Step aside, ginger ale; ginger beer is here, and it's delicious. Ginger beer is made by fermenting a combination of ginger simple syrup, yeast, and water, which gives it its robust flavor and sparkling quality. It's extremely simple to make, but you do have to wait a bit for the final product. After a few days, though, your ginger beer will be sparkling and ready to drink as is, or in your favorite cocktail.
When it's frigid outside, all you can think about is getting inside and shutting out the cold. But sometimes even the largest house can get a bit, well, stuffy.
Alcohol isn't exactly considered a healthy lifestyle choice; more often than not, it's associated with empty calories and bad decisions. But that doesn't mean there aren't a few benefits to drinking in moderation. In fact, gin is a liquor with a wealth of potential benefits to offer. So read on, and discover ten ways in which gin might actually be a good drink for you.
If you're a child of the '70s, then you'll probably remember Pop Rocks, those fizzy little candies that created such a buzz. They went out of style in the States for a while, but now they're back with retro status. I was surprised to see them in my kids' Halloween bags a few years ago, and one taste brought me back to my childhood.
When I was younger, my family would go to fancy restaurants and I would invariably order a Shirley Temple. (Ironically, the real Shirley Temple actually didn't like it much.) But it's hard to really find anything offensive in this kiddie cocktail: It's ginger ale with a splash of grenadine. There's also the less famous Roy Rogers, which is Coca-Cola with grenadine. The grenadine, red and sumptuous, always made its drinks look and taste much cooler.
Herbs, both fresh and dried, can be intimidating and mysterious to cooks. Just how much is too much? How do you prepare them?
There are many, many home remedies out there for relieving itchy mosquito bites. Everything from mud to banana peels and basil leaves to Alka-Seltzer tablets can help curb the itch. But before you even have to resort to any of those methods, you should be thinking about prevention. Wearing white clothing can help to keep mosquitoes aways from your skin, and there are many plants that will help mask your mosquito-attracting smell. But there's even more ways to keep those bloodsucking bugs away.
It's nice to have a drink on an airplane, whether you're taking a flight somewhere fun or for work. However, what's not so nice is the high prices and relatively bad quality of the liquor that's available.
Watermelon is the perfect snack for hot temperatures. It's hydrating, crisp, and refreshing, especially when it's chilled. Yet some people aren't content with leaving a good thing alone, which has given us many watermelon-based innovations, some great (vodka-filled watermelons) and some delightfully strange (square watermelons).
It's a small but very real frustration: you want a chilled drink, but you open the freezer only to see nothing but empty ice trays. Fortunately, there's a simple way to make ice cubes quickly—use hot water. Yup, you read that correctly. Hot water freezes more rapidly than cold.
Though nobody's going to hide the fact that they're getting sloshed on major holidays, you might want to be more discreet when it comes to your morning pick-me-up or lunchtime tipple during the rest of the year. It used to be that having four martinis at lunch was acceptable and even desirable, but that's really not the case anymore.
There is a reason the Amanita phalloides mushroom is called the "Death Cap." It can kill you. Mushrooms are a type of fungi, an organism that produces thread-like mycelia that often produce spores. Spores allow the fungi to reproduce. Molds, lichens, and yeast are all fungi, but the most visible fungi are mushrooms. Some fungi are delicious, but others can cause disease or, and still others, like Penicillium, can cure it.
When it comes to barbecues, vegetarians get the short end of the stick. While you're brushing fire-roasted ribs with your favorite mouthwatering barbecue sauce, we're crossing our fingers that there's some meat-free side dishes hiding away somewhere.
The sweet aroma of cooked fruit filling your kitchen is one of the trademark scents of summer. Yet attaining the perfect consistency for homemade jam can be difficult to master. Often it ends up a watery mess or over-solidifies into thick mystery goo that is destined for the trash, not topping your toast.
When alcohol tastes bad, there's little you can do to save it—or so you think. While it might seem easier to toss your entire bottle of old, opened wine, or to give up and drink crappy vodka anyway, there are creative ways to turn a spoiled or just plain bad boozy beverage into one you actually want to drink.
Tonic water, seltzer water, club soda, and mineral water: these 4 types of "bubbly water" are often, erroneously, used interchangeably. But the truth is that each possesses unique qualities and uses that set them apart from each other.
Bad news, guys. The shelf life for liquor leftovers does not apply to your two-buck chuck. While an opened bottle of your favorite whiskey will stay respectable for ages thanks to its high ABV (which makes it inhospitable to outside elements), an opened bottle of merlot will sour quickly. However, it turns out that red and white wines have different life spans once they're opened—for reasons which we'll cover below.
It's common knowledge that certain foods foster brain development, health, and memory. Fish almost always makes the list, as do any foods that are loaded with antioxidants like blueberries, nuts, whole grains, green tea, and dark chocolate. Spices like turmeric are being studied for their ability to prevent Alzheimer's, among other things.
Attention all veterans and active-duty military personnel—this coming Tuesday, November 11th, is Veterans Day, that time of year where the whole country thanks us for our service. For the most part, a simple thanks will do, but some folks like to go above and beyond and give us veterans free or discounted meals and discounts on merchandise in stores.
The origins of vodka are shrouded in mystery, with both Russia and Poland laying claim to its invention. Some say Genovese merchants brought vodka (then known as aqua vitae, or the water of life) in the late fourteenth century to Russia. For many years, vodka wasn't just an alcoholic beverage: it was also consumed as medicine.
Coffee! It's so amazing that J.S. Bach wrote a comic opera about caffeine addiction. Meanwhile, more than half of Americans 18 years or older start their day with a cup of the hot stuff. Most of us take coffee for granted, but it's a bean that can surprise you. Read on to understand more about coffee and how to take advantage of all that it offers.
Panties don't taste like fruit, unless the edible panties cocktail is the one in question. Raspberry vodka, orange vodka, cranberry juice, sweet and sour, watermelon liqueur, sour apple liqueur, and triple sec make up the edible panties cocktail. Follow along with bartender Jorge as he gives step by step directions for how to mix up this specialty alcoholic drink. Watch this video beverage making tutorial and learn how to mix the edible panties cocktail.
American Bartenders School shows you to make the Creamsicle cocktail drink recipe.
Rum, Bailey's, Bacardi 151, milk, and sugar make up the sweet and smooth Tony Montana cocktail. Follow along with bartender Daniel as he gives step by step directions for how to mix up this potently alcoholic drink. Watch this video beverage making tutorial and learn how to mix the Tony Montana cocktail.
Dirty Jersey has a house full of guests & they demand good alcoholic drinks! In this video beverage-making tutorial, learn how to mix up a pineapple daiquiri cocktail for the ladies in the house. All it takes is rum, sweet and sour mix, and pineapple.
James Bond's alcoholic drink of choice might have been a shaken, not stirred martini, but the 007 (double O seven) is a sweet vodka, 7-Up, and orange juice cocktail. Learn how to make a 007 cocktail by watching this video beverage-making tutorial. Here's a hint, fast forward through the first minute of bloopers and start making this cocktail right away.
In this online guide to whiskey you'll learn all about the alcoholic beverage the Irish call “uisce beatha” or “Water of Life.” Expert Patrick McMenamin gives you a history of Scotch whiskies, explains the differences in single malt whiskeys and blended whiskeys, and offers tips on how to read a whiskey label to know exactly what you're drinking. He also talks about the most popular brands of whiskies, including the most famous Irish whiskeys. And most importantly, he shows you how to serve w...
This coming Friday, November 11th, 2011 is Veterans Day and everybody's celebrating! But only veterans and active military personnel can get the great deals being offered at restaurants and retail outlets across the country. If you need help locating some of those deals, below are all of the nationwide and local deals found across the Web. If you know of any more, share the spots in the comments below!
Want to celebrate New Year's Eve, but haven't a clue how to do so? Maybe some of these New Year's Eve pa
Bacon and cocktails. Not the likliest of food and beverage combinations when eaten together, and especially odd when a recipe advocates you MIX THE TWO into one bacon-y alcoholic drink.
Victoria Moore, drink writer for the Guardian in the UK, shows us how to make a Campari, blood orange and Cava cocktail. She explains that Campari has a love-hate relationship with the public - some people adoring it, others being repelled by its taste. However, Campari mixed with blood orange makes for a well-liked fruity drink, not too alcoholic & refreshing- Perfect for a summertime day drink with friends! Make a Campari, blood orange & Cava cocktail.
Learn how to mix a tahitian treat alcoholic drink! Ingredients:
Learn how to mix a Pink Poontang alcoholic drink! Ingredients:
Blood Mary's seem like a simple alcoholic drink, but the more complicated they get, the more you'll love them. That's why this Blood Mary drink is one to remember, because it isn't just vodka you're adding… it's poblano, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic infused vodka. Mmm!
Feeling wicked? Check out these scary alcoholic beverages, the "Spook-tini" and a "Morguerita." The "Spook-tini" tastes just like a regular vodka martini but it uses black vodka. The "Morguerita" is similar to the usual margarita but with some creepy and delicious changes. Watch this how to video and you can enjoy the "Spook-tini" and "Morguerita" at your Halloween party. Make a "Spook-tini" & a "Morguerita".
Chef Philippe Faure-Brac prepares foie gras escalope prepared in a pan with green apple chutney. Cooking time for this recipe is 20 minutes. You will need apples, Corinth grapes, sugar, wine vinegar, red win, four seasons mix, cinnamon powder, non-alcoholic clear grape juice, beal gravy, salt, pepper, flour and foie gras excalopes. Prepare foie gras escalope in a pan with apple chutney.
Coke with a difference! A frothy non-alcoholic, creamy delight which is great to serve at summer parties or for desert. All you need is ice cream, coca-cola, glasses, straws, and a spoon. Make a coke float.
The blueberry mojito is a fruity twist on the Cuban classic. Here are the instructions: 1. Add the mint leaves, sugar, 5 blueberries, and lime juice to a glass and muddle.
If you were ever going to open up a luxurious daytime spa, this cucumber cooler drink would definitely need to be on your drink list. It's refreshing and full of vodka and cucumbers. Definitely an invigorating take on an alcoholic drink.
Though making hot chocolate out of instant mix is pretty easy, there is no comparison when it comes to making your own homemade hot chocolate out of quality dark chocolate bars, whole milk, brown sugar, and your own favorite fresh spices.
