COMFORT FOOD

Hot Cups for Cold Days

From chai to hot buttered rum, we’ve got the liquid cure for whatever ails you.

By Kelly Clarke, Fiona McCann, and Benjamin Tepler January 25, 2016 Published in the February 2016 issue of Portland Monthly

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Chai Sampler at Pip's Original

Experience the kaleidoscopic flavor range of teeny doughnut king Pip’s house-made bounty, from Ginger Rodgers’s sweet-heat intensity to Thai-spiced King & I and chamomile-wafting Emmylou, served in a picture-perfect quintet of mugs. Share with a friend for maximum feels.

Silver Needles at Tea Bar

Where I’m from in Ireland, if someone loses a job (or a limb), we put the kettle on. Tea is a cure for anything, and a trip to Kinfolk-y Tea Bar reminds you why. Order a soothing loose-leaf—from barny-scented Silver Needles to English Breakfast—served in a mug that doubles as a hand-warmer, bury your nose in the rising steam, and feel your shoulders unknot.

Champurrado at Sandino Coffee Roasters

Tuck into a just-boiled cup of masa-steeped pinolillo, a pale Nicaraguan hot chocolate with an earthy creaminess and just a hint of cacao, at Portland Mercado’s family-run coffee shop. This is cocoa for worldly grown-ups. sandinocoffee.com

“Ties That Bind” Hot Buttered Rum at the Box Social

My first-ever hot buttered rum was this sweet, decadent mingle of brown sugar, vanilla ice cream, salted butter, molasses, and spice swirled in stiff, butterscotchy Austrian Stroh 80 rum and topped with whipped cream. And it still delivers. The recipe was handed down to bar manager Michael Rowe from his great-grandmother Opal Box. It’s the alcoholic madeleine I will be chasing all year round. bxsocial.com

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