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

JUST A TIP | Cheap + Easy Flavored Water

An outtake from this cocktail, er, drink shoot led to a wonderful discovery: It doesn't take more than a few scraps to make infused water. 

We are all so accustomed to seeing photos of fresh sliced fruit in frosty pitchers - that we think we need the freshest, most delicious fruit to make something refreshing. Nah - just throw your citrus ends, strawberry tops, heck even cucumber peel into water and let them infuse for a few hours. Cheap and easy flavored water - ok that might not be pinterest worthy but will keep you hydrated this summer. 

Thirsty Thursday | Vanilla Lemon-Limeade

This week's installment of 'lets pretend this drink is a cocktail" looks a lot like lemonade. It also looks a lot like the only non-water or coffee thing I want to drink right now. Vanilla Lemon-Limeade is a dressed up version of that ubiquitous summer sipper.

I had a crazy crazy pregnancy for lemonade and there wasn't even time to let sugar dissolve. Luckily I had some vanilla simple syrup on hand (I use it for iced coffee, because I'm fancy…) so I threw that into some lemon juice and water. My crazy pregnant mind was blown.

Turns out lemon and lime (and citrus in general) is pretty awesome for pregnant ladies. Besides being loaded with vitamin C, citrus may help with nausea and aid digestion for mamas-to-be. Sometimes I wish the same were true for Champagne.  Still this Vanilla Lemon-Limeade feels like a fancy cocktail in my hand while I'm drinking it.

Both the vanilla and lime juice cut the acidity of the lemon juice - making this ade taste softer and sweeter than traditional lemonade. You can use all lemon juice, if thats what you're craving!

Vanilla Lemon Limeade 
Makes 1 1/2 quarts

1 cup Vanilla Simple Syrup, recipe follows
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 quart water
pinch of salt
Ice, lemon and lime slices to garnish

Combine syrup, citrus juices, water and salt and chill for at least an hour before serving.

Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup 
Makes 3 cups

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cool completely before using.

THIRSTY THURSDAY | Pineapple Coconut Lassi

Let's pretend this Pineapple Coconut Lassi is a breakfast cocktail, okay? Because the world just needs more breakfast cocktails. Plus its kind of like a Pina Colada in smoothie form.

As I said early this week - we've been drinking our summer away in smoothies around here (especially since I can't drink any cocktails right now) and lassis are one of the yummiest, not too sweet smoothies we all need to be drinking more of. 

A lassi is traditionally made with yogurt and mango, seasoned with a little salt and served on the side of spicy grilled meats. This Pineapple Coconut version uses coconut milk in place of the yogurt and pineapple instead of the mango, which makes it pleasantly sweeter than a traditional lassi. 

You can use fresh, canned, or frozen pineapple for this Pineapple Coconut Lassi. I can't verify that this would be 100% delicious with a little bit of dark rum in there, too (but my husband swears it is…).

Coconut Pineapple Lassi
makes 2 servings

2 cups chopped pineapple
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup ice
1/4 cup pineapple juice
pinch of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus more for garnishing
toasted coconut flakes, optional for garnishing

What's your favorite summer smoothie?

Rhubarb Strawberry Margarita

How come there aren't more jam cocktails? Mixing jam and booze is possibly the best more underrated idea ever. May I present you the easiest spring margarita of all time - the Rhubarb Strawberry Margarita.  

The cool thing about this recipe is you could switch out almost any jam for the Quick Rhubarb Strawberry Jam and have a killer cocktail. Just strawberry jam? Strawberry Margarita! Peach jelly? Peach Margarita!

Rhubarb Strawberry Margarita 

yield 4 cocktails 

salt

crushed ice

1 cup Quick Rhubarb Strawberry Jam 

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/3 cup cointreau

1 cup tequila

Rim 4 rocks glasses with either an extra strawberry or lime wedge and dip in a bit of salt. Fill the glasses with crushed ice and set aside. 

Stir together the jam, lime juice, cointreau, and tequila in a large pitcher breaking up the jam as much as possible. Add the ice, stir and pour into prepared glasses. 

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 | Maple Old Fashioned

Most folks make a big fuss about turning 30, but the coming year will be one of the most challenging to date for yours truly. Yup, I turned 29 last week. 

Thirsty Thursday | Chai Spiced Apple Cider

Surely I'm breaking some food blogger code by saying this, but I'm just not that into all the "Pumpkin Spice" stuff that pops up in the fall. Mostly because "Pumpkin Spice" isn't an actual flavor. I get it - its much easier to call your product "Pumpkin Spice" than it is to say "Cinnamon, Clove, and Nutmeg Spiced" or even "Fall Spice". Wait, I take that back - "Fall Spice" is easier and more descriptive. 

Thirsty Thursday | Cucumber Collins

The Collins is such a classic cocktail it even has a namesake  glass. And I'd be so bold to call the Collins the official drink to wrap up summer - especially this cucumber riff on it. 

Thirsty Thursday | Dirty Shirley

Oh, Shirley! You classy lady, you've been with me since I was a little girl. A Shirley Temple is the first drink I ever ordered at a bar. Really! My dad worked in restaurants throughout my early childhood and I remember bellying up to the bar, (before the restaurants were open), ordering this drink, and feeling like a real pro. 

DIY | Home-brewed Root Beer

It's important to try new things. We all get caught up in our normal live-work routines, our weekly do-to lists, our schedules, and calendar reminders. Routine is good, healthy even, but when is the last time you did something for the first time? Now I'm not talking about diving out of a plane or walking on fire - I just mean getting a little outside of your comfort zone; Doing something new to you culinarily is a great way break your routine.