YumSugar

Yummy Links: From Steering Wheel Tables to Preggatinis

partysugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:50:34 -0700

Just what the world needs! A steering wheel dining table. - Eat Me Daily
Michael Symon has plans to open a burger joint. - Eater
Did the Internet kill Gourmet magazine?- Serious Eats
Ashley talks about her experience on Top Chef. - The Feedbag
Do you have a food blog? Here's how you can celebrate Gourmet. - A Mingling of Tastes
Michael Ruhlman is now excepting your comments and questions. - Chow
Mario Batali describes his ideal last meal. - The Epi-Log
Ben Ali, the founder of Ben's Chili Bowl has passed away. - Grub Street NY
Moms-to-be: check out these non-alcoholic mocktails. - Simply Stated

Come Party With Me: Change the World - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:30:55 -0700

To promote the book Change the World For Ten Bucks, which my sister is on the cover of, she is organizing a day of volunteerism. Since I'm unable to attend, I've offered to make her and the volunteers lunch. Besides bottled water, I plan on serving pink lemonade. Not the kind that comes from concentrate, but a refreshing and delicious variation that gets its vibrant hue from strawberries.

If you make this, take the time to juice the lemons - you can really taste the difference with fresh juice. For the recipe to this picnic classic, read more.

Pink Lemonade
From Katie Brown

Ingredients

1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed or bottled
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups water
1 lemon (optional, for slices)

Directions

In a blender, puree lemon juice and strawberries. Strain through fine mesh strainer pressing berries with spatula.
Combine juice, sugar, and water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a jar and cover. Refrigerate. Add lemon slices before serving.

Serves 4-6.

Print recipe with images | without images

Come Party With Me: Baby Shower - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:30:17 -0700

At a baby shower, it's incredibly important to have a nonalcholic specialty drink. That way the mother-to-be can join in the festivities. For Denise's baby shower brunch, I'll offer guests mimosas and spiced pomegranate sparklers.

The concoction is made with a cinnamon-spiced pomegranate juice and sparkling water. Do take the time to make the garnish - frozen whole cranberries - because it's a lovely addition to the drink.

Also have an assortment of juice, coffee, and tea on hand. To get the refreshing recipe to the sparkling mocktail, read more.

Spiced Pomegranate Sparkler
From Whole Living

Ingredients

1 cup pomegranate juice
1 stick cinnamon
2 cups sparkling mineral water
Frozen whole cranberries

Directions

In a small saucepan, heat pomegranate juice to near boiling, add cinnamon stick, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely, at least 1 hour. Remove cinnamon stick.
Divide the spiced juice between 2 tall glasses; add 1 cup sparkling mineral water to each glass. Stir, add ice, and serve with a garnish of frozen cranberries.

Makes 2 drinks.

Print recipe with images | without images

Come Party With Me: Memorial Day Barbecue - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:15:12 -0700

A cool and refreshing cocktail comes to mind whenever I hear the words Memorial Day, and this delicious kiwi lime drink is perfect for all types of Memorial Day barbecues. The recipe, which combines fresh chunks of kiwi, minced ginger, simple syrup, lime juice, and ginger ale, is nonalcoholic. However, vodka, gin, or a light rum can easily be added. Choose your favorite spirit and modify the recipe to suit your drinking needs. It's wonderful with or without the alcohol, so consider making and labeling two pitchers.

If the day is especially hot, remember to stock up on ice, water, sodas, and cooling beverages like lemonade or iced tea. For the recipe to this kiwi lime cocktail, read more.

Kiwi-Lime-Ginger Cocktail
From The Spirit Net

Feel free to modify this recipe by adding vodka, gin, or light rum.

Ingredients

Juice of 1/2 a lime, freshly squeezed
1 kiwi fruit, diced with some larger chunks for garnish
1/4 tsp finely minced ginger
Dash of salt (if desired)
Slightly crushed small piece of ginger
3 Tablespoons simple sugar syrup
8 oz. Ginger Ale
Ice
Kiwi and lime rind for garnish

Directions

Rub lip of chilled tumbler with ginger, drop into cup. Add ice.
In a separate mixing container, add sugar syrup, dash of salt, minced ginger, diced kiwi, and lime juice; mix well.
Pour ginger ale into chilled tumbler, and pour juice mix over soda, making sure to swirl minced ginger and kiwi back into suspension first.
Garnish with kiwi and/or lime rind. Enjoy!

Makes 1 cocktail.

Print recipe with images | without images

Come Party With Me: Bridal Shower - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:30:36 -0700

Since most bridal showers are afternoon affairs, a heavy cocktail menu is not necessary. At Elena's bridal shower we'll set up a fruit spritzer buffet. Guests can have their choice of fruit purees and either mix them with sparkling water, club soda, or sparkling wine. A do-it-yourself bar is essential to this type of party where some will want to drink and others will not. Arrange ice, glasses, fruit purees, and mixers neatly on a side table.

For more wedding coverage go to IDoSugar. To take a look at the fruit spritzer recipe, read more.

Fruit Spritzers
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
Fresh seasonal fruit, such as 8 cups cubed seedless watermelon, 6 cups cubed honeydew melon, 6 cups cubed cantaloupe, 6 cups cubed mango, or 4 1/4 cups raspberries
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of coarse salt
Sparkling water, or club soda, or sparking wine

Directions

Put sugar and 1 cup water into a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat; let cool slightly.
Puree fruit, syrup, lemon juice, and salt in a blender. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes (up to 2 days).
To serve, fill 8 medium glasses with ice; pour 1/2 cup puree into each glass, and top off with sparkling water or wine, or club soda. Stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Serves 8.

Print recipe with images | without images

Happy Hour: Arnold Palmer

partysugar — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 13:46:11 -0800

Since YumSugar's Shirley Temple Happy Hour was such a hit, I decided today to post one of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks, the good old, Arnold Palmer. Equal parts lemonade and iced tea, this drink combines two of my favorite beverages to make one cool concoction. For the recipe, read more

Arnold Palmer
From Extra Tasty

1 part Lemonade, recipe below
1 part Iced tea, recipe below

Fill a big glass with ice and equal parts lemonade and iced tea.
Stir to combine. Enjoy

Iced Tea
From Martha Stewart

9 assorted fruit tea bags, such as Red Zinger
1 English breakfast tea bag
8 cups boiling water
Sugar, to taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
Ice cubes, for serving
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Place tea bags in a 2-quart heatproof pitcher; pour in boiling water.
Let steep for 10 minutes; carefully remove teabags, and discard.
Let cool to room temperature.
Stir in sugar and lemon juice.
Pour over ice, and garnish with mint.
Serve immediately.

Makes about 8 cups.

Print recipe with images | without images

Lemonade
From Martha Stewart

4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups water
Lemon peel strips, for garnish (optional)

In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups lemon juice and the sugar.
Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and let syrup cool.
In a pitcher, stir together lemon syrup, remaining 2 cups lemon juice, and 3 1/2 cups water.
To serve, pour over ice, and garnish with lemon peel, if desired.

Makes 2 quarts.

Print recipe with images | without images

Happy Hour: Ginger and Tonic Mocktail

YumSugar — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 13:15:11 -0800

It seems that everyone I know is throwing a cocktail party this holiday season. They've paid fantastic attention to their drink offerings and appetizers, but they often overlook one thing: the non-alcoholic drink option. This year, why not reward the sober driver with something that has a tiny bit more effort than a diet coke?

Ginger and Tonic Mocktail
From Jennifer Rubell

- 2 tbsp finely minced crystallized ginger
- 1/2 cup of pineapple juice
- tonic water

Mix ginger and pineapple juice well and let sit for two minutes. Divide drink among four highball glasses, ensuring that ginger pieces make it into each one. Add ice and fill with tonic. Stir well, garnish with crystallized ginger.

Print recipe with images | without images

Happy Hour: Cranberry Apple Cider Shandy

partysugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:00:58 -0700

While Yum was into Tyler Florence's kitchen essentials, I was more interested in the cocktail - or should I say mocktail, it was nonalcoholic he was pouring. The refreshing beverage was a mixture of cranberry juice, ice, and sparkling apple cider. This cool and delicious concoction is perfect for the upcoming holiday season. Although you do need a blender, it's so easy to make that you could even get the kids involved. To get the technique for Tyler's festive slushie-like mocktail, read more.

Cranberry Apple Cider Shandy
From Tyler Florence

Ingredients

1 cup cranberry juice
2 cups ice
4 pints sparkling apple cider (for an alcoholic version, use hard apple cider)
mint, for garnish

Directions

In a food processor or blender, combine ice and cranberry juice and process for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture tightens up and takes on the texture of a slushy.
Use an ice cream scoop to portion out among glasses, then top off with chilled hard cider.
Garnish with a sprig of mint. Serve in mason jars for a fun presentation.

Serves 4-6.

Print recipe with images | without images

Happy Hour: Mock Green Alien

YumSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 12:28:31 -0700

Everyone seemed to really enjoy the Midori Sour that we posted the other day, and so I decided to go on a hunt for an equally odd colored non-alcoholic drink. I ended up finding one called a Green Alien that actually sounds perfect for those warm summer days (I know, it's still spring, but you can tell that summer is just around the corner). It's a nice mixture of limes and lemons and the shocking green color will delight your pals (or kids). To check out the recipe, read more

Mock Green Alien
From Drink Recipes UK

3 oz Lime juice
3 oz Sparkling Lemonade
Crushed Ice
Lime Slice

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker / stirrer and pour into an unusually shaped glass. Add Crushed Ice and decorations to create a great speciality drink from an easy to make recipe!

For a more unusual spin, add a few drops of green food coloring, or alternatively if you're not worried about alcohol content, add some Midori to the mix too!

Print recipe with images | without images

Happy Hour: Near White Wine

partysugar — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 12:58:59 -0800

If you are hosting a dinner or a party in the next couple of weeks be sure to have a special non-alcoholic option for your guests. It's that time of year when people have given up bad habits for Lent (I've given up clothing shopping) and drinking alcohol is always a popular vice to reject for forty days. Instead of mercilessly tempting friends with all alcoholic cocktails, offer one that is just as good without any booze. You could whip up faux champagne or a delicious take on white wine. Serve in a champagne flute or wine glass and your guests won't even notice they're sipping an alcohol-free beverage. For the recipe, read more

Near White Wine
From UC Davis

6 ounces white grape juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
mint leaves, optional garnish

Mix ingredients and chill for several hours.
Pour into white wine glass. If desired, garnish with 2 fresh mint leaves.

Makes 1 mocktail.

Print recipe with images | without images