Now that it is December, holiday cheer is spreading around. Snow is falling, fireplaces are heating up and certain foods and drinks are coming back around. As Mariah Carey unthaws, some people may be thinking, “I am thirsty, and I want something festive. But what should I get?” Well, read on to find out.
These ratings of these various Christmas drinks will be judged on a few things; namely flavor, versatility and festiveness. The flavor will be how much I like the taste of it. Versatility will be how good it is hot and cold. Finally, festiveness will be how – get this – festive the drink feels. Does it feel like a Christmas drink, or would it fit with other holidays too?
First up is a holiday classic: eggnog. Eggnog is a thick, sweet drink made of milk and eggs. People seem to have it around for Christmas, and with good reason. It has a solid flavor, mostly tasting of vanilla, and adding in a bit of cinnamon makes it great. The eggnog is getting an 8/10 for flavor. Most people will drink eggnog cold, but for this ranking, both must be tried. Cold eggnog is perfectly fine, but warm eggnog was not at all. It receives a 4/10 at best for versatility. Finally, eggnog is undeniably a Christmastime drink, so a 10/10 for festiveness.
The next option may fall flat with coffee-haters: a peppermint mocha. Now, I could not seem to find any peppermint drinks outside of coffee, so it was my only option. The peppermint flavor is a bit lacking here, it is overshadowed by the taste of coffee. While it is still there, it is less than I would like, so it gets a 6/10 for flavor. I prefer my coffee hot, but not scalding hot. However, by the time I got it, it was warm at best, so I was a bit disappointed. But the other side of things surprised me; I really enjoyed it cold, far more than I thought I would. As a result, I think it should have a 7/10 for versatility. For the final rating, festiveness, I think that this is a Christmas drink, and a Christmas drink only, so it gets a 10/10 in that regard. While it may not be the best option, it is certainly a solid one for coffee drinkers.
Next up is the delicious apple cider. A classic drink, it fits on many occasions, and can warm anyone up after a long day outside in the snow. Apple cider has a solid, crisp apple flavor; for that it gets a 9/10, and it is always a tasty option. For versatility, unless it is heated to scalding, it is amazing, hot or cold, which means a 10/10. Now, apple cider is not exactly limited to Christmastime. It can be enjoyed throughout the year, mostly in autumn and winter, so it gets a 4/10 for festiveness.
Ending off is the classic hot chocolate. Hot chocolate is my all-time favorite drink for coming inside after a cold day. The rich chocolate flavor goes very well with the smoothness of the drink itself, making it a 10/10 for flavor. While hot chocolate is undeniably good, what about an iced version? I was surprised at how good it was after trying it iced. However, there is something it is lacking, so it only gets a 9/10. When it comes to the festivity of the drink, hot chocolate can be enjoyed year-round, but especially during Christmastime, so a 9/10 should suffice.
Whether it is cold outside, or hot inside, have a drink to celebrate the holiday season, and give thanks to those who made it.