An Easy Way to Keep Warm Drinks Warm
The party problem: You want to serve a warm boozy (or not boozy!) drink during the span of a party.
The party trick: Use your slow cooker!
Every winter, I make a large batch of mulled wine for a party. I’ve always done it on the stovetop and spent much of the party stressing over the burner. (Is it too hot? Is someone going to catch on fire? Does this pot seem precariously wobbly?) And then it occurred to me: Why am I not just doing this in my slow cooker?
Slow cookers are obviously great for serving hot party appetizers (like meatballs, cheesy dips, and chili), but why not use it for drinks? This year, I poured everything into my slow cooker, put it on the lowest setting, and got back to the party.
To make serving up this drink easy on my guests, I set out a dinner plate and a bowl — this way, the ladle and slow-cooker lid had a place to sit when not being used. So simple, yet so helpful.
Note: You can still make your recipe on the stovetop and then transfer everything into the slow cooker for warming throughout the night.