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Winter warmers

Although winters in Hong Kong are fairly mild - we don't have to wade through waist-high snow drifts, thank goodness, or worry about slipping on icy streets - the lack of indoor heating can make it seem a lot colder than it is. With these warming winter drinks, we can take refuge from the bitter elements outside.

Mulled wine (pictured)

Mulled wine seems very Dickensian and old-fashioned. It makes me think of Christmas dinners of roast goose, chestnut stuffing, plum pudding and mince pies, with a crackling fire and carollers singing outside.

This recipe is based on the mulled wine served during the Christmas holidays at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, and was created by pastry chef Yves Matthey. The original recipe calls for dried oranges, made from fresh oranges slices that are dried in a low oven overnight to concentrate the flavour. Most of us won't bother with that, so this recipe uses a whole orange instead. All the spices should be fragrant or they won't add enough flavour to the drink.

For the wine, you obviously won't want to break out your most expensive bottles, but the wine should be good enough that you can drink it on its own.

1/2 vanilla bean

1 cinnamon stick

3-5 cloves

2-4 juniper berries

1 bottle good quality red wine

1 orange, sliced

100ml freshly squeezed orange juice

50ml honey

50 grams sugar

Freshly grated nutmeg

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a paring knife. Put the vanilla bean and seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves and juniper berries in the middle of a clean, muslin or cheesecloth square and tie with kitchen string (if you don't have muslin or cheesecloth, just strain the mixture through a fine sieve at the end). Pour the wine into a large saucepan and add the sliced orange, orange juice, honey, sugar and the bag of spices. Over a low flame, bring the mixture to a gentle boil then turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool. Store overnight in the fridge to bring out the flavour of the spices.

Before serving, warm the mulled wine over a gentle heat. Remove the spice bag and the orange slices (or strain through a sieve), pour the mulled wine into a large serving bowl and serve. Grate some fresh nutmeg over each glass of wine, if desired.

New Year's eggnog

Admittedly, this isn't a hot drink, but the high alcohol content will give you the illusion that you're warm. This rich, potent drink, is popular in the United States but is thought to have originated in Europe. Make the base a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight, then mix in the whipped cream and egg whites. You'll need a large bowl or pot to mix this in.

6 large eggs, separated

350-450 grams granulated sugar

1 litre whole milk

175ml bourbon

175ml dark rum

100ml Grand Marnier

Pinch of fine salt

500ml cream, chilled

Freshly grated nutmeg

Use an electric mixer to whip the egg yolks with half the sugar until thick and pale yellow. Slowly stir in the milk, bourbon, rum and Grand Marnier then refrigerate overnight.

Whip the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl using clean, dry beaters. When the whites are frothy, add a pinch of salt. With the mixer still running, slowly add in the remaining sugar. Whip the whites until soft peaks form. Fold one-third of the whites into the yolks and milk to lighten the mixture. Gently fold the remaining whites into the yolk/milk mixture. Whip the cream until soft peaks appear (there's no need to wash the beaters or the bowl). Fold the whipped cream into the mixture and taste the eggnog- if it's too strong, stir in more cold milk. Pour into a big bowl and grate nutmeg over the surface. Serves six to eight.

Hot chocolate

Jeffrey Steingarten is one of my favourite food writers, and I often pick up American Vogue just so I can read his articles. In his book, It Must've Been Something I Ate, Steingarten gives this recipe for hot chocolate, which he adapted from a recipe by French pastry chef, Pierre Herme, whose pastries are the most beautiful and delicious I've ever tasted.

Steingarten says his favourite combination of cocoa and chocolate is Valrhona cocoa with Scharffen Berger 70 per cent dark chocolate. Use any combination of cocoa and chocolate you like, but make sure it's unsweetened cocoa powder (not cocoa mixed with dry milk powder and sugar), and check the chocolate label to see that it contains cocoa butter (not vegetable shortening) and at least 65 per cent cocoa solids. To get a thick foam, Steingarten recommends processing it in a standard blender or with an immersion blender (also called a hand-held or wand blender). I prefer a standard blender because with an immersion blender, you run the risk of splattering boiling-hot chocolate around the kitchen and on yourself.

550ml whole milk

50ml bottled still water

60 grams granulated sugar

100 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped into fine pieces

28 grams unsweetened cocoa powder

Combine the milk, water and sugar in a deep saucepan. Bring to the boil then add the chocolate and cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth. Simmer over a low to medium heat, stirring occasionally for about five minutes, until the mixture is smooth and thick. Process in the bowl of a standard blender, or use an immersion blender directly in the pan, until a rich, thick foam forms on the surface.

Styling Leonie Van Hasselt

Picture Timon Wehrli

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