summer drinks
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July 24, 2014

My 3 favorite Summer Cocktails.



We are now in Dubrovnik for about ten days but only last three have I been on vacation so my boyfriend and I decided to make it short but absolutely relaxing and zen. Our daily routine is now to go to private beach at Palace hotel in Dubrovnik where there is only about five people there max, we order morning coffee and some fruit for starters, have a swim and read our favorite magazines and books for couple of hours while sun bathing and sipping our favorite cocktails.

Those of you who read my blog regularly might be already guessing my favorite flavors, just like in cosmetics - berries, vanilla and coconut.  Alcoholic or virgin, I like to keep my cocktails as low on sugar as possible, fruity and creamy. 


Drunk fruit.


Photo by Joanna Sciarrino


Choose your alcohol. I like to choose vodka (obvious choice) but you can also choose red whine if you want to make it as a sangria or brandy or grappa. Don't choose to cheap but not to expensive liquors either. 

Choose your fruits. Usually I choose seasonal fruits but like blueberries (vodka), apricots (Eu de Vie) and pineapple (rum) the best. Remove peels and skins plus any part of the fruit that you wouldn’t want to eat: Stems, pits, cores, and seeds. 

Pack & wait to be done. Fill a clean glass jar or bottle with fresh, cleaned fruit and top off with liquor and  close the lid. Place in a fridge until the flavors infuse (anywhere from a week to a month). Shake the jar every few days. When you’re happy with the flavor, strain out fruit and pour infused spirits into a clean resealable glass jar or bottle.


Mojito.



Ingredients: 
2 small branches of mint leaves
1/4 cup of white rum
2 tablespoons of simple syrup
2 tablespoons of lime juice
a bit of Angostura bitters (not mandatory)

Preparation: Use a muddler or handle of a wooden spoon, beat 1 mint branch in a cocktail shaker. Add rum, simple syrup, lime juice, and bitters. Fill with ice, cover, and shake strongly 20 times. Pour into an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with remaining mint leaves. 

Luau Coconut.


Photo by Nigel Cox
Ingredients:
Quarter cup of sugar
2 fresh coconuts
1/4 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup light rum
1/4 cup gold rum
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
Ice cubes
2 lime slices (for garnish)
2 maraschino cherries (for garnish)

Preparation:
Bring sugar and a quarter cup of water to boil in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cool this simple syrup.

Cut off top 2 inches of coconuts and set a side the coconut water. Mix a quarter of cup simple syrup, coconut milk, light rum, gold rum, lime juice, pineapple juice, and 1/2 cup coconut water in large cocktail shaker. Fill with ice; cover and shake strongly for about 20 times. Pour all from the shaker into coconuts, dividing equally (don't strain in). Garnish each with lime slice and maraschino cherry. Serve with straw and spoon for scraping out fresh coconut from inside of shell.

Enjoy! :)



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June 26, 2014

4 Summer Coffee Recipes aka Beach in the Cup.


Ok, this post will seriously change the way you think of your Summer coffee! Next time you go and order a cup of coffee by the beach out of habit, you will have way higher expectations then before. :)

I hate when I go to a super trendy, luxurious Mediterranean location and then they serve me with jucky coffee which tastes like irony from poorly washed espresso machine in a chipped cup and they charge 8 Euro for it (pretty much for the view from the cafe). I still remember that place and will never go there again! Come on, I take my coffee serious, put some effort into it!

Now, let's get serious and more practical about it. Take the matter into your own hands and start your morning with a fabulous Summer coffee!

Here they go in the order of deliciousness:

COCONUT ICE COFFEE aka BEACH IN THE CUP



2 tsp good-quality instant coffee 
2 1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp boiling water
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup ice cold water
1/2 cup cold milk
a few ice cubes

  1. Add coffee granules, sugar and boiling water to a glass, stirring until the coffee and sugar has dissolved
  2. Add coconut milk and vanilla essence, stirring to fully incorporate it into the coffee mixture.
  3. Top up with cold water and cold milk, add a few ice cubes and enjoy! 

ITALIAN SUMMER COFFEE SHAKE – THE SHAKERATO



1 tablespoon soluble coffee
6 teaspoons unrefined cane sugar
5 ice cubes
1/3 cup milk (I used soy milk, any milk is fine)

  1. Put the coffee, sugar, milk and ice cubes in a blender/food processor and blend until you do not hear the sound of ice anymore.
  2. Serve immediately. You can decorate this coffee with whipped cream on top (it will float on the coffee blend).

NUTELLA ICED COFFEE aka HEY FATTIE 



8 ounces coffee, freshly brewed and chilled in the fridge
1/4 cup 1% milk
2 tablespoons nutella
Whipped cream
Ice cubes

Whisk together the coffee, milk and Nutella, until the Nutella is mostly dissolved. Pour the mixture over ice cubes and garnish with whipped cream.

COFFEE CUBES - BONUS POINTS! :)



2 cups strong black coffee (for ice cubes)
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
4 cups strong black coffee

  1. Brew two cups of strong coffee. Make this brew slightly stronger than you would regular coffee as it requires a little more intensity to maintain the same flavor when chilled. To do this, add 25 to 50 percent more ground coffee to your coffee filter. 
  2. Let the coffee come to room temperature. Coffee likes to be treated gently. 
  3. Make ice coffee cubes. The best way to prevent watery iced coffee is to plan ahead — and make iced-coffee cubes. Use the two cups of coffee to make at least 16 ice cubes (or more).  Freeze overnight. 
  4. Brew four cups strong coffee or espresso.
  5. Arrange four glass mugs or cups on a tray. Fill each with four iced-coffee cubes. Spoon two tbsp sweetened condensed milk over the iced cubes. Pour one cup hot, strong coffee into each cup, over the iced-coffee cubes. Stir gently and enjoy.


If you were thinking of detoxing and drinking only water this Summer, read this post again and get your coffee fix!

How do you take your coffee?

Can't get enough of it? Follow my  Summer coffee Pinterest board for more.



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