Raw milled cane juice, tapa de dulce, is dissolved in the warmth of pure water fresh off the boil and served with juicy pink grapefruit.
Honrar a los Muertos
Atole is a masa-based beverage enjoyed on the Yucatan peninsula since pre-Colombian times. While it comes in many variations, the basic ingredients are consistent. Often left as an ofrenda to the spirits during el Dia de los Muertos, atole is a customary and welcome gift for the ancestors.
Masa harina is blended into hot milk, sugared with
piloncillo and imbued with the ancient flavors of Mexican cinnamon and pure vanilla.
Intrigue in Tangiers
The preparation and presentation of tea in Morocco has been elevated to an art form known as Ataí. The careful attention and love that goes into the preparation of Moroccan mint tea is integral to Moroccan culture. It is expected that one enjoy at least three servings of tea per sitting, as each glass has its own unique flavor and color that changes as the steeping tea ages. In fact, this is ritual is immortalized in this proverb:
"Le premier verre est aussi amer que la vie,
le deuxième est aussi fort que l'amour,
le troisième est aussi doux que la mort."
"The first glass is as bitter as life,
the second glass is as strong as love,
the third glass is as gentle as death."
Chinese gunpowder green tea is boiled with cane sugar and blended with fresh peppermint leaves lightly accentuated with louiza and wormwood.
{Thank you to The Chameleons for inspiring the name!}
Madame Blavatsky's Sbiten
Dating back to the 1100's, sbiten has been a fixture enjoyed in Russian culture for ages. It is a mead-like beverage shared hot with friends and family on cold winter nights. I think if I had three wishes, one of them would be to go back in time to share a cup and a conversation with master occultist Madame Blavatsky.
Five different varieties of honey: orange blossom, clover, peach blossom, blackberry and wildflower honey boiled in fresh water with blackberry jam and spiced with ginger root and warming clove.
Midnight Chai With Kali Ma
As top contender for India's favorite hot libation, Masala chai is a staple in the region's cuisine. Chai is so prevalent that you could swing a cinnamon stick and hit a chai walla. These peddlers can be found in most train and bus stations as well as busy intersections. In fact, chai is so integral to the culture that to decline an offer to share a cuppa is considered quite rude, so when Kali calls, say yes!
Darjeeling black tea is steeped in sacred cow milk and saturated with ancestral spices: cinnamon sticks, clove buds, nutmeg, vanilla beans, elachi pods, pink peppercorns, fennel seeds and brown sugar.
Sahlab Au Set
Sahlab is ubiquitous throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean. In Egypt, it is the remedy for the biting cold of desert nights. Ancient and enduring; perhaps the goddess Isis warmed the baby Horus with sweet sahlab.
Fresh goat milk thickened with orchid root accord, kyphi honey, orange blossom and rose water and sprinkling of toasted coconut caramel.
Sarabba Sulawesi
Enjoyed by many on Indonesia's Sunda Island, Sarabba is a hot and spicy evening pick-me-up.
The fire of Indonesian ginger is ignited with white peppercorns then quenched with sugared coconut milk.
Stregare Bicerìn
Born in the Piedmontese region of Italy famous for its chocolatiers, il Bicerìn is Turin's take on simple hot chocolate, where, in the early part of the 16th century, Signore Philbert served hot chocolate to laud an Italian victory over the French. In the 1700's espresso and frothy whipped cream were added and il Bicerìn as we know it was born.
The aroma of an Italian cafe, leather and fine tobacco, creates an elegant ambience as we wait for our order to arrive: indulgent layers of bittersweet chocolate and gianduja slowly melted into whole milk and topped with Italian espresso and heavenly whipped cream. Bellissimo!
Tae Draíochta
Éire's elixir for what ails ye. Truly, here's nothing quite like a Hot Toddy in the evening to shake a stubborn cold, or the winter blues. Triple the whiskey and it might be a magical cure for everything, if you can remember what was wrong in the first place!
Malty Assam black tea is fortified with a shot of Irish whiskey and spiced with clove studded lemon rinds. Stirred with a cinnamon stick and served piping hot.
Vajrayana Victual
Po Cha, or Yak Butter Tea is a staple in Tibet and surounding regions. It has a salty and tangy flavor and is purple, oily and thick with the consistency of porridge, Po Cha is consumed thoughout the day and as with most teas, it is rude to refuse a cup. in fact, it is customary for your host to top of your tea with each sip. This high calorie beverage well suited to the high altitudes and the butter keeps lips from chapping, so you can smooch the smooth lips of all the smiling rinpoches. Or not. Many people add tsampa, a barley flour, to their tea, stirring it with their fingers until they mix up a fat delicious dumpling in the tea bowl. Bread and tea in the same cup. How's that for convenience?
A drop of creamy Yak butter accord is churned with thick black tea and served whilst contemplating impermanence in the ancient temple atmosphere thick with ages of incense and prayer.
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