How do I make a hot drink for a cold day that is not just tea?
Six warming drinks worth knowing, the spice base that underpins most of them, and why milk needs different treatment from water.
beginner20 min4 min read
Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Mocktails, cordials and soft drinks with actual flavour.
19 guides in Coffee, Tea & Drinks
How do I drink less without making it awkward?
Having something in your hand, a short answer ready, and the practical moves that make drinking less genuinely unremarkable.
beginner20 min4 min readHow much water should I actually drink?
Where the eight-glasses figure came from, what official guidance actually says, and why thirst and urine colour beat counting.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I make a mocktail that isn't just juice?
What alcohol contributes to a drink and how to replace it — bitterness, acidity, texture and aroma — so a non-alcoholic drink has structure.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I make a hot drink for someone who is ill?
Warm rather than scalding, gentle on a sore throat and an unsettled stomach, and small amounts often when nothing else stays down.
beginner10 min4 min readHow do I make a good smoothie?
The ratio and blending order for a smoothie that is neither watery nor sludge, and how to make them cheaply.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I make non-alcoholic drinks that actually taste good?
Replacing what alcohol contributes — bitterness, warmth, body — rather than just leaving it out.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I host people who are not drinking?
Offering something as considered as the alcoholic options, and handling it without making it a topic.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I make a smoothie that is not watery or gritty?
The ratio, the order of loading the blender and the frozen component that gives thickness without ice.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I make lemonade and cordials?
Homemade lemonade and fruit cordials, the sugar-to-acid balance that makes them taste right, and how long they keep.
beginner30 min2 min readHow should I serve wine?
Temperature, glassware and decanting — the three things that change how a bottle tastes without changing the bottle.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I make better hot chocolate and warm drinks?
Real chocolate, proper heating and the salt and spice that lift a hot drink from sweet to good.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I make mulled wine and hot punches?
Gentle heat, whole spices and the timing that keeps the alcohol and the aromatics where you want them.
beginner40 min2 min readHow do I make good cold drinks for hot weather?
Infusions, cold brews and syrups that make water and tea interesting without a lot of sugar.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I make proper hot chocolate?
How to make hot chocolate from real chocolate rather than powder, and how to get it thick and glossy rather than thin and grainy.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I make juices and blends that are actually good?
Balancing sweet and sharp, the difference between juicing and blending, and how quickly it should be drunk.
beginner20 min2 min readHow long does opened wine and spirits last?
Realistic keeping times for opened bottles, why some last years and others days, and how to slow the decline.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I make sugar syrup?
Simple syrup and rich syrup — the ratios, how to make them without a hob, and how long each keeps.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I make flavoured water that actually tastes of something?
How to infuse water so it has real flavour rather than a faint hint, including which fruits and herbs work and how long to leave them.
beginner2 hr2 min read
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