photo by flamesplash via flikr.com

photo by flamesplash via flikr.com

Okay, we’re not saying Santa Claus is dead, but today marks the anniversary of the death St. Nicholas of Myra. Sometimes known as “Nicholas the Wonderworker”, this early saint had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, (as well as resurrecting three children killed by cannibalistic meat merchants, but that’s another story…) and was a model for the modern Santa Claus. December 6th is his traditional feast day for most Western Christian sects and “St. Nicholas Day” is a popular children’s holiday in many European countries.

Bisschopswijn (Dutch Bishops' Wine)

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Traditional beverage for Dutch Sinterklaas Eve recipe adapted from the Saint Nicholas Center

Ingredients

  1. 1 liter red wine
  2. 1 lemon
  3. 1 orange
  4. 20 cloves
  5. 2 tablespoons sugar
  6. 1 cinnamon stick
  7. a pinch of mace and saffron (optional)

Instructions

  1. Wash and dry the lemon and orange. I
  2. insert 10 cloves into each.
  3. Put the wine, sugar, lemon, orange and cinnamon (and the mace and saffron tied in muslin, if you are using them) into a pan.
  4. Cover and bring slowly to the boil. Turn down the heat and allow the wine to simmer very gently for approximately 1 hour.
  5. Remove the spices and the fruit. Heat the wine again, but do not let it boil.

Notes

  1. Glass: Serve in heat-resistant glasses.
  2. Garnish: None

The next offering is an A History of Drinking original concoction and is a bit of a “latin” play on a traditional Irish warm milk punch:

San Nicolás

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A "latin fusion" take on the Irish Scáiltín milk punch

Ingredients
  1. 8 oz (1 cup) whole milk
  2. 2 oz Anjeo Tequila
  3. 1 oz Hiram Walker Original Cinn Cinnamon Schnapps
  4. 1 pat of butter
  5. freshly grated nutmeg, to garnish

Instructions

  1. Pour the milk, tequila and Original Cinn into a small saucepan.
  2. Heat over low heat, without letting the mixture boil, whisking briskly unit it froths.
  3. Pour into a warm mug and top with a pat of butter and sprinkle with grated nutmeg.

By A History of Drinking

A History of Drinking http://www.ahistoryofdrinking.com/wordpress/