Day are drizzly and it gets dark soon. Autumn and winter are coming, and although it’s hard to believe, they do have their own charm. Treat yourself to a nice evening with a book and a cup of a warm drink. Try hot chocolate, Bombardino, mulled wine, or hot ginger.

The queen of warm drinks

Hot chocolate is usually the top winter drink not only for children. If you’re worried about the calories, the positives for the human organism may soften your heart. Hot chocolate improves the health of the cardiovascular system and blood supply, and lowers the blood pressure and even the cholesterol level. However, those who suffer from migraines should avoid hot chocolate. Hot chocolate should be made from high-quality cacao beans, so look for chocolate with at least 70% of cocoa when buying the right mixture.

If you want to make your own home-made hot chocolate from the basic ingredients, use a cup of milk, 50g of high-percentage chocolate, and a half of teaspoon of cane sugar. You can add a pinch of cinnamon for taste. First, heat the pieces of chocolate and sugar in some milk, while stirring. When the ingredients turn into a thick cream, add the rest of the milk, warm up, and serve.

Against the flu and a cold

Hot ginger is a recent hit. It has spread to restaurants, cafés and Czech households. It’s good to buy really fresh ginger – not shrivelled and old which can sometimes be found in supermarkets. Ginger has excellent effects for our heath: it strengthens the immunity system, eases headaches, and has an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect. It also mitigates the symptoms of the absence of appetite and heartburn, and not only in pregnancy.

When making hot ginger tea, use about two centimetres of the root, peel it, grate or cut it up into round pieces, and poor a litre of boiling water over it. You can season the drink with honey and lemon.

For evening visits

In winter, Bombardino or mulled wine is perfect for a party or a calm get-together with friends. Bombardino comes from Italy, and you can make it by mixing brandy and Advocaat (the alcoholic drink that can be replaced with eggnog). It’s served in transparent glasses with a rich cream cap.

Mulled wine is probably well-known – the classic of cold and damp days both at home and in the streets. Add cloves and cinnamon into red wine; some people also like to add star anise. Season with sugar and honey, and decorate with a slice of lemon or orange. For white wine, you can use the same spices and sage. Be careful when warming up, the wine cannot be boiling, otherwise the alcohol will evaporate and the wine will lose its taste.

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