Anybody in the Midwestern United States right now knows...it's HOT. You know this because the PL&B household actually has the AC on!!! It's a rare occasion, folks, but it's all for the greater glory...we're trying not to kill the pups in this heat wave!
Temps are hitting almost 100 degrees in Northeast Ohio today and the heat index puts it well above that.
Luckily, I have a couple of drink ideas that will help cool you down so you can survive the heat without a meltdown a la The Wicked Witch of the West
{photocred: britannica.com}
Cucberry Agua Fresca - this was inspired by the cucumber lemon water that you get at a spa (they have it at the spa my mom does massage at). This version is a little bit sweeter and much less tart, great for when strawberries are in season at the beginning of the summer!
ingredients: strawberries, cucumber, ice cold water
method: slice strawberries and slice the cucumber into rounds with the skin still on, put in a glass, and pour ice cold water over the fruit.
Cold-brewed Coffee - I got the idea from reading Smitten Kitchen and Running Foodie. It's brilliant for the hot weather because you don't have to turn on your stove or coffee maker at all (we don't have a hood on the stove, so turning on the burners warms the house right up - not ideal in this heat). It makes a concentrated coffee that you dilute down with water (if you want to) to taste and end up with a delicious iced coffee!
ingredients: 1/3 cup coffee, 1 1/2 cups water
method: in a jar, or a french press if you have one, stir together coffee and water, then cover and let sit overnight. Strain (or press), fill a tall glass with ice and mix equal parts of coffee concentrate and water, or to taste.
Sangrimosa - part Sangria, part Mimosa. A beautiful morning cap that is great for a weekend at the beach with friends. It's actually all mimosa with local fruit thrown in, but I liked the sound of Sangrimosa better.
ingredients: orange juice, champagne of choice, fresh fruit (we used peaches!)
method: fill a fancy cup with your desired amount of champagne, then top it off with orange juice. Slice and add peaches.
Fresh Juice - you're going to need a juicer for this, unless you have one of those citrus juicers to juice by hand. That's a ton of work. But then again, so is cleaning the juicer. Your call.
ingredients: just about anything you can think of, I really enjoy apples and carrots, or oranges and apples
method: put everything in your juicer and watch it go! Make sure there's a cup there to catch the juice! If you're using a hand juicer, you can only juice citrus fruit (I recommend an orange). Just slice the fruit and juice til you've got enough to quench and hydrate you.
Cool White Wine - you should know by now that I'm a wine lover, generally I like to drink red but there's something about a cool glass of white wine in the summer that just makes me smile.
ingredients: chilled white wine. I like Torrontes a LOT, Chardonnay is up there too
method: chill wine in your fridge, pour into wine glass and enjoy!
Arnie P - Ok, not my best photography on this one, but the drink is much better than it looks. The Arnold Palmer is almost as beloved as the Shirley Temple in my book. I like it with a big batch of sun tea.
ingredients: regular black tea, lemonade, a big cup of ice
method: brew your tea in advance, or make sun tea. When it's cooled, pour 1 part tea and 1 part lemonade (or your preferred ratio to taste) over ice.
Red wine - ok, this wasn't actually something that I would choose to drink on a hot day, I just wanted to share this picture with you because I think it's awesome.
What are your favorite beat the heat beverages?
Peace + Love
