Drinks

Today's post deals with (of all things) drinks.

Now, I know there are bound to be a few people who wonder why someone would come up with recipes for drinks when you could simply get a glass of water, a can or bottle of soda (or other beverage), a cup of coffee or tea...there are plenty of things to drink.

But let's face it: if eating the same-old-same-old gets boring, wouldn't drinking the same-old-same-old gets boring, too? Of course!

To that end, here are six drinks to try, including Spicy Hot Chocolate and Caramel Latte. Enjoy!

VANILLA LATTE

This is from Folgers. Prep Time: 15 minutes; Makes 1 serving; Difficulty: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.folgerscoffee.com/recipes/drinks/vanilla-latte.

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk

3 to 4 tbsp. vanilla flavored syrup

1/4 cup strong brewed Folgers® French Roast Coffee

1/4 cup strong brewed Folgers® Black Silk Coffee

Whipped cream

Ground cinnamon

Directions

Microwave milk in 1-quart microwave-save bowl on HIGH 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until hot but not boiling. Whisk until foamy.

Microwave vanilla flavored syrup in microwave-safe coffee cup on HIGH 20 seconds. Stir in coffee.

Add milk. Top with whipped cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve immediately.

CARAMEL LATTE

This is from Folgers. Prep Time: 15 minutes; Makes 1 serving; Difficulty: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.folgerscoffee.com/recipes/drinks/caramel-latte.

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk

3 to 4 tbsp. caramel flavored syrup

1/4 cup strong brewed Folgers® French Roast Coffee

1/4 cup strong brewed Folgers® Black Silk Coffee

Whipped cream

Smucker's® Sundae Syrup™ Caramel Flavored Syrup

Baking toffee bits

Directions

Microwave milk in 1-quart microwave-safe bowl on HIGH 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until hot but not boiling. Whisk until foamy.

Microwave caramel syrup in microwave-safe coffee cup on HIGH 20 seconds. Stir in coffee.

Add milk. Top with whipped cream. Drizzle with caramel sundae syrup. Sprinkle with toffee bits. Serve immediately.

PUMPKIN PIE MILKSHAKE

This recipe is from Sarah Copeland in The New York Times cooking section, and posted in the Times on October 30, 2020. Sarah wrote, "As any true pumpkin lover can attest, there's more than one way to get your pie fix, and I milkshake just might be the most winning substitute: It's creamy and has the same shipped-cream topper. Add the spices you most like in your pie - go heavier on the ginger if that's your thing, or load up on cinnamon - and adjust the sweetness to your crowd's tastes. Even if you don't drink whiskey, there's a time and a place for bourbon, and this is it. Add a spash or two for the adults; they'll thank you."

Note: If you're like me, I don't have whiskey around the house, so I would opt for making this without it - especially since it is optional.

Time: 15 minutes; Yield: 4 milkshakes (about 4 1/2 cups)

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019654-pumpkin-pie-milkshake.

Ingredients

3/4 cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 (28-ounce) container premium vanilla ice cream

1/3 cup milk, plus more as needed

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

5 large ice cubes (about 1 cup)

2 to 4 tablespoons bourbon (optional)

Caramel sauce, for drizzling (optional)

Preparation

Whip the cream in a medium bown until it just holds soft peaks (whip in a chilled bowl for faster results). Place the whipped cream and four glasses in the refrigerator to chill. Stir together 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Scoop the ice bream into a blender and pour 1/3 cup milk over the top. Add pumpkin, maple syrup, ginger, remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ice in a blender and pulse to combine (use a spoon to stir the ingredients between pulses, if needed). Add a few more tablespoons of milk, if desired, depending on how thick you like your milkshakes, and blend until smooth. (It may seem think at first, but once poured, it will melt fairly quickly.) Pulse in the bourbon, if using, and divided among the four chillded glasses.

Spoon the whipped cream over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Drizzle with Caramel sauce, if desired.

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.

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.

SPICY HOT CHOCOLATE

This is from Melissa Clark on The New York Times cooking website. Melissa wrote, "Gently seasoned with a touch of chile powder, cinnamon and vanilla, this fragrant hot chocolate recipe is not too sweet and very complex. Using both cocoa powder and chocolate gives the roundest, deepest chocolate flavor while a mix of whole milk and cream makes it wonderfully rich and thick."

Yield: 4 servings

This was featured in "Hot Chocolate With a Kick", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016035-spicy-hot-chocolate.

Note One person wrote that she was considering adding a pinch of chipotle for smoky heat; another used cayenne in place of ancho chile powder, half-and-half for the heavy cream, and ground cinnamon in place of the cinnamon stick. These sound like wonderful options, should you decide to experiment.

Ingredients

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

3/8 teaspoon ancho chile powder, or to taste

1 3/4 cups whole milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Marshmallows or whipped cream, optional

Preparation

In a medium pot, whisk together chocolate, cocoa, sugar and chile. Place pan over medium-low heat and whisk until chocolate begins to melt. Slowly whisk in milk, then cream. Drop in cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer.

Remove pot from heat. Cover pot tightly and steep 1 hour. Whisk in vanilla and taste for sweetness, adding more sugar if you like. Warm over low heat before straining and serving hot, with marshmallows or whipped cream if desired.