It's officially fall on the calendar, and our mornings and nights are starting to cool down. Time to get out the sweaters and blankets and indulge in a hot drink.
From that morning cup of joe to more boozy concoctions, KCUR's Food Critics search out the best hot beverages in and around Kansas City.
Here are their recommendations:
Jenny Vergara, Feast Magazine:
- Krokstrom Klubb & Market — glögg. Made with their traditional Scandinavian mulled wine, warming spices, raisins, almonds and brandy that’s all steeped together and served hot. They top it off with a bit of vodka for a boozy punch at the end.
- W Bar — hot buttered rum. Made with Foursquare Port Cask Rum, vanilla-caramel ice cream, cinnamon-clove-nutmeg butter and Lee's Summit's Post Coffee Company Coffee. It’s warming and lovely with that buttery edge to it.
- W Bar — hot toddy. With Leopold Navy-Strength Gin, date syrup, honey, lemon, rosemary and orange peel.
- Shang Tea — white honeysuckle tea. The owner has also opened the 1+1 Dim Sum Tea House inside his shop. The dim sum menu is simple: dumplings, tea eggs and sweet breads.
- Hi Hat Coffee — specialty coffee drinks, mocha, café au lait or a plain cup of coffee.
- Uncommon Stock — bone broth. Bone broth is a satisfying warming winter drink; it’s made from roasting bones of grass-fed beef or free-range chicken, adding water then slow cooking it down for hours. It can be sipped straight as a healthy “tea” or added to recipes.
- Evolve Juicery & Paleo Kitchen — bone broth
- The Sundry — bone broth
Natalie Gallagher, local freelance food and drink writer:
- Krokstrom Klubb — glögg.
- Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar — boozy sipping toddy. Made with Calvados, brandy and Benedictine. Available the second week of October.
- Jax Fish House — the 3975. It’s essentially a hot chocolate topped with a brûléed housemade marshmallow, with pineapple syrup, a housemade habanero cordial, coconut milk, Aztec chocolate and agave mezcal. It’s half tropical, half Mexico, and my drink of the year for 2015. Also available the second week of October.
- Westside Local — Liquid Luck hot buttered rum. It’s inspired by Harry Potter’s Butterbeer and is made with compound butter (that kind of tastes like cream soda), rum and Drambuie.
- Quay Coffee — honey lavender latte.
- Kaldi’s Coffee — matcha tea latte.
Charles Ferruzza, The Independent and Shawnee Mission Post:
- Hi Hat Coffee — mocha, Mexican hot chocolate. Hi Hat uses the Aztec Bark from the neighboring chocolatier, Annedore’s, to make those drinks. Aztec Bark is dark, rich chocolate seasoned with cinnamon and cayenne powder.
- Christopher Elbow Chocolates — drinking chocolate. The thick drink comes in flavors like Cocoa Noir, peppermint, Venezuelan Spice and mocha. They sell packaged mixes and, at the Crossroads store, cups with house-made marshmallows.
- CoffeeCakeKC food truck — The Pablo. It's a cup of Mexican hot chocolate with a double shot of espresso.
- Louisburg Cider Mill — hot cider. And fantastic cider doughnuts. They press their own juice, and the doughnuts really taste like apples. (Ciderfest is also going on this weekend).
Jen Chen is associate producer for KCUR's Central Standard. Reach out to her at jen@kcur.org.