culinary review
   
   

cocktail drinks
Cocktail Drinks

dry hot chocolate mix
Dry Hot Coco

pumpkin latte
Pumpkin Latte

chai tea mix
Chai Tea Mix

coffee mocha drink
Coffee Mocha

glogg drink
Glögg

How To Make Your Own Dry Spicy Chai Mix

Last Modified: 01/25/13
First Published: 10/14/07
Views: 13349
Views: 13349
Chai tea is a wonderfully sweet, spicy and delicious beverage. It’s quite expensive though, ifChai_mix you buy a dry mix at your grocery store. However, you don’t really have to buy a mix because you can just as easily make one on your own.

After a lot of fiddling with spices I think I achieved a really good combination. It’s quite spicy and sweet with the taste of tea hinting in the background. Never heard of instant tea before? Me neither – not until I started to research dry chai mixes, where it’s almost always a staple ingredient. You can find it at your grocery store at the tea department. If you for some reason can’t find it, you could always skip it in this mix and add the dry mixture to a cup of brewed tea.
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General Info
Servings: 12
Total Cost: $2.49
Cost Per Serving: $0.21
Total Calories: 1,279
Calories/Serving: 107
IngredientVolumeMassCostCalorie
Instant Tea 1/2 Cup 16.80 Grams $0.60 0
Sugar, White Granulated 1 Cup 200.00 Grams $0.26 774
Instant Non Fat Dry Milk 1 Cup 69.70 Grams $0.63 242
Non Dairy Creamer 1/2 Cup 48.00 Grams $0.46 240
Cinnamon, Ground 1 Teaspoon 2.27 Grams $0.11 6
Ginger, Ground 1 Teaspoon 1.80 Grams $0.02 6
Allspice, Ground 1/4 Teaspoon 0.50 Gram $0.10 1
Cloves, Ground 1/4 Teaspoon 0.55 Gram $0.06 2
Salt, Table 1/2 Teaspoon 3.00 Grams $0.00 0
Nutmeg, Ground 1/2 Teaspoon 1.17 Grams $0.23 6
Cayenne Pepper 1/8 Teaspoon 0.22 Gram $0.01 1
This chai mix is yummy both hot and cold. To make cold iced chai, add the mix to just a little bit of hot water, let it dissolve and then add ice and cold water.

I like to use about 3-4 tablespoons to 7 oz of water, but that’s of course a matter of taste.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup instant tea
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 cup of dry milk
  • ½ cup of dry creamer
Spices:chai_mix
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • ½ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne

Method:


Mix all the ingredients. Store in an air-tight container.

Homemade Coffee Mocha

Last Modified: 09/22/12
First Published: 10/24/07
Views: 13404
Views: 13404
A mocha drink with coffee, milk and chocolate is ridiculously easy to make, yet quite delicious. It's a perfect way tomocha make your coffee drink a little more exciting (and a little sweeter). We use an Italian “Moka Express” to make our “espresso” but you could use strong, regular coffee instead.

We like a lot of foam on top of our drink, however the milk won't foam if you put chocolate syrup in it. So we like to first make a hot milk chocolate mixture, then pour it in the cup and then add some fresh milk to the pan and whisk in order to get a nice foam.

1 serving:
  • 1 shot espresso (or a small amount of very strong coffee)
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 1 ½ tablespoon Hershey's dark chocolate sauce
  • Dark Cocoa (or Cinnamon) to top with

Method:

Heat the milk up in a pan, whisk and add the chocolate sauce. Pour the espresso in a cup and add the hot chocolate milk. Possibly pour some new milk into the pan, whisk it vigorously over heat (or use an electronic frother) to create some foam. Top the mocha with the foam and sprinkle some cocoa powder on top.

Dry Dark Hot Chocolate Mix

Last Modified: 12/16/10
First Published: 10/14/07
Views: 11488
Views: 11488
On a cold, windy night, nothing beats a nice cup of hot cocoa.

Instead of buying a mix at your grocery store you can make your own dry hot coco mix, it’s easy.dark_hot_chocolate With a few ingredients such as dry milk, dry creamer, sugar and dark coco, you can mix together a delicious chocolate blend. This recipe produces a very rich, dark cocoa since we use Hersey’s Dark cocoa, but if you prefer milk chocolate you can of course use that.

Use about two tablespoons of this mix with 6 oz of hot water for one cup. Of course you can always add some cream if you prefer, as well as some dry marshmallows to make it more festive.
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General Info
Servings: 24
Total Cost: $2.29
Cost Per Serving: $0.10
Total Calories: 1,355
Calories/Serving: 56
IngredientVolumeMassCostCalorie
Instant Non Fat Dry Milk 1 1/2 Cup 104.55 Grams $0.95 364
Sugar, White Granulated 1 Cup 200.00 Grams $0.26 774
Cocoa Powder, Dutch Processed, Unsweetened 1/2 Cup 43.20 Grams $0.83 96
Non Dairy Creamer 1/4 Cup 24.00 Grams $0.23 120
Salt, Table 1/4 Teaspoon 1.50 Grams $0.00 0
Cinnamon, Ground 1/8 Teaspoon 0.28 Gram $0.01 1
Cayenne Pepper 1 Pinch 0.11 Gram $0.00 0

Dry Dark Hot Chocolate Mixhot_coco_dry_mix

  • 1 ½ cup of dry mik
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • ½ cup of cocoa (we used Hersey’s Dark)
  • ¼ cup of dry creamer
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt

For Mexican Hot Chocolate Add:
  • 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1 pinch of cayenne

Mix all the ingredients. Store in an air-tight container

Brandy Manhattan Cocktail

Last Modified: 02/09/09
First Published: 02/09/09
Views: 1471
Views: 1471
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General Info
Servings: 1
Total Cost: $0.98
Cost Per Serving: $0.98
Total Calories: 135
Calories/Serving: 135
IngredientVolumeMassCostCalorie
Brandy, Generic 750 ml Bottle 1 1/2 Fl Ounce 1.50 Ounces $0.71 96
Maraschino Cherry Juice 1/4 Fl Ounce 0.25 Ounce $0.05 11
Vermouth, Sweet, Generic 750 ml Bottle 1/2 Fl Ounce 25.00 Grams $0.22 28

brandy manhattanBrandy Manhattan

If you are in the mood for a simple, elegant cocktail, served in a small cordial glass then this has a subtle unique flavor.

Method

In a Boston Shaker filled halfway with ice pour in 1 1/2 ounces (per person) of a medium quality brandy. Then add about 1/4 ounce of cherry juice and 1/2 ounce of sweet vermouth.

Stir and strain into cocktail glasses.



Pineapple Rum Cocktail

Last Modified: 01/14/09
First Published: 01/14/09
Views: 753
Views: 753
pineapple rum cocktail
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General Info
Servings: 1
Total Cost: $0.78
Cost Per Serving: $0.78
Total Calories: 172
Calories/Serving: 172
IngredientVolumeMassCostCalorie
Rum, Generic, 750 ml 2 Fl Ounces 2.00 Ounces $0.63 128
Sugar, Superfine 1 1/2 Teaspoon 5.63 Grams $0.01 22
Pineapple, Juice from can 2 Fl Ounces 2.00 Ounces $0.11 12
Cherries, Maraschino (1 cherry) * 5.00 Grams $0.03 10

This recipe came out great. In this winter sometimes you need a tropical drink.

Method

Add ingredients to a boston shaker and mix then pour into cocktail glasses.



Sparkling Lingonberry Cocktail

Last Modified: 12/15/08
First Published: 12/15/08
Views: 2114
Views: 2114
lingonberry cocktail
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General Info
Servings: 1
Total Cost: $0.85
Cost Per Serving: $0.85
Total Calories: 121
Calories/Serving: 121
IngredientVolumeMassCostCalorie
Sparkling Lingonberry-Apple Juice 4 Fl Ounces 120.00 Grams $0.50 50
Gin, Generic 750 ml Bottle 3/4 Fl Ounces 0.75 Ounce $0.24 48
Triple Sec 1/4 Fl Ounce 0.25 Ounce $0.12 23

Sparkling Lingonberry Juice Cocktail

We went to IKEA the other day and found Sparkling Lingonberry-Apple Juice and thought we might try using it in a cocktail. The drink came out excellent, very nice lingonberry flavor and the triple-sec adds a touch of orange.  

Method - per drink

Add 1/4 ounce Tripe-Sec, 3/4 ounce gin, 4 ounces sparkling juice to a wine glass or cocktail glass and stir.

 



How to make Simple Syrup

Last Modified: 07/13/08
First Published: 12/10/07
Views: 1464
Views: 1464

Simple Syrup is made with 2 parts sugar and one part water. 

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General Info
Servings: 16
Total Cost: $0.26
Cost Per Serving: $0.02
Total Calories: 774
Calories/Serving: 48
IngredientVolumeMassCostCalorie
Sugar, White Granulated 1 Cup 200.00 Grams $0.26 774
Water 1/2 Cup 113.50 Grams $0.00 0

Simple syrup lasts for about a week in the fridge but it is so easy to make that you can always just make it when you need it. Many recipes call for simple syrup. Iced Tea, cocktails...etc. 

Method

Add ingredients to a heavy sauce pan over high heat and let boil for 3-5 minutes. Let cool and store for up to a week.



Homemade Pumpkin Coffee Latte

Last Modified: 03/10/08
First Published: 10/16/07
Views: 6598
Views: 6598

This time of year, various coffee shops feature pumpkin lattes and other fall drinks. Today we went to Starbucks for a break and as we added up their prices (which of course aren't cheap) we realized that a small pumpkin latte as well as a pumpkinPumpkin_latte scone each for two people cost close to $10.

Well, we should be able to make that on our own for a fraction of that cost! That said, we set out to make pumpkin scones, which turned out delicious. Starbuck's scones are usually quite heavy and “cake-like”, whereas ours were light, moist and flavorful.

Next up the pumpkin lattes... We don't currently have an espresso machine, but what we do have is an Italian “Moka Express Pot. The coffee it produces of course isn't of the same quality as real espresso, but it's pretty good.

To flavor our pumpkin latte, we turned to our home made pumpkin butter (the same for the scones.) Pumpkin butter is a very versatile pumpkin spread. You can either make it using canned pumpkin, or preferably fresh, and then it's cooked with various spices and some sugar. It's quite easy as a matter of fact and nice to have on hand for situations like this.

So we whisked some milk together, added pumpkin butter and some sugar and poured it over our strong coffee.

TIP!
A good idea, if you use a mix such as pumpkin butter, as opposed to a pumpkin syrup, is to strain it before you drink it, or else you can end up with bits or strands of pumpkin in your drink.

Mokka Pot
Pumpkin_latte

Milk_pumpkin


2 servings

  • 2 shots of espresso, or some strong hot coffee
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 2 tablespoons of pumpkin butter
  • 3 teaspoons of sugar


Method:

Make the espresso/coffee. Heat the milk and the pumpkin butter up on the stove in a pan. Add the sugar and stir. (Strain mixture if you so choose, then pour it back in the pan.)

Whisk well to form a foam or use a small electronic frother whisk. Pour the espresso/coffee into each cup and add the pumpkin milk. Make sure to get some foam on top. Sprinkle with some additional cinnamon or nutmeg and serve.

Conclusion:

The taste of this drink was quite good, however not really comparable to Starbucks. They of course put whipped cream on top, which makes everything taste better and their drink is richer. However, if you substitute some of the milk with half-and-half or heavy cream, you could definitely bump the creaminess up a notch. Overall, this drink was nice; good pumpkin flavor, slightly sweet and it went quite well with our pumpkin scones...



Classic Coffee Latte

Last Modified: 02/26/08
First Published: 02/26/08
Views: 939
Views: 939
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General Info
Servings: 1
Total Cost: $0.60
Cost Per Serving: $0.60
Total Calories: 188
Calories/Serving: 188
IngredientVolumeMassCostCalorie
Coffee, Espresso, Prepared Homemade (2 shots) 2 Fl Ounces 2.00 Ounces $0.30 0
Milk, Whole 10 Fl Ounces 300.00 Grams $0.30 188

12oz classic latte

Combine steamed milk, espresso and a small amount of froth on top.



Classic Cappuccino

Last Modified: 02/26/08
First Published: 02/26/08
Views: 888
Views: 888

Cappucino is the classic drink with espresso and frothed milk. The price of the cappucino will depend on what quality of coffee you're using.

 

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General Info
Servings: 1
Total Cost: $0.24
Cost Per Serving: $0.24
Total Calories: 56
Calories/Serving: 56
IngredientVolumeMassCostCalorie
Coffee, Espresso, Prepared Homemade (1 shot) 1 Fl Ounce 1.00 Ounce $0.15 0
Milk, Whole 3 Fl Ounces 90.00 Grams $0.09 56
Froth the milk and top the espresso with the frothed milk in a 5 oz cup.

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