Snowday Punch. It’s Molten Hot.

Punch is on fire. Literally. Test-drive these fab five recipes any time you’ve got a snow day, a partially cloudy day, or just any day at all. Frankly, who needs a reason to bolt the door and fire up the spirits? Santa will understand. Read, and sip, on.

1. Hot rum and OJ, the breakfast of champions. This cup of part punch, part toddy is the liquid version of a sexy cashmere sweater only cheaper, tastier and more fun to share with friends. Thanks to the crew at A Drinking of History for keeping it, er, hot.

Hot Bowl Punch

Recipe from “Drinking with Dickens” by Cedric Dickens.

• 2 measures rum
• 1 measure sweet vermouth
• 1 measure orange juice
• Peppercorns, cinnamon, root ginger, cloves – to taste

1. Simmer the orange juice and spices for half an hour. Add rum and vermouth and pour into warmed glasses to which half a teaspoon of sugar has been added.

2. Gin in a tea cup? It feels so wrong, it’s right. It makes sense that our go-to “juniper” punch comes from UK-based cocktail enthusiast Jay Hepburn and is made from Beefeater 24.

Hot Gin Punch a la Crachit

Created by Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller for Beefeater.

• 1 dried lemon peel
• ½ dried orange peel
• 20 whole cloves
• ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon anardana dried pomegranate seeds
• 10 elaichi green caradmom pods
• 10 juniper berries
• 2 two-inch pieces of Dalchini cinnamon or Ceylonese cinnamon
• 1 pint water
• 1 3/4 ounces (approximately 50 ml) Beefeater 24 gin
• Ginger beer floater

1. Simmer all ingredients in a saucepan for 5 to 10 minutes. In a tea cup, add Beefeater 24 and pour in the hot liquid. Top with ginger beer.

3. Brandy, you’re a fine punch. The Swedish Glogg is billed as an authentic spiced wine by its author, but the heavy-handed addition of brandy makes us think punch.

The Swedish Glogg

Gwynne’s take on authentic mulled spice wine.

• 2 cups water
• 12 cardamom seeds
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 12 whole cloves
• 1/2 orange, zested
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup blanched almonds
• 4 cups muscatel wine, or orange muscat
• 4 cups port wine (or burgundy)
• 2 cups brandy

1. Bring water to a boil with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest; stir in sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat, and allow to steep overnight.
2. Place raisins and almonds into a large saucepan. Strain the sugar water into the raisins, then pour in muscatel, port and brandy.
3. Place over medium-high heat, and cook until hot but not simmering. Serve warm in a mug with some fruit and almonds in each cup.

4. Tequila shooters, St. Nick-style. This version, courtesy of Sarah Galvin of All Your Fingers in the Pie, is chock full of nuts and Mexican fruit (hmmm…tequila punch as the new fruitcake?).

Mexican Christmas Punch

Sarah Galvin’s recipe for kickstarting holiday cheer. Cue the mistletoe.

• ½ kilo* peeled sugar cane, cut into 3 inch lengths then split lengthwise into string-cheeze sized sticks.
• ½ kilo cored, and very coarsely sliced apple.
• ½ kilo quartered guavas
• ½ kilo tejocote
• ½ kilo tamarindo (This is a seed pod with a sour flavor that is common in Mexico.)
• 1/4 kilo prunes or raisins
• 1/8 kilo cinnamon sticks broken into large pieces
• ½ kilo piloncillo (This is a delicious form of brown sugar traditional in Mexico.)
• Sugar to taste (If you can’t get piloncillo, I recommend that you use 100% brown sugar for your punch)

1. Boil until all of the fruit is very soft.
2. Serve hot with brandy or tequila on the side for those who like a little nip. Makes 5 gallons.
3. * Note: a kilo is 2.2 pounds. If you want to make this recipe in the US, multiply everything by two. The amounts are approximations and you can feel free to change the proportions in any way you would like.

5. Vodka. Punch-Drunk. Love. We admit, vodka‘s not our first love, but a combination of warm spices and fresh orange juice make this recipe worth sipping. That’s not our punch goggles talking. And no one says you can’t switch out the spirit for bourbon. We’re just saying…

Winter Spice Screwdriver

Brit’s party cocktail of choice. Adjust the spices to your liking and garnish with a cinnamon stick and a Tiffany box (filled please).

• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup vodka

1. Stir together orange juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and ginger in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat. Stir in the vodka and serve hot.