Dear Friends,
If we were musicians, we'd write a torch song about ginger and lemon, a match made in heaven. And though we've been drinking fresh lemonade as long as we can remember (Coca-Cola was taboo at 83 East Bay Street), we never thought to make a cold fresh-ginger lemonade until recently. Now we're making up for lost time. This drink is easy to make, super-refreshing, and happens to be a kick-ass mixer with bourbon and tequila, so those of you who are of age should mix up the Ginger Lemon Drop and the Lemon Gingerita variations that follow.
Ingredients
Because the quality of this drink depends on the quality of the fruit, buy a ripe, deep colored watermelon in season.
Notes from Ruth Alegria: Mexican chocolate is composed of bitter chocolate, sugar, cinnamon (soft bark) and almonds. Well-known brands available in the United States are Ibarra and Abuelita.
This is a drink I created for the Italian restaurant Morandi, whose chef, Jody Williams, insisted on a hard-spirit ban for their prosecco cocktail menu to avoid overpowering the delicate flavors of the food. At first I was doubtful of this approach, but it turns out a lot of great cocktails fit this food-friendly bill if we just open ourselves up to using culinary elements in mixed drinks.
Iced coffee is a deliciously refreshing way to enjoy your favorite coffees in warmer weather.
Close to a homemade ginger ale but with more of a nip, this is a formula for an icy spiced drink made to order. Simple Syrup is steeped with fresh ginger and fresh lemon juice then mixed with sparkling water for an effervescent kick. To mellow that kick out, turn it into a punch by adding a little light rum, then relax. Drink it over ice with lemon slices and, if you like, halved stalks of lemongrass as stir sticks.
Cool fresh lime juice, sugar, and red wine over ice make one of the best summer coolers we've had in a long time. Our thanks to Nan Bailly and Sam Haislett of Alexis Bailly Vineyard in Minnesota for sharing this recipe, which they found in a newspaper.
This potent potion helps break up congestion in the lungs. It's a good alternative cough syrup for people who react to the artificial colors and flavors in some commercial syrups.