Can We Make Our Own Drinks At Home.... Yes We Can

We all love a nice refreshing drink when it's hot, and something delicious when its cold, and they are so simple to make, we should practice making them.
It is too easy to just head off to the shop and buy them.


Grandma's Lemon Squash 

Ingredients
6 lemons ( grated rind of 3 and the juice of 6)
4 & 1/2 pounds of sugar
2 oz Tartaric Acid
1 ox Citric Acid
2 oz Epsom Salts
8 Cups of Water

This makes about 6 Bottles, Dilute to drink with chilled iced water or Lemonade or Soda Water.



Nana's Lemon Drink

Ingredients
6 Large Lemons
8 oz Sugar
2 Litres of Boiling Water
Ice Cubes
Lemon Slices for decoration

Scrub lemons, then dry and peel thinly with a sharp knife or potato peeler.
Put rind in a container, pour on the boiling water and stir well.
Cover and leave until cold.
Squeeze juice from lemons.
Then strain the cold liquid and stir in lemon juice.

This makes just over 2 Litres


Nan's Ginger Beer
This is a bug that does require feeding daily, but it is beautiful.

Ingredients
8 Sultanas
Juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon of lemon pulp
2 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of ginger
2 cups of water.

Mix together and leave in a sealed jar for two to three days on the windowsill, until it starts to ferment.
Then each day for 1 week, feed the plant
2 teaspoons of Ground Ginger & 4 teaspoons of Sugar then at the end of the week, the plant is ready to process.

In a large bucket put
4 cups of boiling water
4 cups of sugar
Juice of 4 lemons
7 Litres of cold water

Strain juice only off the bug through an old tea towel or piece of muslin into the bucket mixture, stir well and bottle into clean fizzy drink screw top bottles.
Makes 8 litres

Divide what is left of you bug into two jars reseal both jars and start all over again, give one to a friend and then they can have beautiful ginger beer to drink.

It takes about 2 weeks to be ready, but you will know as not only do the sultana's float to the top of the bottle but the bottle becomes that hard that you cannot squueze it.

Lemonade

Ingredients

1 cup(s) sugar

6 large lemons, seeded and juiced

Method:

Bring the sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan.

Stir occasionally until sugar dissolves completely.
Cool.

Stir the syrup, unstrained lemon juice, and 4 cups of cold water together in a large pitcher.

Chill. Serve over ice.

Iced Fruit Punch

Freeze fruit juices in ice-tray molds in festive shapes. As the juice cubes melt, their flavors mingle to form a refreshing drink. Choose juices in a range of colors and flavors. Our favorites include orange, pineapple, grape, cranberry, and lemon.

Ingredients:

6 cup(s) assorted fruit juices

3 cup(s) ginger ale

3 cup(s) soda water

Method:

Make the ice:

Freeze juice in ice trays.

When solid, release from molds and store by flavor in sealable freezer bags for up to 1 month.

Make the punch:

Fill an 8-ounce glass to the top with about 1/2 cup assorted flavored ice cubes, add 1/4 cup ginger ale and 1/4 cup soda, and serve immediately

Raspberry Spritzer

Ingredients
2 cup(s) Soda Water
2/3 cup(s) frozen raspberries
2 sprig(s) fresh mint
3 ounce(s) raspberry-flavored syrup, or Chambord
Ice cubes

Method
Combine seltzer, raspberries, mint and raspberry-flavored syrup (or Chambord) in a small pitcher. Pour over ice.

Mint Tisane

There's nothing like the soothing digestive qualities of an herbal tea. Use fresh mint alone or in combination with lemon verbena. Once this tea has been sweetened and cooled, pour over ice and serve.

Ingredients:

1 bunch(es) fresh mint

1 bunch(es) fresh lemon verbena (optional)

3 cup(s) (up to 6 cups) boiling water

Sugar (optional), to taste

Method:

Place 1 bunch mint and 1 bunch lemon verbena (including stems) in teapot.
Pour in boiling water and allow to steep about 5 minutes.
Add sugar, if desired.
Serve in small Moroccan or other clear tea glasses

Spider

Ingredients

Vanilla ice-cream
Creaming soda or Lemonade or Coke or Passion Fruit Fizzy

Method

Place a large scoop of vanilla ice-cream in a tall glass and pour over creaming soda, lemonade, Coke or Passiona. 

Serve with a straw or spoon.

Shirley Temple

Ingredients
2 slices lime
2 maraschino cherries
Ice
1 tablespoon grenadine ( pomegranate) syrup
8 ounces ginger ale

Method

Muddle two slices fresh lime and one maraschino cherry in a glass.
Add ice, one tablespoon grenadine syrup and eight ounces ginger ale. 
Garnish with a second maraschino cherry

Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients:
12 ounce(s) (2 cups) strawberries, hulled
2 quart(s) homemade or store-bought sugar-free lemonade

Method:
In blender, puree strawberries.
Strain through fine mesh sieve (you should have about 1 c. strained puree).
Stir strawberry puree into lemonade.
Chill before serving.
















Cranberry & Ginger Tea Crunch

Ingredients:
1 piece(s) (3-inch) fresh ginger, thinly sliced
3 cup(s) cranberry-raspberry juice
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) lemon juice
1 tablespoon(s) orange juice
6 slice(s) lemon
6 slice(s) orange

Method:
Make the ginger tea: Bring the ginger and 3 1/2 cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan.
Remove from the heat and steep for 2 hours. (Tea can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated.)
Mix the punch: Strain the tea into a large pitcher and stir in the remaining ingredients.
Serve over ice.

Limeade

Limeade served in a full-bottomed pitcher easily accommodates a pretty garnish. Make the garnish tasty, too, using fruit-flavored ice cubes. Cut up the fruit of a honeydew melon into 1-inch pieces, puree in a food processor, strain, and freeze in ice cube trays overnight. Also try pureed watermelon, cantaloupe, kiwi, and mango.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup(s) fresh lime juice
1/2 cup(s) lemon juice
6 cup(s) water
1 cup(s) caster sugar

Method:
Combine the lime juice and lemon juice with the water and sugar.
Serve over ice in a glass with a sugared rim and garnish with a lime wedge.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Milkshake

Ingredients

1 cup chocolate or vanilla ice cream

1/2 cup whole milk

3 - 4 tablespoons chocolate syrup

Method

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend.

Berry Lemonade

We added sweet raspberries and blackberries to traditional lemonade to create this summer beverage, perfect for summer gatherings.
Add muddled fresh mint for an alternate twist.
Ingredients:
8 cup(s) cold water
2 cup(s) sugar
3 cup(s) (from 15 to 16 medium lemons) fresh lemon juice
3 strip(s) (3 inches by 1 inch each) lemon peel
1 cup(s) raspberries
1 cup(s) blackberries
Ice cubes
Seltzer or club soda

Method:
Prepare sugar syrup: In 4-quart saucepan, heat 4 cups water with sugar and lemon peel to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally.
Cover saucepan and boil 3 minutes.
Remove saucepan from heat.
Meanwhile, in food processor, pulse berries until pureed.
Pour into medium-mesh sieve set over large bowl and press berry mixture with back of spoon to remove seeds; discard seeds.
Remove peel from syrup; stir syrup into berry puree with lemon juice and remaining 4 cups water. Makes 13 cups. Pour into large pitcher with tight-fitting lid.
Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
Serve over ice.
Add seltzer to taste; garnish with berries and lemon slices.

Chunky Monkey Milkshake
Ingredients

3 scoops vanilla ice cream

2 tablespoons chocolate chips

1/2 banana

1 tablespoon instant coffee

2 tablespoon chocolate syrup

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Method

Blend on medium for 1 minute.

Summer Berry Squeeze
I am new to juicing and tried this blend and it is very refreshing and delicious. 
The blueberries and lemon compliment each other as well as the Strawberries with the Spinach.

Ingredients
1-2 cups Blueberries
1/2 small Lemon
8-10 Strawberries
1 bunch of Spinach
Small amount of Pineapple

Very refreshing. 
This was my first juice I made!




Watermelon Slushie

Ingredients: 2 cups) (1-inch pieces) seedless watermelon 1/2 cup) pomegranate juice 1/2 cup) ice cubes Method: In blender, combine watermelon, pomegranate juice, and ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Pour into tall glass.

Mango Peach Fizz Ingredients: 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cubed (1 1/2 cups) 1 large ripe peach, peeled, pitted, and cubed (1 cup) 1/2 cup(s) unsweetened mango, peach, or orange juice 1 tablespoon(s) sugar Peach schnapps or peach-flavored seltzer Cold club soda, seltzer, or champagne Method: In a blender, puree mango, peach, fruit juice (mango peach or orange), and sugar (adding more sugar if puree is too tart). Puree can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. For each fizz, fill tall glasses with ice cubes. Pour 2 tbsp each puree and peach schnapps or peach-flavored seltzer into each glass and top with cold club soda, seltzer, or champagne.

Pineapple Cooler
Floral-scented herbs, such as lavender and lemon verbena, add subtle depth to fruit ades and iced tea

Ingredients:
1 large (about 4 pounds) fresh pineapple
1 1/4 cup(s) sugar
11 sprig(s) fresh lavender, rosemary, or lemon verbena
1/4 cup(s) fresh lemon juice

Method:

Cut the peel from the pineapple, remove the core, and cut the fruit into 1-inch pieces.
Place the fruit in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse until the pineapple is crushed but not pureed.
Transfer to a large nonreactive pot, add the sugar, 4 cups water, and 3 herb sprigs.
Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
Gently press the solids to extract the juice.
Cool and stir in the lemon juice.
Serve over ice garnished with the remaining herb sprigs.

Iced Tea

Create your own signature iced tea by trying this recipe with other fresh herbs, such as rosemary, lavender, or mint.

Always use fresh herbs in preparations, and mix beverages only a few hours before serving to keep flavors crisp and distinct

Ingredients:

4 tea bags
4 cup(s) water
1/2 cup(s) sugar
Fresh tarragon sprigs, to taste

Directions
Steep 4 white tea bags in 4 cups boiling water, then chill.
Bring 1 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil, add tarragon, and steep until cool.
Sweeten to taste with the resulting tarragon syrup, which will add a licorice note to the tea.

Hot Drinks

Skip the expensive coffee shop and make your own. Brew some fancy coffee drinks, like chocolate black forest coffee or sweet, spicy Mexican coffee. 
If you really want to get into the coffee shop mood, read some poetry to each other or have an open-mic night

Black Forest Coffee

Ingredients:

6 oz hot coffee
2 tbs chocolate syrup
1 tbs maraschino cherry juice
Whipped cream
Chocolate shavings
Maraschino cherries

Method:

In a mug, mix coffee, syrup and cherry juice. Stir well then top with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and cherries.
Serves 1

Mexican Coffee

Ingredients:

125ml ground coffee
80ml chocolate syrup
1 tbs cinnamon
250ml milk
60ml brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla

Method:

Before brewing, combine coffee, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Brew however you like. In another small saucepan, heat brown sugar, syrup and milk. 

Stir until sugar is melted and dissolved. 

Pour sugar mixture into hot coffee, and add vanilla.

A few others to try,

Cappuccino mix - 1/2 cup good quality instant coffee, 1/2 - 3/4 cup Castor sugar (depending on strength of coffee), 1 cup instant non fat milk powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon - combine in food processor until well blitzed, wait for dust to settle and put in airtight container, use 2 tablespoons per cup of hot water.

Cafe Au La it Mix - 1/2 cup good quality instant coffee, 1/2 cup Castor sugar (depending on strength of coffee), 2 cups instant non-fat milk powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, mix as above and use 1/4 cup of mixture for each 2/3 cup hot water. Swiss Mocha Mix - 1/2 cup instant coffee, 1/2 cup Castor sugar  1 cup non fat milk powder, 2 tablespoons cocoa, mix as above and use 1 Tablespoon per 3/4 cup hot water