The Downside of Seasonal Drinks
In last Sunday’s New York Times, drinks writer Jonathan Miles relates the story behind Nick Fauchald’s sad discovery one recent Christmas: after years of serving his guests a hot, mulled wine upon their arrival, he realized that nobody ever came back for more. Fauchald’s realization? “It’s hot wine [...] it’s not that good."
The holidays are a time when all kinds of special recipes get trotted out for an annual airing, and like those red-and-white sweaters with little reindeer buttons, some of them should be tossed out along with that string of lights that no longer works. Everybody has their own issues with certain seasonal dishes—I, for one, have never understood the desire to consume cranberry sauce—and the same goes for seasonal drinks.
Mulled wine is but one example. Many varieties of the drink exist, from the Nordic glogg to the English bowl of Archbishop; some are better than others, but for many seasonal imbibers, a few sips are enough to hold them over until the next year. Eggnog is another polarizing beverage; granted, most of us had our eggnog baptism at a young age, drinking carageenan-thickened ‘nog from a green-and-red carton from the store, but old taste preferences die hard. There are certainly some extraordinary eggnog recipes out there, but for many people the comment, “Wow, I actually finished the cup!” is about the highest praise they’ll be able to summon.
I’m a dedicated devotee of most holiday drinks, though a down-at-heel mulled wine does tend to make me yearn for the arrival of January. What about you? What seasonal drinks have you been served at holiday parties that absolutely make you cringe? Or do you secretly look forward all year to the next time you can pour a bottle of Bordeaux and a sachet of spices into a Crock Pot? Let’s hear it.
About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
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6 Comments:
I agree whole-heartedly. Mulled wine, eggnog, cranberry sauce and chestnuts have all disappointed me as "beloved" holiday staples over the years. In my opinion it doesn't get better than spiced cider and a plate of whatever cookies your mom does best.
peachypear at 3:50PM on 12/31/08
Piffle. If people don't enjoy real egg nog, then they're not having good nog.
Also: hot buttered rum is very tasty. I don't really do mulled wine, but I do love a hot buttered rum.
TheFoodGeek at 5:35PM on 12/31/08
My problem with most holiday drinks is that they are only good for the first glass. 99% of the egg nogs that I have had are just too heavy and sweet, and most warm drinks make me overheat if I have more than one (unless I'm outside of course). After that, I tend to move on to something else, usually regular wine or beer. Its also rare if I go for a second or third glass of champagne, but vinho verde, prosecco or good sparkling shiraz are a different story.
jboylan at 10:01PM on 12/31/08
We do a Norwegian wine punch called julglogg - never had any problems getting people to finish it. It's got almonds, raisins, figs, orange peel and wine. I particularly like eating all the soaked fruit, and any bits left over go into biscotti.
leilah at 12:54AM on 01/01/09
My favorite is a Christmas "wassail" made with pineapple juice, apple juice, lemon juice, and a few spices. It tastes great on a cold Ohio night and is also good as a chilled punch over ice. We have also spiked it with rum for cozier parties and never had any leftover. I think the old favorites--I have my parents' old Tom & Jerry bowl--don't fit our palates as well as they did perhaps for older generations. We aren't used to so much sugar and fat, and when it is served with more fat (cookies), it just doesn't work. Or maybe as we get older our palates change and mature? Dare I say improve? Some of the recipes I served proudly 30 years ago just about nauseate me now. I especially dislike flavored coffees, but our relatives haven't figured it out and always give us some for Christmas. I use them when brewed coffee is needed for flavoring, but can't stand to drink them.
Estrallita at 5:19AM on 01/01/09
hmmm... you may be on to something. for all my nostalgia about the gluhwein at the christmas markets in germany, when i was in stuttgart two years ago, i didn't have any.
cybercita at 12:21PM on 01/01/09