Tag Archives: drinks

Alcoholic Drinks

2 May

MINT & ORANGE HOT TODDY

MINT AND ORANGE HOT TODDYFor those of you unaware a hot toddy is an alcoholic drink traditionally made using whiskey and served hot. The original recipe requires lemon juice and cinnamon but I decided to mix it up a bit and use orange juice and mint leaves. The result was a refreshingly unusual drink that sure is tasty! Here’s what to do if you wish to make your own; Combine together 2 shots (~60ml) of Whiskey (I used Jack Daniels) with 2 shots of orange juice, 1 cup of boiling water and a teaspoon of honey. Stir until the honey have disolved. Serve with an orange slice (or 2) and a small bunch of mint leaves. This recipe makes 2 drinks. Enjoy!

Sweet Treats

21 Feb

SPICED ORANGE HOT CHOCOLATE

Spiced Orange Hot Chocolate

What you will need:
4 cups of milk
3/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons orange essence
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon Dutch cocoa

What to do:
In a large saucepan on a low heat, slowly melt your chocolate. Remove your pan from the heat and gradually pour in your milk whilst whisking. Add your orange essence, cocoa, nutmeg and cinnamon. Return to the heat and continue to whisk until well combined and heated. Serves 4.

Summer/Spring Drinks

17 Oct

EASY WATERMELON LEMONADE

In my opinion there’s nothing more refreshing on a hot day than a glass of ice cold lemonade. The only downfall has to be the copious amount of sugar found in most recipes. Wanting to avoid the sugar overload and not being a mass fan of artificial sweetener I got creative in the kitchen and created a lemonade as sweet as the original but without the addition of any sugar. What did I use to sweeten you may ask? Nothing other than fresh watermelon.

In a blender combine 3 cups of fresh lemon juice, 2 cups of diced watermelon with 2 cups of water. Pulse until well combined and serve with ice, a fresh slice of lemon and a few spring berries. Enjoy!

Summer Refresher

15 Oct

VERY BERRY SUMMER SANGRIA

Sangria has to be one of my favourite Spring/Summer drinks. This delightful concoction of sweet pink wine and juice is perfect for any occasion. Serve this sangria at your next picnic, a BBQ and even a quiet brunch and I guarantee it to be a crowd pleaser.

What to do is simple, in a large jug or pitcher combine 1 bottle (700ml) of pink moscato, 500 ml of orange juice, 500ml of apple juice, 200ml of mango nectar, 3 cups of your favourite berries and 1/4 cup lime juice. Stir until combined and garnish with a few sprigs of mint. Enjoy!

Perfect Pumpkin Spice Mix & Pumpkin Spice Latte

13 Sep

HOMEMADE PUMPKIN SPICE MIX & PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

Here in Australia pumpkin spice isn’t really popular or even really heard of, or at least where I live it isn’t. As the season has changed I have been noticing a great deal of pumpkin spice recipes on Pinterest and on the blogs I follow. Everything from pumpkin spice pies to cupcakes has been seen popping up everywhere.  I was intrigued. What is pumpkin spice? What is it made of? How do you use it? After a bit of research I learned that pumpkin spice is basically a combination of ground herbs and spices that is often used alongside pureed pumpkin in baked foods and desserts. Wanting to give this culinary fad a go, I got creative in the kitchen and  after a lot of trial and error created some recipes for my own recipes for Pumpkin spice blend as well as a pumpkin spice latte. Tinned pumpkin puree or pumpkin spice mix isn’t available here in Australia or at the very least I was unable to find it anywhere so I had to make everything from scratch. I plan on using pumpkin puree in some recipes in the near future so to save time I boiled up a few kilos of pumpkin flesh, pureed it and froze it in a ice cube tray for future use to save time. Have fun trying these out and be sure to let me know what you think.
Pumpkin Spice Mix
I played around with the ratios a fair bit and this combination was my favourite. The flavour reminded me a bit of chai tea minus the tea of course.
Combine together;
  • 8 Parts of ground cinnamon
  • 4 Parts ground ginger
  • 1 Part ground nutmeg
  • 1 Part teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 Part teaspoon ground cardamon

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2 cups of freshly brewed coffee
2.5 cups of milk
1/4 cup thickened cream
1/2  cup cooked butternut pumpkin, pureed
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 Tablespoons Pumpkin Spice (See above recipe)
1 Teaspoon vanilla
Whipped cream for serving

Brew 2 cups of coffee to your liking. Instant or expresso kinds both work fine.
In a saucepan on a medium heat, warm the milk and cream/
All the pumpkin spice, vanilla and sugar.
Once heated whisk in the pumpkin puree.
Pour in the coffee and whisk until light and fluffy while on a low heat.
Alternatively if you are using an expresso machine use the milk frothier  to froth the mixture.
Serve with some whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice.

Serves 4

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