Thirsty Thursday: Winter Citrus Shandy

I want to shout: "I'm back bitches!!" at just the hint that I can drink cocktails again, but alas, drinking hard liquor while breastfeeding is sort of frowned upon. So I'm easing my way back into the adult beverage business with a light and lovely beer cocktail usually reserved for summer sipping - the Shandy.

Shandies are a mixture of beer, lager or pale ale, and lemonade or ginger ale. The low-alcohol, high flavor drink has been enjoyed for hundred of years. Usually shandies are enjoyed in hot weather when you need something light & refreshing, but I've always wondered why summer time gets all the lemonade love. Winter is prime citrus time. And who couldn't use a glass of sunshine when there are 6 more weeks of winter left?!  I've started juicing all the citrus and mixing it with a little maple syrup and water for a wintry lemonade that is a perfect 3 pm pick-me-up. Add a little lager and you've got a darling little drink.

Shandies are also great for breastfeeding mamas because they are low alcohol. There are anecdotal reports that beer drinking (in moderation) can help support milk supply. In fact, our lactation consultant prescribed non-alcoholic beer when I was struggling to breastfeed Ella, because brewers yeast is good for milk production (as seen in these cookies)! But honestly, I just don't enjoy drinking a O'Douls the way I enjoy a cocktail. There is a certain ritual missing. And while I'd recommend waiting until your breastfeeding routine is well established before imbibing, I do think an occasional adult beverage is beneficial, because mama needs to relax a little.

Making your own lemonade is the key to this Shandy. I like a mix of 50% lemon juice and 50% other citrus. Cara cara and blood oranges give the juice a sweet pink hue, while clementines will lend a sweeter sip. Grapefruit juice is ridiculously delicious in a shandy made with a not quite pale ale.

Maple Winter Citrus-ade
makes 1 quart or 8 servings

1 cup fresh citrus juice - I used 4 lemons, 2 cara cara & 2 blood oranges (or about 8 lemons)
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup maple syrup

Combine the citrus juice, water, and syrup in a pitcher. Stir to combine, chill until ready to serve.

Winter Citrus Shandy
makes 2 drinks

Ice
1 cup Maple Winter Citrus-ade
12 ounces chilled Lager or IPA

Fill two rocks glasses with ice and divide the Citrus-ade between the glasses. Top with beer and stir gently to combine.

More Shandy Facts & History from NPR
More on Breastfeeding & Alcohol

Thirsty Thursday | Blood Orange Salty Dog

A grapefruit and a blood orange walk into a bar and order a gin. That's not a joke - its just a really good story. Citrus and gin are a match made in heaven. 

Look - I realize that you're probably reading this in the morning, at work, and I'm sorry you can't enjoy this Blood Orange Salty Dog yet. Think of it this way - I'm giving you something to look forward to, so you're welcome. 

A Salty Dog cocktail is typically made with grapefruit juice and either vodka or gin. Given a choice between the two - always choose gin. Salty Dogs are served a lot during the summer because they're light and refreshing; But why not take advantage of all the lovely winter citrus now and fantasize about spring. 

My friend Lesley introduced me to a product called Real Salt which is kind of the ideal salt for this Salty Dog. The minerals in Real Salt play really well with the botanicals in the gin and the bitterness of the citrus to add a surprising sweetness. Any fine sea salt will work for rimming the glasses for this Blood Orange Salty Dog. 

Blood Orange Salty Dog 

makes 2 drinks 

sea salt 

ice  

4 ounces gin 

3 ounces grapefruit juice

3 ounces blood orange juice 

Pour the salt onto a small plate. Moisten the rim of two old fashioned glasses - I like to use any left over citrus rind for this. Dip the moisten rims into the salt to coat the rim. Set the glasses aside. 

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Combine the gin, fruit juice, and a pinch of salt in the shaker and shake vigorously. Fill the rimmed glasses with ice and strain the cocktail mixture into the glasses. Enjoy. 

Thursday Thursday | Darling Clementine

Welp. So much for my aspirations to eat clean. You see, I borrowed a juicer and after each concoction was tasted my mind would start churning. I'd say "You know what would be delicious in this apple celery juice? Gin." or "This carrot juice would taste even better with vodka!" Old habits die hard. 

I did come off a week of juicing with a few new cocktail tricks up my sleeve. The simplest - Darling Clementine - is just some fresh squeezed clementine juice, a little simple syrup, and some vodka. Fresh squeezed juice and booze are here to make us feel like there is balance in the world. Still this the perfect little cocktail for this weird time after Christmas when we are all just really waiting for spring. 

There is an old-fashioned drive-in in the little town where I grew up and they're famous for their orange creamsicle shakes. Okay, they might actually be famous for their burgers, but I only remember the shake. Orange creamsicle is just one of those wonderfully nostalgic flavors. Darling Clementine just let that flavor grow up with us (a little).

Darling Clementine 
makes 1 drink 

4 ounces fresh squeezed clementine juice 
2 ounces vodka 
1 ounce vanilla simple syrup, recipe follows 
1 ounce heavy cream 
soda water 

Combine the clementine juice, vodka, simple syrup over ice in a collins glass. Add the heavy cream and stir gently to combine. Top with a little soda water and enjoy. 

Vanilla Simple Syrup
makes 8 ounces 

Combine 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and add half a split vanilla bean and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Cool completely then store in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Thirsty Thursday: Clementine Hot Toddy

Winter is this|close to being over and wouldn't you know it, last week I had my first sick session of the year. Snotty nose, sore throat, congestion, headache - the whole damn shebang. But you know, I took the whole thing in stride, by creating a cocktail that I will now promote as a cure all as to excuse my day drinking.