Twisted Strawberry Lemonade

Last week, David Leibovitz's blog had a delicious-looking guest post on strawberry vodka. Soon after that, TasteSpotting and FoodGawker exploded with entries showcasing different fruit-infused vodkas. Since everyone else was doing it...

Yeah, I hopped on the infused vodka train. 

Ripe strawberries smell so good! And after three days in a tightly sealed jar with said berries, the vodka smelled pretty good too. One whiff and I had visions of delicious strawberry-flavored cocktails dancing before my eyes. 

Some people say summer is all about the beach and weekend cook-outs...I say it's about the drinks. Gotta stay hydrated in the heat, you know! And what's better for the body and soul on a hot summer day than lemonade? Strawberry Lemonade. With vodka.

Twisted Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients:

- 2 cartons ripe strawberries, quartered

- 1 750-ml bottle of vodka

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 cup water + 4 more cups for diluting

- 1 cup lemon juice

- Ice

Steps:

(1) In a large jar or other seal-able container, combine strawberries and vodka. Soak for 3 days, swirling jar every day.

(2) Strain vodka into a large pitcher filled with ice. Set aside.

(3) In a pot, heat 1 cup water and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off heat, and let syrup cool. Then, add syrup to the pitcher.

(4) Pour remaining 4 cups water and lemon juice into the pitcher. Stir until well combined.

(5) Serve with more ice. The colder the better! 

Blueberry-Limoncello Cooler

Maybe it's just my imagination, but I'm pretty sure the limoncello is getting stronger. It's only been two days, but when I poured myself a glass yesterday, the lemony-boozy fumes about knocked me out on the first sip. It was still very sweet and lemony and all, but...whew. I can see why people say the stuff is lethal. This is definitely a leisurely-post-meal-sipping kind of beverage. 

Mixed with tonic water and blueberries though, the limoncello lost its intense boozy kick. In fact, the cocktail tasted almost exactly like Sprite! Don't be fooled though, the alcohol is definitely still there -- it's just diluted enough by the fizz to not be quite so in-your-face. Proceed with caution, folks. 

Blueberry-Limoncello Cooler (Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis's recipe)

Ingredients:
- 1 500ml bottle of limoncello

- 1 cup sparkling water (or tonic water), chilled
- 1 cup fresh blueberries

- Mint sprigs for garnish

- Crushed ice

Steps:
(1) In a large pitcher, combined the limoncello, sparkling water, and blueberries, and give it all a good stir.
(2) Fill a highball or other drinking glass with ice, then fill to the brim with the limoncello mixture.
(3) Garnish with a mint sprig and enjoy immediately.

Limoncello

OK, so the thing about summer is that it's so frickin' hot that I never really have any motivation to cook anything. Who wants to stand in front of a hot stove/oven when it's 95 and humid? I mean, yes, I have A/C, but just knowing that the air outside is thick enough to swim through really takes away a person's appetite. So lately all I really want to do after work is sit on my couch, in my air conditioned apartment, and suck down an endless stream of cold beverages. Frozen margaritas, rum punch, lemonade, daiquiris, agua frescas...etc etc. 

After a string of recent posts on summer beverages, my friend Karen accused me of getting lazy with my blog. How rude! I obviously did that one post about stuffed burgers two weeks ago, and then there was the mille feuille post last weekend...and before that there was the...uh...Ok fine. I've been making a lot of drinks lately. Like I said, it's hot, and all I want to do is drink stuff. Whatever.

And this limoncello recipe wasn't a total walk in the park. I had to peel eight lemons. Eight! By hand. Without a vegetable peeler. Have you ever tried peeling a lemon with a butcher knife? Not easy, especially when you have to manually remove the pith from the peel too. Phew. Talk about cramped hands.

But aside from the lemon-peeling, this limoncello really wasn't too hard to make. It was more a matter of patience, since the peels have to be soaked in vodka for four whole days, and then once simple syrup is added the mixture needs to sit overnight before it's strained. After that, the stuff still has to chill for a couple hours before it's served. I am not a patient person, so I skipped the last two steps. I let the lemon-infused vodka and syrup marinate for about an hour and a half before I decided I just had to have a taste. 

Whew, this stuff is much stronger than I expected. I don't know why I thought it would be less strong -- it's just vodka and sugar water, after all. Very tasty though -- sweet and lemony and refreshing. But, probably would be better served chilled, as intended.

Recipe can be found here, courtesy of the Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis.

Pomegranate-Champagne Rum Punch

"Today I don't feel like doing anything,

I just wanna lay in bed.

Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone,

'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything."

I'm loving this new Bruno Mars song today! It really captures the way I feel about how my Saturday is going to be. Today, I'm not going to do anything but lay on the couch, relax (maybe nap), and drink a ton of this super delicious, refreshing, and delightfully boozy pomegranate-champagne punch. Happy long weekend, everyone!

Pomegranate-Champagne Rum Punch (Adapted from Ezra Pound Cake's recipe)

** Tastes kind of like sangria, but sweeter. Yum!

Ingredients:

- 1-1/2 cups pomegranate juice

- 1 cup lemonade 

- 1/4 cup white rum

- 1 bottle champagne or Prosecco (I couldn't find either at the liquor store, so I used Brut)

Steps:

(1) In a large pitcher, combine juice, lemonade, and rum.
(2) Slowly add champagne/Prosecco/Brut
(3) Stir, and then serve over crushed ice.

Classic Lemonade

Man, it was hot today! The weatherman predicted thunderstorms all week, but there was nary a raindrop or storm cloud in sight. By the time I got home it was 88 and sunny. And just a little muggy, 'cuz you know, it's summer in Virginia. Basically, it was the perfect day for an icy cold pitcher of fresh, homemade lemonade. 

Times like these, I really wish we had furniture on our balcony. Can you imagine how amazing it would be to recline in a lounge chair on the balcony after work, sipping from a frosty glass of lemonade, enjoying life and basking in the warmth of the fading sun? That's like, poetry, almost.

But, without the aforementioned lounge chair on my balcony, I had to settle for enjoying this tasty lemonade on the couch while watching back to back episodes of Bones on TBS. Not such a terrible way to spend the evening.

Lemonade (From Simply Recipes)

Ingredients:
- 1 cup water, plus 3-5 more cups for dilution
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup lemon juice

Steps:
(1) Make simple syrup by boiling sugar and 1 cup water until sugar is completely dissolved.
(2) Pour syrup and lemon juice into a pitcher, along with 3-5 cups of water, depending on how much you want to dilute the sweetness of the lemonade. (I went with 5 cups, and the lemonade was plenty sweet.)
(3) Refrigerate until you're ready to serve, or load the pitcher up with ice cubes.
(4) Stir and enjoy cold. Preferably on a balcony on a nice warm day.

Watermelon-Lime Agua Fresca

Remember when we were younger and watermelons could only be bought in the summer? A cold slice of the juicy red melon was always something to be looked forward to at picnics and bbq's when the weather was nice. And the seeds! Kind of a pain to eat around, but fun to spit at your friends and try to see who could spit them the farthest. Just don't accidentally swallow any of the slimy little buggers though -- a watermelon will grow in your stomach! 

Nowadays you can walk into any grocery store pretty much any time of year and pick up a juicy, sweet melon with no seeds. Isn't that mind-blowing? I can't decide how I feel about it -- on the one hand, it's convenient when I'm craving watermelon in the colder seasons, but on the other hand...watermelon is a summer fruit, damnit!

My dad is a champion watermelon selector. He can always tell just by lightly thumping the side of a melon which one is going to be the reddest and sweetest. I, on the other hand, am not so talented. I make a big show of thumping and listening, but all the melons sound exactly the same to me. So, the watermelons I bring home are usually pretty hit or miss. My most recent purchase was kind of a miss. The flesh was more pink than red, and not very sweet. Still refreshing, but not as delicious to eat. 

So, what to do with not-so-delicious watermelon? Blend that sucker up and turn it into a light and refreshing summer beverage! Like agua frescas, for example, which are fruit drinks made with blended fruit/water infused with various herbs. Generally non-alcoholic, but if you want to add some tequila, I certainly won't judge you... 

Watermelon-Lime Agua Fresca (From The Kitchn)

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs seedless watermelon

- 1 cup cold water

- 2 tsp lime juice

- 1 tbsp simple syrup (See below for recipe)

- 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Steps:
(Simple syrup)

(1) Mix 1/4 cup water with 1/4 cup sugar. Bring to bowl over medium-low heat and simmer, without stirring, until all sugar is dissolved.

(2) Remove from heat, then add 1 tbsp chopped mint. Let steep for 15 minutes, and set aside.

(Agua fresca)

(1) Blend watermelon, lime juice, water, and simple syrup.
(2) Strain through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth.

(3) Serve over ice. Garnish with a mint to keep things classy.

Mango Daiquiris

I think it's pretty obvious by now that I'm a girly drink kind of gal. I mean, I could try to roll with the boys and throw back beers and booze on the rocks, but why suffer? I like sugar. I like fruit. I don't like the taste of alcohol.  It would just be silly to pretend otherwise. Sure, I suppose if I could acquire a taste for beer my bar tabs would be a lot lower, but...not worth it. I need to have fruity, blended drinks in my life, damnit.

Daiquiris are pretty high on my list of favorite blended drinks, not only because they are sweet and fruity and delicious, but also because I associate them with summer, hammocks, sandy beaches, and tropical vacations.  Seriously, there is nothing more relaxing than an icy cold daiquiri, especially after a long and productive day at work. And no fruit is more delicious this time of year than a juicy mango. What happens when you combine the two? Instant happiness, and the perfect cure for the mid-week blues. 

Mango Daiquiris

Ingredients:
- 2 fresh mangos, chopped into pieces
- 2 trays' worth of ice
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 4 oz rum (I used Parrot Bay Mango Rum for even more mango flavor)

- 1 tbsp sugar

Steps:
(1) Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth and frosty.
(2) Serve immediately, preferably with a heap of chips and guacamole.

For other great drinks ideas, click here.

Strawberry Margaritas

It's the weekend, the weather is 82 degrees and sunny, and I've just been treated to a delicious sushi buffet for lunch. Could my birthday get any better? Yes, but only if you throw in a pitcher of freshly blended strawberry margaritas (and a nap)!

Tequila and I never used to be friends. But, that's probably because my first experience with it was at a frat party where some guy poured lime juice into a solo cup full of Jose and said "here, have a margarita." I took one sip and immediately spat it back into the cup. Yuck.  Never again.

But, because I never wanted to drink tequila after that, I never got violently sick from it -- Jose and I never "broke up," so to speak. Vodka? That's another story...but I digress.  Anyway, the upshot is that when I decided to give tequila another chance years later, I could face it without having a visceral reaction (like my friend Brad). I still can't drink it straight, of course...I prefer my Jose to be mixed with sugar and fruit, and frozen if possible. Luckily, there's a big jug of The Cuervo on top of my fridge right now, as well as a fresh carton of strawberries waiting to be eaten/blended, so when I got a craving for a fruity beverage I knew just what to do. Strawberry margaritas!!! So delicious and refreshing on a hot day like today. If only I had furniture on my balcony...

Strawberry Margaritas

Ingredients:

- 5 oz tequila (5 shots)
- 2 ice-trays' worth of ice
- 1/2 a carton of strawberries, cut into halves
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup lemon juice

Steps:

(1) Throw all the ingredients into a blender. Blend until icy and frothy.
(2) Serve immediately, preferably with something salty, like chips and guacamole.

One year ago: Spinach and Mushroom Fettucine Alfredo

Bridal Shower!

My good friend Charlene is engaged, and this past weekend a few of us threw her a bridal shower in NYC. We were all in charge of different parts of the shower, and my friend Michelle and I were responsible for food/drinks.

What does one serve at a bridal shower? Dainty things! Like chocolate covered strawberries, for example.

And cupcakes. Michelle and I couldn't find red food coloring, so these are "brown velvet" cupcakes. Really, they're just plain ol' chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

Cucumber sandwiches. These weren't as dainty as the ones I envisioned -- we used peasant bread, and that stuff is huge and hearty. We improvised the filling a little bit, but it turned out to be very tasty. These sandwiches were a hit!

Champagne and strawberries. We're pretty classy.

And just to keep things interesting...jello shots! Strawberry, lime, and peach flavored. Recipe can be found here.

Happy Shower, Charlene! We love you!