Coffee Cocktails: Warming up the Winter

At least in my region of the world it seems that winter is finally here. For the last two days I've been staying comfortably inside as small flakes of snow gather on the ground outside. It really is about time, SAD was beginning to set in due to the fact that everything has been so brown. Yet as the season progresses into what we've all been expecting there is nothing better than hot coffee with a little something, something added. Often it can be as easy as pouring a shot of whatever liquor you have available into a freshly brewed cup of java. Rum, whiskey, amaretto and coffee liqueur are commonly used to spike coffee but many other spirits fare just as well. In fact I had a conversation with one gentleman this week who swore that a shot of grappa in his morning coffee has relieved the stress of many family-filled Christmas'. There are many wonderful recipes for hot coffee drinks that will bring in the warm fuzzies on even the coldest of days and can take you to some of the warmer places of the world (even if it is only in your mind).

If you've been reading around this year, you may have ran across the note that heavily-topped whipped cream coffee drinks are a thing of the past. Maybe so in bars and lounges, but I for one am not giving up my Irish Coffee or Cafè Caribbean yet. The creamy top is an extra treat but I will agree that for awhile there the white towers that topped drinks were getting out of control. The perfect amount is obtained with one quick pass around the top of the glass with a can of whipped cream.

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