On my last backpacking trip, I made Hottie Totties for my friends and I. This was pretty easy and only required me to bring:

Cider mix packets
Some whiskey
And a little cinnamon

All this mixed into a cup of hot water and we had some delicious drinks to warm us up on below freezing nights. Since I normally just bring whiskey or nothing at all, these drinks were great and nice to have after my evening tea.

What are some other good drink ideas you like that are light and simple?

Lemon lime gatorade mix and tequila makes a passable margarita

Edited by kthompson on 02/18/2013 19:58:46 MST.

Bacardi 151 rum, Gatorade powder, and water.

Note that the alcohol will hit you harder at high elevation, so be careful.

--B.G.--

Hot Jello(pick a flavor) and vodka

Or if your feeling fancy bring this.

http://www.packitgourmet.com/Moonshine-Margarita-p243.html

Ken's trail margarita's and guacamole are the best.

Everclear (why haul water?), crushed high-bush cranberries (gathered on the hike), add sugar to balance the alcohol and dilute with about 3 parts water to 1 part (Everclear + juice).

Although without the complexity of the wild, high-bush variety, here's an alternative: Ocean Spray makes a concentrated cranberry juice (in a 12-ounce can like a soda, but it makes 4 or 6 volumes of juice). Don't dilute. Premix with the Everclear and sugar. Then dilute on site with 3 parts water. The mix (Everclear, concentrate and sugar) will still be more potent and lighter per drink equivalent than whiskey or most vodkas.

I like to make what we call a backpackers sangria. It is everclear, mixed with tang plus you add an asortment of dried fruit you brought. My preference is apricots, pineapple and mango.

Nice ideas - some of these will be great to try this summer.

Any other hot drinks?

Amaretto (almond-flavored liquor) goes really well in hot chocolate. As does cream. As do both together.

Keep it simple:

Bourbon and hot apple juice or cider

Brandy and coffee. If you like extra flavor, brandy-based liqueurs live B & B, Frambois, or Strega work well too.

Vodka or schnapps (mint is best) and hot chocolate. (This is served at a bar here, called a Dirty Girl Scout.)

Cheers!

Amaretto is great in hot drinks or just by itself, cold or not. You can put it in tea or cocoa. Not as "stiff" as a spirit, but delicous in the evening under the stars before night-night time.

Orange flavoured fizzy B-vitamin tab, fizzy aspirin, and vodka. The fiz makes it extra special, the B-vite helps replace the B-vites leached from the booze, and the aspirin is preventative...

Hot Cider w/ Southern Comfort
Baileys w/ Coffee or Hot Chocolate

hot chocolate and wild turkey 101

My favorite cold-weather trail cocktail..

Hot Buttered Rum/Whiskey
Yields: 6 hefty mugs

Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 stick salted butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- dash of ground cloves
Mix all ingredients together, put in container for later indulgence.

Post hike: One hefty spoon full of buttered mix, half a mug of hot water, top off with choice of liquer. Yum!

Edited by jacoblevinsky on 03/06/2013 05:02:02 MST.

that buttered rum sounds awesome.

In the interest of keeping things light and simple, my recommendation would be to carry (one) additional, but potent ingredient to add to the flavor of your booze.

Highly personal recommendation - but for me and my love of all things scotch, it would be allspice dram. (think cloves in a bottle)

.25oz of allspice dram for 1oz-1.5oz of whisky is perfect - add water as needed.

(Side note: If in the comfort of your own home, the recipe should be: .25 allspice dram, .5oz simple syrup, peaty scotch, bitters, ice + orange peel / twist of an orange)

Tequila and orange Gatorade makes a nice backcountry Tequila Sunrise. Hydrate while you dehydrate is my motto.

Edited by rlnunix on 03/08/2013 22:46:37 MST.

Our recipe that we call Trail Mix is one part Jack Daniels, one part Kahlua. We generally mix it with a little filtered water on the trail, or my personal favorite, a slug in black tea with honey before bedtime--yum!

Jameson and Baileys 1:1. That's it.

Hot, cold, or luke-warm it still tastes delicious.