Curb that cold! Standard recipes for delicious hot cola from around the world
So... ever tried hot cola? Don’t look at me, but in some countries people apparently drink their cola warm in the winter months in the belief that it can help fight off the common cold. I’m sure that some of you might not be too keen on the idea though. . . But no fear! Today, I’d like to introduce three delicious recipes for hot cola, each one made that much more delightful with the addition of a single, special ingredient. If you feel like you’re coming down with something, why not give it a go?
Curb that cold! Standard recipes for delicious hot cola from around the world
Hello, everyone! College student and gourmet authoress Mizuki here to share with you the many splendid joys of eating.
It’s slowly been getting colder lately, that time of year when it’s normally kind of a bother just to leave the house. You’ll see girls out and about acting all cute and vulnerable and stuff saying things like, “Ooh, I tend to be on the sickly side. I think I caught a cold...” Which can be cute, right?
And so, with that in mind, I finally found a drink you can recommend them! Although it has yet to really take off in Japan at all, hot cola is apparently a major trend for those fashionable foreigners wherever the sniffles abound!!
“Hot cola, huh? But that’s just gross.”
...is what I know you’re thinking. But hey, don’t worry! I was once a non-believer myself...
In some countries, it’s seen as something like a light cold remedy. People who think they’ve come down with a cold might fix themselves a hot cola even before going to the doctor’s.
During the cold season, no matter your constitution, feeling a little chilly is all it takes and then before you know it, you’ve caught yourself a nice, head-numbing cold. That said, all you need is a little something-something to warm up your body from its core and you’re sure to be feeling a lot more sunshine in your day without that dreaded doctor’s visit!
Okay. So maybe you’re thinking that hot cola is just a little too out there for you. “What kind of revolutionary miracles are in it for me?” you ask.
In today’s special episode, I’m going to share with let the world three heat-warming hot cola recipes so good you’ll forget colds even existed!
Feeling toasty on the inside! Hot cola with lemon and ginger
Ingredients
300 cc of cola
1/2 piece of ginger
1 lemon slice (sliced thin)
Method
1.Chop the ginger into thin slices.
2.Place the ginger in a pot, pour in the cola and simmer (but not to boiling point).
3.Pour your freshly simmering hot cola into a cup and add in the lemon slice.
No way! What is this?! Sooooo goooood!!
After the hot cola washes through you, you can really feel the heat from the ginger warming up the back of your throat. And of course, the sweet fragrance of ginger and mellowness of the cola really mesh well with the tang of the lemon slice. The overall result really hits the spot!
I mean, this something I’d expect them to sell at the supermarket! If you are still unconvinced, let me just say that you should at least at first try it! (You won’t regret it!)
And now—dessert-style! Hot cola with assorted fruit chunks
Ingredients
300 cc of cola
Roughly “a glassful” of your favorite fruits
Method
1.Pour the cola into a pot and and simmer (but not to boiling point).
2.Cut your fruit up into little chunks, place them in a cup and pour the hot cola over the top.
Super simple and deliciousness guaranteed!
Adding fruit chunks into to a hot drink might seem a little too innovative, but the sweetness of the fruit really blends with the cola and transforms it into a fruit-flavored cola of sorts. A good mix of different fruits enhances its yum factor, plus you also get your intake of vitamins so it’s all good in terms of fending off that cold! Also, the submerged fruit makes it seem like a dessert, which makes it all the more fun.
No more colds! Hot cola with comforting apple and cinnamon
Ingredients
300 cc of cola
1/8 of an apple
A little cinnamon powder
Method
1.Pour the cola into a pot and simmer (but not to boiling point).
2.Grate the apple.
3.Place the grated apple into a cup and pour the hot cola over the top.
This one in particular is a recipe I want to recommend to those hoping to stave off a coming cold. As a kid, whenever I had a cold, my mom would bring some grated apple to my room. For some reason, once I’d finished eating it, my cold would always mysteriously disappear without fail...
Apple is also gentle on the stomach, while the hot cola serves to warm up the body. And in addition to that, the fragrant pinch of cinnamon makes for a wonderful accent to the whole thing. Plus with the texture of the apple, it’s almost-kinda like a hot smoothie.
With smoothies so big in Japan right now (and the fact that this recipe tastes amazing in itself doesn’t hurt!), what’s could go wrong?! Sipping on this, we might even get a little too hyped up thinking back on all those cute “cold cures” we had as kids. . . Don’t get carried away!
So how was it?
At first the only thing that hot cola made me feel was “no, thank you” but, once I finally tried it, it totally surpassed any prior expectations I had had. Why not banish your cold away while stocking up on healthy ginger and fresh fruit, and let’s not forget, savoring each sip of that delicious, syrupy taste?
It’s usually in the hot summer that we tend to want fizzy drinks to refresh us. But from now on, right throughout the cold of winter (which is coming soon!), let’s hopefully get into the habit of warming our hearts and minds with some hot cola. You heard it here—this winter, let’s stay healthy and cold-free with a steaming-hot mug of fizzy cola!
Author: Mizuki
Born August 25, 1993. From Kochi prefecture.
College student and gourmet authoress.
I always loved exploring and finding new places to eat so I decided to become a food author while still continuing college. About 80% of the pay from my part-time work is invested in all things culinary, as I continue to search out places to sample undiscovered, delicious new foods. While gaining experience as an intern at Food Creative Factory, I’ve also started becoming interested in “trending” recipes. These I pick up and incorporate into my special “trending recipe seminars” for readers to learn and enjoy trying for themselves, too! Homepage (in Japanese): http://foodcreativefactory.com
