Normally when I drink coffee, I take it black. On occasion, though, I drink it with half-and-half. Once, when I’d been java-deprived for more than 18 hours, I drank it with vanilla creme bought in a truck stop in Tucumcari, New Mexico. I mistakingly added the flavored “cream,” thinking it was straight half-and-half, and didn’t discover my mistake until I sipped the steamy blend as the bus hit the road. It hit the spot, tasting like hot melted coffee-vanilla ice cream. Some time later, when inventing hot drinks for cold paddlers, I came up with what I call Spiked Choco-Java. Today, after a chilly 22-mile round trip on the bike to get groceries, I had a yen for a cuppa. Try it yourself—it’s easy to make. Put a rounded teaspoon of instant coffee (decaf, if you must) into a mug. Then empty a packet of instant hot chocolate powder—this one here had marshmallows. Pour in boiling water while stirring the powders to dissolve. You can drink it as-is and it’s delicious, but if you’re not driving and want to spike it, leave a bit of room in the mug for the tipple of your choice. Rum works, and so does schnapps if you like minty drinks. I use blended Scotch whiskey (I wouldn’t want to waste Laphroaig on this). Here’s a picture to temp you:

 

 
Relaxing, warming, and comforting, all in one mug. Who could ask for anything more?