or healthiest) options, but until recently I didn't know other kinds existed.
After walking down the "tea aisle" of my local healthy grocery store, I found a few different blends of local and gourmet chocolate mix made with (surprise!) real chocolate.
The brand I picked, Posh Chocolat, is made with 65% single origin Colombian dark chocolate and rich Tahitian vanilla beans.
Now, hot chocolate isn't necessarily "healthy" but it is damn close as long as it's a good brand and you limit yourself to a couple servings per week.
According to The 150 Healthiest Foods On Earth
(If your eyes just rolled back in your head, just realize that dark chocolate above 60% is good for you if eaten in small quantities.)
Here's how I enjoy my hot chocolate now:
1. Simmer one cup of milk in a saucepan. (I used almond milk which was very tasty.)
2. Slowly add four tablespoons of your gourmet chocolate mix and stir till it's dissolved.
3. Pour into a mug and enjoy.
Hot Loose-Leaf Tea
Earlier this month I was hanging out in Toronto with John Berardi and Phil Caravaggio of Precision Nutrition. We were at Phil's house when I asked if he had any green tea. (He proceeded to open a cabinet with – I shit you not – 15 different varieties of green tea.)
When I asked why he preferred loose-leaf to the pre-made tea bags, he looked at me with a hint of disappointment.
"That 'tea' is shit they just scrape off the floor, Nate. It's low quality and disgusting. This is the good stuff."
And it was.
The health and potential physique benefits of tea have been talked about in everything from Oprah and yoga magazines to high-end physical performance sites. According to Bowden, tea contains protective plant-based chemicals known as polyphenols.
"Polyphenols, like other antioxidants, help protect cells from the normal but damaging physiological process known as oxidative stress and helps eliminate free radicals from your body."
When I got back home I went out and bought a kettle, some T-sacs, and a couple jars of loose leaf tea. (Then I took a picture of it and sent it to Phil for validation. He approved.)
The difference in taste is amazing.
If you're a big tea drinker but want to ditch the Lipton, I suggest you invest in a nice kettle and some good tealeaves. Measuring the tea, bagging it, and brewing takes a bit longer, but the wait is worth it.
Trust me.
A Cold Beer That Warms You Up
I couldn't have a winter beverage list without a nod to my favorite drink: beer.
In the fall and winter a lot of microbreweries put out "winter warmer" ales. These are usually have a moderate or high alcohol content (hence the "warm" feeling) and generally have more malt than hops, though the bitterness of the hops certainly comes out in well-balanced beers. The colors range from brownish reds to nearly pitch black.
Here are a few of my favorite this year; see if you can find a six-pack near you.
Jubelale – Deschutes Brewing
Santa's Private Reserve – Rogue Brewing
Ebenezer Ale – Bridgeport Brewing
2 Below – New Belgium Brewing
Santa's Little Helper – Mikkeller Brewing (Only in 750 ml bottles)
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The winter months are cold, but you can always warm up with a nice drink and the smug satisfaction that comes only by watching a young man do manual labor in the blistering cold while you sit inside and laugh.
Got any favorite wintertime drinks? Let me know in the comments!
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BIG NEWS FROM NATE: On January 3rd when you visit this here blog, you're gonna notice a few cool things. Jason (my web guru) has been working on a site re-design for the past couple of months. Not only does it look awesome, it's much easier to navigate and the comment system is brand new.
I'll be giving away some rare and high quality t-shirts (Only a handful were made and they're not for sale), along with some other cool things. So make sure to check in then.
Comments for This Entry
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When I hear "Winter Warmer" I think of the beer style. A few of my favorites include:
Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Never Summer Ale from Boulder Beer Co.
Festive Ale from Sweetwater Brewing
Our Special Ale from Anchor Brewing.
Cheers! -
That hot whiskey definitely looks like it's worth trying!
A friend of mine gets custom tea blends online (I wont drop any URLs) and steeps it in a nice kettle. It is definitely worth the trouble.
I still like to kick back with a Rogue Dead Guy or New Belgium Fat Tire in the winter. Santa's Private Reserve is pretty good, though! Nice post.
-Tony -
Phil's right about the tea. If you want to drink looseleaf without dealing with looseleaf, try Bigelow - teabags filled with quality leaves, so you get the best of both worlds. Apart from that, the only hot drink specifically designed to warm me (or rather, to resuscitate me after braving hypothermia yet again) is hot black tea with a shot of good (I mean XO good) cognac.
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Nate! First comment here, love your blog.
I'm travelling through Revelstoke, BC at the moment and stumbled across a great little brewer (my favourite drink is also beer!). Their seasonal 'Ol'Woodenhead Smoked Porter' is fantastic. It's an English porter brewed with beachwood smoked malt! I can't give you a direct link but you should check out their website. http://www.mt-begbie.com/
Also....it's hardly a winter warmer but you just can't go past a Fat Tire Pale Ale! Has to be one of my all time favourites. I just wish they sold it in Australia where I live haha! -
Harpoon Winter Warmer is my #1 choice.
Or my local brew pub ( http://www.triumphbrewing.com/princeton/ ) makes a "Winter Wonder" that is slightly different every year, but always delicious. -
Call me a meathead but.....
Hot chocolate protein shake
Sam Adams Winter Larger
Coffee with whiskey, frangelico, baileys
Apple cider brandy -
You need to try the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, Pretty solid seasonal brew or to switch things up...
Try the Crispin Natural Honeycrisp Hard Cider smoothed over ice. I was never a hard cider fan but this stuff is pretty good. -
Make your own hot chocolate;
70% cocoa dark chocolate and heat in a pan with milk
Done -
I am not a drinker but might have to five these drinks a try. Looking forward to reading comments about everyones favorite. Happy Holidays.
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I've got to say I prefer my hot drink to be non-alcoholic, but I may try that hot whiskey, at the moment though I'm sticking with a good cup of tea or coffee. Got to say I'm also looking forward to the blog update. Keep up the good work.
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Nate, I wouldn't worry about stealing that recipe from Esquire. Down here in the South we call that a Hot Toddy, and whoever invented did so a very, very long time ago.
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@ Dane
I thought a Hot Toddy was traditionally made with rum and black tea?
-Nate -
My winter and summer shot is (beside vodka) a grizzly...
you get one bottle of white and black rum
and such a small 500ml bottle of pancacke sirup.
1)you mix it up 60:40 black to white rum and add the sirup.
2)not shake it
§) and best part drink it :)
if you add a shot of grizzly in a hot chocolate it tastes super.
Have a nice dry
Björn -
Ya this is called a hot toddy in Canada as well... we just sub the irish whiskey with a Canadian rye... Best cold remedy ever...well at least it makes your miserable self feel a lot better for a while and it makes you sleep like a rock.
As for the tea... if you tried loose leaf tea once you will have a hard time switching back. I usually import Austrian herbal tea and have that stuff every morning...
happy holidays everyone.... -
oh i ment now shake it :) sorry
oh and Nate even me as an tea-hater (you know how i stand to tea as a german) :P
knows that the ready to go teabags are filled with the damaged leafes and the restovers from the production.
ok so have a nice drink
i'm out Björn -
"Timmy's tears," Hahahahahaha. That's great.
A.M. - Coffee cream no sug. 2 or 3 times a week
P.M. - Honey cinnamon tea. 2 or 3 times a week.
I know, I'm an uncultured barbarian, but one of my resolutions is to do much much more with much much less. So I'm keepin' it simple.
Thanks, as always, Nate,
Tiny Timmy
Oh ya, and Merry Christmas to you Nate and all your fans. -
Nate -
Try Ommegang brewing's Three Philosophers Belgian style Ale.
mmmmmm
2 Below is good stuff as you note. -
Nate,
I've heard of people using rum, but I've never actually had one like that... I've only had hot buttered rums, which are about as rich and sickly sweet as it gets.
For a hot toddy I've always used bourbon, but a quick google search says that scotch is traditional. Add to that a slice of lemon, a squeeze of honey, some cloves and some hot water and a Luzianne tea bag if one is around. Stir with a cinnamon stick and that's a hot toddy.
Apparently Ole Miss fans are referred to as hot toddies as well - http://bit.ly/gnYuyY . I'd be satisfied with either. -
@ John Keller
I actually shared that very bottle with friends a couple nights ago. Good choice. -
For a great winter warmer upper.
German Gluhwein:
In a 2 Qt Sauce Pan mix:
Red Wine (any kind) approx 1 Qt.
Sugar (Xylosweet or Splenda (to taste) normally approximately 1/4 cup
2 or 3 circles of Lemon with peel
4 or 5 pieces of clove
1 stick of cinnamon broken into two smaller pieces or a sprinkle or two of ground.
Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Drink while hot. Be careful to not swallow cloves, cinnamon sticks or lemons (choking hazard)
This drink is awesome when it is cold outside.
Enjoy/// -
Eggnog, absolutely, made with rum! Oh, I can not wate it's Christmas and I can enjoy it with my family :). I limit myself to a couple of servings per year....
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A Turkey - Egg Nog
1 or 2 shots of Wild Turkey's American Honey
A Pinch of Nut Meg
Fill the rest of your glass with your preffered Egg Nog
This was something that I tried one day two winters ago when i was wanting a good Holiday Nog and thought this might actually taste good. Turns out I was right and now almost everyone I know who likes to drink Holiday Nog now love to have it Mixed with a shot or two of American Honey. If you dont drink egg nog beileve me this is worth a shot (pun might be intended). Enjoy! -
I'm a big tea drinker and get my tea from this website. The green tea with peppermint is amazing
http://www.teapigs.co.uk/
I get the matcha green tea powder too and add a teaspoon of this to my morning smoothie.(Very high in antioxidants). They deliver to the U.S but I'm sure you'll have an equivalent.
I'll give the whiskey recipe a whirl for sure -
I live in Columbus, Ohio and there's a brewery in Cleveland called "Great Lakes Brewing Co." - Their "Christmas Ale" is easily my favorite winter warmer beer.
The ingredients include honey, ginger, and cinnamon. This sh*t is like gold in Ohio. You literally have to know a store owner to even get a 6 pack of the stuff. I was lucky enough to always be nice to the cool Indian lady who runs the campus liquor store when I was in college... so when I went back asking about it, she went to the storage room and I'm now on the "list" for my six pack per week.
If you want to try one, hit me up and I'll send a bottle your way! -
Nate,
Out of curiosity, what kind of whisky do you use? Jameson is some damn good whisky; not just cleverly marketed, but damn tasty.
Also, I've spent a few holidays in Germany, and was turned on to Glühwein. Not only did it warm me up as I walked around the Christmas markets, but it snuck up and blitzed me. -
Nate,
Consider kicking it Italian and going espresso and Sambuca (2:1). Decaf works well for the evenings and is the perfect finisher to great dinner! -
great post. I have always been a fan of gourmet hot chocolate and that bit about timmy's tears actually made me laugh pretty hard.
-
2 below has been a winter favorite of mine for a few years now, good call...
And I actually happen to have a santa's reserve ale chillin in the frige waiting for me at home right now. Thanks for reminding me!
We have a pizza port brewing co conveniently located in walking distance to the house and they have 2 christmas seasonal beers that I tried last week and were very different but pretty good. Kinda reminded me of ginger bread flavor, haha. -
Bag the tea bag Nate. Just pour slowly, get a very few tea leaves into your cup. It's quicker than fiddling with the bags, kind fun, and also a bit retro, as in back 2-200 centuries. Plus and tell your woman she needs to learn how to read your tea leaves!
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Nate I live in the tropics (Sri Lanka) where we don't have snow, I don't like Hot chocolate or beer but I finally found something we have in common (besides lifting hard)...the PS3!! Please tell me what games you're playing now and what are your all time faves?
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If you are looking for a festive beer to warm you up go for Troeg's Mad Elf. It's actually pretty smooth and malty for an 11% beer. Drink enough of them and you will be outside in your boxers having a snowball fight with some mad elves around your neighborhood.
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Nate,
One of my friends buddies went out to Ireland for a month as part of a study abroad program, and fell in love with the hot whiskeys. Although here comes the funny part of the story. Just like you said imitation is the best form of flatery. He went out to the bars and ordered a bunch of these for friends and the girl bar tender looked at him and laughed. Later he found out that its a gay guy or lil girly drink out in Ireland. Just an FYI if you ever head out to Ireland lol.
Mike -
Love hot tea in the winter. Also, since you listed beers, try Isolation Ale from Odell Brewing Company right here in Fort. Collins. 2 Below is great too (also brewed in Fort Collins!)
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Try samichlaus bier. It is a good brew for winter.
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For me, I prefer to drink hot dark chocolate with milk during winter time. It helps to keep myself warm and I enjoy drinking it.
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Here is one of my favorite drinks its called a Hot Apple Pie:
Hot apple cider
2oz of Tuaca
add some cinnamon, make some bad decisions -
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Hey Nate,
Great post (and overall blog). I must give the hot whiskey a try. I generally drink bourbon so I wonder if that would work as well.
As far as winter warmer beers here are a few I have favored this season:
- Dogfish Head - Olde School (Barley Wine Style Ale)
- Pretty Things - Baby Tree (Quad)
- The Lost Abbey - Angel's Share (Barley Wine Style Ale)
- Mayflower - Imperial Russian Stout -
You literally have to know a store owner to even get a 6 pack of the stuff. I was lucky enough to always be nice to the cool Indian lady who runs the campus liquor store when I was in college
-
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He went out to the bars and ordered a bunch of these for friends and the girl bar tender looked at him and laughed. Later he found out that its a gay guy or lil girly drink out in Ireland. Just an FYI if you ever head out to Ireland lol.
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kind fun, and also a bit retro, as in back 2-200 centuries. Plus and tell your woman she needs to learn how to read your tea leaves!
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Good Post. It is really very nice. Thank you!
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dale 12:16pm Dec 21, 2010