Lemonade →

I’ll say it again and again, I love anything lemon! Here’s an easy recipe for delicious homemade Lemonade.

Lemonade
Yield 1 ½ -2 quarts

INGREDIENTS
These are the basic proportions of lemon juice to water and sugar for classic lemonade. You can adjust these proportions to suit your own taste.

• 1 cup of lemon juice (about 8 to 10 large lemons)

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 quarts water (6 cups)

PREPARATION

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, make a simple syrup by mixing 1 cup of water and 1 cup of granulated sugar stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. While the simple syrup is cooling, cut the lemons in half; juice them with your juicer of choice and strain the juice.

3. Mix the juice with the remaining 5 cups of water and the simple syrup.

4. Adjust the sweetness/tartness to your own taste.

5. Chill in the fridge for an hour before serving.

Lemon Ginger Martini →

The inspiration for this drink comes from a recipe for a ginger kaffir lime granita. The combination of flavors sounded so appealing, I decided to make it into a refreshing summer drink. Tchin-tchin!

Lemon Ginger Martini
1 serving

Ingredients:
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce ginger kaffir lime simple syrup (recipe below)

Mix the ingredients with a cup of ice in a shaker. Shake well. Enjoy!

Ginger Kaffir Lime Simple Syrup
Yield 1 cup of simple syrup

• 1 scant cup of water

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 6 fresh kaffir lime leaves (or 3 teaspoons of finely grated lime zest)

• 4 fresh mint leaves

• 1 ½ inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated

Combine the water, sugar, kaffir lime leaves, mint, and ginger in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, without stirring, for 2 minutes. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes to steep and cool.

Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Will keep refrigerated in a tightly closed glass bottle for 2 weeks.

Sidecar →

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

Within cocktail culture, the classic recipes more often than not have a story about the origen of the drink. The classic Sidecar is no exception. Invented some time around World War 1, two bars (a French and an English) claim to have created the drink for a customer who arrived in the sidecar of a motorcycle. Another version refers to serving the drink in a coupe glass with the remains from the shaker served in a shot glass as the “sidecar” (kind of a sophisticated European version of the “Shot and a Beer”). The original recipe for the Sidecar called for equal parts cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice (1:1:1). Today, depending on the recipe you’re looking at, the Sidecar calls for cognac or brandy, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. The proportions have also changed reducing the proportion of orange liqueur and lemon juice (2:1:1/2). I come down on the side of a slightly less acidic version with a more pronounced orange note (2:2:1/2). You should experiment and decide your proportions for your own Sidecar. Tchin! Tchin!

Sidecar Cocktail
1 drink and a “sidecar”

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ ounces cognac or brandy

• 1 ½ ounces orange liqueur (Cointreau, Gran Marinier, Triple Sec)

• ¾ ounce lemon juice.

• granulated sugar for the rim of the glass

Combine the first three ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass (eg. coupe or small martini glass) rimmed with sugar. If you opt for a more acidic version of the Sidecar, the sugared rim helps to balance each sip. You decide for yourself.

https://www.liquor.com/recipes/sidecar/
The Art of the Cocktail: Philip Collins, Chroniclebooks LLC; 1944

Lemongrass-Lemon Drop Cocktail →

Lemongrass is not just for cooking or flavoring teas! Here’s a slightly exotic version of the classic refreshing, citrusy “Lemon Drop Cocktail”. Replacing plain simple syrup with Lemongrass-infused simple syrup adds a subtle Asian herbal citrus note to the “Lemongrass-Lemon Drop Cocktail”. In my book, Limoncello is indispensable for full appreciation of either the Lemon Drop or the Lemongrass-Lemon Drop. Either way...Tchin Tchin!

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

Lemongrass-Lemon Drop Cocktail
Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1-ounce Vodka

• 1-ounce Limoncello

• 1⁄2 ounce Triple sec

• 1-ounce Lemongrass simple syrup (or plain simple syrup for the classic Lemon Drop Cocktail)

• 1-ounce fresh lemon juice

Garnish: Sugar rim (optional) or lemon twist

Preparation:

Make the Lemongrass simple syrup:

1. Chop the lemongrass stalk into 1-inch pieces, and bruise using a mortar and pestle or rolling pin.

2. Place them in a pot with 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the syrup infuse for about 2 hours before using.

3. Strain the syrup, pressing down on the lemongrass stalks to extract maximum flavor. Chill until ready to use. Once the syrup is strained, it will keep in your fridge for a couple of weeks.

Assemble the cocktail:

1. Optional: coat the rim of a cocktail glass with sugar and set aside (do this a few minutes ahead of time so the sugar can dry and adhere well to the glass).

2. Add all the ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake.

3. Strain into a coup or small martini glass neat, or a cocktail glass over ice

*Note: Use a citrus-infused vodka for more citrusy depth. Homemade Limoncello, which should be in everyone’s freezer, is a good choice.

Adapted from: https://www.liquor.com/recipes/lemon-drop/#gs.9egdtl

Shogun Martini →

Shogun Martini

The Shogun Martini is named in honor of an historical event. In 1869, English Queen Victoria’s second son, Prince Alfred, traveled to Japan on an official visit to promote trade between the two countries. His arrival coincided with a crucial moment in Japanese history, for the Tokugawa shogunate had just been overthrown by a new government under the nominal leadership of the Meiji emperor. The new regime was torn between those who wished to expel the west and those who realized that Japan had to adapt itself to the modern world. The Prince’s visit was the advent of the long trade partnership between Japan and Britain. The spirits forward Shogun Martini celebrates the marriage of Sake, the national drink of Japan, and Gin, the national drink of England. What better way to stimulate trade? Kanpai! Cheers!

Serves 1
Ingredients:
3 ounces of Gin (or Vodka)
2 ounces of Sake
a few drops of lemon juice
garnish with a twist of lemon peel or a lychee

Combine the ingredients with a half cup of ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or a lychee.

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2020 Martini glass by Lynn Latimer Glass

Classic Martini Redux →

The classic Martini uses 2 or 3 parts Gin to 1/2 or 1 part dry Vermouth; garnished with an expressed twist of lemon, a pickled onion, or a pimento stuffed green olive. The Redux adds a bit more Vermouth, a few drops of capers brine, and a few drops of lemon juice, and your garnish of choice. The result is slightly softer and a bit more complex than the traditional classic martini. Make one to suit your taste and enjoy.

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2019 - Classic Martini Redux

Yield: 1 martini

Classic Martini Redux

Ingredients:

• 2-3 parts good quality Gin (to taste)

• 2 parts dry Vermouth

• a few drops of brine from bottled capers (*Note: if you don’t have capers on hand, substitute the brine from a jar of olives.)

• a few drops of fresh lemon juice

• garnish with a pimento stuffed green olive, or a twist of lemon zest (no white pith), or your garnish of choice.

Preparation:

Combine the all the ingredients (omit the garnish) in a shaker and shake or stir to chill. (If you shake it too much, the water from the ice will dilute your drink.)

Strain into a martini glass. For a more briney martini, garnish with a large green, pimento stuffed olive; for a drink with more of a hint of citrus, express a lemon twist over the drink to release the oils and garnish with a lemon twist.