The moment the last bit of Thanksgiving turkey is eaten and last drop of apple cider has been drunk, attention immediately turns to Christmas. You may have seen the colors red and green previously, but now there is no escaping them.
At this time of year, the weeks roll by very quickly and before you know it the whole family will be assembled again for Christmas.
When it is below zero outside and you are covered head to toe in layers of clothing, the contents of a flask have medicinal value!
Christmas is heavily associated with eggnog. The beverage that consists of milk, sugar, eggs and spices has a connection with Christmas that goes back 250 years.
In the 21st century, there are many variants to the recipe – elements as varied as vanilla, bourbon, soy, brandy or rum can all feature. The soy is for those who are lactose intolerant and isn’t the only milk substitute that can be used.
While there are those who are happy to buy their own ready-made eggnog, there are other options. For instance, one could purchase a derivative-mixture, or one can make it from scratch - the effort will be worth it.
For those who like their caffeine, it’s possible to get into the festive spirit with an Eggnog Latte. On top of this, there are other lattes that feature seasonal elements as toffee, peppermint and white chocolate.
Eggnog isn’t the only beverage associated with Christmas, there also is hot buttered rum and mulled wine. Hot buttered rum is a drink that has a rich history in the USA and is very popular at this time of year.
Mulled wine is especially in Europe. Red wine will be complemented with ingredients such as cloves, aniseed, sugar and cinnamon to develop a drink with a rich textured flavor. As is the case with traditions going back thousands of years, each region of Europe makes this a different way.
The Dutch use oranges, Hungarians add Amaretto and Moldovans flavor it with black pepper.
Not surprisingly Canadians add maple syrup to their mulled wine.
Drinks play a big part in contributing to the feel of this time of year and providing for a sense of nostalgia. When people come home to a house filled with the smell of eggnog or mulled wine, it takes them back to the Christmases of years gone by.
We have a wide range of flasks relating to Christmas. We can get into more detail of our Christmas flasks next week.
