Now that the colder weather is here and you’ve put away your beach towel it’s time to winterize your cocktails. One way to achieve this is by using amari, the rich, bitter, herbal European-style liqueurs-before–dinner aperitifs and after-dinner digestifs-that have become more popular and widely available. Amari can add structure and backbone to cocktails and is often the secret behind some of the most iconic classic drinks. Amaro is perfect for colder months, to pair with flavors like honey, citrus, and spices. Adding it is like seasoning food because it enhances flavors and gives the drink more character.
This season bartenders are combining them with brown spirits like dark rum, bourbon, rye, and Scotch for autumn and winter drinks. You could make a variation on the Brooklyn cocktail with bourbon, amaro, maraschino liqueur, dry vermouth, blood orange liqueur, and bitters.
Some add amaro and bourbon to mulled wine or change up that Irish Coffee by using single-malt whiskey, two kinds of amaro, coffee, simple syrup, and topped with whipped cream. Change up the Negroni by keeping the gin, but replacing the Campari with amari and adding amontillado sherry.
Be inventive and try adding amari to your holiday cocktails. You may just create a new classic.
“Work With What You Got!”
©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2018 All Rights Reserved
Kombucha (also known as tea mushroom or Manchurian mushroom) is a fermented, slightly sparkling black or green tea beverage that is usually lightly flavored with fruit, ginger, or herbs. Kombucha is commonly intended as a functional beverage for health benefits (although there is no real scientific evidence to support health benefit claims). Kombucha is produced by fermenting tea using a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. Many people, myself included, drink kombucha as a source of probiotics, which is the “good bacteria” that are beneficial for digestion. Pregnant women and children under age 4 should not drink kombucha.
“Work With What You Got!”
©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2018 All Rights Reserved
On fall evenings I often like to sit by the fire and sip a nice glass of wine or a sweet & tart cocktail.
Ice Tea or Iced Tea? It depends on where you live. In the South, it’s called ice tea and everywhere else it’s called iced tea.
Iced tea did not take its current form until the popularity of black tea took off, thanks to the work of the Indian Tea Commission at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. As the legend goes, Richard Blechynden, the head of the commission, watched the fairgoers pass by his elaborate teahouse as the sweltering temperatures made hot beverages unpalatable. Driven to increase the market for Indian black tea in the States, he hit upon the idea of not only serving it iced, but also perhaps more importantly, giving it away for free. His booth was soon the most popular at the fair as the patrons found his golden beverage to be the perfect refreshment.
Spurred on by his success in St. Louis, Blechynden toured the country, giving away more and more iced tea, quickly spreading its popularity nationwide. Brewing the perfect iced tea at home, complete with sweet and often fruity syrups, soon became the hallmark of a great hostess. Iced tea was mixed with all sorts of flavors in delicious punches; lemon, mint, strawberries, cherries, and oranges, whether fresh, preserved, or in syrup form or, for the more mature palette, brandy and bourbon to give it a little extra kick. And though few still have time for such an elaborate and time-consuming production (early recipes recommend beginning to brew tea at breakfast for service at dinner), iced tea remains an American favorite, available in bottles, cans, and even from a soda fountain.
To make iced tea use double the amount of tea or teabags that you would use for hot tea when you’re planning to chill the drink. And allow the tea to come to room temperature before you put it into the refrigerator. Fill an ice cube tray with tepid tea and freeze for ice that won’t dilute your drink. You could also float some minced mint or fruit in the cubes for a special treat.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2017 All Rights Reserved
Fresh Lemonade
How To Make Nose-To-Tale Lemonade!
Tossing entire lemons, peels and all, into a blender instead of just juicing them results in a frothy, thirst-quenching concoction that may ruin you for the regular stuff. The oil from the skin provides a serious flavor boost. Here’s how to do it: Wash 1 lemon and then quarter it. Remove the seeds and some of the thick pith at the ends and sides of the slices. Place in a blender with two tablespoons of sugar and some ice cubes. Cover with about 1 1/2 cups ice-cold water, and blend on high for a minute or so until smooth.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2015 All Rights Reserved
36 Apples = 1 Gallon Of Cider
