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Happy Hour: Lemonade Mojito

YumSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:30:45 -0700

The other day, I cohosted a barbecue so, of course, I served a signature cocktail. As an added challenge, the barbecue was actually a baby shower, and the guest of honor was pregnant. So I searched for a recipe that would be just as refreshing without booze as with it.

I dug this recipe out of my recipe file, ripped out of InStyle magazine years ago and just waiting for its moment. It's great for big groups since it can be made in large batches, and I like that it uses vodka instead of the usual rum, since I have a lot of friends who find rum off-putting. It's very tart and sufficiently sweet, and without the vodka, it's just a minty homemade lemonade. To get the recipe, read more.

Lemonade Mojitos
InStyle magazine

Ingredients

1/2 cup mint leaves, plus mint sprigs for garnish
1 cup sugar syrup (recipe follows)
5 cups club soda
4 cups vodka
4 cups fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup superfine sugar

Directions

To make the sugar syrup, heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water over low heat, stirring with wooden spoon until sugar has dissolved. Stop stirring and increase heat to medium. Simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool; refrigerate 2 hours before using.
In large bowl, muddle 1/2 cup mint leaves with sugar syrup.
Stir in club soda, vodka*, lemon juice, and 2/3 cup superfine sugar. Chill.
Pour into ice-filled pitchers with lemon rounds and mint sprigs; serve in tall glasses.

* To make a nonalcoholic batch of lemonade, reserve the vodka and add 1 1/2 ounces to each glass before pouring.

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Come Paw-ty With Me: Dog Birthday - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 06:11:32 -0700

The dog party will be in the park, so serve cocktails and drinks that can be made in batches in advance. The menu is casual picnic food and a fun flavored mojito will pair perfectly. Bing cherries give a festive color and feel that are refreshing on a hot day at a park. Instead of regular lemonade, offer non-drinkers a pomegranate ginger lemonade. Stack clear plastic party cups near the drink pitchers so that guests can serve themselves. The guests of honor can't be forgotten, so be sure to have lots of fresh, cool water to hydrate your pooches. A super-sized, communal water bowl or a bunch of mini bowls with each doggie's name written on it are essential. Want to pour these drinkies at your next party? Then just read more

Cherry Mojitos
From Martha Stewart
Image Source

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice (about 9 limes)
3 pounds dark cherries, such as Bing or Burlat, pitted
2 1/4 cups best-quality black cherry or plain vodka
1 (750 ml) bottle sparkling water

Bring sugar and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool completely. (Makes about 2 cups syrup.) Syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 month.
Put lime juice into a medium nonreactive bowl. Halve 2/3 of the cherries; add all cherries to lime juice. Stir in syrup. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to overnight).
Stir cherry mixture and vodka in a large serving bowl.
Fill 12 glasses with ice. Spoon 1/2 cup cherry-vodka mixture into each glass.
Top with sparkling water; serve immediately.

Serves 12.

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Pomegranate Ginger Lemonade
From Dos Caminos restaurant in New York City
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1 qt. lemonade
2 tbs. fresh ginger juice
½ cup pomegranate juice

Pour over ice and garnish with a lemon wedge.

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What Would You Serve?

YumSugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:50:38 -0700

Entertaining at home is one of my favorite activities of all time, but as with all hobbies, it requires lots of thinking ahead and decision-making, from planning a prep schedule to coordinating the menu. In this series, I'll present a dish and ask you to share what you'd serve alongside it.

Here's the scenario: You're having some old friends over this weekend to soak up the Summer sun over a laid-back lunch in your backyard. You know the star course for your meal will be a Cuban sandwich, made with roast pork, ham, provolone cheese, and pickles, and spread with a layer of mustard. What would you feed your guests to accompany it? See what I'd make when you read more.

I'd take my guests on a tropical-Latin staycation by placing a lemonade mojito in each of their hands. To start off the lunch, we'd enjoy a cilantro-dressed hearts of palm salad. I'd serve the sandwich next, alongside crispy plantain chips. The meal would end on a high note with coconut flan for dessert.

What would your menu include?

Come Party With Me: Fourth of July - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:15:54 -0700

When searching for fun red, white, and blue cocktails to serve at a Fourth of July barbecue, I was disappointed by the uninspiring results: most were colored blue with the artificial tasting blue Curacao. However, with a little creativity one can offer guests delicious, patriotic-colored cocktails in the form of a mojito bar. The classic mojito is white, a raspberry mojito is red, and a blueberry mojito is blue. Set out a recipe, all the ingredients, several muddlers, and glasses and invite guests to make their own cocktails. Depending on your preferences, also offer guests a selection of beer, wine, waters, and lemonade. For the red and blue mojito recipes, read more.

Raspberry Mojito
From Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine

Ingredients

Handful fresh mint leaves
3 whole fresh raspberries
Juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons sugar
Ice
1 1/2 ounces spiced rum
Splash club soda

Directions

In a highball glass, muddle the mint, raspberries, lime juice, and sugar.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice; add the rum and shake for 15 seconds. Pour into the glass and top with the club soda.

Makes 1 drink.

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Blueberry Mojito
From Tyler Florence

Ingredients

For the Ginger simple syrup:
1/4 cup grated fresh ginger
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup cold water
For the Mojito:
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 lime, cut into wedges
20 to 24 fresh mint leaves
4 ounces ginger simple syrup
4 ounces vodka
5 ounces club soda
Ice cubes
Blueberries, for garnish
Mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

For the Ginger simple syrup: peel and grate the ginger and add it, together with the sugar and cold water, to a saucepan.
Bring it to the boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain and cool in the refrigerator when done.
For the Mojito: add the blueberries, lime wedges and fresh mint leaves to the glass (or pitcher). Muddle with a wooden spoon so the blueberries are broken and the mint and lime release their juices and flavor. If assembling pitchers you can cover them at this stage and leave in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, add the simple syrup, vodka and top off with club soda. Give it a quick stir and then pour into glasses with ice cubes. Garnish with a handful of fresh blueberries and a sprig of mint.

Serves 2.

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Off to Market Recap: Iced Tea Glasses

partysugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:30:28 -0700

During the Summer I crave iced teas on a regular basis. While I'm not picky about the type of iced tea, I am particular about the type of glass. I like a glass that's large enough to hold a lot of ice and a lot of liquid, so I asked you to help me find them. You looked for large, colorful iced tea glasses perfect for sipping on the back porch. You bookmarked the glasses in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Iced Tea Glasses.

I love these high ball style glasses that jspeed saved. Not only are they ideal for iced tea, they are also great for mojitos or lemonade! To check out all of the glasses, browse the collection below.

To learn more about the bookmarking feature please read geeksugar's explanation.

Happy Hour: Spiked Arnold Palmer

partysugar — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 11:58:18 -0700

A little while back I talked about a delicious non-alcoholic drink that combines equal parts lemonade and iced tea for a refreshing cocktail called an Arnold Palmer (it's named after a golfer). Well my sister is a huge fan of this drink and this weekend when we were out on the town (the town being New York City of course) we tasted a wonderfully blended spiked Arnold Palmer. It was your standard combination of lemonade and iced tea only diluted with vodka and flavored with muddled mint. It was fabulous somewhere between a mojito and a long island iced tea. Blown away, I wondered why had I never thought of this before?! To experiment with this cocktail, read more

Spiked Arnold Palmer
Inspired by a cocktail from Lure bar

1 cup packed mint leaves, chopped
2/3-cup sugar
1-cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup freshly brewed tea, chilled
1 1/2 cups vodka
Crushed ice for serving
Fresh mint springs, optional for garnish

Combine chopped mint and sugar in a large bowl or pitcher.
Stir in lemon juice, iced tea, and vodka.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Fill six 6-8 ounce festive glasses with crushed ice. Pour mixture over. Garnish with mint and lemon springs.

Serves 8.

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Recipes From Cat Cora's Cooking From The Hip

partysugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 10:51:49 -0800

I was lucky enough to get sent an advanced, not-for-sale copy of Cat Cora's new cookbook, Cooking From The Hip. Cat Cora is the executive chef at Bon Appetit magazine and Food Network's only female Iron Chef. She believes in "cooking from the hip" (a phrase that I still don't fully understand, I keep picturing her in a kitchen doing Shakira style hip motions while she cooks...) which is her term for creating dishes from fresh ingredients and pantry staples. Cat advises stocking your kitchen with a variety of oils, vinegars, and canned goods so you can create simple, delicious, and healthy meals at all times. Her book isn't laid out like your normal cookbook, instead she organizes her recipes into five interesting categories: fast, easy, fun, phenomenal, and good to know. I especially enjoyed her praises for the importance of adult time which she celebrates with daily happy hours (a girl after my own heart!) and the cocktail recipes she includes: sake margaritas, mint juleps and mojitos to name a few. I used a few of the recipes to pack a picnic lunch (perfect a blog party) for YumSugar and I to enjoy at work. The pasta salad was very light and fresh and the sandwich uncomplicated elegance. However the best recipe by far was Cat's lemonade cookies. These cake like cookies were a hit at the office and while many people believe I spent hours zesting lemon after lemon, all of the flavor comes from frozen lemonade concentrate...genious! Cat Cora's cookbook doesn't hit the book shelves until April 10, but you can enjoy a sneak peak of a few of her recipes, and pack yourself a perfect picnic, just read more

Farfalle and Herb Salad with Peas
Reprinted with permission from COOKING FROM THE HIP by Cat Cora, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007

3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound farfalle pasta or orzo
3/4 cup peas (blanched if fresh)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
3 garlic cloves minced
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the salt to the boiling water, then add the farfalle. Cook for 7 minutes, or until the past is done but still firm. Drain the pasta in a colander, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta, peas, herbs, garlic, lemon juice and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Toss and mix well.
Add the cherry tomatoes, drizzle with the oilve oil, and toss gently. Serve or cover and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

Serves 6.

Make Ahead: the salad can be prepared a day ahead, covered and refrigerated.

Cat Cora says: a pasta salad is a good dish to have in your repertoire, and this one, with its butterfly-shaped pasta, shines-just be sure to choose fresh, bright herbs. For pasta salads, cook the pasta a little less than you would for a hot pasta dish.

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Parmesan, Prosciutto, and Arugula Sandwich
Reprinted with permission from COOKING FROM THE HIP by Cat Cora, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007

2 ciabatta loaves, 12-14 inches long
2 tablespoons best-quality-extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups baby arugula
6 ounces Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced or shaved
2 tablespoons truffle oil

Cut the ciabatta loaves in half lengthwise. With a big spoon or your fingers, hollow out both halves of each loaf, leaving a shell approximately 1 inch thick. (Stash the ciabatta innards in a resealable plastic bag in your freezer and use them when you need bread crumbs.)
With a brush, very lightly coat the insides of the hallowed-out loaves with olive oil. Or, if you don't have a brush, pour the oil into a small bowl and use a spoon to dribble it onto the bread.
Layer half the proscuitto, arugula, and cheese in each hollowed-out loaf. With a spoon, drizzle the truffle oil over the meat, greens, and cheese. Replace the top half of each loaf and slice into rectangular sandwiches, each about 2 inches wide.
Serve or wrap in foil for a picnic.

Serves 6-8.

Cat Cora says: This recipe is fast and easy and luxurious and satisfying. For me, it's a fallback dinner-something I can make much faster than the time it takes to have a pizza delivered. It's also perfect picnic food, packed in a basket with a bottle of wine, and terrific at a tailgating party, or as an appetizer. If you leave out the truffle oil, the sandwich is still delicious, but doesn't have the same flair. Long, flat ciabatta loaves can be hollowed out quite easily. Before I start layering, I divide the ingredients into two equal amounts, so neither sandwich is shortchanged.

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Lemonade Cookies
Reprinted with permission from COOKING FROM THE HIP by Cat Cora, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007

1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar, plus extra to sprinkle over the cookies
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (optional)
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon

Preheat oven to 375°F. Fill a large bowl with warm water, and plop in the unopened can of lemonade to thaw while you make the cookie dough.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and the sugar with a hand mixer.

Add the lemon zest, if desired.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until the mixture is light and creamy, 4 to 5 minutes, then set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, the baking soda and salt.

Measure out 1/2 cup of the thawed lemonade, and set the rest aside.

Add about one third of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Stir, then add about one third of the 1/2 cup lemonade. Continue adding the flour and lemonade alternately, stirring after each addition, until the mixture shows no streaks of flour.

Beat on low speed with the mixer just until all the ingredients are combined.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the ungreased baking sheet.

Bake the cookies, checking them after 8 minutes. When the edges are just starting to brown, remove the cookies from the oven. (The centers will still look soft.) Using a pastry brush, immediately brush the top of each cookie very lightly with a little of the remaining lemonade, then lightly sprinkle with sugar. Transfer the cookies to a rack, and allow them to cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen.

Make Ahead: If you want to make the cookie dough ahead of time, it can be refrigerated for several days if you seal it in two layers of plastic wrap. Dough straight from the refrigerator should bake for about 12 minutes; dough at room temperature bakes for 8-10 minutes.

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