Italian Sodas

How did I ever miss this delicious beverage? Does everyone know how to make these? I had my first Italian soda the other day at Zeffiro's Pizzeria Napoletana, and we've been making sodas at home ever since.

The process is simple: Just place some flavored syrup, club soda, and a little half and half in large glass filled with ice, stir gently, and sip the drink through a straw. The proportions will vary, depending on your taste. There are more complicated instructions on the Internet that will instruct you as to the order of ingredients, when and how much to stir, etc.

The fun begins when you discover a grocery store with a good variety of syrups. We found ours at Toucan Market in Las Cruces. So far, we've tried Torani Orgeat (almond) and Le Sirop de Monin Vanilla; but there are a lot more we'd like to experiment with--I remember seeing raspberry, amaretto, apricot, grenadine, pomegranate, butterscotch, chocolate almond, mango, hazelnut and lemon. There are lots of other flavors, as you will see when you visit the Monin site. You can use the syrups in a variety of tea, coffee, and smoothie concoctions, too.

Mix up your soda and sip it while sitting out on the patio in the desert winter sunshine. That's what we do!

Fresh Raspberry Ice Cream Soda

Here I am, breaking my own rule. I'm posting a recipe here that I haven't actually tried out yet, yet what could go wrong with something that sounds so delicious? Living here right on the buckle of the Bible Belt as we do (however temporarily), it even sounds just the tiniest bit sinful, and I'm all for that!

1/2 gallon very good vanilla ice cream

2 cups fresh raspberries

1 bottle (750 milliliters) champagne

Fill 6 tall soda classes two-thirds full with alternating layers of ice cream and raspberries. Fill the glasses to the top with champagne and serve.

This comes from that old family favorite cookbook: The Nine Seasons Cookbook, by Pat Haley. They sure must have had fun out there in the New Hampshire woods while they were writing this book.

The recipe allows as how some might want a non-alcoholic version (substitute ginger ale for the champagne); and suggests that you might want to try this drink again when other fruits are in season (strawberries, peaches, nectarines, or cantaloupe).

Hey, Bucksnort has some cantaloupe ripening in her garden. Maybe we should test some variations this afternoon...

Auntie's Pear Ambrosia

It was Auntie Bucksnort's birthday a couple of days ago and we had a short email exchange. She left me a short recipe that I plan to try this weekend. She says:

I made up a great new drink a few weeks ago at your mom's. I mixed some of her Vanilla Vodka, some Pear Nectar and lots of Sparkling Water (and Ice, of course). Very yummy and you can cut the sweetness with more [sparkling] water. I suppose you could puree and strain Fresh or Canned Pears for it to. Don't know what to call it but it tastes like ambrosia and has quite a kick to it. And I suppose you could use regular vodka and just add some vanilla extract too.

Thank you so much, Auntie! Happy birthday!

Thai Iced Tea

The taste of Thai iced tea is very distinct, strong, sweet and delicious. And it's orange. It's traditionally made from a regional Thai red-leafed tea that has been spiced with cardamom and star anise. There are many versions and recipes online. This one looks right to me (except I might want to try this with condensed milk instead of evaporated milk + sugar). It's from instructables.com, and I borrowed much of the language:

--2/3 cup Thai Tea Leaves (Go to your local Asian food store and look for “Thai Seasoning Mix” or “Thai Tea Dust”. It usually comes in a clear plastic brick-like bag, and looks like dark brown shredded tea leaves. The kind I have right now is called “Police Dog Brand Thai Tea Dust.”)
--1 2/3 cup Water, filtered
--1/2 cup Sugar
--1 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (12oz can)

Bring water to a boil in a pot with some head space. You'll need room for the tea leaves, you'll be using a lot. When the water begins to boil, remove the pot from the heat to stop the boiling, and then add the tea leaves to the pot, stirring to moisten them. Don't try to use a tea bag, or tea ball, or anything, we are using a LOT of tea, and we need it to steep fully. Don't boil the tea! It will be bitter! Just let it sit in the hot water. Steep for 4 minutes, then carefully strain the tea into your heat resistant pitcher through a sieve or tea sock. When the tea is in the pitcher, add your sweetener, and stir to dissolve. You have to add the sweetener when the tea is hot, otherwise you'll never get it to dissolve fully. Put the tea in the fridge for a few hours to cool it down. To serve the tea, fill a tall glass with ice, and pour the tea over the ice, leaving about 1/4 of the glass empty at the top. Open a can of evaporated whole milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk), and top the glass off with it. Pour slowly, so that the layers stay distinct. Serve with a straw or long spoon for mixing!

Dark and Stormy

Not all of NYC college life consisted of bar-hopping just to get bombed. Some of it was quite educational, feeding the palate and the mind. My good buddy Colin and I used to frequent a Houston Street bar named Botanica, a mellow and unpretentious room filled with mismatched sofas that would best be described as a "dive-lounge". The weekend scene was annoying college craziness, but we'd go on Wednesday nights when the be-fezzed DJ Small Change was spinning soul and R&B, opening up my musical mind. Small Change introduced me to Stevie Wonder's "Livin' For the City" and Botanica Bar introduced me to my first absolutely delicious mixed cocktail, the Dark and Stormy.

Online, the recipes for the Dark and Stormy all tell you to pour 2 ounces Goslings Dark Rum and 5 ounces of Ginger Beer over ice, shake, and garnish with a lime wedge.

Botanica makes it that way now, but back in the day they mixed 1 ounce Dark Rum, 1 ounce Light Rum, 1 tiny slop of Bacardi 151 Rum, 2 ounces of Ginger Juice (I guess they juiced their own), 4 ounces of Ginger Ale, and a squeeze of Lime Juice. Shake, serve over Ice and garnish with a Lime Wedge.

Watermelon Lemonade

I'm running very low on recipes right now. Some recipes I've sent out email requests for, but most of what I intend to post needs to be experimented with first. Today, I came across this simple recipe during my morning coffee-and-internet time. I've never tried it, something like this cannot possibly fail. It comes from Smitten Kitchen:

Makes enough to fill two glasses with ice cubes. Quadrupled it to fill a pitcher.

--1/4 cup Fresh-Squeezed Lemon Juice
--1/2 cup Fresh Watermelon Puree, strained through a coarse strainer to remove seeds
--3 tbsp Simple Syrup (1 part Sugar dissolved in 1 part Hot Water, then cooled)
--3/4 cup Cold Water

Stir it all together and serve over Ice Cubes.

Variations from Smitten Kitchen: Garnish it with a Thin Watermelon or Lemon Wedge, if you’re feeling fancy. If you’re looking for a spritzier version of this, swap one-third (1/4 cup) or more of the water with Seltzer or Sparkling Water. My husband thinks this would taste even better with a splash of Vodka.

Limeade

Since I'm on an outdoorsy summer kick, let me refresh you with a tall glass of cold limeade. Marsha makes this and this recipe comes from her. She likes limeade more on the tart side. I do too. The mint is my addition.

Now if I only had a recipe for the type of Iced Tea that has to sit out in the sun all day before you can drink it...anyone?

--A "shit-ton" of Limes (12-15, I'd guess)
--1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
--Water
--About a tray and a half of Ice Cubes
--Large Pitcher
--Fresh Mint Leaves (optional)

Squeeze the juice out of all the limes into the pitcher. Add sugar and mix until the sugar has dissolved (ff you need to put in a little hot water to dissolve the sugar, feel free). Dump a whole bunch of ice cubes into the pitcher. Fill the rest of the pitcher with water and stir until mixed. Adjust the sugar as desired. If you would like, pinch and roll a mint leaf between your fingers and drop it into the bottom of your glass before pouring the limeade.

Yogurt and Orange Juice Drink

This is hardly a "recipe." I don't even know what to name it. I don't even call it a "smoothie" because it doesn't have banana or any other fruit in it. Just orange juice and yogurt.

My mom used to serve this with her wonderful weekend breakfasts. It's so refreshing... slightly tart... a great way to start the day. Mom, please forgive me for posting this before you, but it's Monday morning and this recipe is a great way to start the week.

--1 1/2 cups orange juice
--1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

Blend OJ and yogurt in a blender. Drink while it's still really cold.

(I just made up those measurements, by the way. Adjust as necessary)

Hot Cider

6 oz. apple cider
1 ½ oz. Tuaca liqueur

Pour cider into a mug, warm in the microwave, add Tuaca. Top with whipping cream sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Serve with a cinnamon stick. I believe this is also known as Hot Apple Pie.