Day 202: Christmas spirit

I don’t know what it is about this December, but we’ve really struggled to feel the cheery Christmas spirit this year. I’m sure we're not alone; it’s been an odd few years, to say the least, for everyone and we’ve all been wounded in one or another, and just as we start to heal those wounds, Covid and political situations around the world tear them open again.

Anyway, we finally felt the Christmas spirit yesterday as we decorated the tree, pranced festively about the house to Christmas music and sipped through a vat of warm, spiced cider; Nigella’s Mulled Cider, from Christmas, to be precise. I general, I've always preferred the apple option over the grape option when it comes to the warm drinks of Christmastime, though I'll not say no to a mulled red (so long as it's v light on the cloves).

Nigella's Mulled Cider

The closest thing I had to rum was Stroh 40, so I used a splash of this. It’s not a spirit I like at all to drink neat or with a mixer, but, for me, it is an unrivalled winter addition to hot chocolates; the smallest splash adds a wonderful fudgy/toffee, not-too-sweet, warming hug. I used to live in Norway when I was younger and, although I never partook in alcoholic hot chocolate drinking then, the smell of Stroh 40 carried in the steam rising from cups of hot chocolate will always remind me of coming in from the ski slopes or winter walks, Mum making hot chocolate in a saucepan on the stove and everyone getting cosy by the fire.

The recipe for this one can be found on p258 of Christmas and on nigella.com (link below)