United States
Would it be all too easy to advise you to warm up the cold winter days with a simple hot tea or homemade chocolate?
Sure, they are practical and perfect solutions for the occasion, but in this article we want to talk about other winter drinks.
In fact, we have selected as many as ten curious and delicious tea, coffee or chocolate suggestions for an out-of-the-ordinary winter pampering.
Are you ready?
Grab a pen and paper, and don't forget a dash of desire to explore new flavors!
Winter drinks, ten suggestions to try
Let's start with a great coffee and chocolate classic that all Piedmontese know: we are talking about the typical Bicerin, invented in 1764 at Turin, an excellent mix of chocolate, coffee and milk cream.
The original is drunk at the Antico Caffè Bicerin, where the recipe is jealously guarded, but it can also be found in many other places in the area.
Moving a few kilometers away, we can taste the caffè alla valdostana. This recipe was created specifically to cope with the harsh winters in the mountains and mixes coffee with a liqueur perfect for warming up when the temperatures get particularly cold.
On the ski slopes throughout Italy, however, the hot drink par excellence is bombardino.
Did you know that the recipe originated in a Sondrio ski lodge in 1972?
Hence, this little bombard made with coffee, cream, hot zabaglione, and brandy.
Certainly not a light drink, but perfect for recovering energy after a morning spent skiing!
From Scandinavia to Austria, winter drinks to discover even while traveling
To discover more winter drinks, we move north and pick up some ideas drawing from the traditions of some European countries. In Norway, for example, people drink Karsk.
This is a boiling coffee laced with a local liqueur and, traditionally, served with a coin in the bottom used to "measure out" the doses of the ingredients.
Of Scandinavian origin, although spread to the United States and, in particular, the Midwest, is Scandinavian Egg Coffee.
That's right, a recipe that involves coffee and egg together.
It is made, in fact, by adding a whole egg - sometimes even with the shell! - to a shot of espresso.
The combination should then be boiled for a few minutes, should rest and, most importantly, be strained before consumption.
Let's return to a mouthwatering classic recipe, perfect for winter, with Viennese coffee, a real treat that warms the heart and stomach.
It is made, in fact, with coffee, cream and cocoa powder and accompanied by a butter cookie.
A burst of sweetness, perfect for the gloomiest of days.
Oriental teas for refined palates
Finally, some more or less famous teas that are good for the spirit and the body cannot be missed among the comforting winter drinks.
Most of these are of Eastern origin, but by now they are often found in Italy as well.
This is the case, for starters, of white tea: a valuable ally of the heart that acts against aging.
Also very mild is the Bancha tea, or what in the East is considered "ordinary" green tea, which has a low theine content and possesses remarkable purifying properties.
It has, in fact, strong diuretic power, but not only that: it is rich in calcium, iron and vitamin A.
Highly prized, on the other hand, is the Gyokuro, also known as "jade dew."
Again, we are talking about a green tea that is made by harvesting, strictly by hand, the buds of the plants and the very first leaves.
For this very reason, it is extremely valuable and owes its name to the dewy color that characterizes it.
We close our recommendations on winter drinks to try with what is already a classic: the Matcha Latte.
By now we have become accustomed to cappuccinos of all colors, but this green one was the first to become a real trend in the United States and Europe, although Matcha is also of Eastern origin.
Tasty, colorful, and nutritious, there are many who can no longer live without it!
What are your favorite winter drinks?