I won't be givin' ya any recipes fer pirate drinks 'cause this here be a family blog, arrrrr! If ye be in the mood fer bootleg rum, ya better be goin' after another treasure map to be findin' yer booty! But come now matey, is there a better time to enjoy a nice cool drink to wet yer whistle than the summer time?
So, quit swabbin' the decks fer a minute and take a swig!
Herbal Sodas
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 ounce fresh herbs, such as basil, lemon verbena, mint, tarragon, or thyme.
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Ice, for serving
Sparkling water or club soda, for serving
Directions:
Put sugar and 1 cup water into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; add herbs. Cover; let cool completely.
Pour syrup through a fine sieve into a small bowl; discard herbs. Stir in lemon juice. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Fill glasses with ice. Add 2-4 tablespoons syrup; top with sparkling water or club soda, and stir.
Source: Martha Stewart Living, 2010.
Coconut Horchata
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 cup almonds
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
3 cups boiling water
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
5 cups cold water, or more as needed
5 cups ice
Directions:
Place rice, almonds, and coconut flakes into a food processor. process until ground to the consistency of sand. Pour rice mixture into a bowl and stir in the boiling water. Cover and rest for 6 hours or overnight.
Strain rice mixture through a sieve twice, discarding the ground rice, almonds, and coconut. Stir in the coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk. Stir in the cold water and serve over ice.
Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Suzie.
These were both amazingly good. We made the herbal soda with mint and it was wonderful. The subtle mint flavor was really refreshing. We're looking forward to trying it with cinnamon basil when our herb plants get big enough to harvest.
ReplyDeleteThe chorchata won rave reviews by everybody.