Hot ideas for chasing away those winter blues

2 Mulled wine

Jack Zhou, boss and senior bartender of Groovy Schiller's, a popular restaurant and bar close to the embassy district of Beijing, says hot liquors are already on the menu and are becoming popular as the weather cools. One of them is hot wine.

"We use Great Wall dry red wine as the main ingredient, inexpensive, but good enough for heating. Then on a small fire brew the wine with cloves, cinnamon, lemons, orange peel, a dram of sugar and Chinese until it boils.

"There is no need to splash out on a highly priced fine wine because its subtle flavors will be damaged when cooking with other spices in the pot."

Groovy Schiller's hot wine costs 40 yuan ($6.30) a glass.

"It's easy to make, easy trying, and easy to keep you and your friends warm," Zhou says.

Open daily 9 am-1 am; Groovy Schiller's, 1 Liangmahenanlu, Chaoyang district; 010-6464-9016. Apart from hot wine, hot toddy and hot rum, also costing 40 yuan, are on the menu.

3 Toddy

Hot toddy is perhaps the most famous hot cocktail of them all. People often say it is the best remedy for winter blues. There are various recipes.

Samson Li, director of restaurants and bars at the Opposite House in Beijing, gives you his favorite recipe.

Ingredients

100ml hot water, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 lemon wheel, 4 cloves, 50ml Jack Daniels bourbon whiskey infused with orange, cinnamon and clove.

Method

1. Stir brown sugar into hot water.

2. Stud lemon wheel with cloves

3. Add studded lemon wheel, Jack Daniels and garnish with cinnamon stick.

4. Serve.

This drink, priced at 68 yuan plus 15 percent service charge, is likely to be available from Nov 9 at the four dining outlets of the Opposite House: Village Cafe, Mesh, Jing Yaa Tang, Sureno. The Opposite House, Building 1, Taikoo Li Sanlitun North, No 11 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang district.