Instant Iced Tea:
The classic Martini only has 2 ingredients, so it’s particularly important to use the best you can afford.
In the age of the 32-ounce (or larger) Big Gulps and the like, a small drink may not necessarily seem fashionable. But large quantity is not always related to good quality, as is attested by those mammoth margaritas, laced as they are with artificially flavored sweet-and-sour mix. This margarita is the real thing: purity and refreshing freshness that's strained into martini glasses after a vigorous rumble with ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Just before your guests arrive, combine the tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice in a pitcher, and you'll be poised for the shaking to begin.
Open the door of our fridges in the heat of summer and you are sure to find this short-cut sweetener for any cold drink. Made from sugar and water heated together until the sugar is entirely dissolved, the syrup means no more sugar grains whirling around the bottom of your glass. Feel free to doctor this syrup with other flavors. Add a slice of ginger, a sprig of fresh lemon verbena, basil, or even the spice of peppercorns. Each addition will take the syrup to a new place. Stores covered and refrigerated indefinitely.
Real lemonade is the lemonade that sends a shiver down your back when you take that first sip. It’s a perfect balance of sweet, tart and cool. This recipe is based on the idea of one medium lemon per person. Adjustments are easily made depending on your love of sweetness. We like to make a simple syrup and keep it in our fridges during the summer months as it dissolves immediately in cool drinks, but any sweetener can step in — stevia, agave or even a big scoop from the sugar bowl.
We had the good fortune to spend a week in Mexico City a few years back, and while we ate killer food like madwomen, we were both entirely won over by the fruit waters, or aguas frescas that Mexicans routinely drink. Made daily with puréed fresh, ripe fruit, water and sugar, they are utterly enchanting and perfect for summertime sipping. You won’t miss the alcohol, we promise.
Ingredients
Cola-flavored extracts aren't necessary for cola flavor. After all, those extracts originally started as real ingredients, so why not go right to the source? This formula yields a beautiful cola concoction using all fresh and dried ingredients, readily available in most home refrigerators and spice cupboards. The one ingredient you might have to search for is gum arabic. It's there for mouthfeel rather than flavor, so if you don't have it, your cola will still be delicious; it will just seem a little thin.
Hot chocolate holds on the stove for an hour or longer, and can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days.