Hot Drinks for Cold Weather

MEMOIR Hot Drinks for Cold Weather Sidney Saylor Farr WINTERTIME WEATHER CALLS FOR HOT DRINKS. The recipes and methods of making hot drinks are as varied as the people who concoct them. In pioneer days people probably used recipes brought over from "the old country." Or else they invented their own recipes from ingredients at hand. Whatever the method, to research for hot drink recipes is a colorful and enjoyable task. Sassafras tea, mountain tea, birch beer, and spice tea are only a few of those I found in my research. Elder Flower Wine 9 pounds sugar 3 gallons pure spring water 1 quart elder flowers 3 pounds raisins 1A cup lemon juice Mix sugar and water and boil 5 minutes. Mix in elder flowers. Let stand until lukewarm, then add raisins and lemon juice. Pour into a crock and cover top with cheesecloth. Stir mixture every day until fermentation stops. This will take 5 or 6 days. Strain mixture and put in a jug with a tight stopper. Let stand at least 2 months before drinking. 51 Lambs Wool 8 roasted or baked apples 1A teaspoon ginger 1A teaspoon nutmeg 1 quart ale Honey Put apples through a strainer or sieve, add ginger and nutmeg and mix well. Add ale and stir. Then stir in honey until sweetened to taste. Let mixture come to a simmer over a hot fire, but do not boil. Serve hot. Mother Farr's Spiced Tea 3 quarts water 1 teaspoon whole cloves 3 sticks cinnamon 6 tea bags Juice of 3 oranges Juice of 3 lemons VA cups sugar 2 cups water Boil together 3 quarts water, cloves, cinnamon, and tea bags. Remove tea bags when mixture reaches desired strength. In separate kettle boil remaining ingredients. When clear, add to tea mixture. Strain and serve hot. The above recipes were collected and used in my cookbook, More Than Moonshine, published in 1983. I did a lot of research in Southern Appalachia for material to use in the book. Two of the most original recipes, Elder Flower Wine and Lambs Wool, I collected from Marjorie Malicote in East Tennessee. She had received the Lambs Wool recipe from an old woman who would soon celebrate her hundredth birthday. Malicote said everyone called her Aunt Cindy Davis. 52 ...