Lemon Syllabub from The Hamilton Cookbook

Do you remember the olden days, when Alexander Hamilton was some guy you learned about in history class, but you promptly forgot most of what you learned?

Now, he's everywhere. He's a historic superstar. Or a superstar of history.

The latest Hamilton-themed product is The Hamilton Cookbook by Laura Kumin. If the author's name if familiar, that's because she's the blogger at Mother Would Know.

The Hamilton Cookbook is both cookbook and history lesson. But rather than boring political history, this is food history. Well, okay, there's some political history, but I was more interested in the food. What did the Hamiltons eat, what cooking equipment did they have, and how did they cook it?

Turns out, some of the food from that time was a bit odd compared to today's tastes. Other food was very familiar. This book skips the recipes for lamb's tails and moves right along to foods that make more sense to our tastes, like apple pie, split pea soup, baked fish, and gingerbread cake.

And, to make our lives easier, the recipes are adapted to use modern equipment. That's a good thing, since I'm rather fond of all of my kitchen gadgets.

I picked this recipe to make since it's a good example of what you'll find in this book. And it's pretty darned tasty.

Syllabub is something that might sound vaguely familiar, but I'm pretty sure that most folks haven't made one. It's so simple, and the ingredients aren't difficult, so you can easily whip this up ahead of time and have it hanging out in the fridge, ready to serve. To adults only, of course.

This recipe says it serves 2, but I'd suggest making smaller portions. Perhaps divide by four since the heavy cream makes this pretty rich.

I also suggest tasting this for sweetness, since you've got both lemon juice and sugar, and those are tempering a wine that might be sweet or not.

This is the recipe as it appears in The Hamilton Cookbook:

Lemon Syllabub
Adapted from "To make Lemon Syllabubs a Second Way," Elizabeth Raffald, The Experienced English House-Keeper

Serves 2

This simple whipped syllabub is an elegant drink/dessert. Its creamy froth rises to the top of a glass, leaving a refreshing lemony wine on the bottom. Although it takes only minutes to prepare, allow several hours between preparation and serving so that the froth and liquid have time to separate. Use glasses wide enough to allow a spoon for eating the topping, which is similar to a lemon mousse. Select a white wine variety based on how sweet your want the syllabub to be. (Keep in mind that the topping resembles lemon mousse.) Using a dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinto Grigio will make the syllabub a bit tart, while a sweeter white, such as a Chenin Blanc or a Reisling will make the syllabub taste more like a sweet dessert.

Ingredients
1 lemon, cut in half, with rind grated from half and juice from one or both halves for a total of 1/4 cup juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream

1. Rub the grated lemon rind into the sugar with your fingers until they are well combined. Mix the rind, sugar, lemon juice, and the wine.
2. Add the cream and whisk the mixture until it froths. Gently pour it into two glasses. Let them stand on a counter for about 2 hours, then refrigerate until serving. As the glasses sit, the froth will rise, leaving the lemony wine on the bottom of the glasses.

I received this book at no cost to me.

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Tiki Cocktails ... and where have I been?

Tiki glasses on Amazon.

If you are a regular reader of this blog (yes, you over there in the corner), you might have noticed that I've been awfully quiet lately.

It's not that I've given up on blogging. And it's certainly not that I've given up eating. Instead, it's that I've been so busy that I haven't had time to create any new recipes for the blog.

All my deadlines for other publications collided, and I've been cooking and writing and interviewing and being interviewed. I even had a photographer from the Denver Post come to my house to take photos.

I've been juggling projects, with multiple things in multiple pots, many of which don't fit together as an actual meal.

But, really, that's normal for me. I usually have days or weeks when I can cook and write for the blog, and maybe even write a few days or a week ahead. Then come the deadlines for other publications I write for. Pretty soon I have risotto in the one pot and pasta in another. Or three desserts. Or four breads.

So, I should be used to the rush, right? But this time, it's different.

Not only am I slammed with writing work, but I'm also slammed with other work. You see, my mother-in-law decided to move back to Chicago where most of her family is. Since I'm the remaining family member here in Colorado, I helped her with the move. Had her over when her house was being shown. Held her hand when she talked to the real estate agent. Helped her sort. Helped her pack. Talked her down from a couple crisis moments.

She left town with two carry-on bags for the plane trip, and there were three 2-foot-cube cardboard boxes with everything else she wanted to take with her. Think about that. Three boxes that were 24 inches by 24 inches by 24 inches. Three. Boxes. That's it.

The rest of her belongings - furniture, artwork, junk, dishes, cooking equipment, old office equipment (hello, typewriter!), Christmas decorations, more Christmas decorations, blankets, shoes, sheets, towels, (did I mention Christmas decorations?) and even some pretty nice clothes - were left behind.

And now I'm sorting through all of it to get it ready for an estate sale. I've unboxed Christmas and put it on display. I've moved things out of the basement and into the garage. I've moved things from closet to kitchen. I've sorted through boxes and bags and drawers and cabinets.

It's been exhausting and interesting. I've found things I didn't know she had, and I've found a few trinkets that I'm going to keep.

Meanwhile, all of that has kept me away from blogging. Or making any recipes for the blog at all.

Until last night. I got home at a reasonable hour, heated up some leftovers (recipe destined for somewhere other than the blog) and decided that I'd better mow the lawn. But when I went to the garage, I saw that the battery wasn't charged, so I couldn't mow if I wanted to. Oh well.

I cleaned up the kitchen mess and then glared at the bananas that I recently bought. They were weird bananas, I tell ya. Not the normal ones. These were fatter and the skin was thicker. The inside was a little mealier and starchy, and they weren't quite as sweet or banana-y. They weren't plantains, but they certainly weren't the variety of banana that I love. I ate one, but couldn't stand the idea of choking down more of them as-is.

What to do? Banana bread? Banana smoothie? Or ... hmmmm. I felt like I deserved a break. Cocktail time!

So this happened:

Bad Banana

1 banana, peeled
1 cup orange juice
1 tray of ice cubes (Yes, I know this isn't an accurate measure. Use as much ice as you like)
1 1/2 ounces banana rum (or any rum you like - pineapple rum would be good, too.)

Put it all in your blender (I used a Vitamix) and blend until smooth.

If you're in the mood to do so, garnish with an orange slice, some pineapple cubes, or anything that seems tropical and fun. Paper umbrella optional but amusing.

Pour into a glass, insert straw, and relax.

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Tropical Slushie

The weather here hasn't made up its mind yet. One day it's sunny and 70, and the next, we have predictions of snow flurries. I waffle between want to make soup and thinking about churning ice cream.

Summer isn't here, winter won't leave, and spring has completely let go of the rudder and is letting this seasonal ship lurch from one temperature range to another.

This cocktail reminds me of summer weather, beaches, tropics ... warm things. But that doesn't mean I have to drink it during warm weather - these flavors are welcome when there's a chill in the air, too. I mean, who doesn't want to think about summer when spring is threatening to spit snow at you?

Thanks to Smirnoff for continuing to support this blog.

Tropical Slushie
Makes 2 drinks

1 ripe banana
1 1/2 cups orange juice (or any orange/tropical blend)
3 ounces Smirnoff Sourced Pineapple flavor
1 generous cup ice

Place all ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth. The drink is likely to separate in layers as it sits, so portion it into two glasses before that happens. Serve with straws.

If you're into garnishing, a wheel of fresh orange or a skewer of fresh pineapple would be lovely.

Products and companies I love:
The FTC says that bloggers should disclose their relationship with companies, including when a blogger has purchased a product from a company where a previous relationship existed. I've worked with a lot of companies in a lot of different ways over the years, (some sponsored posts, and some products sent for review) and I continue to use - and buy - products from these companies because I like the products.

For this post, products from companies I have (or had) a relationship with are liquor from Smirnoff, Ball drinking jars, a Vitamix blender, Casabella ice cube trays, and straws from Bambu.

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Peligroso Orange Margaritas

A while back, I got a free bottle of Peligroso tequila. It's a cinnamon-flavored tequila, which I thought was a little strange when I first heard about it. But it's actually quite good.

Peligroso, by the way, means "dangerous" according to the wonders of online translation.

As much as I liked the tequila as-is over ice, for some reason I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of making a cocktail with it. When I think of tequila, I immediately think of lime - for a traditional margarita. But then the cinnamon ... it just didn't seem to match with lime. Not in my head at least.

But then I juiced a couple of oranges while I was testing a gadget I got, and the orange juice was sitting there, staring at me. Oranges go with cinnamon. And it goes just fine with tequila.

Bingo!

The funny thing is that after tasting it, I thought it needed just a little bit of lime juice. But just a little.

I'm not a salted rim sort of gal, but feel free to salt the rim of your glass, if you like. If I had another orange sitting around, I might have garnished this with a slice of orange. But in the end, a straw was actually all I needed.

Peligroso Orange Margarita

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup ice cubes
1 1/2 ounces Peligroso Cinnamon Tequila
1 tablespoon lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Note: I have a Vitamix now, so I got a super-smooth puree with no trouble. I've found that with other blenders, it often works best if you blend the ice first, then add the other ingredients. Otherwise, you can sometimes end up with a chunky, icy drink rather than a smooth one.

Serve.

You can salt the rim or garnish with a slice of orange, if desired.

I received the tequila at no cost to me, but I was not required to make or publish a recipe.

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Lemon Curd in the KitchenAid Precise Heat Bowl

You might have read my coffee ice cream recipe where I used the KitchenAid Precise Heat Bowl to cook the custard. That bowl is the latest KitchenAid attachment I bought, and of course I'm going crazy trying different recipes.

This curd is the first thing I tried, and I've made it several times since. It's really good.

The reason I chose curd as my first experiment with the bowl is that temperature is really important - it thickens at about 170 degrees ... but if you let the temperature get too high, you end up with lemony scrambled eggs. When I make lemon curd on the stove, I just stir and watch. It works most of the time.

But since the Precise Heat Bowl heats precisely, I figured that I could just let it do its thing, and the curd wouldn't overcook.

It all went swimmingly until I had the bright idea that I wanted to use the stand mixer to stir the curd while it heated, just like I'd stir curd by hand on the stove. First, I decided to use the paddle attachment. Oops. With liquid, it was quite splashy, even a the lowest speed. So I got smarter and used the whisk attachment. That worked much better.

I tried a couple different heating/stirring schemes before I figured out the fastest, easiest thing to do. One problem I ran into was that stirring lowered the temperature - or at least it thwarted the speed that the mixture heated, so it took a looooong time to get up to 170 degrees. For one thing, you can't have the lid on the bowl when stirring, so heat isn't retained. And I think the stirring itself was cooling the mixture.

Then I ran into another weird thing. According to the "back of the spoon" test, the curd was cooked. But when I tested with a thermometer, it wasn't at 170 degrees. I knew it wasn't the thermometer - I use a Thermapen and that sucker is always right.

I had to think about that for a while. I wondered if my bowl was defective. I thought about it some more.

And then I realized that the bowl doesn't measure the temperature in the center of the mix - it measures the temperature at the edges of the bowl. But that's not a bad thing, really, particularly when making curd. Just like when you're making ice cream and the paddle is scraping the frozen mix from the edges of the bowl to the center, when you use the precise heat bowl and stir, you're pulling the warmer mixture to the center. It cools off a bit there, but that's fine.

On the other hand, if you need the entire mixture at the same temperature, you could simply put the cover on and don't stir - or just stir once in a while by hand - until it all reaches the same temperature. But for curd, it doesn't all need to be the same temperature at the same time, and I have to say that just setting it up and letting it go was danged easy.

Dagnabbit.

What? Sometimes my inner cartoon character needs to have a word.

Lemon Curd

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 whole eggs
2 teaspoons very fine lemon zest
3/4 cup lemon juice (I used Meyer lemons)

Put the butter, sugar, and salt in the Precise Heating Bowl attached to your stand mixer. Beat with paddle attachment until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well combined each time. Add the juice and zest and mix until combined.

Remove the paddle attachment and put the cover on the precise heating bowl (you can leave it on the mixer or not, as desired.

Set the heat to 165 degrees. Stir a few times during the heating process, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

When the temperature reaches 165 degrees, remove the cover. give the mixture another stir, and attach the whip attachment to the mixer. Set the temperature to 170 degrees and then timer for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer on to the lowest speed.

The temperature will initially go down a bit, but will slowly rise to 170 degrees at which point the bowl will start counting down the time.

When the time is up, transfer the curd to a container. Let it come to room temperature, then refrigerate.

Note: I usually strain curd to make sure there are no lumps, but this was silky smooth. You can strain it, if you like.

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Cran-Apple Holiday Punch #FourRoses

I can remember making punch in an actual punch bowl, usually with sherbet or some fruit frozen into an ice ring. These days, I'm more likely to serve punch from a pitcher for less-messy serving.

And the sherbet is gone, too, since I prefer drinks that are less sweet. This one gets its tartness from cranberry juice and its sweetness from frozen apple juice concentrate. Fizziness comes from seltzer water - or you could use club soda or tonic water, if you like them better.

Serve over plenty of ice.

Cran-Apple Holiday Punch

Makes 12 10-ounce servings

2 quarts cranberry juice

12 ounces frozen apple juice concentrate

1 1/2 cup Four Roses Bourbon

1 orange, cut into wedges

1 lemon, sliced into rounds

2 cinnamon sticks

1 quart seltzer water, club soda, or tonic water

Combine the cranberry juice, apple concentrate, Four Roses bourbon, orange wedges, lemon slices, and cinnamon sticks in a large pitcher. Let the punch rest, refrigerated, for at least an hour before serving.

Add the sparkling water just before serving, so you don't lose the fizz. Or, if you prefer, you can add the sparkling water to each glass at serving time.

Serve in glasses, with ice.

This post was sponsored by Four Roses bourbon.

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Mulled Lime-Pickled Onions

You've heard of mulling spices, right? You can make your own mix, but I got some from Frieda's Specialty Produce that's really good - and convenient. I used to be opposed to spice mixes, but lately I've realized that they're really handy to have on hand. Instead of pulling out 8 bottles of spices, I can just grab one jar.

So, anyway, my neighbor had just given me a whole bunch of limes. My first thought was that I wanted to make some lime-pickled red onions. They're one of my favorite things. I put them on tacos, salads, and sandwiches. So darned good.

Usually I make my pickled onions very plain - lime juice, a tiny bit of salt, and red onions. And that's it. But I couldn't get it out of my head that I should try the onions with mulling spices. So I did. And they were really good.

The only thing I'd do different next time is wrap the spices in cheesecloth or put them in one of these so I didn't have to pick the spices out of the onions in the bottom of the jar.

Lime Pickled Onions with Mulling Spices

2 tablespoons mulling spices
1/2 teaspoon salt
Red onions, sliced, to fill a quart jar
Lime juice, to fill jar full of onions

Put the mulling spices in a quart jar (wrap in cheesecloth, if you like) and add the salt. Pack the sliced red onions in the jar. The more you can jam in there, the less lime juice you'll need to fill the jar.

Fill the jar with lime juice. Cover the jar and refrigerate. The onions are ready when they're an even bright pink color. It usually takes 2-3 days. Serve as desired.

I receive products from Frieda's for use on my blog; you can find their products at your local grocery store.

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Madras Margarita

Here's one more guest post recipe from my friend Karen who blogs at Karen's Kitchen Stories. You should go check out her blog - she's got lots of fantastic stuff and her photos are lovely. Or follow her on Facebook. Go see all the great goodies she posts about!

This Madras Margarita was inspired by the Madras Mimosa that is served by our favorite Sunday breakfast spot. Their mimosa is mixed with orange and cranberry juice, and has a lovely pink/orange color.

The restaurant sits right on the water and most of the tables are outdoors. The place is wildly popular, and people will wait up to two hours to get a table. I'm pretty sure people are willing to wait because they can buy full bottles of sparkling wine, pitchers of orange juice and cranberry juice, and stacks of plastic cups to take out onto the patio waiting area. It pretty much turns into a party. Thank goodness the leisurely breakfasts that follow are delicious and filling!

There also is a madras cocktail, which consists of vodka, orange, and cranberry juice, rumored to have been invented by Smirnoff Vodka in the 1970s, and named after the preppy plaid fabric.

Long story short, I thought I'd try making a madras margarita. I also added lime juice, and a bit of frozen lemonade concentrate, which i keep in the freezer. Result? This margarita is really tasty. If you don't have any lemonade concentrate, you can substitute agave, sweet and sour, or simple syrup. You can serve it on the rocks or straight up, with or without salt. In the interest of science, you really need to try all of the variations.

Cheers!

Madras Margarita

2 ounces silver tequila
1/2 ounce orange liqueur
1 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice
3/4 ounces cranberry juice
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp frozen lemonade concentrate
Half slice of orange and lime

Add all of the ingredients to an ice filled cocktail shaker and shake or stir until very cold.

Pour into an ice filled double old fashioned glass or into a chilled martini glass.

Garnish with the orange and lime slices.

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Buddha's Hand Citron Feta Yogurt Dip

This three ingredient savory dip is delightful with chopped vegetables or crackers. Decorate the Buddha's Hand to make it even spookier for Halloween!

Disclosure: Melissa's Produce sent me the Buddha's Hand Citron to play with.

Thanks for having me over, Donna! No no, please don't go to any bother--let me take care of you. I brought a snack to share with you and your readers today and I'll do my own introduction.

Hi Donna's readers! I write Farm Fresh Feasts where I provide practical support for local eating. I share recipes using ingredients from my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share, the farmer's market, my garden and volunteers from the rogue compost bins. To help other folks like me use all those local veggies, I've created a Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient--including more than 50 recipes on the Kohlrabi page alone--shared from other bloggers on the web. Stumped by farm share produce? Check it out--you're sure to find something for every eating style.

While I was exploring Cookistry I found oodles of Halloween treats. From Donna's interview with Nadia G filled with spooky party treats, to her Chocolate Bats, Coffin Cookies, Cuddly Monster Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes, and GingerBoo House--Donna has a bountiful spread of Halloween goodies here.

I'm going to add another one!

When Melissa's Produce sent me a box of #FreakyFruits last year I was amazed at the weirdness of nature and inspired in the kitchen. The Buddha's Hand citron looked like a suitably spooky item to use for an upcoming Halloween party.

Since I'm always looking for more Awesome Veggie Apps and Snacks (for my Pinterest boards) I wanted a savory appetizer. I thought of the lemon feta dip that my mom discovered at my local grocery store and decided to try my own version. Since there are only 3 ingredients it's easy to play around and add more yogurt if you want a creamier dip, or more feta if you're looking for a saltier tang. This is a little thinner than the store's version and we like it a lot.

Note: we particularly like this dip with Wheat Thins because the slightly sweet cracker is a nice combination with the tangy feta. It's also good with sliced veggies and pretzels.

Buddha's Hand Citron Feta Yogurt Dip

Ingredients

• zest from 1 Buddha's Hand citron (or lemon)
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup plain yogurt (I prefer a thick Greek style yogurt)
• dippers (see Note above)

Instructions

1. If you're planning to display the top half of the Buddha's Hand in the center of your dip, cut the citron in half and zest only the base. You'll need about 2 to 3 tablespoons of zest.
2. Combine the zest, feta and yogurt in a food processor, pulsing until well-blended.
3. Chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.
4. Taste, and see if you'd like a creamier dip (add more yogurt) or more feta.
5. Add the upper part of the Buddha's Hand just before serving.

Disclosure--Melissa's Produce sent me the Buddha's Hand Citron along with a bunch of other #FreakyFruits.

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Watermelon and Peach Salsa

Oh my gosh, this salsa is good. You need to try it!

This started as a what-if, and I have to admit that I was a little bit skeptical of my own idea. I've made fruit salsas before, usually with mango or peach. But ... watermelon?

It totally worked.

Not only did it work but it was oh-my-gosh amazing.

The interesting thing was that as the mixture sat, it exuded a bit of liquid and the watermelon seemed to get a little denser, in a very good way.

I just can't say enough about how ridiculously good this is.

I made a pretty small batch because there are only two of us, but this could easily be doubled or tripled or quadrupled for a party.

And of course, adjust the heat to your liking. If you want to add more heat right off the bat, leave the seeds and ribs in the jalapeno. Or just add the other half of the pepper.

Watermelon Peach Salsa

1 tablespoon finely diced onion
1/2 jalapeno cored, seeded, and finely diced
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cubed watermelon (about 1/4-inch pieces)
1 peach, peeled, pitted, and cut in bits about the same size as the watermelon
1/4 of a red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut a little smaller than the watermelon

Put the onion, jalapeno, lime juice, and salt in a small bowl while you prep the rest. The lime helps mute the sharpness of the onion and at the same time it picks up some of the heat of the jalapeno so it can mingle better with the fruits.

Add the watermelon, peach and bell pepper (I used red, but yellow or orange would look nice as well).

Stir to combine.

You can certainly serve this right away, but I think it improves with a little time to rest and let the flavors mingle - at least an hour, if possible.

The fruit exudes quite a bit of juice, so you can drain some of it before serving - but don't get rid of all of it, since there's a lot of flavor in that juice.

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Fresh Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatoes are one of the things that I look forward to every summer - the winter ones just aren't that good. But tomatillos are also very much a summer fruit. It's not that they're not as tasty in winter - it's that they're hard to find.

Tomatillos can be used raw or cooked, just like tomatoes, but my favorite way to use them is in raw salsas, to take advantage of the wonderful fresh flavor and the lively green color. They also make a great cooked sauce for tacos or enchiladas.

This fresh sauce is great with chips, but I also like it with eggs. Or on tacos. Or on cooked meats. I might even have used is to add some flavor to some cottage cheese. But I'm not sure I really want to admit that.

Speaking of cheese, though, a little smear of cream cheese on a cracker, topped with a bit of salsa, would be a great appetizer or snack.

The easy way to make this salsa is in a food processor or blender, pulsing to chop the vegetables finely and evenly, without making it too smooth. Well, unless you want a smooth salsa. I don't judge. You can also dice it all with your favorite knife.

Tomatillo Salsa
Makes about 1 quart

5 large tomatillos (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 medium onion, peeled
1 small purple* bell pepper
1/4 cup pickled** sliced jalapeno peppers
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Juice of one lime
Several generous grinds of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Gold*** or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Kernels from 1 ear cooked corn

Cut the tomatillos, onion, and bell pepper into chunks and add them to your food processor or blender along with the jalapenos, salt, lime juice, pepper, and garlic gold.

Pulse until you have small pieces. Add the corn and pulse a few more times.

Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired.

Transfer to a storage container. This can be used immediately, but I like it better after it has had  a little time to rest and for the flavors to mingle.

* I used a purple bell pepper because I wanted to add an unusual color to the salsa, but any color will do. If you don't have a fresh bell pepper lurking around, you could also use a few pieces of jarred, fire-roasted red pepper.

** You can use fresh jalapeno, if you like. Two will be fine. Leave the seeds in if you want the salsa spicier, or take the seeds out if you want a milder salsa.

*** You can find Garlic Gold with the rest of the dried spices or online. It's dried crunchy granules that are milder and less harsh than garlic powder.

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Sunset at the Beach Cocktail

I've fallen in love with the idea of color-changing cocktails and layered cocktails. This time I decided to up the ante by creating a layered cocktail that has a color-changing component.

My friends at Smirnoff challenged me to create a "Day at the Beach" themed cocktail featuring their Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka. Well, okay then.

I decided that my drink should not only be drinkable on a sunny, beachy day, but that it should also look like a day at the beach. But it also had to taste really good.

I decided that butterfly pea flower tea would represent sea and sky, and pineapple juice would represent sand. But that wasn't enough. I wanted the drink to represent sunset - that time when the sun suddenly turns the water and sky colors, and the sun itself is a glowing red ball.

I have round ice cube molds, so I simply added syrup from dark red cherries to the water in one of my ice ball molds to create a red sun. Easy peasy.

This drink requires some planning, because you need to freeze the tea and the pineapple juice in ice cube trays, and make as many ice balls as you'll need. But then assembling the drink is simple.

I could imagine these being the special drink of the day at a beach bar.

Before the vodka is added, on the left. Finished drink on the right.

As far as what this tastes like, the main flavors are pineapple juice and citrus, while the tea adds a light floral flavor - not as ... perfumy ... as lavender, though. Round ice cubes melt very slowly, and the drink itself is very cold because it's made entirely from crushed ice, so the cherry flavor doesn't become noticeable unless you let the ice melt a lot before the drink is finished.

Sunset at the Beach

For the prep:
Brewed butterfly pea flower tea
Pineapple juice
Syrup from Amareno, Luxardo, or other dark cherries
For the cocktails:
1 ounce Smirnoff Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka

Prepare ahead of time:
Freeze the butterfly pea flower tea in ice cube trays (as many as you need) and freeze the pineapple juice in separate trays.

You'll use about 1 part tea to 3 parts pineapple juice. To figure out how much ice you'll need per drink (since ice cube trays hold different amounts) crush a tray of plain ice and see how it fits in a glass along with a round ice cube.

If you freeze extra, I'm sure you'll find uses for the ice cubes or crushed ice later.

Combine cherry juice with water to create a red liquid and use it to fill round ice cube molds.

To make the drinks;
Blend the blue ice cubes in your food processor or blender until you have blue "snow." Transfer it to a container. Rinse the blue out of the food processor or blender. Blend the pineapple juice cubes in the same way.

Place the pineapple juice "snow" in your glass, filling it about 2/3 full. Place the ice ball on top of the pineapple slush. Ideally, you want the ice ball peeking above the top of the glass, so how full you need to fill the glass depends on how big your ice ball is.

Add blue "snow" around the outside of the glass, surrounding the ice ball, making sure to leave some of the ice ball uncovered. Now you've got sand, blue water and sky, and the sun starting to set.

Now comes the fun part. Pour the Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka over the top of the ball and over the blue ice, and it will immediately change color.

Serve. A paper umbrella is optional, but highly recommended.

Thanks to Smirnoff for supplying me with tasty beverages.

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