Friday, May 25, 2012

Cheers! Let's have a drink (or three)

I've been feeling childlike - or maybe nostalgic is a better word - and my cooking has reflected that. I've made a few meals that harken back to my childhood (and trust me, you don't want those recipes) and then I started thinking about childhood drinks.

I'm not talking about watered down powdered drink mixes - those weren't too good, even back then. At home, the beverage choices were usually limited to milk or water. But there were some more special drinks - the ones that came out during celebrations, or those that might be ordered when we were out somewhere.

Sometimes ice cream was involved, but these drinks were little celebrations all on their own - whether we were out somewhere or it was a special event at home.

I wanted to recreate some of them, but in adult versions.

Black Cow v2.0

1 bottle root beer (I used Virgil's Special Edition)
2 ounces dark rum
2 scoops ice cream

Put a scoop of ice cream into each of 2 glasses and add an ounce of rum to each.

Divide the root beer between the 2 glasses.

Serve.

Orange-Nana Smoothie

1 banana, peeled and cut in chunks
1 cup milk
1 ounce orange liqueur
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tray ice cubes

Place all the ingredients in your blender and blend until the mixture is smooth and frothy.

Serve.

Strawberry and Key Lime Margarita Slushie

1 cup ice cubes
Juice of 2 key limes
1/2 cup strawberries (plus one for garnish)
1 ounce tequila 
1 tablespoon sugar (more, to taste, if needed)

Add everything to your blender and process until the mixture is smooth and slushy. Taste for sweetness and adjust, if necessary - depending on the sweetness of the berries, the tartness of the lime, and how sweet you like your drinks to be, you might want to add a bit more sugar.

Serve, garnished with the extra strawberry - I speared it with a straw.

For more information about Whole Foods Friday, take a peek at the tab at the top.
Yum