"Cocktail" report (bear with me on this)

My wife's a fan of various hot alcoholic mixes - hot toddies, hot buttered rum, etc. I'm not big on any of these as the heat and the spirits are just a little much for me. One night a few months ago, I noticed a container of Ovaltine that had been sitting in the pantry for quite some time (my daughter used to use it for smoothies but went on to other breakfast beverages a while back). So you can probably see where this is going. I followed the instructions for your basic "chocolatey" malted Ovaltine: 2 T. Ovaltine and 8 oz. hot milk. Except that I only used about 6 oz. of hot milk and made up the rest with about 1-1/2 oz. of Frangelico and 3/4 oz brandy. This may sound weird but it makes for a pretty darn good nightcap. The Frangelico adds a nice touch of hazelnut to the malty Ovaltine and the brandy gives it a necessary kick. It's warm, soothing, not-too-sweet, easy on the stomach, and quite the soporific. Hard to think of this one as elegant, but if it's a cold night and you have a warm fire going or you're looking for something to sip while you're on the last of the evening's binge of House of Cards, then this is just the ticket.

When I was younger I really liked malts---much, much more than milkshakes---and wasn't averse to Ovaltine on occasion.

Thus, your concoction sounds okay to me as a very occasional night/winter soother.

Like you, I'm not really big on hot alcoholic drinks...with the major exception of a well made Irish Coffee. Thing is, I make the best Irish Coffee I've ever had. Even better than the Buena Vista. Thing is, mine takes a while to make and since we seldom drink caff. coffee in the evening any more (and my wife won't drink anything but decaf after the morning), I don't make my Irish Coffee hardly at all anymore. Heck, it's been years now.

I will confess, however, in some of my depraved moments, like when I'm reading an early Matt Scudder novel, I have been known to surreptitiously pour a shot of bourbon in a hot cuppa joe. That works even better when the mug is one of those heavy, clunky, thick-handled crack-glazed old style diner cups.

Yeah, you wouldn't want the Ovaltine thing every night, but it's not bad as a once in a while thing.

As much as I love both coffee and booze, I have a hard time with the two of them together in the same cup. I tend to need a lot of milk or cream to soften it all up.

And let us take this occasion to say that Frangelico is one of the classic liqueurs. Top quality stuff; clean, no artificial taste, sweet/sweet/sweet but still fairly balanced with the soft rich nuttiness of hazelnut, and lovely texture.

I don't have it that often, but when I do, I remark again in great surprise at how consistently good it is.

i would probably enjoy Mike's invention. I rarely have alcoholic drinks that are served warm or hot--love a good Irish coffee and had my share of Jagertee on ski breaks (back when I skiied) in Germany or Austria and have enjoyed mulled wines on occasion. I do recall being out at a German restaurant once with two other people and we ordered coffee and Amaretto served separately. We would have a few sips of coffee and then a sip of the Amaretto, then the coffee again. It was such a delightful combination that we went through several cups of coffee each and several shots each of the Amaretto.

[Jenise]

As much as I love both coffee and booze, I have a hard time with the two of them together in the same cup.

Same here. Neither, to me, makes the other taste better, and I don't care for the the aroma of heated alcohol.