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Nonalcoholic Sips for the Season

on December 14, 2012

One of the things I love about Austin is that there are lots of places in town to get a great drink, and more are popping up all the time. When I was in college getting a drink meant a vodka tonic or a terrible whiskey sour, and pretty much nothing more than that. I embrace the return of cocktails wholeheartedly!

Of course, now that I’m older I also appreciate the option to not drink. Unfortunately, many bars, restaurants, and food events don’t recognize that fact – or that if you don’t want to drink, you might also not want to sip on mineral water or soda every time. (Food event planners: please consider offering sober passes to your events! Some of us can’t afford to spend the extra $40 that goes toward booze if we’re not partaking.) I’ll be honest when I say that sometimes I’ve ordered more drinks than I should just because my friends were still drinking. Yep, it’s stupid.

Did you know that last December in Texas alone there were 78 deaths as a result of drunken driving? Sure Texas is a large state, but multiply that by 50 and we’ve got a huge problem.

I’m happy to see the Texas Department of Transportation roll out their Holiday P.A.S.S. (Person Appointed to Stay Sober) program again this year, but with a little twist – they’ve teamed up with the creative folks behind Peché and Cherry Street to create some delicious nonalcoholic alternatives for the season. Being the sober driver shouldn’t be considered a punishment. Let’s help remove that stigma so we can all have a happy holiday!

 

The drinks that were created are just as fun as your standard cocktail, with familiar flavors and festive names for the season: Home Safe Merry Cherry, Yule Be Safe Sipper, No Alco-Holly Basil Lime Spritzer, and Sober Snowman. The recipe for my favorite is below, but head on over to the TxDOT Holiday P.A.S.S. resource page for printables of all the recipes, and be sure to offer one or more at your next holiday gathering!

No Alco-Holly Basil Lime Spritzer

(makes enough syrup for approximately 10 drinks)

3/4 cup sugar
Zest of one lime
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup water
1 cup loosely packed basil
Sparkling water or club soda

Simmer the water with the basil and lime zest for ten minutes. Let cool and add sugar and lime juice, stirring until fully dissolved. Strain to remove basil and lime zest.
Add 1 ounce of the Basil-Lime Syrup to a glass; fill to top with sparkling water or club soda and ice. Garnish with lime slice and basil.

Recipe by Robe Pate. Photo by Melissa Skorpil. Reprinted courtesy of Texas Department of Transportation.

 

What nonalcoholic drinks do you like to serve at parties?

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Mason Jar Margaritas

on September 5, 2011

Aside from Topo Chico, margaritas are the official drink of Austin. No sultry weekend can pass by without a clamor for the ice-cold beverage, sipped on a sunny patio.

mason jar margarita

The first night of Big Summer Potluck had us mingling and munching on Tex-Mex snacks, and every so often someone would wander by with a pink-filled mason jar. I tracked them down to a big cooler filled with jars, and had (perhaps more than) my share of Chambord margaritas. It’s a brilliant idea, and when planning my husband’s birthday party I knew I had to make a big batch myself. At the liquor store, however, I was staring at the Chambord, thinking about how I really don’t need to have a bottle of that AND triple sec laying around the house, when I noticed the Paula’s Texas Orange just a shelf over. Paula’s products are made right here in Austin and are wonderful additions to cocktails, and are a natural fit for margaritas.

These are great for parties or just keeping on hand when you need a margarita at the end of the day. All you need to do is mix everything together, pour it into jars, and freeze. The alcohol content ensures they stay slushy, so they’re ready to go right out of the freezer. Just pop a straw in, and the party can start.

Mason Jar Margaritas

Makes approximately 18 half-pint jars

64 ounces water
2 cans frozen limeade
3 tablespoons lime juice
24 ounces tequila
24 ounces Paula’s Texas Orange*

Mix everything together in a large pot. Ladle into mason jars, place lids, and screw on rings. For ease of transport and storage, put jars back into the original box flat. Store in freezer for at least two hours, until ready to serve.

*You can substitute Cointreau if you don’t have access to Paula’s.

mason jar margarita

Edited to add: You can swap out the frozen limeade concentrate with homemade lime concentrate. Mix 1 cup of fresh squeezed lime with 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar. Simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool completely before mixing with margarita ingredients.

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Kitchen Play: Naughty & Nice

on December 1, 2010

It’s December, and we all know that means holiday entertaining. And holiday entertaining means holiday drinks.

When Casey contacted me about preparing a course for the Kitchen Play Progressive Party, I was more than excited. When she revealed that I would be working to create a cocktail using spices from MySpiceSage.com, I was immediately inspired.

What’s MySpiceSage.com? This online spice store has quickly moved to the top of my list for ingredient sourcing. Not only do they offer more than 400 different products, but they also organize them in a way that makes it easy for a cook to be inspired. Categories like fruity, nutty, warm, and sweet help to sort out the bevy of spices, and each spice has its own notes about the best way to prepare it. Free samples are offered with each order, providing a great way to try things you might otherwise pass by. Plus, because everything is sold in bulk, you’re not paying that premium for the tiny jar most spices are sold in at grocery stores – you’re only paying for high-quality spices.

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Vanilla Lemonade

on June 3, 2010

A while back we had a local food blogger potluck, and of course all the food was amazing. One of the things I really liked was a Meyer lemonade with vanilla. I have a stash of vanilla beans in my cupboard that I’m always wondering what to do with. Yes, a stash. If you’re still buying pricey one-off vanilla beans at the grocery store, get thee to eBay. I got a quarter pound of Tahitian vanilla beans for under 10 bucks. And a quarter pound is a dang good amount of vanilla.

With summer kicked off, I recreated the lemonade. This is my perfect lemonade – the stuff they sell in restaurants is usually too tart for me. Feel free to adjust the sugar levels to your liking, however.

Vanilla Lemonade

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split
8 lemons (yielding 1 cup juice)
Cold water to fill pitcher

In a small saucepan, bring water, sugar, and vanilla bean to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Press vanilla bean in order to let caviar escape. Cover and let cool.
Juice lemons, and pour into 2-quart pitcher. Add sugar mixture (including vanilla bean), then fill pitcher with cold water and stir to mix. Chill until ready to serve.
If your lemonade tastes slightly bitter, add a tiny pinch of salt to bring out the other flavors.

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60-Second Iced Coffee

on May 27, 2010

By the time I get off work and head over to the park and ride to pick up my husband, I am dragging. There’s something about sitting in the car that reminds me of all the work I did that day and I’m suddenly exhausted. The urge to pop over to Starbucks is overwhelming, but I can’t really justify the constant expense, not to mention the liquid calories.

It wasn’t until Amanda gifted me with some Cool Beans that I remembered, duh, I can make iced coffee at home! Because the ice cubes are made of coffee, your drink won’t get diluted, unlike iced drinks from some coffee places!

While this does take a tiny bit of preparation, you can easily do the “hard” work in the blink of an eye. Just make some extra coffee in the morning (who really needs all 12 cups?) and you’ll be set.

60-Second Iced Coffee

60-Second Iced Coffee

Supplies
Ice cube tray
Pitcher or jug
Bottle or jar with lid at least 12 ounces (I use a small Simply Lemonade bottle; it’s the perfect size)
Prepared coffee, cooled

Fill ice cube tray with coffee. Pour 1 cup into the small bottle, and remaining coffee into large pitcher. Put ice cube tray in the freezer and bottle and pitcher into the fridge until ready to use.

Ingredients
1 cup chilled coffee
1/2 cup milk of your choice
Vanilla extract
Coffee ice cubes

You should already have your 1 cup of coffee in the small bottle. Just pour in the milk and add a few drops of vanilla. Screw the lid on tightly and shake it up!
Put ice cubes in a tall glass and pour coffee over the top. Enjoy!

+++
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Strawberry Mint Sparkles

on May 13, 2010

This was part of my Strawberry Extravaganza I did for the Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24.

My friends and I, we’re a little obsessed with sparkling water. We like all things bubbly, actually (Hi, Prosecco!) but sparkling water has become the go-to at work, after the morning coffee and tea. Seems logical, then, that we would tap into the spring bounty and create a tasty drink based on what has become to be known as Sparkles.

Strawberry Mint Sparkles

Strawberry Mint Sparkles

adapted from multiple Internet recipes

1 cup sugar
3 cups of water
1 cup of loosely packed fresh mint leaves
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup chopped strawberries
Lemon sparkling water, about 4 cans

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about five minutes, until sugar is fully dissolved, then add the mint, lemon juice, and berries. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour into a carafe and refrigerate until chilled.
When ready to serve, pour in the sparkling water. Pour over ice into glasses garnished with additional berries.

You can strain out the mint and berries before adding the sparkling water, but I like to leave them in – the flavor only intensifies!

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