Category Archives: BEVERAGES

HOLIDAY CITRUS PUNCH

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1 (4 oz) jar maraschino cherries, with juice

1 fluid oz triple sec liqueur

1 (750 milliliter) bottle light rum

1 orange, sliced into rounds

1 lemon, sliced into rounds

1 (8 oz) can pineapple chunks

1 liter carbonated water

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups orange juice

2/3 cup lemon juice

ice

mix sugar, orange juice and lemon juice in a punch bowl. stir until sugar is completely dissolved.

pour triple sec, light rum, cherries,  lemon slices, orange slices and pineapple chunks into punch bowl.

refrigerate for at least 2 hours and add carbonated water.

add ice and mix.

10 servings

 

CHRISTMAS COCOA

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4 cups milk

2/3 cup instant chocolate drink mix

5 chocolate mint candy canes, crushed

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup 10x sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

in a large saucepan, combine the milk and drink mix. cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. remove from the heat. set aside 1 tbs crushed candy canes for garnish. stir remaining candy canes into cocoa; keep warm.

in a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. add 10x sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form. ladle cocoa into mugs. top with whipped cream; sprinkle with reserved crushed candy canes.

4 servings

HOT BUTTERED CIDER

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1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter OR margarine, softened

1/4 cup honey

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

beat sugar, butter, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg until well blended and fluffy. place mixture in a tightly covered container. refrigerate up to 2 weeks, bring mixture to room temperature before using.

to serve, heat apple cider in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. fill individual mugs with hot apple cider; stir in 1 tbs butter mixture per 1 cup apple cider.

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

FRESH MINT AND GINGER LEMONADE

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½ cup packed chopped fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh ginger
1/3 cup honey
2 cups boiling water
½ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (or to taste)
1 ½ cups cold water

Combine chopped mint, ginger and honey in a medium bowl; add boiling water and allow to steep for 30-40 minutes; strain into a 4-cup glass measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract liquid; add lemon juice and enough cold water to measure 4 cups total.

Fill glasses with ice cubes; add lemonade; garnish with mint leaves and fresh lemon slices.

4 servings

SLOW COOKER CIDER

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2 (4″) cinnamon sticks
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp whole allspice
2 qts apple cider
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 orange, sliced

place cinnamon, cloves and allspice in a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with a string to form a bag. place cider and brown sugar in a slow cooker; stir until sugar dissolves. add spice bag. place orange slices on top. cover and cook on LOW 2-5 hours. remove spice bag before serving.

makes 2 qts

HOT MULLED FRUIT CIDER

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5 (3″) cinnamon sticks
10 whole cloves
10 whole allspice
4 cups apple juice
2 cups cranberry juice
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups water
2 tbs lemon juice

place first 3 ingredients in a cheesecloth bag. combine apple juice, spices, cranberry juice, and remaining ingredients in a large dutch oven. bring to a boil and cook 1 minutes. reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes. remove and discard spice bag. serve warm.

yield 7 1/4 cups

EASY PUDDING MILK SHAKE

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3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups chocolate ice cream, softened
1 (3.9 oz) pkg chocolate instant pudding mix

process all ingredients in container of an electric blender on LOW until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides. (blender will be very full.) serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 8 hours. stir well before serving.

makes 5 cups

GINGER-PEACH SPIKED TEA

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1/4 cup loose peach tea leaves
1 qt boiling water
8 slices fresh ginger
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 qt peach juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup ginger brandy
thinly sliced lemon for garnish (optional)

combine the tea and boiling water in a teapot or other heatproof container until steeped, about 10 minutes.

strain the tea into the slow cooker and add the fresh ginger, brown sugar, peach juice, and lemon juice. cover and cook on LOW until hot, 1-2 hours.

when ready to serve, scoop the ginger slices out of the liquid and add the ginger brandy. turn the heat down to KEEP WARM setting if your slow cooker has that function; otherwise, keep it on LOW to serve. float lemon slices on the top, if desired.

makes about 2 qts

HOMEMADE LEMONADE

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3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon peel strips (about 1 1/2 lemons)
3/4 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 cup club soda, chilled

in a small saucepan, heat sugar and water over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. stir in the lemon strips. bring to a boil. reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. cool slightly.

transfer to a pitcher. stir in lemon juice; cover and refrigerate until chillled. discard lemon strips. stir in club soda. serve over ice.

2 servings

FROZEN LEMON-BERRY MARGARITAS

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4 lime wedges
2 tbs coarse sugar
2/3 cup thawed lemonade concentrate
1 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries
2 cups ice cubes
2 (10 oz) pkgs frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 tbs sugar
1/2 cup tequila, optional

using lime wedges, moisten the rims of four margarita or cocktail glasses.. set aside limes for garnish. sprinkle coarse sugar on a plate; hold each glass upside down and dip rim into sugar. set aside. discard remaining sugar on plate.

in a blender, combine the lemonade concentrate and raspberries; cover and process until blended. press mixture through a fine sieve; discard seeds. return raspberry mixture to blender; add the ice, strawberries, blueberries, sugar and tequila, if desired. cover and process until smooth.

pour into prepared glasses. garnish with reserved limes.

4 servings