Hot Drinks
From China’s millennia-old tea rituals to Romans’ love of mulled wine, hot beverages around the world have evolved to reflect the cultures that prepare them.
From China’s millennia-old tea rituals to Romans’ love of mulled wine, hot beverages around the world have evolved to reflect the cultures that prepare them. Some—including hot chocolate, prized among the Aztecs—have ceremonial origins. Others, like the soothing herbal tisanes favored by the ancient Egyptians, were created for medicinal use. Even coffee began as a health tonic, sipped by Sufi monks to stay awake during long nights of prayer. Here are some delicious hot drinks still consumed today.
Here are a few favorites:
Milk Street
Masala Doodh
To make Indian masala doodh, milk is boiled with crushed nuts and spices such as cardamom and saffron, which turn the milk golden and aromatic. It can be enjoyed year-round (frequently served to welcome guests), but it’s especially popular for festivals, often served in silver or brass cups. The sweet, creamy drink is sipped under the full moon during Sharad Purnima (which celebrates the end of monsoon season), and it warms up cold-weather holidays like Sankranti.
Baesuk
Sweet, fragrant baesuk originated as a drink for Korean royalty. This warming brew (a type of hwachae, or traditional fruit punch) is made from poached pears—often as wedges studded with whole peppercorns. The pepper, along with ginger and cinnamon, is considered medicinal and is used to treat coughs. The comforting drink often is sprinkled with whole pine nuts for creamy crunch. It can be served chilled as well as hot.
Bissap
The national drink of Senegal, bissap—a tangy, brilliantly pink brew of hibiscus flowers—is consumed across West Africa. To make it, hibiscus petals are steeped in hot water, sometimes with ginger, bay leaves or mint. This produces a vibrant and tart brew that can be enjoyed hot or cold, typically sweetened to balance its acidity. Bissap is a symbol of hospitality, often served communally at celebrations and gatherings.
Salep
A winter favorite across Türkiye, Lebanon and the Levant, velvety-rich salep (also known as sahlab) gets its thick, creamy texture from milk, sugar, spices and the powdered tubers of wild orchids. This orchid powder has been in use since the Ottoman Empire. Due to the near-extinction of salep orchids, modern versions often replicate the taste with a blend of cornstarch and rose or orange blossom water. Salep typically is garnished with cinnamon, coconut or chopped nuts.
Api morado
Api morado is a thick, porridge-like beverage made from corn, sweetened with sugar and flavored with cinnamon, cloves and citrus peel. A breakfast staple in Bolivia’s Andean Highlands, the nourishing drink often is paired with fried, cheese-filled pastries known as pastel de queso. This combination, dubbed “api con pastel,” provides a hearty start to cold mountain mornings. Depending on the type of corn used, the drink may appear purple, yellow or a swirl of both.
