Drinks - Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday. Today's double post deals with drinks, including Orange Dream Shakes (Is it a drink or dessert? You decide.) and Classic Hot Chocolate. Enjoy!

ORANGE JULIUS

This comes from Kelli Foster on TheKitchn. (No, that's not a typo. If you've never checked out TheKitchn, or its sibling site, Apartment Therapy, I highly recommend checking out both. Seriously.)

Anyway, this makes 2 servings. To view the recipe online (along with a little bit about the Orange Julius), go to https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-an-orange-julius-125422.

Ingredients

1 cup milk (whole, 2%, or skim)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitutes, check package for equivalence)

1 1/2 cups ice

Equipment

Blender

Glasses

Directions

Blend the milk and vanilla: Pour the milk and vanilla in a blender and pulse until combined.

Add the frozen concentrate: Add the frozen orange juice concentrate. Blend until fully combined with the milk.

Add the sugar and ice cubes: Blend until cubes are crushed and mixture has thickened. If things end up a little thick, just add a tablespoon of water and mix once again.

Pour and enjoy: Pour the drink into glasses. Serve with a straw and sip your way to blissful happiness.

Recipe Notes

I used 2% milk, though you can also use whole or skim milk with equally delicious results.

If you don't have orange juice concentrate (or aren't into buying it), I'd suggest freezing fresh orange juice into cubes (or in an 8x8-inch pan, then break it into chunks). Without that added iciness, the overall texture of the drink will change dramatically, and adding more ice in the end just doesn't work. (You end up with a more-soupy, less-flavored version of the original.)

ORANGE DREAM SHAKES

This absolutely divine drink comes from Publix. Makes 4 servings, total time: 10 minutes.

To view this online, go to https://www.publix.com/recipe/orange-dream-shakes.

Ingredients

3–4 large oranges, for juice

3 tablespoons orange blossom honey

1 cup ice cubes

3 cups vanilla ice cream

Directions

Squeeze oranges for juice (1 1/2 cups).

Add to blender (in this order): juice, honey, ice cubes, and ice cream. Process until smooth; serve.

PEACH TEA

This comes from Vallery Iomas in The New York Times cooking newsletter. Vallery wrote, "Sweetened with peaches, freshly puréed or from store-bought juice, this beverage tastes extra refreshing in warm weather. The fruit complements strongly brewed tea, and a little lemon juice further accentuates the peach flavor and helps balance the natural sweetness, which you can bolster with sugar if you’d like."

Yield: About 6 cups; Time: 15 minutes

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022399-peach-tea.

Ingredients

8 black tea bags, preferably Lipton

2 pounds ripe peaches (6 to 8), peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped, or 2 cups peach juice (see Tip)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed

1 cup ice, plus more for serving

Granulated sugar, if needed

Fresh peach slices, for serving

Ingredients

In a tea kettle or medium saucepan over high heat, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the tea bags. Allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes.

While the tea steeps, purée the peaches, if using fresh fruit. Pulse in a food processor or blender until very smooth. You should have 2 cups.

Gently squeeze the concentrated tea from the bags and discard the bags. If using puréed peaches, pour the tea into the blender, add the lemon juice and purée until smooth. Transfer to a pitcher. If using peach juice, transfer the tea to a pitcher, and stir in the peach juice and lemon juice.

Add the ice to the pitcher, then taste. If it’s too sweet, add more lemon juice, a couple of teaspoons at a time. If it isn’t sweet enough, stir in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dissolved. Refrigerate until the tea is chilled throughout. Serve in a large glass filled with ice and garnished with peach slices.

Tip

Be sure to use peach juice that is 100 percent juice and has no added sugar, such as Ceres brand.

SWEET TEA

This some from Leona Marcena Clay Johnson, and is adapted by Vallery Lomas in The New York Times cooking newsletter. Vallery wrote, "This sweet tea toes the line between just right and puckery sweet. The formula reflects the way my grandmother Leona Johnson made sweet tea: strong tea, lots of lemon juice and even more sugar. Start by adding half a cup of sugar to the batch, then add up to 4 more tablespoons to your preference. By making it extra potent, tart and sweet, this brew still tastes good even after the ice starts to melt."

Yield: About 8 cups; Time: 15 minutes, plus cooling

This was featured in "Sweet Tea From a Grandmother’s Kettle to Your Table", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022296-sweet-tea.

Ingredients

8 black tea bags, preferably Lipton

1/2 cup granulated sugar, preferably pure cane, plus more to taste

6 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

Ice cubes, for chilling and serving

Lemon slices, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

In a tea kettle or medium saucepan, heat 4 cups water until boiling. Remove from the heat and add the tea bags. Allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes. Gently squeeze the bags to release their concentrated tea, then discard the bags. Transfer the tea to a pitcher.

Stir 1/2 cup sugar into the hot tea until it has dissolved. Stir in the lemon juice. Add 4 cups water, then fill the pitcher with 2 cups ice.

Taste the tea to determine if you’d like to add up to 4 tablespoons more sugar. If adding sugar, stir until it dissolves.

Cover and refrigerate until the sweet tea is chilled throughout or up to 2 days. Serve in a large glass filled with ice, and garnish with a lemon slice if you’d like.

COCONUT PINEAPPLE SMOOTHIE [VEGAN]

This is from One Green Planet, an animal-friendly website. This recipe begins, "This Coconut Pineapple Smoothie is so incredibly fresh and tropical. The coconut milk adds a certain thickness and flavor to it while all the other fruits just pop right in your mouth." Serves 4

To view this online, go to https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/coconut-pineapple-smoothie-vegan/.

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk

1 cup pineapple

1 banana

zest of 1 orange

1 orange – segmented

4 tablespoons liquid sweetener

ice

Preparation

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth! Serve immediately.

CLASSIC HOT CHOCOLATE

This is from Melissa Clark on The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “This is a dark, rich and classic hot cocoa that’s perfect for any snowy afternoon. Nondairy milk can be substituted for whole milk here, though you might have to reduce the sugar, since some brands are sweetened. Also bear in mind that the higher the cocoa percentage of the chocolate you use, the less sweet the drink will be. Add the sugar gradually, tasting as you go: Hot cocoa sweetness is a very personal thing.”

Yield: 4 servings: Time: 10 minutes

View this online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019902-classic-hot-chocolate.

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed

3 cups whole milk

4 1/2 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate or 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Tiny pinch of fine sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped cream or marshmallows, for serving

Preparation

Fill a small pot with 1/3 cup water and bring to a boil. Whisk in cocoa; it may clump, which is O.K.

Reduce heat to medium and whisk in milk, whisking around the sides of the pan to help dissolve all the cocoa.

When milk simmers, whisk in the chocolate, 1 tablespoon sugar and a tiny pinch of salt, and reduce heat to low. Whisk until chocolate is melted and very smooth. Taste and add more sugar if you like. Turn off heat and whisk in vanilla.

Serve topped with whipped cream or marshmallows.