4 Delicious Hot Drinks to Warm Up Your Next Winter Camping Trip

Ultimate Hot Cocoa

Leave Swiss Miss to the kids. This homemade classic satisfies more sophisticated palettes. Makes 6 servings

1 cup dry milk powder

½ cup powdered sugar

⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. ancho chile powder

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

At home:Sift all ingredients together. Store in a zip-top bag. (This recipe makes a great base for add-ins like peanut butter, spices, or schnapps.)

In camp: Stir 5 Tbsp. of hot cocoa mix into / cup of boiling water and serve.

Weight* 1 oz.
Calories 150

Turmeric Tea

Cozy up with this superfood-infused beverage—turmeric is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Makes 2-3 servings

1 Tbsp. ground turmeric

¼ cup dry milk powder

Pinch ground cardamom

Pinch cayenne

Pinch black pepper

1 tsp. honey

At home: Sift turmeric with milk powder and spices and store in a zip-top bag. Pack honey in a separate container.

In camp: Mix all ingredients with 2 cups boiling water. Stir until dissolved, adding more honey to taste. Pour into separate mugs and serve.

Weight 1 oz.
Calories 105

Homemade Chai Tea

Forgo the tea bags and concoct your own blend—you can adjust spice ratios to suit your taste. Makes 12 servings

3 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

1 Tbsp. black pepper

20 whole cloves

10 cardamom pods

1 Tbsp. dried lemongrass

1 tsp. ground ginger

6 Tbsp. black tea leaves

At home: Grind all ingredients except tea leaves together in a spice grinder until they are coarsely ground. Or, combine in a plastic bag, cover with a dish towel, and crush with a mallet or heavy object. Add tea leaves to spice mix and store in a zip-top bag. Pack a loose leaf tea infuser.

In camp: Using infuser, steep 1 Tbsp. of tea in 6 to 8 ounces of boiling water and serve.

Weight 0.1 oz.
Calories 2

Chai-Spiced Hot Toddy

Savory spices take this throat-soothing cocktail to an even higher comfort level. Makes 2 servings

2 chai tea bags, or 2 Tbsp. of Homemade Chai Tea mix

2 Tbsp. honey

1 lemon

3 oz. bourbon

2 cinnamon sticks (optional, for garnish)

At home: Pack all ingredients separately. Pack loose leaf tea infuser if using your own mix.

In camp: Bring 1/ cups water to a boil. Remove from heat, add tea bags (or homemade tea mix in loose leaf infuser), cover, and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags or infuser. Stir in honey, juice from the lemon, and bourbon. Serve with cinnamon sticks and extra honey to taste.

Weight 3.5 oz.
Calories 170