Beverage Recipes - Alcoholic Drinks & Non-Alcoholic Drink Recipes

Check out this Basic Simple Syrup Recipe for sweetening your favorite drinks.

 

Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Alcoholic Drinks

Avocado Shake
I love avocados! Like most Americans, I have only used them in savory dishes. An avocado shake sounded bizarre to me. In Asia and also Brazil, avocado shakes are very popular. As avocados are a fruit and not a vegetable, this combination makes perfect sense. The flavor is subtle and very addictive!

Bubble Tea
Finally there's a drink that's fun to eat! Move over trendy coffee drinks and make way for the new drink craze that is going on right now, especially in communities with large Asian populations.
 

Chai Tea - Masala Chai - Spiced Milk Tea
Chai, pronounced with a long "i" as in the word tie, is the actual word for tea in many countries.  It is also called masala chai (Masala meaning "spiced"). It is a centuries-old beverage from India which  is basically black tea brewed with selected spices and milk. The spices vary from recipe to recipe, but is traditionally consumed hot and sweet. Play with the flavors and make this tea your own! This is a great alternative to coffee.
 

Hot Chocolate
There is a difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate. The terms are often used interchangeably, but technically they are as different as white chocolate and bittersweet chocolate. Hot cocoa is made from cocoa powder, which is chocolate pressed free of all its richness, meaning the fat of cocoa butter.  Hot chocolate is made from chocolate bars melted into cream. It is a rich decadent drink.

Hot Chocolate Recipes Included:
Angelina’s Hot Chocolate
Decadent Hot Chocolate
Italian Hot Chocolate - Cioccolato Caldo
Mayan Hot Chocolate
Mexican Hot Chocolate

Mexican Hot Chocolate
Chocolate was a rage with the Spaniards when they first came to know it by way of the Aztecs. For the Aztecs, it was a sacred food, reserved mainly for priests. Chocolate is hugely popular, and hot chocolate is right in there among the ranks. It may be more popular when the weather is cold, but among many in New Mexico, hot chocolate is drank as the morning beverage, just as coffee or tea is among other people.

 

Andra's Sweet Tea
Southerners swear by their traditional sweet ice tea and drink it by the gallons. In the South, ice tea is not just a summertime drink, it is served year round with most meals. Andra Cook, a friend and co-author of my first cookbook, makes delicious sweet tea using a sugar substitute in place of some of the sugar. You will definitely love this sweet tea!

Juanita's Southern Ice Tea
This recipe is courtesy of Juanita Daniels of Helena, Al.
 

Lemonade
So refreshing and delicious! Taste just like the lemonade Grandma used to make, but with no undissolved sugar on the bottom of the pitcher! The secret to perfect lemonade is to start by making a sugar syrup. Dissolving the sugar in hot water effectively disperses the sugar in the lemonade, instead of having the sugar sink to the bottom.



Mango Lassi
Mango Lassi is a traditional South Asian non-alcoholic beverage. In fact it is one of the most popular beverages in Northern India. Mango Lassi is also a favorite at Indian restaurants. This drink is a cross between a smoothie and a milk shake.
 

Mexican Pineapple Water - Agua de Pina
Agua Frescas are fresh fruit drinks that are very popular throughout Mexico. You will find these drinks at street stands all over Mexico and also at restaurants. They are usually served from large barrel-shaped glass containers (vitroleros). These drinks are a lot like sorbets, as they freshen the palate. they provide a perfect balance to the spiciness of Mexican foods.

Mocha Shake
How about a low-fat and low-calorie coffee shake?

Mozzarella Martini with Fresh Tomato Consommé
This recipe is from the Tra Vigne Cookbook by Michael Chiarello. These Fresh Tomato Consommé Martinis are absolutely beautiful, as well as refreshing!
 

New York Egg Cream
This old-time New York thirst-quencher is sweet and full of fizz. Despite its name, the egg cream contains neither eggs nor cream. In the beginning, it was a soda produced almost exclusively in New York (particularly Brooklyn). the basic ingredients are milk, seltzer, and chocolate syrup. It is traditionally made in a small Coke-style glass.

Orange Sunshine Smoothie
Recipe from the cookbook Unbelievable Desserts with Splenda - Sweet Treats  Low in Sugar, Fat, and Calories by Marlene Koch.

Peppermint Float Punch
This punch is always a hit at gatherings. It's like drinking a peppermint float. I always make this punch a couple of times during the Christmas holidays. I don't think that you can find an easier punch recipe to make.

Rhode Island Coffee Milk/Coffee Cabinet
There is a lot more to Rhode Island than just being the smallest state in our nation. Certain foods have become statewide traditions and part of the state’s history. For example, Rhode Island is famous for Coffee Milk and Coffee Cabinet. It is said that if you travel more than 10 miles from Rhode island, people will not know what this drink is. If you are from Rhode Island and live somewhere else, you crave it!


 

Rose Petal Tea
Rose Petal Tea can be made from rose hips or rose petals. This tea has a lightly floral taste with a slightly tangy flavor. A very elegant tea to serve for your afternoon tea party.
 

Strawberry Agua Fresca
Enjoy the essence of the sweet summer strawberries in this refreshing drink. Fresh fruit drinks are very popular all over Mexico and are served from large barrel-shaped glass containers.
 

Watermelon Agua Fresca
A very refreshing and cooling summer drink and a refreshing alternative to iced tea or lemonade. These wonderful drinks are light-bodied and very refreshing fruit drinks made from whatever fruit is in season combined with sweetener (traditionally sugar) and water.
 

Watermelon in Rose-Lime Syrup
I adapted this wonderful refreshing dessert/drink from the blog called As Dear As Salt by Richa of New Jersey. A very refreshing and cooling summer drink or dessert. My husband likes to add some gin to his glass.


 

Absinthe Recipes:

Absinthe Drinks
In French, the word "absinthe" mans "wormwood." It was also known as the "green fairy" during its heyday in France in the 1800s. Absinthe is an anise-flavored liquor or spirit. Check out the recipes for preparing absinthe and some cocktail recipes using absinthe.

Drink Recipes Included:
Absinthe Martini - European style
Absinthe Suissesse
Ernest Hemingway's 'Death in the Afternoon Cocktail'
Green Fairy Cocktail
Sazerac Cocktail

Holiday Drinks:

Egg Nog Punch
This is an excellent egg nog recipe for a large crowd during the holidays.

Mexican Egg Nog (Rompope)
Rompope, also known as Rompope de Santa Clara, is the Mexican version of the popular holiday egg nog. The word "rompope" is a derivation of the word "pope." This is a favorite holiday drink in Mexico, and since Rompope is strong and sweet, it is meant to be sipped in small glasses. Traditionally it is spiked with rum. This addition of whiskey to this customary rum drink marks the Angle influence in this version.

Tom and Jerry Batter
This is a wonderful recipe, and it is a Christmas tradition for my family.

Peppermint Float Punch
This punch is always a hit at gatherings. It's like drinking a peppermint float. I always make this punch a couple of times during the Christmas holidays. I don't think that you can find an easier punch recipe to make.

 

Limoncello Recipes:

Italian Limoncello 1
If you have ever been to Italy, you'll instantly know about Limoncello. It is a lemon liqueur that is served well chilled in the summer months. It is wonderful as a palate cleanser or as an after dinner drink. Keep your bottles of limoncello in the freezer until ready to serve. The ingredients are simple and few, and making a batch doesn't require much work. This is my personal favorite Limoncello recipe and the one my husband and I make every year.

Italian Limoncello 2
Recipe from Ron Carducci. Ron says, "I have relatives in Italy and they make limoncello the same way it is made all through Italy. Additionally, almost without exception, every limoncello I order as an after dinner digestive in ristoranti all over Italy, is made and tastes pretty much the same (I speak Italian and I ask the chefs how it is made and they almost always give me a recipe that varies only slightly from the one I am including below).

Italian Limoncello 3
This version of Italian Limoncello was shared with me by Fulvia Guyger of Prineville, OR. Fulvia is originally from Italy and runs a wonderful bed and breakfast called the Bellavista Bed & Breakfast.

Margarita Recipes:

Blended Fresh Strawberry Margarita
What could be more refreshing on a hot summer evening?

Blue Margarita
These margaritas are beautiful to look at as well as delicious!
 

Fresh Lime Margaritas
These margaritas are far superior in taste to any made from bottled lime juice or a margarita mix.

Prickly Pear Margarita
The newest food fad is the tasty Prickly Pear Margarita served by trendy restaurants across the southwest. One reason for the margarita's rise in popularity is that it is a very versatile recipe that lends itself to variations in fruit flavorings. Since it original creation, many variations of the traditional margarita have been created with fresh flavors like mango and prickly pear.

Martini Recipes:

Lemon Drop Martini
This is a very sweet and lemony drink that came into vogue during the 1970s in California. It is now a favorite drink of the West Coast. The drink was developed at a now defunct bar called Henry Africa's in San Francisco, a well-known singles bar. At Henry Africa's bar, they developed and pushed "girl drinks" - drinks that are potent, yet sweet enough to cover the taste of alcohol. Think of the lemon drop candies!

Pomegranate Martini
I adapted this recipe from Oprah Whinfrey's television show which featured this recipe on her show called Oprah and Rachael Ray Throw a Holiday Party.

Misc. Cocktails:

Bourbon Slush
This a a great frozen drink that is made ahead of time and kept frozen in your freezer until ready to serve.  The drinks is sweet with a zip of tangy-ness. So cool and refreshing on a hot summer day!

Hurricane
The drink know to most tourists in New Orleans is the hurricane. During celebrations (and celebrations seem to be every nigh in the New Orleans French quarter), tourists carry their "to go" hurricane drinks with them. In New Orleans, you can carry your drink out of a bar and down the street, even into another bar. Hurricanes are also the cocktail of choice during Mardi Gras, when thousands come to parade and party.
 

Irish Coffee
It might sound like an ancient recipe, but Irish coffee was a 20th Century invention. Learn the history of this spirited coffee and how it’s made. Check out the easy-to-make authentic recipe.

Mint Julep
This wonderful refreshing drink comes to us from Kentucky. It is always made with fresh mint, bourbon, and plenty of crushed or shaved ice. Traditionally Mint Julep is served at the Kentucky Derby and served in silver or pewter mugs. I have tried several recipes and I found that I like making a mint syrup first. According to some Southerners, a Mint Julep is the not the product of a formula, but a ceremony. They say a Yankee can't make one properly. Since I'm a Yankee, you be the judge!

Mojito
This Cuban drink is extremely refreshing and is a great cocktail to drink on a hot summer day. Mojito means "little sauce" in Cuba, where this drink is very popular. I call this drink the Cuban version of a Mint Julep.

 

Sazerac Cocktail
The Sazerac cocktail is to New Orleans what the margarita is to the southwest. It is reported to be the first cocktail every invented (at least in the United States). Antoine Amadie Peychaud, a Creole apothecary, is given the credit for first inventing the Sazerac cocktail in the 1830s.

Sgroppino
This is a refreshing summer drink from Venice, Italy. What could be more refreshing on a summer's day than the tart flavors of lemon? Also makes a delicious after-dinner drink.

Red Wine Sangria
Sangria takes its name from the Spanish word, "sangre," which means "blood" and refers to the blood-red color of the drink. Fresh fruit and wine combine to create the perfect beverage for warm summer get-togethers. Sangria is a refreshing drink that is simple to make and yet elegant enough for any occasion.

White Wine Sangria
Fresh fruit and wine combine to create the perfect beverage for warm summer get-togethers. Sangria is a refreshing drink that is simple to make and yet elegant enough for any occasion.

Sake Recipes:

Sake Cocktails
An entirely new class of cocktails, saketinis, has been developed that takes advantage of sake's ability to blend with other flavors. Try Sake Martinis, The Geisha, Moonstone Truffles, Orange Creamsicle, and Wasabi Bloody Marys.