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Christmas is coming, and who doesn’t like celebrating the holiday season with warm and cheery festive drinks, especially as we make our way through the darkest nights of the year? Of course, for some of us, snow is an actual probability too, so what better way to welcome the season and warm yourself up than with a few hot chocolate recipes? These are sure to help put you in the spirit, satisfy your tastebuds, and are sweet enough to keep you sipping on them until spring. We’ve included 3 of our favorites below: 

• Indulgent Christmas Hot Chocolate - Mix 4 cups whole milk, 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk, 2 cups heavy whipping cream, 12oz finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, with an optional teaspoon of instant espresso powder if you so wish. Heat the mixture on the stove for 15 minutes while stirring continuously, and then serve in your favorite Mira mug, and add peppermint candy canes and whipped cream to serve. 

Mug match: Pour your hot chocolate into our 18oz Coffee Mug Cup with Handle and Lid for a large, luxurious serving of this decadent drink in a sleek and elegant mug. 

• Peppermint Hot Chocolate - Stir together 1½ cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons peppermint extract, and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar until it simmers. Melt 4oz finely chopped bittersweet chocolate and add into the stovetop mixture until thoroughly mixed.  

Mug match: We recommend matching this peppermint hot chocolate with our Rover mug, which is perfect for helping you to sip on your drink and for that peppermint kick to bring you a feeling of festivity as you go about your day. 

• Spiced Hot Chocolate - Combine 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Gradually add 2 cups milk, stirring until the cocoa powder has dissolved into the mixture. Simmer on medium heat, adding 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 star anise pods, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ⅛ teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg as your spices. Stir while heating for 10 minutes before serving.  

Mug Match: Our Pioneer mug is perfect for this lovely winter spiced hot chocolate. Whatever challenges you face this holiday season, the 20 oz Pioneer mug will keep a large portion of this hot chocolate warm for you all day long so that you can get through any stresses and strains with this comforting taste whenever you need it. 

We offer a wide range of mugs at Mira to help insulate your drinks and keep them at the perfect temperature all day, 365 days a year. So, whether you want to keep your water cold throughout the workday or keep your festive hot chocolate warm and delicious, with multiple colors and sizes ranging from 12oz to 20oz, we are sure to have a mug or bottle that meets your needs and lifestyle. All our products are BPA-free and made with stainless steel, so you can rest assured that they are safe for your body and the planet.  

Fall often brings with it so many things: cooler temperatures, holiday seasons, and pumpkin-flavored everything, just to name a few. As we swap out our light jackets for heavier coats and sandals for boots, so we swap our iced lattes for hot lattes again. After all, there’s nothing quite like a warm drink in cold weather to make you feel cozy or make the commute to work just a little more bearable. If you are over the taste of pumpkin spice already, or just fancy some alternate ideas, we have a few hot drink options to keep you going through the darkening days as the holiday season speeds towards us, not to mention the perfect stainless steel travel mug to keep your favorite pick warm for as long as possible, whether at home, work, or on the go.

• Butterscotch Latte - easy and delicious, this butterscotch latte requires you to brew ½ of strong coffee, while separately heating ¾ cup milk on the stove or in the microwave so that it is hot but not boiling. Blend together coffee and milk with 2 tablespoons of butterscotch chips and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, and half a teaspoon of sugar or sweetener depending on taste. 

Mug Match: Pour your latte into a mug like our Coffee Mug Cup with Handle and Lid for a warming, homely experience.

• Almond Milk Chai Latte - A latte made with chai tea instead of coffee, this tasty almond option is also great for dairy-free diets,but loses none of the deliciousness. To make, heat 11oz almond milk in the microwave, while allowing 1 black teabag to steep in your Mira mug of choice, along with 2 whole star anisse pods, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 cardamom pods, and a ½ inch piece of fresh ginger. Pour your steaming milk into the steeped mixture and steep for another 5 minutes. Remove the spices, sweeten to taste and enjoy!

Mug Match: Our Quest and Explorer mugs are great options for taking this chai latte to work or out into the world with you, and making your day feel a little special, whatever you’re faced with.  

• Gingerbread Hot Chocolate - If tea and coffee aren’t your thing, try this decadent homemade hot chocolate. Over the stovetop, combine 6 cups chocolate milk, ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 large tablespoons of Biscoff spread, 3 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and ¼ tea spoon of nutmeg. Cook on medium heat until the Biscoff spread dissolves, being careful not to boil (approx 5 mins). 

Mug Match: Use our Nomad Tea Mug to be able to portion out your Hot Chocolate into the attached mini cup, allowing you to savor the luxury throughout your day.

At Mira, we offer a wide range of mugs and bottles to keep your drinks hot (or cold) whatever your needs, priding ourselves on our focus of style, sustainability and adventure. We have Bpa-free stainless steel bottles and mugs in 12oz, 14oz, 16oz, 18oz and 20oz sizes in a range of colors and styles, and color or pattern options to suit your mood and lifestyle. As a result, Mira products allow you to make these delicious fall drinks in a quantity of your choice and keep them hot all day long, so they can keep you going for longer.  

No Halloween is complete without a themed beverage, and this year it was time for an orange and black layered cocktail. Our lowball cups will keep your drinks chilled all night long. 

What You'll Need:

• 1.5 oz of vodka mixed with 1/8 of a tsp of food grade activated charcoal powder. Or if you have access to Hounds Vodka (a naturally black vodka made in Canada), use that instead.
• Orange Juice
• Grenadine
• Eyeball gummy

Instructions:

1. Start by adding grenadine to the bottom of the lowball cocktail glass, until its about 1/4 inch full.
2. Next, add a couple of ice cubes to the glass.
3. Pour the OJ into the glass, leaving about 1.5 inches at the top because the most important ingredient is coming up next.

4. Slowly pour the vodka and charcoal mixture (or Hounds Vodka) over the back of a spoon so it layers at the very top.

One of my favorite Halloween lunch ideas, these fun Mummy wrapped Halloween Hot Dogs are a must-make for the kids! You can pack them in lunches or serve them as a fun lunch or dinner for Halloween day before trick or treating. Cute, yummy, and so delicious!

Ingredients:

• pretzel roll
• turkey
• cheddar cheese
• cloth wrap
• spooky eye picks
• black marker
• caprese salad (mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil)
• salt 
• pepper
• balsamic glaze
• grapes 
• blueberries 

Directions:

1. Layer slices of tomato, add mozzarella between tomatoes then basil leaves between the cheese and season with salt, pepper and balsamic glaze.
2. Wrap pretzel roll sandwich using cloth, add spooky eyes and draw a mouth with a black marker.
3. Create monster grapes by cutting fruit in half then piece them together with spooky eye picks. 

Pumpkin spice latte is a delectable drink made with smooth and rich pumpkin puree, milk, sugar, vanilla and the fall favorite spice – pumpkin pie spice. Make the best pumpkin spice latte at home in 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• whipped cream
• 2 shots espresso
• 1 cup milk
• ice 

Directions:

1. Start by brewing your coffee
2. In a blender, combine all ingredients
3. Pour the latte over a cup of ice in an insulated mug, top with whipped cream, and sprinkle a pinch of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon