When it's cold and wet, nice to stay home, get comfortable on the couch under a warm blanket, reading a fascinating book and sipping a hot drink warms. And when to you at the light to look your friends get warm around the fireplace or simply to discuss the latest news, you can please them with new dishes, cooked and according to our recipes and treat hot to drink glass of warming that will cause you to feel the charm of home comfort or just cheer up.

It is believed that the first of strong drinks such as mulled wine, grog, etc., to light a punch, which earlier used to be feeding in the winter and autumn at masquerades and balls. Punch - an English invention. Larousse Gastronomique - The most authoritative culinary reference book world - argues that the punch was first prepared by British sailors in India in 1552, apparently the word is derived from pantscha (in Hindi it is 'five'), because the punch, as a rule , consists of five components. Schiller, who in 1803 wrote his famous "Song of the punch ', knew nothing about it. Therefore, he mentions only the lemon, sugar, water and alcohol. 'Scoop, until it vanished! “- So ends the Schiller anthem punch. Yes, the five components of the punch used to be mandatory: wine, rum, fruit juice, sugar or honey and spices (cinnamon, cloves). Today, the punch has a strict recipe, and it all depends on taste and cooking experience. That is why the Scandinavian master of the house will never impose their recipe guest. Instead, the punch will prepare a guest, determining the ratio of the mixed ingredients to your liking.

Prepare the punch is simple, it is only important to follow some rules. - First of all should not pour hot water directly into the rum or brandy, as this one evaporate volatile and aromatic substances - sugar is first dissolved in hot but not boiling water and then add the rum - made the punch is heated to 60 - 70 degrees - then punch poured into tall glasses with heat-resistant glass or ceramic mugs, often during a large party punch served in a bulky, heat-trapping bowls, and the right of 'packaging' is granted the guests. Conventional crystal or glass wine glasses are not suitable for punch: they may explode. Well maintained high temperature porcelain, ceramics, and glass tea cups.

By the way, punches, unlike most alcoholic beverages do not excite the appetite, so they offer is not accepted as an appetizer. Punches fed either a buffet or after dinner with dessert. In the latter case are perfect punches on the basis of coffee. For the preparation of the Punch 0.4 liters of hot black coffee mixed with 0.25 liters of mulled red wine, a glass of cognac and add a few lumps of sugar, grated lemon or orange peel. Stamp, as well as cup, has a very strict recipe: spice, rum and sugar are not put on weight, and taste, so crucial, obviously, no recipe, and art and fine taste. Stamp is made from ordinary table dry, do not contain sugar wines. Punch should be strong and very sweet. Do not forget that and drink it is not small glasses, and large glasses. The general technology of preparation of the punch is as follows. In a bowl, where the punch will be served at the table, pour the boiling water. This is to ensure that capacity was hot and does not take the heat from the warmed wine. In an enamel saucepan, heat the wine to 65-70 °. Along with the wine in a saucepan add sugar and spices. In a glass of juice squeezed lemons or oranges. Part of citrus burst into slices or cut into circles with the skin. Once the wine has reached the desired temperature, poured a bowl of hot water, quickly filtered out of a glass of citrus juice, transfer to a bowl of wedges or slices of citrus fruit, add the rum and pour through a sieve hot spiced wine. Spices remain on the sieve. Bowl lid, immediately served to the table, and a hot toddy is poured into glasses.