Scintillating summer sippers
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Heat means thirst. Water is what you need most, but it can get a little boring day after day. Plus, if it’s Friday night you might want something a little more adult than Kool-Aid.
Just because a drink is tall, fruity and cold doesn’t mean it has to have alcohol in it, so look over these recipes and add or subtract according to your tastes! Half the fun of a summer sipper is a funny shaped glass, a twirly straw and — of course — the umbrella.
One way to celebrate summer is to rim your glass. This is an easy way to add texture and flavor to a cocktail. You can rim a glass with just about anything like kosher salt, sugar, cocoa powder or even crushed cookies. Try to match the flavors on the rim to the flavors in the drink. And if you're planning on serving a crowd, you can rim your glasses in advance. This frees up your time to focus on other things, and exposure to air helps the rim garnish stay put.
How do you do this? You need to moisten the rim of the glass, usually by dipping it in a very shallow dish of water or fruit juice, or running a piece of fruit around the edge. You’ll need at least a quarter inch of rim materials in a shallow dish slightly wider than the drinking glass. Dip the moistened rim in the salt or whatever you’ve chosen and give it a little twist as you lift up. A gentle shake should dislodge any loose items.
Some possible combinations include lemon juice and sugar for lemonade, lime juice and lime zest for a margarita, finely chopped mint for a mojito, toasted coconut for a Bahama Mama or pulverized chocolate cookies for a smoothie.
Another way to dress up a drink is to make fruit skewers — you can freeze melon balls and chunks of pineapple on bamboo skewers and then they’ll cool your drink as they thaw, in addition to adding a little fiber to your beverage experience. How about a skewer of grapes and strawberries? A short stick of rosemary is perfect for a gin and tonic, and sprigs of mint, cilantro, basil or other aromatic herbs can really dress up a rim as well as kick up the flavor.
STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 pint strawberries, halved
2 cups sparkling water or club soda
Ice
Mint sprigs
Strawberries
Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon peel and lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely, then strain into a clean pitcher.
Puree the pint of strawberries in a blender and combine with the lemon juice. Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled. Add the sparkling water and stir. Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve, garnished with mint and strawberries.
This next one would work for breakfast or maybe even dessert.
MIXED BERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 frozen ripe banana
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp. honey (optional)
Combine all ingredients together in a blender and puree until smooth. If it’s Saturday night, add rum of your choice and a big spike of pineapple.
SUNRISE PUNCH
1 quart fresh orange juice
32 oz. canned or fresh pineapple juice
2 cups coconut milk
1 liter seltzer water
1 pineapple
1 pint of strawberries
1 orange sliced thin
4 cups light rum, optional
Peel and cut up the pineapple into one-inch cubes. Cap and halve the strawberries. Slice the orange very thinly. Freeze them all.
To a large punch bowl, add orange juice, pineapple juice, coconut milk (check the Asian or drink aisle) and seltzer. Mix well. Place frozen pineapple chunks and strawberries in the punch to keep it cold. Float the orange slices on top of the punch for garnish. If desired, add light or spiced rum.
We’ve talked about bellinis and mimosas before; here’s a Pacific take on this champagne cocktail. Mangos are easy to puree — you can use a fork to do it. You can rim this drink with sugar or maybe lime zest. If you have a crowd, make them up by the pitcher.
MANGO CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
Lime wedges
Sugar for rim
1/2 oz. mango puree
3 oz. champagne
Moisten the rim of a champagne glass with the wedge of lime. Dip the rim into granulated sugar. Add mango puree and then fill with champagne. Decorate glass with lime wedge.
Fruit is not a requirement for a summer sipper. You can have herbed teas, or concoctions of spices and alcohol. I’m a big fan of Celestial Seasonings teas, but any brand will do. You could try other combinations, too.
ICED ZINGER TEA
4 Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger tea bags
4 Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tea bags
4 cups apple juice
Steep the 8 tea bags in 4 cups of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Discard the tea bags. Combine the tea with the apple juice and refrigerate until cold. Serve over ice with a sprig of mint.
PEACH SCHNAPPS
ICED TEA
2 oz. peach schnapps
3 oz. freshly brewed regular iced tea
3 oz. freshly brewed peach-flavored tea
Sweetener to taste
Fresh peach slices for garnish
Fill large glass with crushed ice. Pour in schnapps and fill glass with equal parts of iced tea and peach tea, stirring in sweetener if desired. Garnish with peach slices and serve at once. At once!
Are you thirsty yet? I am! I can’t wait to get out on the lounger with a hurricane glass full of Zinger tea and a big whirligig straw. Next week we have a special Aunt Sammy episode focusing on early 20th c. desserts. For the week after that we’ll have recipes from the Quick Bread Cook-Off at the Farmer’s Market.
If you would like to compete in the Murphy’s Menu/Learning Connection Cook-Off, all you need to do is bake a loaf of your best quick bread, write out the recipe and bring it to the kiosk at 7th and Merchant between 7:30 and 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 23. I’ll sign you up and shoppers at the market will taste and vote for their favorite recipe.
The winner gets a gift bag packed full of useful items for the cook, including a signed copy of “The Best of Murphy’s Menu,” and the winner will be featured in the Wednesday food section. Give me a call at 342-4800 if you would like to know more. Let’s get cooking!