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Entries in Beverages (3)

Friday

05Jun2009

A Tip for Better Tasting Coffee

Friday, June 5, 2009 at 8:16AM

A sneaky little trick for making cheap homemade coffee taste better, from Trevy Thomas.

For years, I managed to wean myself from coffee, smugly sipping herbal tea while those around me battled coffee breath. But, as addictions have a way of doing, the habit snuck back up on me. The lure of the morning ritual, the excuse for a big spoonful of sugar and real cream, the bad coffee breath right back in my husband’s face. Oh, the joys of coffee. The temptation is all too much for me, and I am feeling a bit jittery and cross-eyed from it at this very moment.

But there’s a lot of bad coffee. Office coffee, for one, is generally horrible. So is that stuff that sits on a warmer at Wawa. Of course, any place that sells gasoline is probably not the best place for a cup of coffee.

My mother had a secret for making better tasting coffee. This was pre-Starbucks days, and all she used was Maxwell House. But she brewed in an electric percolator, and sprinkled in a tiny bit of cinnamon on top of the coffee before perking. You couldn’t tell it was cinnamon, but something was definitely better. So as long as you’re a coffee addict, try an old-school tip for making everyday coffee a little better. I promise not to lecture on the evils of coffee addiction until I’m in recovery from my own.

Trevy Thomas |

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Saturday

07Mar2009

Vodka Tangerine Ginger Cocktail

Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 12:45PM

It is unseasonably warm here today which, after last week’s snow, is a delightful thing. I am bemoaning my white skin in a sleeveless top, but loving the promise of warmth a day like this provides. The dogs think I’m absolutely nuts to be sitting in front of a computer when I could be out rolling around in deer droppings, but to each her own. My favorite fish and veggie dish is in the works, and I am enjoying a cocktail that puts summer in a glass for me. As soon as my focus returns, I’ll add a picture. Meanwhile, I suggest you steal pleasure whenever you can. Happy daylight savings.

Vodka Tangerine Ginger Cocktail

Serves one (how many do you need?)

1/3 cup good quality vodka (I like Rain organic vodka)
1/2 fresh tangerine
1/2-inch piece ginger

Pour the vodka over a glass of ice (or shaker if you have one). Squeeze in the tangerine juice. Put the ginger in a garlic press and smash into the glass. Top with a bar sieve and strain into a martini glass. No bar sieve? Stir well and pour through a regular sieve or colander into a pretty glass and serve. Preferably in the sunset.

Trevy Thomas |

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Tuesday

20Jan2009

Ginger "Ale"

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 10:26AM

A spicy simple syrup for soda, tea or cocktails by guest author, Heather Forsyth.

Ginger Ale

About a million years ago I was a coke addict -- spicy, bubbling, invigorating, I couldn't get enough of classic coca-cola. Good (health) sense finally prevailed, and I gave up soda years ago. Lately, however, I've wanted something to drink a little tastier than water, and a cocktail mixer that doesn't contain corn syrup. I've always loved ginger, so decided to see if I could make a kind of ginger concentrate that would be refreshing on it's own and a tasty addition to cocktail hour. This is the result.

2 c. fresh cold water
1 c. sugar, preferably raw, organic sugar
Fresh ginger root, about two long thumbs of it
Lemon zest, a strip about 1/2 inches by 2 inches
4-6 dried chili peppers (optional; see note below)

Peel ginger root and slice thinly (about the thickness of a quarter). Peel a strip of zest from a fresh lemon. Combine the ginger and lemon with the water and sugar in a small, heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for 20-40 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, then strain. Discard the lemon and save the ginger for another use (you can throw it into your next stir-fry, or mince and add to a batch of ginger snaps). Decant the syrup into a glass bottle and keep refrigerated.

Notes: I add about 6 pequeno (tiny dried peppers) to the syrup because I like it especially spicy. If you don't have pequenos, try any small, dried pepper, but use just one or two until you can gauge the heat, unless you really want a fiery drink. Remove the peppers before decanting. The longer you simmer, the more strongly flavored the syrup will be. You can taste as you go. When I strain the ginger, lemon and peppers, I usually leave one or two slices of the ginger behind because I know I'm going to drink a batch of this up in a week or so. If you're not going to use it up that fast, go ahead and remove it all.

To use: Add a few tablespoons, to taste, to a glass of ice with sparkling soda water and stir. Voila, homemade ginger ale. A tablespoon or two added to a cup of generic tea adds warmth and flavor. Or, one of my favorites uses, make a cocktail with vodka, ginger syrup, sparking water and a wedge of lime. Now that's addicting!

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