EXOTIC DRINKS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
December 13, 2014
It seems to me that every year is the same when it comes to food at Christmas time. It’s possibly the same for all of you celebrating Christmas or other holidays as well, am I right? Tradition is all well and good and of course there are those that dream about the roast dinner or the fish feast they may have had last year. They may even be expecting it however, not this year in my home! If you’re coming to mine for Xmas dinner you can cross a traditional roast done in the oven off your list, including the fixings. I’m going full out! Whole pork lion, slow-roasted and smoked on the barbie, tenderly basted (inside banana leaves and in it’s own juices) for hours and hours done by crossing Hawaiian and Polynesian styles. It’ll be be delicious and I’ll share the recipe here shortly.
For this week’s post, I’ve created 4 delicious, non-traditional, exotic fruit libations to tantalise your guests. You can either serve them spiked with your favourite spirit, should you so desire, or serve them as delicious thirst quenchers without the grog……..which may be a good idea if it’s a hot holiday this year!
Let’s take a look, beginning with a variation on a Cuban classic, the Mojito!
A Mojito with a surprise!
If you aren’t familiar with Mojitos, they’re a delicious and refreshing mix of fresh lime juice, mint and cane sugar laced with a generous helping of Cuban rum. In this variation, I’ve incorporated another fresh flavour; fennel. If you’re a fan of anything liquorice or anise flavoured, you’ll love this!
It’s easy to make as well! In a blender and for each glass combine the juice of two limes, half of a small bulb of fennel or the quarter of a large one, 5-8 mint leaves depending on your taste, 3 cubes of raw sugar (3 tsp), and 1 cup of spring water. Blend until smooth and serve over crushed ice. You can equally add a half-cup of still water when blending and then top each glass off with a half-cup of sparkling. Try adding a shot (30 ml) of rum or vodka to spice things up a bit!
An anagram of a drink! Is it LEMON’ade or MELON’ade?
Watermelon and lemon aren’t normally counterparts however, they make a splashing debut in this delicious, simple and refreshing concoction!
Here’s what you’ll need per glass! The juice of three lemons, a quarter of a watermelon that’s been passed through a juicer or blended and strained, a half cup of spring water and three lumps of raw sugar (3 tsp). Serve garnished with a slice of watermelon and a slice of lemon. To kick it up, add in a shot of Midori, Japanese melon liqueur or vodka.
Mango’s “passion” for the raspberry!
Dear Mango, allow me to introduce you to Raspberry! Signed, Passion Fruit!
In this glass, North, East, West and South meet. Call this drink the NEWS! In a blender combine a half cup of crushed ice, 2 cups of raspberries (fresh are better but frozen will do), a half of a peeled mango, the seedy content of a passion fruit and a half-cup of mineral water and sugar to taste (test and only add sugar if it’s necessary!). Blend very well to break up the seeds before serving. If you’re wanting to add alcohol, use a subtly flavoured liquor like vodka.
The green dragon!
The Pitaya, also known as the dragon fruit is a Mexican native cactus fruit but can now be found cultivated almost everywhere. The kiwi, a native to China has the same story, and Italy is now the largest producer of the fruit. So why not combine these two world travellers in this delicious drink?! For each glass, peel and juice 3 kiwis and 1 red-fleshed dragon fruit but keep both juices separate. Combine the kiwi juice with a half-cup of spring water and one and a half cubes of sugar (1.5 tsp). If you don’t have a juicer, use a blender and strain the contents through a fine-mesh strainer. Pulp is ok! Pour both juices into a glass gently as not to allow them to mix; let your guests mix it themselves! Lace it with Malibu, or any other coconut flavoured rum!
Enjoy, and happy grilling!