HORCHATA

PAIR THIS MEXICAN DRINK WITH A TACO-ANDBURRITO FEAST! WANT A QUICK SHORTCUT? USE A MIX OF RICE AND ALMOND MILK.

Place 1 cup uncooked white rice in a food processor and pulse until pulverized. Place in a heatproof container, and add 1/2 cup blanched almond slices and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Add 3 cups hot water, cover, and let stand for 3 hours or overnight. Place mixture in a blender, add 1 cup water, and blend until smooth. Pour over a strainer lined with cheesecloth for a few times until liquid is smooth. Discard solids. Sweeten with sugar and vanilla extract to taste. Chill and serve over ice. Serves 4 to 6.

STRAWBERRY FRUIT WHIP

GET YOUR DAY OFF TO A HEALTHY START WITH THIS FRUITY DRINK.

     

Combine 2 cups chilled apple juice, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1 ripe banana (sliced), and 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt in a blender.

Process until smooth.

Pour into chilled glasses and serve.

Serves 2.

 

CHILI HOT CHOCOLATE

FOR A MORE GROWNUP DRINK, ADD A FIERY KICK TO TRADITIONAL HOT CHOCOLATE.

Combine 4 cups milk, 300 grams chopped unsweetened chocolate (we used Cacao de Davao), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a pot over low heat. Add sugar to taste. Make a small incision down the side of 1 small bird’s eye chili and add to the same pot. Heat until almost simmering, whisking continuously to make sure that the milk doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and steep for 5 minutes. Strain and pour into mugs. Sprinkle chocolate shavings on top before serving. Serves 4.

 

FESTIVE DRINKS

ADD MORE FUN AND SPARKLE TO YOUR GET TOGETHERS BY SERVING UP THESE DELICIOUS DRINKS. GUESTS WILL BE ASKING FOR REFILLS!

FOUR SEASONS PUNCH WITH MANGO ICE

Fruity and refreshing, this drink is sure to impress! Pour 1 liter mango juice into ice cube trays and freeze. In a punch bowl or pitcher, combine 1 (1.36-liter) can four seasons juice and 1 (1.5-liter) bottle Sprite or any lemon-lime soda. Add mango ice before serving. Jazz it up by adding a splash of rum, gin, or vodka. Serves 12 to 15.

CRANBERRY SPARKLER

Bring out the bubbly for this fruity drink! In a pitcher, mix together 1 liter chilled cranberry
juice and 500 ml chilled unsweetened orange juice. Pour into champagne fl utes until 1/3 full. Top with chilled champagne, sparkling wine, or club soda. Serves 8.

GUAVA GINGER PALOMA

Introduce your guests to this refreshing Mexican tequila cocktail. This is usually prepared per glass, but since you’ll be serving a crowd, a pitcher will do. In a pitcher fi lled with ice, combine 2 cups sweetened guava juice, 1 cup grapefruit juice, 1 (330-ml) bottle ginger beer (we used Roots Ginger Brew), 1 (1.5-liter) bottle lemon-lime soda, and 10 ounces tequila (or to taste). Stir until well-combined. Serves 8 to 10.

LEMON TARRAGON FIZZ

Give lemonade a yummy twist this holiday season! In a saucepan over low heat, make tarragon syrup by dissolving 2 cups sugar in 2 cups water. Add 1 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves. Remove from heat and set aside to infuse for 15 minutes. Let cool completely, then strain into a small carafe. Pour 5 cups fresh lemon juice and 1 (1.5-liter) bottle lemon-lime soda or club soda into a pitcher fi lled with ice. Sweeten with 1/2 cup tarragon syrup. Place extra syrup in a carafe to let guests sweeten their drinks to taste. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh tarragon, if desired. Serves 8 to 10.

 

PEACH LEMONADE SMOOTHIE

MAKE WEEKEND RUNCH LIGHT AND BUBBLY WITH THIS FRUITY, FIZZY DRINK. TO MAKE IT A COCKTAIL, ADD A SPLASH OF VODKA!

Slice 250 grams canned peaches into smaller pieces.

Transfer to a parchment paper-lined tray and place in the freezer.

Once frozen, purée in a blender.

Add the juice of 1 lemon and 2 (330-ml) cans soda water or lemon-lime soda, if preferred.

Add simple syrup to taste.

Blend until smooth.

Serve immediately.

Serves 2 to 4

 

TROPICAL BERRY SMOOTHIE

THIS FRUITY BLEND IS GREAT FOR A GRAB-AND-GO BREAKFAST! POUR THE SMOOTHIE INTO PLASTIC CUPS OR SEALABLE MUGS AND TAKE IT WITH YOU ON YOUR MORNING COMMUTE.

Combine 2 cups four seasons juice, 11/2 cups frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 cup ice in a blender.

Process until smooth. Pour into glasses.

Serves 2.

 

DIY Soda Bar

For a party, set out bottles of seltzer and these easy all-natural syrups, which you can prep weeks ahead. The flavors will appeal to guests of all ages—just keep the espresso away from the little ones! All these syrups start with the same base: Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Then add the desired flavoring ingredients as indicated at right.

     

Ingredients
Cranberry
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
Grapefruit
Juice and peeled zest of 2 pink
or ruby-red grapefruits
Espresso
1/2 cup instant espresso powder
Vanilla
Split pods and scraped seeds of
2 vanilla beans

To Prepare
Bring all ingredients to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Cool to room temperature, then strain out the flavoringingredients (the espresso powder does not need to be strained).
Syrup can be stored in refrigerator up to 1 month.
Each base yields about 1 1/2 cups, enough for 8 to 12 servings.
To serve, fill a drinking glass halfway with ice, pour in 2 to 3
tablespoons syrup, add seltzer, and stir.