Did you think cocktails were always served in a tall glass, filled up to the brim with ice? These warm cocktail recipes by Maka Zai will warm you up good on a cold winter evening!

Cocoa-nut Hot Buttered Rum

Hot buttered rum is a mixed drink containing rum, butter, hot water or cider, a sweetener, and various spices. It is especially popular in the fall and winter and is traditionally associated with the holiday season.

Ingredients:

240gms – Coconut sugar

120gms – Melted peanut butter

1 teaspoon – Cocoa powder

1 teaspoon - Vanilla extract/essence

1 teaspoon – Ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon – Ground cloves

1 teaspoon – Ground nutmeg

60ml – Maka Zai Gold Rum

180ml – Hot water

Garnish- Cinnamon stick, star anise and dehydrated orange

Method-

In a mixing bowl, combine coconut sugar, melted peanut butter, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and the ground spices and beat it till well combined. Warm a mug by filling it with hot water. After the mug is warm to touch, pour out the water. In the warm mug, combine two tablespoons of the spiced butter mix with 30ml of the Maka Zai Gold Rum and stir well to mix. Add the remaining 30ml of rum and top it off with hot water. Garnish with cinnamon stick, star anise, and a dehydrated orange.

Ponnje Toddy

A drink made of spirits mixed with hot water and sugar, sometimes with different flavours added. It is also known as Palm wine, created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the palmyra, date palms, and coconut palms.

Ingredients:

Maka Zai Gold Rum- 60ml

Orange Marmalade- 1 barspoon

Ginger honey- 7.5ml

Earl Grey Tea- 120ml

Garnish- Clove studded orange slice, Cinnamon, star anise

Method –
In a warm goblet, put one barspoon of orange marmalade, add in the Maka Zai Gold Rum, ginger honey, spices like star anise, cinnamon and give it a nice stir till the marmalade dissolves. Add warm earl grey tea from the top and garnish it with an orange slice studded with clove. The cinnamon can be burnt as well for a better experience.