So here’s the deal. I don’t like pumpkin spice. Thank goodness that season is almost over. (I guess I probably shouldn’t be telling you that before giving you a recipe to try.) I do love the whole mint and chocolate mixture. But here’s the thing, both of those drinks seem to be so controversial. Either you are a devoted die-hard fan, or you can’t stand the sight of them. That’s why I’m about to share with you the only holiday drink you’ll ever need.
It’s not controversial.
It doesn’t have a devoted fan base.
But that’s their loss…the missing fans I mean.
This is the perfect winter drink. A little cinnamon, a few cloves give you that yummy spice. Fruit juice gives you that sweet and wintery feel.And you have to put in in a cute wintery mug, because otherwise, how can you even drink it? And don’t even get me started on how great your house is going to smell when this baby starts cooking.
And last but not least, if I haven’t won you over yet, you can drink this hot or cold! Like I said, it’s the only holiday drink you’ll ever need.
Below is a picture of all of the ingredients.
To start, we mix our sugar and fruit juices in a big pot or crockpot.
In a separate cup, we add cloves, cinnamon and tea bags and cover with 2 cups hot water. Let seep for 5 minutes.
Strain the cinnamon and cloves out, and add the hot mixture to the sugar and juice. Stir until all sugar is dissolved.
Add another cinnamon stick. Now this is the important part. Add 8 cups of water and then you have to taste it. If you like this drink strong, you might like it as is. Others will want a weaker drink and that means add more water. If that’s the case, add it one cup at a time.
Now we’re just going to let it cook. If you’re using a stove leave it on low for at least 4 hours. I notice that the longer you let it cook, the more cinnamon-y it gets. So if you like more of that flavor, cook it for longer. If you’re using a crockpot, cook it on low for that same amount of time.
And that’s it. The only holiday drink you’ll ever need! Maybe it’ll become one of your December traditions! Let me know how you like it, and happy holidays to you all.
Make life sweet and learn all you can.
The only holiday drink you'll ever need
Equipment
- crockpot (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1¼ cups pineapple juice
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1½ cups sugar
- 12 cloves
- 6 lipton tea bags
- 3 cinnamon sticks (separated)
- 2 cups boiling water
- 9 cups warm water
Instructions
- Mix all juices and sugar in your crockpot or on a large pot.
- In a 4 cup measuring cup place the tea bags, cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks, and boiling water. Let seep for 5 minutes
- Strain the tea mixture, and then add it to the juice mixture in the crockpot or large pot.
- Add 9 cups of warm water and stir.
- NOTE: At this point you'll want to taste your drink. If it's too strong for you add water one cup at a time. If you want more sweetness add more sugar. Sometimes I like to add more pineapple, just because I love pineapple so much.
- Add the one remaining cinnamon stick.
- If using a crockpot, cook on low for 4 hours. If using a pot on the stove, cook over low heat for 4 hours. NOTE: I like to take the cinnamon stick out at the 2 hour mark, but if you want more of that cinnamon flavor feel free to leave it in for the whole cook time, it's just personal preference!
- Enjoy!
