On December 24th, Christmas Saturday, it was and still is a custom in Menorca to go and drink a calent, a spirit that is drunk early in the day, with the morning coffee, and which is between the Galician queimadas and the hot wines of northern Europe.

This tradition could date back to the times of the English or perhaps before and has medicinal properties that help fight colds.

Destilerías Xoriguer sells its Calent with a recipe that is more than a century old.

We give you the recipes for various ways to make the calent.

Calent from Ciutadella

Ingredients: One litre of brandy, some coffee beans, sugar, a cinnamon stick and a lemon or orange peel - you can also add both.

Preparation: We will put all the ingredients inside a well-cleaned earthenware pot and we will take them to the fire, and when they are hot we will light them and let the flame burn the alcohol and confit the liquor.

Note: It would be like a Galician "Queimada".

Christmas Calent

Ingredients: We collect the rest of what is left in all the bottles that are about to be finished, especially the sweet cognac, aniseed, herbs, Cointreau, Triple Sec, etc., some cinnamon sticks, dried figs and orange peel.

Preparation: We will put all the ingredients inside a well-cleaned clay pot and we will take it to the fire, and when it is hot we will light them and let the flame burn the alcohol and confit the liquor.

Note: It is a drink to warm up on cold winter days and is normally taken on Christmas Saturday morning or on pig slaughter days accompanied by crespellets or doughnuts. It has medicinal properties to combat colds.

Calent de Alaior

Ingredients: One litre of red wine, sugar to taste, a cinnamon stick, 1 glass of cognac, 1 glass of sweet herbs and a lemon peel.

Preparation: We will put all the ingredients in a well-cleaned clay pot and we will put them on the fire, and when they are hot we can serve it in glasses or cups.