There are times when we need something different to drink, which is where today's Drinks post fits in. Check out the Apple Cider Floats, the Lizard Lounge Tea, and the rest of today's yummy drinks. Enjoy!
RUMPLEMAYER’S HOT CHOCOLATE
This is from Molly O’Neill in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Molly wrote, “Hot chocolate is traceable to the Aztecs, who regarded the dark and bitter drink as a sacred brew. The hot cocoa that Columbus offered his patrons tasted “bitter, scummy and peppery,” according to Chantal Coady's account in “The Chocolate Companion,” which explains, no doubt, why they disliked it intensely. Sometime later, Cortez offered the same beverage to Charles V and his courtiers and succeeded in capturing their imagination with the addition, Ms. Coady writes, of some sugar and vanilla. This version, adapted from Rumplemayer's, a now-closed New York restaurant once known for its hot chocolate and pastries, falls into the latter camp; it is rich, sweet and smooth. It calls for real semisweet chocolate (we bet a mix of semisweet and bittersweet would be delightful, too) so there's none of the chalky aftertaste hot cocoa often leaves behind. A dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, if you wish, take it over the top.”
Yield: 4 servings; Time: 2 minutes.
This was featured in “Food; Loco for Cocoa,” and can be viewed here.
Ingredients
4 cups milk
6 tablespoons sugar
7 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream (optional)
Ground cinnamon, for garnish (optional)
Preparation
Combine the milk, sugar and chocolate in a large saucepan. Heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture comes to a simmer.
Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Ladle the hot chocolate into 4 mugs, top with whipped cream and sprinkle lightly with ground cinnamon. Serve immediately.
LIZARD LOUNGE TEA
My oldest son spent several summers traveling the country, both singly and with friends. Several times, he wound up at the Rainbow Gathering, where he hooked up with a larger group of friends. Most of them had grown up in hot areas of the country, so they nicknamed themselves lizards; their area of the camp site was the lizard lounge. They would cook up their version of iced tea, which they would barter for other commodities. They were frequently asked what their secret ingredient was.
This is a scaled down version. I found that cranberry or cranberry-apple herb tea works very nicely with this, but any herbal tea can be used.
Ingredients
1/2 gallon apple cider
4 – 5 herbal tea bags
Directions
Place cider in a large pan or teakettle and bring to a boil. Place herbal tea bags into a large container and pour the boiled cider over the tea bags. Let steep for 15-30 minutes and cool. Very good.
COPYCAT STARBUCKS CARAMEL FRAPPUCCINO
This is from Delish, and begins, "The caramel frappuccino is the most iconic Starbucks drink. It's sweet, strong, and drizzled with lots of caramel. The drink is easy to make at home and makes the perfect little afternoon pick me up."
Yields: 2 servings; Prep Time: 5 minutes; Total Time: 10 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 c. cold, strong-brewed coffee
3/4 c. whole milk
1/2 c. caramel, plus more for serving
1 c. ice
Whipped cream, for serving
Directions
Blend coffee, milk, caramel, vanilla, and 1 cup of ice until smooth, thick, and icey. Add more ice, if necessary to reach desired consistency.
Pour into glasses and top with whipped cream. Drizzle with more caramel sauce.
GINGER TEA
This comes from Vegetarian Times (posted on MAY 9, 2017), and begins, “Ginger is Mother Nature’s protective cloak, shielding us from sickness on winter days. This tea is very spicy—if it tastes too strong, dilute it with more hot water and honey. Traditional advice is not to drink more than 2 cups of ginger tea a day unless you are using it as a treatment for a bad chest cold.”
2 servings
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
12 thin slices fresh ginger, pounded with mortar or rolling pin
1 Tbs. honey
Preparation
Put ginger and 3 cups water in small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes.
Strain out ginger slices and discard or reserve for another use. Stir in honey, and serve hot. Tea can be reheated, if necessary.
WATERMELON GINGER BEER
This is from Nicole Taylor in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. The recipe begins, "The recipe for this batch drink, from Nicole Taylor’s book, “Watermelon and Red Birds,” includes the juice from a red-fleshed watermelon, ideally from one with seeds. (They can be hard to find; seedless melons work too.) If you own a juicer, proceed with the seeds and all and don’t worry about straining. Watermelon is over 90 percent water and is a nutrient-dense food. This drink can serve as an everyday accompaniment at breakfast, lunch, dinner or with a snack."
Total Time: 10 minutes; Yield: 4 drinks
This was featured in "Building a Juneteenth Menu for the 21st Century, One Recipe at a Time," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023219-watermelon-ginger-beer.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh fennel fronds (optional)
Filtered water
6 cups (1-inch) cubed red watermelon (from about 3 pounds watermelon)
2 cups ginger beer, homemade or store-bought (see Tip)
Preparation
Divide the fennel fronds, if using, between two ice cube trays. Fill with filtered water and freeze until solid, 4 to 8 hours.
Meanwhile, place the watermelon in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape the sides of the blender or food processor using a rubber spatula and blend again.
Place a fine metal sieve over a large bowl and strain the pureed watermelon through the sieve. (This should yield 2 to 3 cups of juice). Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve; it will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To serve, fill four highball glasses or rocks glasses with the ice cubes. Stir the watermelon juice and add 1/2 cup to each glass. Top off with 1/2 cup ginger beer.
Tip
Unlike ginger ale, ginger beer is fermented. It’s nonalcoholic and has a spicy kick and tends to have more flavor than the soft drink. If buying ginger beer from the store, try finding the options from Barritt’s or Bruce Cost.
APPLE CIDER FLOATS
This is from Lauren Miyashiro on Delish. The recipe begins, “You'll want to float away with these apple cider floats!”
Total Time: 10 minutes; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Level: Easy; Servings: 2
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1/2 c. caramel sauce
1/2 c. cinnamon-sugar
2 c. apple cider, warmed
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
cinnamon sticks
Whipped cream, for serving
Apple slices
Directions
Pour caramel in a small dish. Dip the top of each mug in the caramel to rim the cup. Then dip the caramel rim in cinnamon-sugar.
Ladle apple cider into each mug then add a scoop of ice cream to each. Top with whipped cream and garnish with apple slices and cinnamon stick.
Drizzle more caramel over the whipped cream and serve immediately.
