Florida Amaretto

1 mandarin orange
1 lime
2 oz orange vodka
2 oz bourbon
2 oz amaretto

1/4 t vanilla extract

Peel mandarin orange.

With a knife, cut away lime peel.

Reserve a pretty section for garnish.

In a blender, blend orange, lime, and orange vodka (no peels).

Push through a strainer into a mixing tin with ice.

Pour in bourbon, amaretto, and vanilla.

Prepare a serving glass with clear ice.

Mix and strain into prepared glass.

Garnish with reserved lime.

LTK

Matcha Latte

10-12 oz milk

2-3 oz boiling water

20 g sugar

1/2 t or 2 g matcha powder

1 drop electric green color (optional)

Begin frothing and heating milk.

Begin boiling water.

In a separate cup, weigh out sugar and matcha.

If matcha isn't vibrant on its own, can add 1 drop color.

Pour boiling water into sugar and matcha.

Blend boiling water very well with frother.

Slowly pour matcha into frothing milk.

LTK

Hot Cocoa Mix

290 g powdered milk

260 g powdered sugar

105 g Dutch process cocoa

1 t salt (original uses 2)
2 t corn starch

1/4 t cayenne (original uses 1/8)

Toast powdered milk at 275 for 12 mins or until edges are golden.

Let cool 10 mins.

In a food processor, blend milk.

Blend in cayenne and cinnamon if using; these are bigger granules.

Blend in sugar and cocoa to distribute evenly.

Heat water to 200.

In a tall mug, weigh out 40 g cocoa mix.

Pour 1-2 oz water and whisk until uniform.

Pour in 4-5 oz water.

Froth; this can make a mess if you're not careful.

If making several servings at once, combine and froth in a large bowl.

Alton Brown

Note:

Can double cayenne to 1/2 t and add 1 T cinnamon.

These are big particles; strain cocoa.

Milk Punch

16 earl grey tea bags

162 g sugar

2 C ruby port

1 C aged dark rum

1/2 C allspice dram

1/2 C freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 C cold whole milk

Heat 4 1/2 C water to 208°.

Steep tea 3 mins; do not wring out bags.

Dissolve sugar.

Add port, rum, dram, and juice.

Let cool 20 mins.

Pour tea into milk (do not pour milk into tea).

Let curdle 1 hour.
Strain several times, ending with a paper filter.

altonbrown

Mulled Wine

2 3-liter boxes Costco Melbec or Cabernet Sauvignon
2 96 oz bottles Costco Ocean Spray cranberry juice blend

2 oranges

20 cloves

10 star anise

10 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed

10 allspice

1 large knob of ginger

20 pink peppercorn

10 cinnamon sticks

2 C grand marnier

Begin to prepare 2-3 hours before party begins.

In an instant pot, combine 1 box wine and 1 bottle juice.

Heat on "keep warm" setting only.

Slice oranges and stud with some of the cloves.

Place remaining cloves, anise, cardamom, and allspice in mulling bag.

Slice ginger and place in mulling bag.

Steep about 30 mins and remove bag.

Add pink peppercorn and cinnamon sticks.

Add orange slices and grand marnier.

Empty second box of wine into empty cranberry juice bottle.

Refill pot equally with extra wine and juice as needed.

LTK

Easy Hot Chocolate

16 oz whole milk

8 oz water

3 T cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)

2 T sugar

In the milk frother, pour water to min line.

Settle pitcher in base and add milk until 1 cm below max.

Set temp to 155 and froth.

In a microwavable bowl, combine cocoa and sugar.

Drizzle in just enough water to make a paste.

Stir well with a small silicone spatula.

Microwave for 20 seconds.

Stir in a little more water until chocolate is pourable.

Once pourable, add to frothing milk.

Add vanilla, salt, cayenne, and/or liquor as desired.

LTK

Frozen Hot Chocolate

4 oz chocolate (I use 10 blocks from the TJ pound plus bar)

1 1/2 C milk

2 1/2 T sugar

1 1/2 T cocoa powder

1/8 t salt

Ice

Cacao nibs

Melt chocolate for 50 secs or just until no longer solid.

Separately, blend milk, sugar, cocoa, and salt.

Blender should read about 24 oz.

Add chocolate.

Add ice to 40 oz mark.

Blend again.

Serve immediately.

Garnish with cacao nibs.

Yields 3 reasonable glasses.

Based on
tastesbetterfromscratch

Notes:

It's possible to scald chocolate if you're not careful!

My microwave is gentle and my chocolate pieces are fat, so I'm okay.

This recipe makes a fairly homogenous frozen hot chocolate.

If you prefer frozen bits of chocolate,

    stir melted chocolate with some of the cold milk before blending.

If you prefer grainy frozen bits of chocolate,

    stir sugar and cocoa into melted chocolate; it won't dissolve.

    then stir into some of the cold milk before blending.

Mimosa Punch

67 g sugar
7-8 inches cinnamon sticks
1/2 C water
1 quart orange juice
1/4 C orange liqueur
1/4 C brandy
1 liter sparkling water, chilled
1 750 ml bottle Champagne, chilled

Over high heat, combine sugar, cinnamon, and water.

Boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 mins.

Refrigerate until cool.
In a punch bowl, combine orange juice, liqueur, brandy, and syrup.

Stir in sparkling water and Champagne.

Note:
For non-alcoholic punch,

    replace liqueur, brandy, and Champagne with:

    2 C pineapple juice & 2 liters of ginger ale

Vampire's Kiss

3 parts vodka

2 parts chambord

1 part unsweetened cranberry juice

1 part grenadine

1 part (or less) fresh lemon juice

Optional grenadine & sugar rim

Mixing tin with ice, strain.

Cocktail smoker, 10 seconds.

Orange Julius

3 navel oranges, rind and pith removed

1/2 C whole milk

1/4 C sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1/3 C frozen orange juice concentrate

1 C ice

Blend.

reddit

Crio Bru

1 C Crio Bru
7 C water
pinch salt, optional

Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Whisk for a full two minutes, changing directions frequently.

Slowly, strain through a nylon nutmilk bag.

This process does not prevent silt from forming.

Pour off the top several cups; these are ready for consumption.

Towards the end of the next pour, consider using a metal coffee filter.

(Paper coffee filters are much too fine.)

George reheats Crio Bru.

Lan is a Crio Bru junkie and will drink this, but it is NOT THE SAME.

Lan would rather have it cold - she's like a vampire.

Congealed blood is not as good as fresh.

But reheating the blood kills something that was alive in it!

We also rebrew "Crio Tea" with the spent grounds.

The second brew uses up to 4 C water, and it's not great.

Lan is such a Crio Bru junkie, however, that she'll happily drink it.

L&G

Wundershowzen Smoothie

10 oz almond milk
1 1/2 frozen bananas

1 T peanut butter

1 T hemp protein

1/2 C spinach

Juiceland

Piña Colada

1/2 pineapple

14 oz can coconut milk
4 oz white rum

4 oz dark rum

1/2 C or 100 g sugar

On the day before, slice and core pineapple.

Freeze pineapple pieces and pineapple juice.

Separately, place sugar in a liquid cup measurer.

Pour boiling water over sugar, stir thoroughly, and chill.

In blender, combine frozen pineapple and coconut.

Blend well.

Add rum, simple syrup, and large scoop ice.

Yields roughly 64 oz.

L

Drinking Chocolate

12 oz whole milk

8 oz bar baking chocolate, about 70%
0-1 t brown sugar

1/16 t salt

1/2 t vanilla

Froth milk in Breville at 160°.

Separately, place chocolate, brown sugar, and salt in large ceramic bowl.

Microwave chocolate for 1 min and stir with silicone spatula.

Microwave 30 seconds and stir.

Repeat until chocolate is totally fluid.

Pour frothed milk into melted chocolate and whisk vigorously.

Return drinking chocolate to Breville and froth at 165°.

Pour in vanilla.

Serve immediately.

Yields two very rich mugs.

anediblemosaic

Note 1:

8 oz of chocolate is about 6 fluid oz chocolate.

Therefore, each mug is about 8-9 fluid oz, which is a good max.

Multiplying this recipe by 1.5 yields 24 fluid oz, or 6 4 oz cups.

Multiplying this recipe by 2 yields 32 fluid oz, or 8 4 oz cups.

I've got some spoiled kids.

Note 2:

I couldn't fall asleep last night, so George told me to design ten variations on drinking chocolate.  It worked; I fell asleep, and now that it's morning, I'm ready to share drinking chocolate variations with you.  We're aiming for roughly 5 t or 20 g total sugar per single batch of drinking chocolate, and that includes the sugar in the chocolate.

1.  Mexican Chocolate

Remove 1 T milk from the 12 oz.

Whisk together with 1/2 t cinnamon, 1/8 t nutmeg, and pinch cayenne.

Whisk into melted chocolate.

2.  Licorice Chocolate

Remove 1 T milk from the 12 oz.

Whisk together with 1/2 t fine licorice powder.

Add during whisking of milk and melted chocolate.

3.  Mint Chocolate

When pouring in vanilla, add 1/8 t LorAnn peppermint oil.

4.  Orange Chocolate

When pouring in vanilla, add 1/2 t orange extract.

5.  Caramel Chocolate

Make your favorite caramel sauce - mine is bourbon caramel.

Add 2 T caramel sauce during whisking of milk and melted chocolate.

Use 100% baking chocolate only.

6.  Mocha

Froth 6 oz instead of 8 oz milk.

Increase brown sugar from 1 t to 2 t.

During the second froth, pour in 2 oz freshly brewed espresso.

7.  Chai Chocolate

Replace half the milk with Chai latte base like Tazo.

Use 100% baking chocolate only.

8.  Earl Grey Chocolate

Replace half the milk with London Fog latte base like Tazo.

Use 100% baking chocolate only.

9.  Coconut Chocolate

Use coconut milk instead of milk.

10.  Liqueurs or Cordials like Amaretto or Hazelnut OR

     Liquors like Whiskey or Dark Spiced Rum

Froth 6 oz milk/2 oz liqueur or 7 oz milk/1 oz liquor during first froth.

Omit brown sugar.

Green Rice Crushed Ice

3/4 C cốm dẹp rice cracker/nuggets
13.5 oz can coconut milk

1/2 C sweetened condensed milk

1/2 C half and half

2-3 T powdered sugar

2-3 T powdered milk

2 frozen bananas

5 C ice

1 C water

sweetened shredded coconut

Place rice in bowl and add water until covered.

Let rice absorb water 1 hour.

Blend rice with coconut milk, condensed milk, half and half, sugar, and milk powder.

Blend in bananas and ice.

Add water until desired consistency is achieved.

Serve with sweetened shredded coconut on top.

Yields 8 C green rice crushed ice.

Buddies

Christmas Punch

4 C apple cider
1 C fresh orange juice

1/2 C L&G sweet & sour

    (overachievers can make this with mostly lemons and a bit of ginger)

1/4 C L&G pumpkin spice syrup

Brandy

Combine ingredients.

Fill glasses with ice.

All ready for kids!

Add an ounce of brandy (or so) to each 8 oz glass.

LTK

L&G House Black Coffee

10 g New Mexico Piñon medium roast whole bean coffee
30 g Don Pablo Colombian decaf medium dark roast whole bean coffee
1/32 t (pinch) salt
24 ounces very hot water
Extra hot water for warming mugs

L&G

Pumpkin Seed Milk

seeds from 2 pumpkins
3 T maple syrup
1 t vanilla extract
pinch salt

Wash seeds.
Place drained seeds in blender.
Fill blender to 48 oz line with water.
Blend for a full minute.
Strain and whisk in maple syrup, vanilla, and salt.
Yields 4 cups pumpkin seed milk.

Note 1:
For a creamier milk, add or substitute pecans for pumpkin seeds.

Note 2:
Try replacing maple syrup with 1/4 C pumpkin spice syrup.

LTK

Limoncello

14 Lemon peels, no pith
750 ml 100-proof vodka or grain alcohol
750 ml 100-proof vodka or grain alcohol
5 C water
4 C sugar

Steep peels in alcohol 2-4 weeks.
Vessel should be covered tightly at room temp in the dark.
Stir sugar and water in saucepan until sugar dissolves.
Cool syrup and stir into alcohol.
Steep another 2-4 weeks, covered tightly at room temp in the dark.
Strain liquid through cheesecloth or coffee filters into clean bottles.
Store in freezer and serve cold.

Uncle Steve

Toddy

2.8 g coffee per oz water.

Grind coffee at fairly large size and place in pitcher.

Add water, stir, and brew 18 hours.
Strain through fine mesh and transfer to tall pitcher(s).
Let sit overnight.

Siphon coffee into new container, not disturbing settled grounds.

67 g for 24 oz

90 g for 32 oz

LTK