As with the Russian teas, note the number of servings. I like the idea of serving hot tea from a punch bowl if your home is filled with family and friends. Festive! On the other hand, if you and your loved ones are frozen solid, you may want to make a large batch of spiced tea and transfer it to a thermos. Not as elegant but much more practical.

Speaking of practicality, many of these look to me as if they could be made ahead and refrigerated, then individual cupfuls microwaved.

SPICED TEA I

Serves 6 to 8 generously

¾ C sugar
½ C cold water, plus an additional 5 C water, “furiously boiling”
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 4 juicy lemons
10 whole cloves (heads removed)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
5 tsp (heaping) tea
A thin slice of lemon for each cup, each slice studded with 1 whole clove

Dissolve sugar in cold water in a saucepan, and when quite dissolved bring mixture to boiling point. Remove from flame, add orange juice, lemon juice, cloves, and cinnamon, and mix well. Pour boiling water over tea in a heated teapot, and let brew and steep 5 minutes. Put fruit juice mixture into a crystal punch bowl, strain hot tea mixture over fruit juice, and serve immediately in punch or tea cups, each cup containing a clove-studded lemon slice.

HOT SPICED TEA I

2 C boiling water
4 large tea bags
2 C pineapple juice
2 C orange juice
Juice of 3 to 4 lemons
Sugar
4 cinnamon sticks

Cover tea bags with boiling water and let steep 10 minutes. Simmer together pineapple juice, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon sticks, add tea, and serve hot.

“Serve hot.”—Georgia L. Williams, Hazelhurst, MS, The Mississippi Cookbook, compiled and edited by the Home Economics Division of the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service (1972)

HOT SPICED TEA II

Yield: 12 cups

1½ C sugar
1½ C water, plus an additional 9 C boiling
3 2-inch cinnamon sticks
3 tsp grated lemon rind
4½ tsp grated orange rind
¾ C orange juice
¾ C pineapple juice
6 Tbsp lemon juice
½ C apricot nectar
9 Tbsp tea

Place sugar, 1½ C water, cinnamon sticks, grated lemon rind, and grated orange rind in a saucepan and boil 5 minutes. Pour sweetened syrup through a strainer into a large saucepan, add orange juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice, and apricot nectar, and continue heating. Pour 9 C boiling water over tea and let steep 5 minutes. Strain and add to juice mixture.

“When ready to use, put one heaping tablespoon in cup and fill with boiling water and stir… Needs no refrigeration.”—Mrs. Rlosalyn B. Ferguson, Canton, MS, The Mississippi Cookbook, compiled and edited by the Home Economics Division of the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service (1972)

HOT SPICED TEA MIX

Makes one quart

2 C Tang
1 C instant tea
3-oz package dry lemonade mix
2½ C sugar
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Mix together all ingredients and store in a tightly covered jar.

NUTMEG TEA

Serves 1

1 tsp sweet butter
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
Freshly boiled water
Milk or cream

Put butter, sugar, and nutmeg in a heated teacup, fill cup two-thirds full of boiling water, and stir until butter is melted. Fill cup with milk or cream.