The Cook In The Family: beverages

Showing posts with label beverages. Show all posts

Showing posts with label beverages. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

'Over The Top' Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:
1/2 T organic, dark Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 T white sugar
1/2 T cornstarch
1/2 T instant powdered milk
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch salt
pinch vanilla powder
4 ounces whole milk
3 ounces whipping cream
chocolate shavings, for garnish
chopped pistachios, for garnish

Preparing the hot chocolate:
Whisk the cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch, powdered milk, cinnamon, salt and vanilla powder together with the milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil while continuing to stir the mixture so as to not to burn the chocolate.

Add the whipping cream to the bottom of a serving mug and tap the bottom to settle. Pour the hot chocolate mixture over the whipping cream in the serving mug.

Add chocolate shavings and pistachios on the top.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Balsamic and Fresh Strawberry Cocktail

Ingredients for the cocktail:
3 to 4 medium strawberries
1 ounce balsamic vinegar
2 ounces gin, such as Hendrick's
ice
foam

* * * * * *

Ingredients for the foam:
1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 cup elderflower liqueur, such as St. Germain
juice from 1 lime

Preparing the cocktail:
Muddle the strawberries with the balsamic vinegar, and then add the gin. Add ice and shake and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Top with foam.

Serves 1

* * * * *

Preparing the foam top:
Add the egg whites, liqueur and lime juice to a nitrous oxide cream charger (a cream charger, not a soda charger). Shake, then double charge with 2 nitrous oxide chargers.

Makes about 1 cup

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Spirited Ginger Ale

Ingredients:
2 slices fresh lemon
fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
ice, as needed
2 ounces or 1/4 cup citrus-flavored vodka
1 ounce or 2 T agave syrup
2 ounces or 1/4 cup pale ale

Preparing the ginger ale:
In a cocktail shaker, add the lemon slices and desired amount of ginger slices, depending on how spicy you enjoy your drinks. Muddle or crush the lemon slices and fresh ginger together. Fill the shaker with ice and add the vodka and agave syrup. Shake to mix the ingredients together. Add the pale ale. To combine, gently transfer the mixture back and forth between each cup of the shaker. Don't shake with the beer because of the carbonation. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Makes 1 drink

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Giada's Side Cars

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1 lime, zested
1 lime wedge
10 ounces cognac
4 ounces Triple Sec liqueur
4 ounces sweet and sour mix
4 ounces limoncello
2 ounces lime juice
ice

Preparing the sidecar martini:
Chill 4 martini glasses. In a small shallow dish combine the sugar and the lime zest. Run the lime wedge around the rim of each glass. Dip in the sugar and zest mixture.

In a cocktail shaker mix the cognac, Triple Sec, sweet and sour mix, limoncello, and lime juice over ice. Shake to chill.

Pour the side car martinis into the glasses and serve immediately.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Armenian-Turkish Coffee With Halvah Whipped Cream

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 T honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sesame tahini
4 ounces freshly brewed espresso
1 shot Armenian arak (like rum) or Turkish raki (like anise liquor)
mint, for garnish

Preparing the drink:
Whip the cream until thickened. Add the confectioners' sugar, honey, and vanilla and whip to shaving cream consistency. Fold in the tahini. Stir a shot of ararat into a glass of strong, iced espresso. Top with a big dollop of whipped cream and garnish with mint.

Serves 1

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Homemade Bourbon & Ginger Ale

Ingredients:
2 T ginger syrup
1/2 cup soda water
1/4 bourbon
ice cubes
a strip of lemon peel

Combine 2 tablespoons of ginger syrup with 1/4 cup of bourbon and a little over 1/2 cup of soda water and ice cubes. Stir.

Serves 1

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Aggie's Egg Cream

Use melted ice cream with milk and chocolate sauce to add extra flavor and richness to an egg cream. All ingredients should be icy cold.

Ingredients
2 T homemade chocolate syrup, or Fox's UBet Chocolate Syrup
3 ounces skim milk
5 ounces soda water

* * * * * * *

Ingredients for homemade chocolate syrup:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup superfine sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparing chocolate syrup:
In a small bowl, combine and whisk the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt with the water and vanilla extract. Transfer to a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until the ingredients meld together, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool. Refrigerate.

* * * * * * *

Assembling the egg cream:
Pour the syrup into the bottom of a glass. Add the skim milk and stir to blend slightly. Add the seltzer.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Limoncello

There are two stages to making limoncello. The first stage is the macerating of the lemon peels in alcohol. The second stage is the actual brewing with the rest of the ingredients.

After tasting your first batch of limoncello, the sweetness of the drink can be adjusted to your liking in future batches.

Ingredients:
6 1/3 cups 75-percent volume alcohol (2 bottles Everclear Grain Alcohol preferred)
14 lemons
6 1/3 cups water
2 1/3 pounds sugar

Preparing limoncello - The first stage:
Peel the lemons, making sure to only separate the yellow part of the peel from the fruit, and not go too deep, using a potato peeler.

Place the peels in glass jars, big enough to accommodate all the ingredients in the recipe. Seal the jar tight place it in a cool, dark place (basement/cellar, closet, etc.) to rest for two weeks. Do not expose it to sunlight at all during this time and do not open the jar>.

Second stage:
After macerating for two weeks, the alcohol is now ready to be drained and mixed with the water and sugar.

Heat the water in the pan and mix the sugar, then let cool off for about 1 hour, stirring every now and then to make sure that the sugar collected on the bottom of the pan is dissolved.

Remove the lemon peels from the jar and the sugar water to the jar.

And again, for the second time, close the jar tight and let it rest for an entire month in a cool, dark place, no sunlight, shaking gently periodically whenever you notice sugar collecting on the bottom of the jars.

After the month, the limoncello is ready to drink. Keep a bottle ready at all times in the freezer.

Limoncello Spritzer

30 ice cubes
6 cups seltzer water
6 cups limoncello
8 lemon thin slices

Preparing the spritzer:
Add ice cubes to pitcher. Pour the seltzer in and mix in the limoncello. Pour into individual glasses. Garnish with a lemon slice on the rim of each glass.

Serves 8

Thursday, March 10, 2011

French Egg Nog

Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
4 egg yolks
4 to 6 T sugar
orange flower water or rum, to taste

Preparing the egg nog:
Pour the milk into a saucepan and scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod. Add the pod to the pot, too, and judiciously grate in some nutmeg. Heat the milk to the boiling point. Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit 10 minutes to infuse.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. When the milk has infused, whisk it into the eggs and return the whole thing to the saucepan. Place the pan back on the heat and whisk to thicken slightly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Stir in the flower water, to taste. Strain the mixture into a jug, cool, and, chill.

Makes 4 cups

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Sangria

Ingredients:
2 cups cold fresh orange juice
2 cups cold fresh pineapple juice
2 cups fresh blackberries
1 cup finely diced fresh pineapple
1 orange, halved and thinly sliced
1 lime, halved and thinly sliced
ice cubes, as needed
1 bottle fruity red wine, chilled

Preparing the sangria:
Combine the orange juice, pineapple juice, blackberries, pineapple, orange and lime in a pitcher. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hour and up to 8 hours. Fill large goblets half of the way with the juice mixture. Add some ice cubes, top with a splash of red wine.

Serves 4 to 6

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Adulterated Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:
3 cups milk
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 T cornstarch
pinch ground cinnamon

brandy, kahlua, or peppermint schnapps

Preparing the hot chocolate:
In a saucepan, combine the milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla and warm up over a low heat.

Combine the cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in another bowl. Whisk the cocoa mixture into the warm milk mixture. Whisk the mixture frequently to prevent it from scorching.

Remove the mixture from the heat just after it has come to a boil; it should be rich and thick. Stir in liquor of choice and enjoy.

Serves 4

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Pomegranate Cosmopolitans

Ingredients:
2 cups good vodka (Grey Goose or Finlandia)
1 cup orange liqueur (Cointreau)
1 cup cranberry juice cocktail, (Ocean Spray)
1/2 cup bottled pomegranate juice (Pom)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
thinly sliced limes, for garnish

Preparing the cocktails:
Combine the vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, and lime juice in a large pitcher. Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice, pour the cocktail mixture in, and shake for a full 30 seconds. Pour into martini glasses, garnish with a slice of lime, and serve immediately.

Makes 6 cocktails

Friday, January 14, 2011

The Sidecar, Another Way

Ingredients for the Sidecar:
1/2 cup sugar
1 lime, zested
1 lime wedge
10 ounces cognac
4 ounces Triple Sec liqueur (Cointreau)
4 ounces sweet and sour mix
4 ounces Limoncello
2 ounces lime juice

ice

Preparing the cocktail:
Chill 4 martini glasses. In a small shallow dish combine the sugar and the lime zest. Run the lime wedge around the rim of each glass. Dip in the sugar and zest mixture.

In a cocktail shaker mix the cognac, Triple Sec, sweet and sour mix, Limoncello, and lime juice over ice. Shake to chill.

Pour the Sidecars into the glasses and serve immediately.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The Sidecar

This is (The Barefoot Contessa) Ina Garten's favorite cocktail, originated at Harry's Bar in Paris in the early 1900s in honor of a customer who rode around in a motorcycle sidecar, ala Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright (Two Fat Ladies).

Ingredients:
juice of 1/4 of a lemon
1/2 ounce triple sec
1 ounce brandy

Preparing the cocktail:
Shake with ice and strain into chilled, sugar-coated rimmed cocktail glass, with a twist of lemon.

Serves 1

The Sidecar, Ala Barndiva

Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces Germain-Robin Craft Method Brandy
1 ounce housemade pumpkin curry liqueur [recipe below]
1/2 ounce blood orange juice squeezed to order
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce brown sugar syrup

Preparing the cocktail:
Shake with ice and serve up. Cut a round piece of orange peel, flame it over the drink, then drape the warm peel to the side of the glass.

Serves 1

* * * * * * *

Preparing pumpkin-curry liqueur:
After initially roasting the sugar pie pumpkin, slow-cook the pulp using traditional Christmas spices (brown sugar, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, ginger and mace) add savory curry spices (cumin, cardamom, coriander, black pepper, cayenne, turmeric and fenugreek). Steep this mixture in rye for two weeks. Strain into sterile bottle and keep refrigerated.

Rob Roy

The Rob Roy is basically a Manhattan made with Scotch.

Ingredients:
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth, preferably Italian (not French)
1 1/2 ounces Scotch
dash of orange bitters (Regans' Orange Bitters No. 6)

Preparing the cocktail:
Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass with a twist of orange peel.

Serves 1

Ramos Fizz, Barndiva's Version

Ingredients:
2 ounces Broker's Gin
1 ounce heavy cream
1 egg white
juice of half a lemon
juice of half a lime
1/2 to 3/4 ounce ginger-vanilla syrup
3 drops French orange blossom water

Preparing the cocktail:
Chill a Collins glass (serve tall, without ice). Shake ingredients without ice for 10 seconds. Add ice to your shaker. Shake for seven minutes (or after two minutes). Strain into glass without ice and top with chilled soda.

Serves 1

Ramos Fizz

Ingredients:
juice of half a lemon
1 egg white
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
2 ounces gin
1 T light cream
1/2 teaspoon triple sec

Preparing the cocktail:
Shake with ice and strain into a highball glass over two ice cubes. Fill with carbonated water and stir.

Serves 1

Old-Fashioned

Preparing the cocktail:
Into an old-fashioned glass, put a small cube of sugar, a dash of bitters and a teaspoon of water and muddle well. Add 2 ounces blended whiskey or bourbon. Stir. Add a twist of lemon peel and ice cubes. Decorate with slices of orange, lemon and a cherry. Serve with a swizzle stick.

Serves 1

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