A Cup Of Cheer….Raise Your Cup…Merry Christmas And Happy New Year!

We wish you a Merry Christmas with a cup Of Cheer.   We know what Santa is …we know what presents mean…we know what mistletoe  represents…just what is a Cup Of Cheer?
These holiday drinks will keep you warm and add a cup of cheer to your celebrations.

Five really really great Cups Of Cheer!! Now choose your Cheer and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

That sweet, thick, creamy, butterscotch-colored liquid is the beverage of choice this time of year. But why is eggnog associated with Christmas? First let’s look at the etymology of the word. According to food historian, Babson College professor, and author of Hog and Hominy: Soul Food from Africa to America, Frederick Opie, “Colonists referred to rum as grog; bartenders served rum in small wooden carved mugs called noggins. Thus the drink eventually became egg-n-grog and over time eggnog.”

 

Mulled cider gets its name from the definition of mull, which means to flavor a beverage by heating it and adding spices. Frequently, this drink also includes either slices or the zest of citrus fruits like oranges. It’s usually served hot, though one can buy spiced cider. In fact, if one has little time, warming spiced cider is an excellent shortcut for making mulled cider. Of course kick it up with a little dash of rum or Irish whiskey.

 

Mulled wine is popular in the United Kingdom at Christmas, and less commonly throughout winter.  Mulled wine is a beverage usually made with red wine along with various mulling spices and raisins. It is served hot or warm and may be alcoholic or non-alcoholic.It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas.

 

Making this classic winter drink has, unfortunately, become something of a lost art. Most people buy the pre-made instant hot chocolate mixes instead of mixing up the ingredients from scratch. This is the perfect time of year to learn how to make an incredible hot chocolate – and it’s easier than you might think. The quality of the ingredients has a profound effect on the quality of the finished product, so use the highest quality of both that you can find. The milk should be chemical-free and creamy; whole milk usually works best. The chocolate should be rich and semi-sweet: not too bitter and not too sweet. If you’re going to garnish your hot chocolate with whipped cream (which is highly recommended), splurge a little and use real cream, whipped by hand. Also Candy canes make this a real cup of cheer.

 

Wassailing is a very ancient custom that is rarely done today. The word ‘wassail’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase ‘waes hael’, which means ‘good health’. Originally, the wassail was a drink made of mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar. It was served from huge bowls, often made of silver or pewter. Jesus College, in Oxford University, has a Wassail bowl, that is covered with silver. It can hold 10 gallons of drink! Wassailing was traditionally done on New Year’s Eve and Twelfth Night, but some rich people drank Wassail on all the 12 days of Christmas! The Wassail drink mixture was sometimes called ‘Lamb’s Wool’, because of the pulp of the roasted apples looked all frothy and a bit like Lambs Wool!