Now that the holidays are over, winter kind of seems to stretch on forever with nothing to look forward too. 

Wow, that sounded really depressing.  I didn’t mean to bring you down like that.  I just mean that once the magic of Christmas and New Year’s wears off and we start settling into a routine, it can seem like we’re just twiddling our cold thumbs until spring warms us back up.

But winter doesn’t have to be entirely depressing.  Think of all the things you can do when it’s cold out that you couldn’t get away with in summer.

You can eat vats of hot soup and no one will bat an eye.

You can make the creamiest of casseroles and not sweat to death because your oven is on.

You can curl up on your couch and binge watch your favorite Netflix series and no one will think you’re lazy because there is currently a blizzard raging outside.

You can wear all of the sweatshirts/sweatpants/thick wool socks and not get blamed for looking like a hobo because everyone is just trying to stay warm.

You can add booze to your hot drinks. 

Adam was the one who made me my first hot toddy.  I didn’t think I would like it because I’m not a huge drinker but it was really good.  Not so boozy that I needed a nap but just enough of a kick to make me feel all warm and happy.  Chai tea is one of my favorite warm drinks in the winter so adding booze should make it better, right?

Right.

So, put some soup on the stove, throw a casserole in the oven, put on your comfiest/warmest clothes, queue up your Netflix show, and snuggle up with this chai hot toddy.

I won’t judge you because I’m doing the exact same thing 🙂

Chai Hot Toddy- serves 2 

• 2 cups full-fat coconut milk 
• 3-4 chai tea bags (depending on how strong you want it)
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 2 oz. bourbon or whiskey (your choice, I used Trader Joe’s Kentucky bourbon)
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• ground cinnamon, for serving
• Whipped cream, optional topping

1. Place the coconut milk, and two cinnamon sticks in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.  Once it comes to a simmer, add the coconut sugar and let it simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and add the chai tea bags to the pot.  Let the tea bags steep for five minutes.  Remove the tea bags, carefully squeezing out any excess liquid.
3. Pour one ounce of bourbon/whiskey into each glass and then fill with the chai milk mixture.  If you want, top with whipped cream then add a cinnamon stick to each glass and sprinkle with cinnamon.