Drink Recipes

Happy National Iced Tea Day!

by Alexa Weibel, Posted Jun 10th 2010 @ 1:15PM

Thai lemongrass and ginger iced tea. Photo: Appetite for China, Flickr

Happy National Iced Tea Day!

Served cold since the early 1800s, ice tea remains a popular favorite, particularly when served over ice on hot summer days. While the first American iced teas -- predecessors of the boozy Long Island iced tea -- were typically spiked with liquor (and appropriately called "punches"), today they're mostly flavored by a plethora of refreshing pairings. Peruse our recommended recipes below for some summery alternatives to the tired lemon iced tea:

Thai Lemongrass and Ginger Iced Tea (pictured at left)
Rooibois Iced Tea
Black Cherry Green Iced Tea
Mint and Lime Iced Tea
Bourbon Mint Tea
Thai Iced Tea
Boston Iced Tea with Cranberry

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Filed under: Drink Recipes, Holidays, Food History

Rum, Rhum, Cachaça - LeNell It All

COMMENTS 3

by LeNell Smothers, Posted May 7th 2010 @ 4:00PM

Photo: Demián Camacho Santa Ana

Long before our beloved bourbon became America's native spirit, rum played a role in shaping the future of the U.S. with a strong molasses trade between New England and the Caribbean islands. According to author Gerald Carson, "In 1807 Boston had no fewer than forty rum distilleries...and it used to be said that for every missionary sent out to Christianize Africa, ten thousand gallons of rum went along for the more secular purposes."

Kill-devil was its most universal name, not only a slang name, but a trading-term used in bills of sale. Rumbullion was also a popular name, shortened into our modern term "rum." A description of Surinam written in 1651 says: "Rhum made from sugar-canes is called kill-devil in New England."

Filed under: Drink Recipes, Drinks, Spirits

Sangrita - LeNell It All

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by LeNell Smothers, Posted May 5th 2010 @ 4:00PM

Photo: LeNell Smothers

Commemorate the grand victory of Mexican forces over French occupation by raising a glass of not only tequila for Cinco de Mayo, but also a copita of sangrita.

About 90 years ago a Señor Sanchez and his wife had a little joint in the town of Tequila in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Their special guests were treated to his homemade tequila and her snacks made of pieces of orange topped with salt and chili powder. Eventually the snack evolved into fresh orange juice with salt and chili served as an accompaniment to the tequila. Later tomato juice was added to this and became known as sangrita, Spanish for "little blood."

No matter the true origin, sangrita makes a perfect pair with tequila. In Mexico, you might even hear a customer order a Banderita, meaning "little flag," consisting of shots of lime juice, tequila and sangrita lined up next to each other to resemble the colors of the Mexican flag. Many say the sangrita chaser is a great way to stave off a hangover.

Read on about sangrita and find LeNell's recipe, after the jump...

Filed under: Drink Recipes, Drinks

Cherry Blossoms - LeNell It All

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by LeNell Smothers, Posted Apr 28th 2010 @ 4:00PM

Photo: LeNell Smothers

When a friend in New York sent a picture of his fluffy, pink cherry blossoms in full bloom in his backyard, I was reminded of the beauty of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden blossoms this time of year. The Garden hosts its annual blossom festival May 1st and 2nd.

The Japanese name for cherry-blossom viewing is hanami, and I did find a cocktail named such with three parts sake and one part cherry brandy claiming it can be served over ice or warm. I think I'd rather have a Cherry Blossom.

A few variations on a Cherry Blossom exist with brandy as their common thread. Keep in mind that when a recipe lists cherry brandy, you may not know whether the author intended cherry-flavored brandy liqueur, which is very sweet, or the more expensive real cherry brandy sometimes called kirschwasser, kirsch, or cherry eau de vie, that is not sweet at all.

Read more about Cherry Blossom cocktails after the jump.

Filed under: Drink Recipes, Drinks

A Macchiato by Any Other Name

COMMENTS 7

by Erin Meister, Posted Apr 28th 2010 @ 3:00PM

Photo: McPig, Flickr

Coffee can be confusing: How come when you order a macchiato at a shop adorned with that ubiquitous green mermaid, the drink comes out as a tall, steaming cup of foamed, caramel-latticed milk kissed with just a hint of espresso and vanilla -- while at some other boutique cafes it arrives in a doll-house-sized demitasse?

It's all about vocabulary.

Didn't think you'd actually have to learn Italian in order to order a coffee? Well don't worry -- just one word can unravel the macchiato mystery once and for all.

Read on after the jump to find out more about macchiatos.

Filed under: Drink Recipes, Coffee

2010 Tales of the Cocktail - LeNell It All

COMMENTS 1

by LeNell Smothers, Posted Apr 9th 2010 @ 4:00PM

Photo: Tales of the Cocktail

Seattle bartender Evan Martin won $1,250 with his tiki punch that a group of four judges declared as the official cocktail of this year's Tales of the Cocktail July 21-25 event in New Orleans. Over 150 drink recipes were submitted. Who knows whether all 150 recipes were actually created and tasted as often times with these types of competitions a few eye-catching recipes are culled from submissions to make the competition a little easier on the judges.

Judge Jeff "Beachbum" Berry admitted judging so many drinks wasn't easy, saying, "Often it came down to the originality of the garnish..."

The winner dressed itself with a garnish that looked like a guy hanging off of the drink with a cherry head, pineapple leaf arms and citrus peel dangling legs.

By the time you assemble all these ingredients you may want to spear yourself as a garnish.

Find the winning Tales of the Cocktail recipe after the jump...

Filed under: Drink Recipes, Events, Features

Crème Yvette - LeNell It All

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by LeNell Smothers, Posted Mar 26th 2010 @ 3:00PM

Photo: Cooper Spirits

Crème Yvette's rebirth this year excites cocktail enthusiasts. The liqueur is made in Bordeaux, France from an all natural blend of four berry fruits from Burgundy: blackberry, raspberry, currant, and wild strawberry. This Victorian romantic-at-heart liqueur combines all those luscious berries with dried violet petals from Provence and a final touch of orange peel, vanilla, and honey.

Although it was first sold in the USA around 1890, the rare liqueur was taken out of circulation in 1969. Rob Cooper of Cooper Spirits has had the recipe and a few old bottles in his family stash for years and heard the cry for its return, researched its rebirth, and proudly delivered a gorgeous package to hold its equally pretty liquid contents. This is the same company, after all, that brought us the beautiful bottle of St. Germain elderflower cordial.

Although the liqueur once boasted sales around the world, its relaunch has currently been limited to New York and California at first with a later debut scheduled for Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington DC.

Find the recipe for Crème Yvette after the jump.

Filed under: Drink Recipes, Drinks

Malecon Cocktail - LeNell It All

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by LeNell Smothers, Posted Mar 24th 2010 @ 5:00PM

Photo: Boutique

The Malecón is the famed avenue stretching for more than four miles along the seawall in Havana, Cuba's capital. Our hometown of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, also has a Malecón that goes for a little over three miles along the sea. Malecón is Spanish for a dike, embankment, levy or jetty. Both La Paz and Havana's Malecóns inspire poetry, art and song... and cocktails.

Bartender Erik Lorincz of the Connaught Hotel experienced the laughter and community along the Malecón in Cuba during his visit and came back to his home in London to submit a recipe for a cocktail competition called the Bacardi Legacy. Even though Bacardi is no longer produced in Cuba, Erik tried to capture what he felt along Havana's Malecón in his drink... simplicity, joy, life's sweetness balanced by a touch of bitterness. His recipe was chosen as one of the top three winners.

Find the recipe for the Malecón Cocktail after the jump.

Filed under: Drink Recipes, Drinks, Features

McGill Law Review Cocktail - LeNell It All

COMMENTS 1

by LeNell Smothers, Posted Mar 19th 2010 @ 3:00PM

Photo: Compass Box

Anybody who knows me knows I prefer American whiskey like bourbon and rye to barley whiskeys like Scotch and Irish. I do enjoy a dram of other styles from time to time, particularly from a dear gentleman named John Glaser, the whisky maker behind Compass Box brands.

His rebel whiskeys paired with a rebel rye girl named Abigail Gullo recently turned up another cocktail to defy my "there ain't no such thing as a good Scotch cocktail" banter. As a fellow lady bartender, Ms. Gullo loves her American whiskey cocktails like me, but took on the challenge to make one I can find palatable. She combined the pungency of Scotch with the herbal Chartreuse and floral sweetness of her lavender syrup, bringing it all together with the brightness of lemon.

As a nod to her French-Canadian roots, she named the drink in honor of friends attending law school at McGill University in Montreal.

Check out the recipe for the McGill Law Review Cocktail after the jump.

Filed under: Drink Recipes, Drinks

Top o' the Coffee Pot to You

COMMENTS 4

by Erin Meister, Posted Mar 17th 2010 @ 11:00AM

Photo: Fernando.S, Flickr

Forget the green beer -- everybody knows that Irish coffee is a much better way to wash down the St. Pat's soda bread and corned beef, right?

At least, as the legend goes, some weary American travelers thought so in 1952, when a bartender in the Shannon Airport whipped up the concoction to warm them after a hard day of difficult wintertime flight. The drink allegedly made its way back stateside through San Francisco's Buena Vista Cafe, which still touts it as a specialty of the house.

For starters, the coffee's got to be good. Don't bother ordering one at your run-of-the-mill faux-Irish corner pub -- stick to eateries and bars that you know pride themselves on good coffee. Second, if you're going green for the holiday, you may as well specifically ask for an Irish whiskey -- I go for Powers, but Bushmills also fits the bill. (Of course, what happens outside of St. Patrick's Day stays outside of St. Patrick's Day...)

But what makes the perfect Irish coffee? Read on after the jump to find out.

Filed under: Drink Recipes, Drinks, Coffee