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Purim tropical punch
Now that Purim is two days away, it's time to start thinking of Purim costumes. (Yay Filipino time!) I'm not sure what theme I'm going to go for this year (tropical, perhaps), but I am pretty sure I know what I want to be drinking.
Trader Joe's has a new kosher moscato from Italy (yes, it's kosher for Passover, even!) called Sara Bee. If you've had Bartenura before and liked it, you must try this. It's sweeter and more floral--so good that people who dislike wine will want more of it. Unlike Bartenura, which has a dry finish, Sara Bee lingers on the tongue with a delicate, sweet finish.
What do we do with delicious sparkling wine?
Drink more of it!
What do we do with the rest?
Make punch!
Tropical Purim punch
1 or 2 bottles sparkling wine
32 oz pineapple juice
32 oz passionfruit juice
32 oz mango juice
32 oz coconut water
juice from 2-4 lemons, or 16 oz lemonade
around half a gallon of orange or rainbow sherbet
a bag of ice cubes
In a large punch bowl, mix all the wine and juices together. Scoop in enough sherbet so that it becomes frothy and cold. It should tingle.
Serve over ice.
Hot chocolate
Does hot chocolate really need any introduction? From its days as a bitter Aztec drink frothed with molinillos to the Swiss who added milk and sugar and called it good, chocolate has been the magic substance that can turn aside a bad day and bring a moment of heaven to the earth.
Hot chocolate
8 oz good-quality dark or milk chocolate (cocoa that wasn't processed with alkali)2 cups milk (soy milk can work, but you can't boil it; rice milk doesn't have enough body to support the chocolate)
2 cups water, or if you want it really rich, 2 more cups of milk
1-2 pinches chili powder
1 pinch cardamom
1 pinch cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extractIn a medium pot, heat milk and water over medium heat until the milk begins to bubble. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Break the chocolate into bite-sized pieces and add to the pot. Add spices and vanilla extract. Stir until all the chocolate melts, and let simmer for at least 10 minutes or until you can't stand the wait any longer and simply must have a sip. Serve in mugs.
Salabat, or Filipino sweet ginger tea
When the nights begin to leave a tiny crust of frost on my windshield, I like to bundle up with some fleece blankets and sip something warm.
1 palm-sized piece of fresh ginger, about 3-4 inches diameter (fresh is important--powdered ginger lacks juices)
Brown sugar to taste (I use 1/4 cup + 1 T Splenda--my lola uses 1 cup brown sugar. Honey or agave syrup also work.)
4 cups waterIn a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice ginger. Smash each piece with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon to release the flavorful juices and add to water. Stir in sugar until it dissolves. Let simmer over medium heat for at least 10 minutes. The longer you let the ginger steep, the stronger the flavor will be. Taste to judge doneness--when you like it, it's done. Take the ginger pieces out and serve in a mug with a plate of cookies or cakes.
Sometimes I'll mull wine or brew tea; other times, when I'm feeling especially chipper, I'll make some salabat.
My lola makes salabat during the holidays, with tons of brown sugar and ginger simmered together. A cup or two calms an upset stomach, but more than that makes it worse. Ginger cuts both ways.
Salabat
1 palm-sized piece of fresh ginger, about 3-4 inches diameter (fresh is important--powdered ginger lacks juices)
Brown sugar to taste (I use 1/4 cup + 1 T Splenda--my lola uses 1 cup brown sugar. Honey or agave syrup also work.)
4 cups waterIn a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice ginger. Smash each piece with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon to release the flavorful juices and add to water. Stir in sugar until it dissolves. Let simmer over medium heat for at least 10 minutes. The longer you let the ginger steep, the stronger the flavor will be. Taste to judge doneness--when you like it, it's done. Take the ginger pieces out and serve in a mug with a plate of cookies or cakes.
Summer drinks: Calamansiade, tinto de verano, ginger tea, halo-halo
Every year around July 4 weekend, I take a trip up north to visit friends and family. This year the weather at my uncle's house was particularly blistering; I could almost taste the heat in the dusty, dry air.
Fortunately, my aunt had an escape plan: Sweet, tangy, icy cold tinto de verano, made with lemonade and an entire bottle of red wine. In honor of the occasion and the heat, I give you four of my favorite summer drinks.If you haven't yet experienced the sweet lemony-limey tartness of a calamansi, try this before you squeeze one onto a plate of pancit. Calamansi-ade
1 cup calamansi juice (20 or so calamansi, squeezed)
1 quart water
Sugar to tasteMix all ingredients and sweeten to taste. Add more calamansi juice if you prefer it tart.
If you want it fizzy, or if you're using it to make tinto de verano, use 2 cups water and 2 cups club soda instead of 1 quart water. I first tried tinto de verano in Spain, where it's cheaper than a bottle of water and plentiful. The soda they use is a Spanish variety of 7-Up, which is much less sweet and more lemon-lime flavored.
Still haven't tried this with a bottle of Bartenura (or Manishewitz, for that matter), but I suspect the result would be deliriously refreshing.
Tinto de verano
1 bottle red wine
1 liter lemon-lime soda
Mix all ingredients and chill before serving. If you like, you can substitute calamansiade, orangeade, lemonade, for half of the soda. When it got really hot, sometimes my lola would make something similar to Eliyahu's ima's ginger tea below. She served it cold instead of hot, though both ways work wonders when you're feeling sick. Ginger's palliative properties are finite, however; drinking more than a few cups at a time will upset your stomach. Kili-Kili Tea (hot ginger tea)
Kosher recipe inspired by ImaORGANIC INGREDIENTSBROWN SUGAR
WATER
GINGER
LEMONS1. wash ingredients with clean water
2. dice ginger
3. boil water, then add ginger, simmering for ten minutes
4. slice lemons and squeeze
5. strain boiling ginger-water, then halo-halo with lemon juice
6. include kosher sugar
7. pour into glass and consume kili-kili power-teaAfter I've had my fill of ginger tea and still need some way to sober up, or just want a quick, cold snack, I whip up some halo-halo. While an ice shaver would be ideal, taking out the week's stresses on a defenseless Ziploc bag still manages to satisfy. There are as many variations on this as there are people who love it, but below are the things I like to put on mine. Halo-halo
Ice, shaved or crushed
Mung beans, in syrup
Palm nuts, in syrup
Langka (jackfruit)
Almond jelly
Mochi
Condensed milk
Coconut shavings for toppingDrizzle some condensed milk into an empty glass. Put about half an inch of crushed ice in the bottom.
Put in a layer of mung beans, draining off some of the syrup. Top with a quarter inch or so of ice and drizzle with condensed milk.
Continue in a similar manner with the rest of the ingredients. I don't usually top my mochi with ice, preferring instead to drizzle condensed milk and sprinkle coconut shavings all over the top. Mix-mix everything together (or not), and enjoy with a spoon and possibly a straw for the bottom. Stay cool!
