Culinary Cafe

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Archive for the ‘Beverages’ Category

Mulled Wine

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Mulled Wine

Prep Time: 0

Yield: 6

Wonderful for relaxed gatherings during the cold winter months. This recipe can make a satin purse out of a pigs ear bottle of wine. Feel free to use your cheapest bottles of wine for this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle of wine (you can use almost any type)
  • 2 tbsp Mulling Spices (Cinnamon,cloves, allspice, orange peel)
  • 2 tbsp Brown Sugar (adjust to taste)

Instructions

  1. Place the wine, spices and sugar in a crock pot and allow to simmer for 20 minutes before serving. You can leave the seasoning in the wine and just add more wine and maybe a bit of sugar if you decide that one bottle is not enough.
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Green Tea Cooler

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Green Tea Cooler

Prep Time: 0

Yield: 2

Green Tea Cooler

Ingredients

  • 1 cup green tea, prepared at regular strength
  • 2 kiwi fruit, peeled and diced
  • 2 cups diced honeydew melon, fresh or frozen
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 Tablespoon sweetener of choice (optional if fruit is very ripe and sweet)
  • 6 ice cubes

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender, breaking the banana into three or four pieces. Blend or process until smooth. Serve immediately in tall glasses.

    Variations
    : > Replace part or all of the honeydew with another variety of melon. Make sure it's ripe!
    > For a breakfast smoothie, add 2 Tablespoons soy protein powder and another ice cube.
    > Try different types of green teas: a plain gunpowder , sencha, or fukujyu, or maybe one of the many fruit-flavoured teas that are readily available.
    > Add some fresh ginger: Place a 1/2-inch piece of (peeled) ginger root into a garlic press, hold it over the blender or food processor bowl, and squeeze out the pulp and juice, scraping the pulp off the press if necessary.
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Thai Iced Tea

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Thai Iced Tea

Prep Time: 0

Yield: 2

Thai Iced Tea

Ingredients

  • 8 to 12 ice cubes
  • 16oz double strength Chai Tea, cooled
  • 1 oz half & half
  • 4 oz milk
  • 2 oz Almond Syrup
  • 2 oz Coconut Syrup

Instructions

  1. Blend in bursts on high till all the ice is chopped fine and the mix is even. Pour into tall glasses and garnish each with a cinnamon stick.

    * to make double strength tea simply use double the amount of loose tea you normally would use to make two 8 oz cups of tea (roughly 4 generous teaspoons of tea). Do not let the tea steep for longer than 4 minutes and do not press the leaves to get the remaining liquid outÂ… this is the way to introduce bitterness to your tea.
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Spiced Honey Iced Tea

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Plum-Blueberry Spritzers

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Plum-Blueberry Spritzers

Prep Time: 0

Yield: 8

Plum-Blueberry Spritzers

Ingredients

  • 5 cups water
  • 1 cup fresh ripe blueberries
  • 3 ripe black plums, pitted and cut into eights
  • 8 fresh or dried bay leaves, plus extra for garnish
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 8 cups cold club soda, for serving

Instructions

  1. Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the blueberries, plums, 8 bay leaves and sugar, cover and boil over high heat, stirring, until the juice is reduced to about 3 cups and the plums are tender, about 20 minutes. Strain the mixture though a fine sieve, pressing lightly with a spatula to extract the juice; reserve the bay leaves. Return the juice to the pan add the reserved bay leaves and simmer over moderate heat until reduced to 2 cups, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves; let the syrup cool.

    For each drink, gently whisk 1/4 cup of the plum-blueberry syrup into 1 cup of cold club soda, pour into a glass, garnish with a bay leaf and serve.

    Variation:
    Pour 2 tablespoons of the berry syrup into a Champagne flute and top with Champagne

    Make Ahead:
    The syrup can be refrigerated for 1 week.
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Masala Chai

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Lemony Fresh Herb Cooler

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Lemony Fresh Herb Cooler

Prep Time: 0

Yield: 8

This refreshing cooler is a great highlight for any summer party.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 cups (packed) basil leaves and small sprigs
  • 1 cup (packed) cilantro leaves and small sprigs
  • 1 cup (packed) mint leaves ans small sprigs
  • 2 tablespoons tarragon leaves
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Cold club soda
  • lemon twists and mint

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer for 5 minutes; let the syrup cool.

    In a blender or food processor, combine the sugar syrup with the basil, cilantro, mint, tarragon, lemon zest and lemon juice, and puree. Let stand for 1 hour, then strain through a coarse sieve, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.

    For each drink, pour ¼ cup of the fresh herb syrup over cracked ice and fill with club soda. Garnish the drinks with a lemon twist, mint sprigs, and serve.

    Variation:
    To make a cocktail, add half a shot of vodka and half a shot of rum to each drink.
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Peach Ice Tea

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Peach Ice Tea

Prep Time: 0

Yield: 0

Peach Ice Tea

Ingredients

  • 3 Orange Pekoe tea bags
  • 4 cups cold water
  • 5 (5-ounce) cans peach nectar (about 3 1/3 cups), chilled
  • 1/4 cup chilled simple syrup or to taste
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • Peach slices for garnish

Instructions

  1. Place tea bags in a quart-size glass measure or heatproof bowl.

    In a saucepan bring water just to a boil and pour over tea bags. Steep tea 5 minutes and strain through a sieve into a heatproof pitcher. Cool tea and chill, covered, until cold, about 1 hour.

    Stir in nectar and syrup. Serve tea over ice in tall glasses and garnish with peach slices and basil sprigs.

    To make simple syrup: In a saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring, and boil until sugar is completely dissolved. Let syrup cool and chill, covered. Syrup may be made 2 weeks ahead and chilled, covered.
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Classic Bubble Tea

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Classic Bubble Tea

Prep Time: 0

Yield: 0

Classic Bubble Tea

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup chilled, cooked large Chinese tapioca pearls (if substituting regular small tapioca, use 1/3 cup)
  • 1 cup crushed ice
  • 1 cup very strong chilled black tea (or orange pekoe tea or Lichee tea)
  • 1 cup milk, or to taste
  • Honey or sugar to taste

Instructions

  1. Place the pearls in a large parfait glass. Combine all remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and shake vigorously until the mixture is frothy. Pour into the glass, and serve with extra-thick straws.
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