What's the best part of the holidays, other than gorging yourself on food until you're physically able to hibernate? Imbibing delicious, hot drinks that are spiked to the gills with liquor.
But when you're hosting the party and you've got twenty million things on your to-do list before the night of, the last thing you want to worry about is taking care of the alcohol. (If anything, you probably need it during the process of getting everything ready.) And that's where your mom's vintage slow cooker comes in.
See, the slow cooker gets this bad rap for being old-fashioned and lame—which is ridiculous, because this baby is freakin' convenient, guys. With that said, we've compiled 8 awesome ways to get your drank on with friends and family using a slow cooker.
1. Spiked Mulled Cider
Mulled cider is warm, liquid gold. Spiked mulled cider gets the party started. Just pick your favorite mulled cider recipe, then add your favorite booze at the end. Make sure that your cider is done mulling, or the potency of the alcohol will cook off.
2. Hot Toddy
If you're looking for a good way to self-medicate those winter blues away, look no further than Alton Brown's hot toddy. Combine the ingredients in a slow cooker and cover until the sugar dissolves, then guzzle to your heart's content.
3. Cinnamon Punch
Cinnamon punch can be found in many variations online, but we stumbled upon a special Korean cinnamon punch and fell in love. As with mulled cider, be sure to add your liquor in at the end.
4. Mulled Wine
Mulled wine is meant for strolling the neighborhood and admiring the holiday lights. (You've got to stay warm somehow, and coffee ain't cutting it.) Ina Garten (the queen) uses red wine, apple cider, honey, cinnamon sticks, oranges, cloves, and star anise to make a mean mug of magic that'll keep you jolly during your holiday tours.
5. Spiked Hot Chocolate
Everyone loves hot chocolate as is, so why fix a good thing, you ask? Because alcohol. Kitchen Treaty makes a boozy hot chocolate that will knock your warm, woolly, winter socks off.
6. Pear Cider
Cider isn't just for apples, anymore. Spend a slow Saturday afternoon and whip up this slow cooker pear cider by Beard + Bonnet. As they state, it's great on its own—but even better when you add some rum or bourbon.
7. Chai Tea
Bourbon, vodka, chai tea, honey, cream, and fresh mint leaves combine to make this divine spiked chai tea from Popsugar. A little bit warm, a little bit spicy, and a whole lot of liquor can be found in this one humble cup of chai.
8. Cranberry Punch
Pucker up, friends: we're breaking out the traditional slow cooker for this recipe from Deliciously Sprinkled. She uses a coffee maker for her own slow cooking preparation—an awesome alternative for those of you that may not have a slow cooker on hand.
We hope these tidbits of inspiration bring you some buzz-worthy ideas to keep you and yours warm (and drunk) this season. So dust off that old slow cooker sitting in the back of your cabinet and get the party started!
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