Tag Archives: summer drinks

My Twist on a Classic: Arnold Palmer 2.0

I often take for granted that everyone knows what I know about drinks—and that some people know even more than I do. Way more. Here we are: Arnold Palmer 2.0, the drink of the moment. It’s a layered lemonade and tea drink that was requested so often by the famous golfer Arnold Palmer that it was named after him. Traditionally, it consists of unsweetened iced tea and lemonade. What makes mine 2.0? Pandan lemonade and honey drizzle spiced chai masala spice blend with black salt and lime garnish.

Three lemons yield about 5 ounces of juice. Add rich pandan syrup and enough water to achieve a pH of 3; I prefer it a bit more tart. Check the pH using litmus paper. You can strain out the pulp or keep it—it’s a matter of preference. I tested this a couple of times. Varying pH. Stir in spices for the chai (I use Diaspora Marsala spice blend here); it’s heavier than regular tea, but the tea on top remains lighter. For garnish, rim the glass with black salt and garnish with a wedge of lime. Voilà! Arnold Palmer 2.0.

Ingredients list

Bag of lemons

Diaspora Chai Masala spice blend

Honey

Pandan leaf

Water

Ice

Lime

For the Pandan syrup

(I’ll do ounces since the other is in ounces)

1 cup of water (about 200 grams if you are using a scale)

2 1/2 cups of sugar (500 grams if you are using a scale)

1 Pandan leaf

Method

Steep the pandan leaf in boiling water (around 212 degrees F) for about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the leaf and add it to the sugar mixture. Blend until dissolved. This syrup lasts about two weeks in a sealed container in the refrigerator. If you freeze it, because of the sugar content, it won’t completely freeze in a regular home freezer, but it will last longer that way. It tastes so good and delicious that I found myself eating it with a spoon.

For the lemonade

1 ½ oz pandan syrup
1 oz fresh lemon juice
2 oz filtered water (to thin out the lemon juice, making it lemonade)

For the tea

Diaspora Co. Chai Masala spice blend recipe is 1-2 teaspoons to one cup of boiling water. Steep for 1-2 minutes. I add a tea of honey.

For the drink

Rim the glass with black salt using lime or boney. Chill the glass. Boil water and add Diaspora chai according to the directions. Stir in a teaspoon of honey and let it cool. Prepare the lemonade. Add ice to the chilled glass, then fill it a little more than half full with lemonade. Top it off with the cooled chai. Garnish with a neatly trimmed lime wedge.

Glass: highball glass

Garnish: lime wedge and lime wheel

Bar Chef Notes: Oh, and what is Pandan? It is commonly used in culinary applications for flavoring dishes, desserts, and beverages. It is also known for its vibrant green color in certain food preparations. The plant is widely cultivated in countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It is a long narrow tropical green leaf.

Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront, of course. I may receive compensation from eligible purchases. Thank you!

Great Goodness Smoothie

Great Goodness Smoothie

1/2 cucumber with pink salt

1 frozen peeled sectioned orange

1 1/2 kiwi with skin

1/2 cup of frozen strawberries

1/2 cup of frozen pineapples

1 tablespoon of UBE powder

1 scoop of Sakara protein and greens

1 tablespoon of honey

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla paste

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon of blue majik blue spirilina

Method

Peel the orange and freeze it. Once frozen, add all ingredients to a blending machine and blend until smooth. Garnish with slices of cucumber, kiwi with skin on, and orange with skin on. I arranged a couple of oranges inside the glass and then poured the smoothie behind it. It felt creative this morning. Anyway, blend until smooth.

Glass: Bucket glass

Garnish: slices of cucumbers kiwi and oranges

Bar Chef Notes: UBE powder is purple sweet potato. Packed full of vitamins and goodness.

Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront. I may receive commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you.

Mr. Boston’s The Americano

Move over Aperol spritz! The oldest and greatest classic, The Americano, is here to beat the heat. What makes it greater? It’s made with Carpano Antica Formula.

The first time I saw a red (seemingly) paper back but really hard copy dog-eared version was next to the cash register in an Irish pub. Probably an old hardcover copy. The book was there. I haven’t seen this book “Mr. Boston’s Deluxe Bartender Guide”since the late nineties; in person, until last week. I have decided to make a drink from it each month, starting with the Americano since the book is organized alphabetically. Yes, there are other drinks listed before this one. A is still the beginning of the American alphabet. Additionally, I have these ingredients in my possession, so that a bonus. And yes, you are correct! All recipes straight from Mr. Boston’s book. If you’re interested, you can purchase the book from my Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront (shameless promotion, I know) and make the drinks with me. A- Z one drink each letter each week and then go back to A. For those who don’t drink and are here for the smoothies, I appreciate that too! Thank you!

Before we get to the recipe, what is sweet vermouth? There are many different brands. I prefer the Carpano Antica formula. It’s one of the first and supposedly oldest sweet vermouths, born in Italy, as you may have guessed from the sound of the name. 1786 in fact. That’s vintage, right? It has notes of cinnamon, licorice, and cherry and is more robust and viscous than some others. Feel free to use any vermouth you have on hand, as the guide does not specify a particular brand, not even the Mr. Boston brand.

The Americano

Ingredients

4 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth

1 small bottle of San Pellegrino (unflavored)

1 lemon for a twist (skin on only skin)

Method per Mr. Boston reads as 👇 below.

Pour 4 oz. Sweet Vermouth into highball glass over ice cubes. Fill with carbonated water and stir. Add a twist of lemon peel.

Glass: Highball glass

Garnish: Lemon Twist

Photography Note: Fun fact – the ice in the photos isn’t real; it’s made using Encapso K. While not safe for consumption, it certainly helps with hot lights and solves the melting ice problem. I forgot to spray water for condensation at one point. Sheesh. Anyway, if you are working on your photography game too it’s also available on the Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront. And yes, there is a tiny piece of “ice” on the outside of the glass in one of the photos. That’s intentional. These are iPhone photos.

Writer Notes: I know it’s not my recipe…if this is copyright infringement someone let me know via comments. Thank you.

Where to buy the goods, you know glasses, stirring spoons and photography stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course. Please know I may receive commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you.

I had a real ice drink drinkable drink on the other side of these photos.

From the Bar Top to the Counter Top: Moscow Mule

There is much power in simplicity. This is it: the Moscow mule. Simply a vodka-based drink with fresh lime juice and ginger beer. Fever-Tree gets my vote as it has larger bubbles, a bolder than most flavor, and complements the strength of vodka well. Any of your favorite ginger beers will do as they are your favorites. This happens to be mine. Keep in mind texture and flavor may vary recipe to recipe. If you are new to this party, ginger beer doesn’t contain alcohol. As for the copper mugs? They are for aesthetic and insulation. Cheers!

Moscow Mule

2 oz vodka if your choosing Hey Ketel One Hey!

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

4 oz Fever Tree ginger beer

Place pebble ice or chipped ice in a Moscow Mule mug. Add vodka, lime, and top it off with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wheel and a trimmed lime wedge.

Glass: mule mug

Garnish: lime wheel and wedge

Bar Chef Notes: Fill your mug to the top. Additional ice may be required after preparation before adding the garnish. The choice of ice depends on its melting rate.

Photo Note: My camera will not allow me to download photos onto the Nikon app on my iPhone. I took pictures of the photos displayed on my camera monitor and a couple with my iPhone. Nikon photos are better. Welcome to my creativity!

Where can you buy the goods? Copper mugs and other items? The Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront, of course. Please note that I may receive commissions from eligible purchases.