Might be worth it to wait until the latest kombucha's ready if I want something fermented.

So wanted a beer tonight, so checked the offerings at the local package store. Slim pickings, indeed, in the non alcoholic section: one bottle of the Fre red wine (did not like their chardonnay), a different chardonnay, some sparkling apple juice, and the last six-pack of St. Pauli Girl. 

Figured that, coming from Germany, the beer couldn't be too bad. Had a nice head, a pretty amber color. Smelled like a lager. Ooh, but the taste...bitter, almost like bile. Not good; actually gave me a headache.
Oh well.

In Vino Veritas.

Day 31 of Dry January.

As it was somewhat of a special occasion, decided to try a nonalcohlic wine, if only for the ceremonial cork pop. I knew the 'chardonnay' was going to be underwhelming; didn't realize it would be so darn sweet.

Lesson learned: for the next little celebration, I am going to find a nice bottle of water and make a show of opening that. Will be less expensive, not to mention better tasting.

The pictured fish cake was very nice, by the way. Oh yes, and since January was so enjoyable, will probably continue this project into February.

Dirty.

As in a martini, though this seems more like a savory Manhattan, if you can wrap your mind around that idea. 

Smoky, with a bit of a bite. Needs a bit more tweaking - bitters, maybe? - but definitely a keeper.

It's just 1/2 iced smoked (Lapsang Souchong) tea, 1/2 club soda over ice with a healthy splash of brine from the pickled vegetables and a couple shakes of hot sauce.  

Skål!

A savory, Scandinavian concoction I came up with from tonight's dinner prep leftovers. 

Who knows? What gets imbibed over the next couple nights could be just as surprising. For now, am going to call this my favorite of the drinks. 

Aquavit would make a nice addition, but is not at all necessary. Especially if you toss some crushed juniper and caraway in, as I did.

For two:

- 1/2 c. Sauerkraut juice
- Approx 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
- A few juniper berries
- Club Soda
- Crushed ice
- Fresh dill or fennel

Coarsely grind the caraway and juniper.  Set to soaking in sauerkraut juice for 1/2 an hour or so.

Fill glasses 1/3 of the way with crushed ice, divide the juice, top off with club soda, then mix.  Garnish with dill or fennel. 

Maybe I should treat myself to a copper mug.

Day 28 of Dry January! 

My version of a Moscow Mule, but without the vodka:  Loverly!  Does seem a bit naked in this glass, though.

Ginger Beer / Lime Juice.

Lassi.

Not quite, but close.  Actually, this could have been a meal in itself.   (Breakfast tomorrrow, maybe?)

For two:

- 1 c. chopped strawberries
- 1/2 mango, chopped
- 3/4 c. yogurt or kefir
- 1/4 - 1/2 c. milk, depending on how liquid you'd like for this to be
- splash of lime juice
- ginger, cardamom, mint, rose petals, sea salt, sweetener to taste
- seltzer

Blend fruit with kefir and lime juice.  Stir in aromatics, salt, sweetener.  Pour into glasses, top off with seltzer.  Garnish with lime slices, fruit, a sprinkle of cardamom or rose petals, if desired.

Half Measures.

Tired, in the doldrums, so kept things simple with a half-and-half.

(Just iced tea and some bitter lemon soda.)

Summertime Thing.

Melon, cucumbers, mint and berries go into just about everything we drink in the Summer, from lemonade to iced tea, to even the white wine or occasional rum drink. 

As it was a dry cold today, felt dehydrated on returning home. This felt so good going down.

Persian melon, slices and juice / lime juice / cucumber / mint leaves / lime seltzer / strawberry

Essentially, what I did was chop up a couple slices of cucumber, a couple chunks of melon, and some mint leaves.  Added a squeeze of lime juice and some of the juice from the melon.  Mixed that all up, tossed in an ice cube, then filled the glass the rest of the way with seltzer water.  Since strawberries were on sale and looked cheerful, used one for a garnish.  Easy as anything!  Pretty, too.

Pina Colada.

This would be nice for breakfast.

For Two:

- One can pineapple slices in juice (four slices)
- 1/2 can coconut cream
- A couple good squeezes of lime juice
- Ginger to taste
- Seltzer
- Crushed ice

Blend pineapple, its juice, coconut cream, lime juice, and ginger until smooth.  Fill two highball glasses 1/4 - 1/3 full with crushed ice.  Divide pina colada mixture evenly between glasses, top with seltzer.

Matcha Latte.

Neat trick: if you have a French press coffee pot, all you have to do is pour your (NOT hot!) milk in, then pump the plunger a few times vigorously to make it foam. Works like a charm. Your milk will remain frothy while you heat it in the microwave.

For One:

- 1c milk
- 1.5 tsp matcha (green tea) powder
- Sweetener to taste (Am not nuts about super sweet, so used just one packet of stevia)
- a dash of ginger.

Add matcha, sweetener, ginger to warm milk, then mix powders are dissolved.  Froth / heat further if you'd like.  (I like mine just a little warmer than lukewarm, myself.)

Winter Sunrise.

Day 21 (three weeks!), Dry January: Winter Sunrise.

When I was a kid, worked in a chain restaurant known for making everything from scratch, on premises. During the school year, I was the night baker, which included both waiting on customers and playing (ahem underaged) bartender. There, the first mixed drink I learned to make was a tequila sunrise. How fascinating it was to watch the grenadine bleed down into the juice-hooch mix through the ice cubes.

Hadn't thought about that until tonight, when I poured a spoonful of the cranberry shrub over my apple soda and watched it filter its way down. Made me smile.

- 1 can Cawston Press Cloudy Apple soda
- 1-2 Tbs cranberry shrub
- Splash of Lime Juice
- 3-4 ice cubes
- 2-3 mint leaves, shredded

Just toss the ice cubes in, add your soda and splash of lime.  Stir to mix.  Pour shrub over soda, watch it slowly sink to the bottom with the same fascination as one would watch a lava lamp in action.  Garnish with mint leaves.  Enjoy.

Another Egg Cream.

Was surprised to learn that my housemate, from around NYC where they originated, didn't know what an egg cream was. 

Cooksplained it to him, then set to making a slightly more traditional take than the rose perfumed one. 

For two:

- 2 c almond milk
- 2 Tbs cocoa powder
- 1 Tbs coconut oil
- 1 tsp grated orange peel
- pinch of cinnamon, ginger
- sweetener to taste (I used 1 packet of stevia)
- seltzer
- crushed ice (5-6 cubes' worth)

Blend together almond milk, cocoa powder, coconut oil, orange peel, cinnamon, ginger and sweetener, 1/2 the crushed ice.  Fill highball glasses with remaining ice, pour in blended ingredients, top with seltzer water, garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a pretty arrangement of fruit, if desired.

Caesar.

As it's Canadian Cuisine week, thought I'd celebrate with our friendly Northern neighbors' version of the Bloody Mary (my preferred one, too.)

For two servings:

- 1 14 oz. can of tomatoes
- 8 oz. clam juice
- lemon juice, hot sauce to taste
- pinches of salt, pepper, smoked paprika
- ice
- choice of garnishes.  Pictured:  skewered pickled vegetables, celery, cucumber.  Carrot sticks are nice, too.

Blend tomatoes with clam juice, and some water, to thin this, if desired.  Put 2-3 ice cubes in each of two highball glasses.  Divide juice mixture.  Add juice, sauce, seasonings to taste.  Stir.  Garnish as desired.

Bien Fruité.

This almost looks like a mojito, doesn't it?  Minty and sweet, though not saccharine.  Doesn't pack a whallop like the rum with sugar would do, either.

It's just Cawston's apple soda mixed with some muddled mint leaves, crushed blackberries, a squeeze of lime juice and crushed ice.  Very nice.

Soothing.

I'd heard of the wonders of turmeric. Put this to test on a day when I was feeling particularly irritated, cranky, annoyed at the world. 

Golden milk, or turmeric tea, is peppery, but soothing. Calming. Smells lovely, too. Think I'm going to drop right off and sleep the whole night through, thanks to this little tonic.

Here's the recipe I used.  Made enough for two, of course.  Housemate also loved it.

Smoky.

I'd been craving Lapsang Souchong, smoked black tea, for some time. Finally, the little hippie store had it in stock again!

What would I call this? A sort of milk punch? A syllabub? A milky iced tea? Not sure. In any event, it was rich and perfumey. Lovely both sweetened and not. Bubbly, too.

- Brewed Lapsang Souchong (or any other smoked black) tea
- Whole milk
- Plain seltzer
- Sweetener (if desired)
- Orange slice
- Crushed Ice

Fill your glass about 1/4 - 1/3 full of crushed ice.  Add a half and half mix of milk and tea.  Sweeten to taste, if desired.  This is very nice unsweetened, too.  Mix.  Top with seltzer water and twist of orange.

Headache.

Low pressure got to me today, so kept things simple.  The quinine in the tonic, along with the headache pill, did a world of good.

Sunday Brunch.

Dry January, Day 14:  Happy Two Weeks!

Felt like a good day to break out the new waffle iron again, both to try out a new recipe and to make something cheerful for a cold, gray weekend day. 

Served this up with plenty of strong coffee and a mimosa*, of course.

Champagne has always given me a headache, though other non champagne cremants never bothered too much. The Cawston Press Cloudy Apple soda is like the best Cremant de Loire, only better, as it doesn't leave me drowsy with a headachy edge afterwards.




* Normally sparkling wine topped off with orange juice.  I did half and half freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice and apple soda.

Nightcap.

I rarely go out for hot cho-co-late as mine is hard to beat. It is also very rich, so not to be abused. 
Instead of the usual Latin American inspired aromatics, tried a more Mediterranean combination of citrus peel and lavender: a keeper.

For two:
- 1/4 c. Dark cocoa powder
- 1 T butter
- 2 c. whole milk
- 1/4 c. cream
- pinch of sea salt
- stevia / other sweetener to taste (I used approx 10-15 drops)
- 2 T shredded citrus peel (lemon + orange)
- 10- 15 drops lavender essence

Melt butter in heavy-bottomed pan.  Add cocoa and salt, stirring until smooth.  Add cream.  Mix to break down any lumps.  Add milk, sweetener, shredded citrus peel and lavender essence.  Heat until nearly boiling, let simmer for a minute or two.  Beat until frothy.  Garnish with citrus peel, or even lavender flowers, if you'd like.

Shrub.

A shrub is a vinegar-based cordial, used as a flavoring in cocktails, both alcoholic and non. 

Since I still had some cranberries kicking around since Thansgiving, used them in my maiden attempt at such a preparation.  Recipe here.

Not bad! The sugar and vinegar balance each other out well. Might try something other than cloves to spice this with next time. Oh: a little goes a long way, too. Used maybe 1.5 Tbs for 12 oz of seltzer.