A good friend of mine recently called and asked if I was going to be in the shuk, to please get her cinnamon sticks. She was co-sponsoring the Shabbat mitzvot luncheon at our synagogue and wanted to make hot apple juice instead of serving the regular cold soda.

I remembered when I entertained in the States, I often made spiced hot apple juice. Here is a recipe plus some others for warm entertaining.

Spiced Apple Juice (Pareve)

8 servings

• 8 cups apple juice
• ½ cup sugar
• Peel from 2 oranges, cut in strips
• 4 t. whole cloves
• 2 t. allspice
• 4 cinnamon sticks, broken in pieces

1. Place apple juice in a soup pot.
2. Add sugar, orange peel and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
3. Strain before serving.

“Sabra-Like” Coffee (Dairy or Pareve)

8 servings

I made up this recipe many years ago to serve to people who preferred not to have liqueur in their coffee.

• 8 cups coffee
• 1 cup whipped cream, dairy or pareve
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 t. grated orange rind
• 2 t. grated semi-sweet chocolate

1. Place coffee in a large pot and heat over low heat.
2. In a bowl, combine whipped cream, sugar, orange rind and chocolate.
3. Stir into coffee before serving.

Spiced Hot Mocha (Dairy)

12 servings

• 4 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 4 cups strong coffee
• 4 cups milk
• ⅝ cups brown sugar
• 2 t. cinnamon
• ½ t. allspice
• 2 t. vanilla
• Whipped cream

1. Melt chocolate in a large pot. Stir in ¾ cup of coffee then add rest of coffee.
2. Add milk, sugar and spices. Stir in vanilla.
3. Pour into mugs. Top with whipped cream.

Cappuccino Without a Machine (Dairy)

6 servings

• 2 cups water
• ⅜ cup instant espresso coffee powder
• ½ square chopped unsweetened chocolate
• 1½ T. sugar
• 2 cups milk
• ½ cup whipping cream
• ¼ t. vanilla
• 1½ t. sugar (if whipping cream has no sugar)
• Cinnamon

1. In a saucepan, heat water, instant espresso coffee, chocolate and 1½ T. sugar until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally.
2. Add milk and cook until bubbles form around the edge and mixture is hot.
3. In a small bowl, beat whipping cream with vanilla and 1½ t. sugar.
4. Beat hot espresso with wire whisk until foamy, then pour into cups. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Sybil Kaplan, z”l,  was a journalist, author, compiler/contributor/editor of nine kosher cookbooks (working on a 10th) and food writer for North American Jewish publications. She lived in Jerusalem. She wrote the kosher Jerusalem restaurant features for Janglo.net, the oldest, largest website for English speakers, from 2014 to 2020.