Pimm's heated?

[John Costello]

On Mon, 26 Dec 2005, Simon Wistow wrote:
> As an aside, and since I've never tried this only speculating, Pimms is 
> quite bitter undiluted and so you might need to either add some sugar 
> (diluting in some boiling water first will make it easier to add) or 
> substitute some of the water for orange or apple juice in order to up 
> the sweetness.
> 
> Do let us know how it goes.

I wound up using a good amount of apple cider to sweeten and dilute the 
Pimms, and then fortifiied it with a bit of brandy to counter the 
dilution.  I also tinkered with spicing.  Below are the two recipes--the 
first is very good if you are recovering from a cold (as I was) and like 
pepperiness, and the second was very warming and less spicy.

John's Winter Cold Treatment
Combine in a saucepan and bring to a simmer:
        500 ml Pimm's No. 1
        400 ml apple cider (non-alcoholic)
        100 ml brandy
        4 orange slices
        2 cinnamon sticks, crushed
        1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
        1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, roughly chopped
        2 tsp whole cloves
        1/2 tsp ground black pepper

	Simmer for ten minutes.  Ladle an orange slice into each mug and
cover with the Pimm's / cider / brandy mixture.  Serves 4.


Pimms Warmer
Combine in a saucepan and bring to a simmer:
        500 ml Pimm's No. 1
        400 ml apple cider (non-alcoholic)
        100 ml brandy
        4 orange slices
        2 cinnamon sticks, crushed
        1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
	1/2 Tablespoon powdered ginger
        2 tsp whole cloves
        1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Simmer for twenty minutes.  Ladle an orange slice into each mug and cover
with the Pimm's / cider / brandy mixture.  Serves 4.

The Warmer simmered at ~70 C but still packed a nice punch.  You might 
want to filter out the chunky bits before serving (I didn't).

Cheers and Happy New Year to all!

John
-----
John Costello - cos at indeterminate dot net
"You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back."--Unknown