Category Archives: Mocktails

Lavender Lemonade

Posted on by July 21, 2015

There’s nothing like lemonade on a hot day. And if you want to make it extra special, a little lavender simple syrup goes a long way in creating this herbal, floral treat of Lavender Lemonade. Best of all, it’s a snap. Last week, we were in Door County, Wisconsin and I wanted to do something a little special for our big group of friends as well as create some great photo opps for Dirty Laundry Kitchen. I decided to throw an old-fashioned croquet party, and while I wanted it to be elegant, I didn’t want to spend a whole day of my vacation stuck in the kitchen while my friends and family were off playing without me. I centered the menu around quick and simple store-bought products that leave plenty of room to gussy them up. The menu was slightly French country, and very simple, and in two hours, I’d made all the food, fixed the lemonade, set a gorgeous table (with a little help from my mom) and slipped into my croquet whites. We had a hilarious afternoon knocking the croquet balls into the woods and trying our best to be the first back to the wicket. And with … Continue reading →

Passion Fruit Batida

Posted on by February 12, 2015

This Passion Fruit Batida is a perfect cross-section of a frozen drink, ice cream dessert, and a tart tropical cocktail. The hint of dairy makes it a natural companion for spicy foods and the passion fruit makes me one happy lady. Its bright, tart flavor and intense, yellow color are equally pleasing. I really love fresh passion fruits, but when they’re around and available, they’re usually horribly expensive and I save them for making passion fruit lemon curd or the like and use passion fruit pulp for all other recipes. While passion fruit pulp used to be a bit hard to find, recently, I found the Goya brand in the frozen fruit section of my local Wegmans. I also recommend looking at stores that have larger latin sections generally as they’re more likely to carry such things. Finding it at Wegman’s was a great relief, mostly for my sister; now I don’t have to ship it in on dry ice or force my sister to carry it on from California, where I used to get it from a company called the Perfect Puree. If all else fails and you can’t find the fruit pulp, use passion fruit juice (or nectar), … Continue reading →

Cranberry Frozen Margaritas

Posted on by February 12, 2015

Despite it being the middle of Winter, the high tomorrow is 61° F, so I feel comfortable getting back on the posting track with cold Cranberry Frozen Margaritas. The cranberries and limes make this Cranberry Frozen Margarita both seasonal and tart, but if you keep them in your freezer, you can have Cranberry Frozen Margaritas year ’round. And I have a great tip if you want to keep it simple, and skip all the juicing. Smoothie making has taught me several things in the last year. The most important: when you’re blending something, especially with a powerful blender, you don’t need to juice ANYTHING. Peel the lime and throw it straight in the blender. Add the cranberries, tequila, triple sec and ice. Blend until very smooth. These Cranberry Frozen Margaritas are definitely tart little drinks. Is super tart not your dish? Don’t worry, to make these less tart, use ½ a lime and one orange, and add an extra ¼ cup triple sec. But I like Cranberry Frozen Margaritas really tart. Cranberry Frozen Margaritas makes for an excellent Mocktail if you’re so inclined. Just use some orange juice and simple syrup to taste since you’re not using triple sec in the Cranberry Frozen … Continue reading →

Snowstorm Hot Chocolate

Posted on by February 12, 2015

Today it’s the first big snow in Philly (and lots of other places, I’m sure) and with that came Snowstorm Hot Chocolate. If you were watching the Eagles game, you saw that it was a near whiteout. Marc and I celebrated our afternoon walk with a little Snowstorm Hot Chocolate by the fire. The little dash of cayenne and hint of cinnamon along with the scent from the orange peel add a little zing to warm you up and balance the rich chocolate making Snowstorm Hot Chocolate delicious, decadent, and comforting enough to welcome you in from the snow on a Sunday afternoon and shake off even the chilliest of chills. And don’t worry friends in far away places, Snowstorm Hot Chocolate is just as delicious without the cold and the snow- lucky you. And the beautiful and rich chocolate is a lovely excuse to take out those tiny but beautiful tea and coffee cups you never use. Aren’t they gorgeous? You may recognize this shot from my Holiday Card from last year. Now if that isn’t motivation to put yourself on my mailing list, I don’t know what is. Who doesn’t love beautiful and tasty snail mail? If you don’t … Continue reading →

Tart and Spicy Ginger Spritz Mocktail

Posted on by October 27, 2014

With all of the busy Thanksgiving posting and leftover making, I haven’t shared a cocktail in awhile, so I’m rectifying that today with a Tart and Spicy Ginger Spritz Mocktail. Over the holidays, as I hosted several delightful pregnant women, I was reminded of something. Did you know that you can make drinks without alcohol in them? Shocking, I know. But I haven’t posted a mocktail. Ever, it seems. It stems back to my no liquid calories that aren’t booze rule. But sometimes you have a party and there are people there that don’t drink. And then it’s really rude to dig to the back of your fridge and look for a really old soda that’s hopefully still sealed or some milk that’s past the expiration date. Or to begrudgingly pour them some of the mixers that are meant for the real drinks. No, we must rise and be the hosts we know ourselves to be this holiday season. We must make fabulous and spritzy beverages for all. All kidding aside, I almost always make an alcohol free version of my cocktails for parties. And the Tart and Spicy Ginger Spritz Mocktail is fun- the chili and the ginger give it … Continue reading →

Coffee Ice Cubes

Posted on by February 12, 2015

My dear friend Susan was stuck in the Philly airport overnight, I knew I could save her day with something special like these Coffee Ice Cubes with Baileys for a night cap. Grr! August thunderstorms. Rather than allowing her to stay at the hotel airport, I encouraged her to head on over to our house/b&b. She was tired, it was late and she was fairly sure her day was firmly planted in the “no good” category. Imagine her surprise when I handed her an Irish Cream with coffee ice cubes and forced her to stay up all night giggling. It’s so easy to really “wow!” even an unexpected guest with minimal planning. Coffee ice cubes are a great start. Just brew extra strong coffee, I usually make decaf so that no one has a problem with these at night, and freeze them in silicone trays. I recommend the silicone because these don’t pop out quite as well as traditional ice cubes. You will have to do some peeling back the edges and the silicone won’t break since it’s flexible. I pop them out as soon as they’re frozen and store them in freezer bag so they’re ready to go at … Continue reading →