Blow, wait, carefully sip, repeat. Warm drinks force us to slow down, enjoy the moment. Take a pause with one of these drinks from around the world featuring (various kinds of) milk.
Badam Doodh – Even though ‘golden milk’ is all the rage with health hipsters, drinking warm milk with turmeric and ginger isn’t everybody’s idea of a good time. Instead, opt for badam doodh, an Indian drink made with whole milk and fresh almond paste, flavoured with cardamom and saffron. Rich, comforting and actually tasty.
Colombian Hot Chocolate – It doesn’t really matter what camp you’re in (ultra-thick, thin, spicy, bitter or very sweet), the thought of your favourite hot chocolate probably is probably making your mouth water at this very moment. Push yourself out of your comfort zone a little and try it the Colombian way: whipped together with queso fresco (melted cheese).
Champurrado – Mexicans offer another panacea for bone-chilling days: thick, silky, creamy champurrado. It’s an atole (a hot drink thickened with corn hominy flour) with Mexican chocolate, cane sugar, (condensed) milk and a variety of spices. Liquid pampering.
Anijsmelk – The Dutch don’t just drink their fill of hot chocolate, they also enjoy sipping hot anijsmelk, milk flavoured with aniseed extract and sugar. The flavouring is sold ready-made in Dutch supermarkets, but it’s quite easy to make your own.
No-Coffee Pumpkin Spice Latte – In the US, people start craving their seasonal fix once the leaves start changing colour. It’s the flavour combination of typical pumpkin pie spices – cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove – that makes it the soul-warming drink of choice throughout the chilly season. Try this one: a Korean pumpkin drink (danhobak latte) is transformed into a coffee-less version of the American classic.
Malted Milk – You might know this drink by its brand names Horlicks, Milo or Ovaltine. It’s basically a powder of malted barley, wheat, dried milk and sugar, combined with hot milk or water. Invented by British pharmacist William Horlick as a health tonic, and patented in the US in 1883, the drink with its typical sweet, nutty flavour quickly became a success in his home country. For a deluxe version, combine malted milk with regular milk, a vanilla bean and cinnamon dulce de leche.
Hot Horchata – Orxata, or horchata, is the name of a number of slightly different types of plant-based milk drinks consumed all over Spain (mostly based on tiger nut milk) and Latin America (mostly rice milk-based), served ice cold during sweltering summers. Though unusual, the drink can also be served warm. This is a version with plenty of cinnamon and vanilla.
Salep – Although the spellings may vary from salep to sahlab or sachlav, this traditional silky, scented warm milk is consumed all over the Middle East. It derives its name from a flour made of orchid tubers that thickens the milk. However, as the population of wild orchids is in decline, nowadays instant mixes with artificial flavouring are used; rice flour or cornstarch will do as well. This recipe invites you to go crazy with the toppings.
Bajigur – The Sundanese, an ethic group from Indonesia, are very fond of their bajigur – even if it’s been a long time since they migrated away from the West Java highlands where it can be freezing cold. Bajigur is a charming warm drink of coconut milk, palm sugar, ginger, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Sometimes, coffee or pandan leaves are added. Especially delicious with a snack of deep-fried bananas or cassava, here’s a recipe to try at home.
Nighttime Milk – To round off this list, an evening drink that seems to be a universal sleeping aid: Although there’s no evidence that warm milk itself will make you sleepy, sipping the drink may help you wind down. If you were given warm milk growing up, you may have the same comforting association with it as, say, your beloved blankie.
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