Let’s Make a “Hurricane Cocktail” with Louisiana Rum

What a surprise to find that there is a craft rum distillery right in the heart of downtown Baton Rouge. The distillery and bar have only been open to the public since 2017, so I don’t feel too bad about not knowing that Three Roll Estate Brewery existed. We went on a tour of the distillery and sampled their six varieties of rum. Yum! That got me thinking about mixed drinks which are made using rum. I immediately thought of “Hurricane Cocktails.” These cocktails are made with both light and dark rum and a lots of tropical fruit juices. The drinks are very tasty; they can be both strong and addictive. I decided to make my own “Hurricane Cocktails” and patterned them after the ones served at the iconic French Quarter bar — Pat O’Brien’s — in New Orleans. And since the peak hurricane activity is in September, my “Hurricane Cocktails” are right on time.

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Refreshing Lemony Iced Tea on a Hot Summer Day

Here’s a refreshing and cooling beverage for the hot summer days that we are experiencing in south Louisiana. We first drank this beverage in Breckenridge, Colorado, last summer. The waiter called it an “Arnold Palmer” named after the famous golfer who ordered it so frequently on golf tournaments that is was named after him. The beverage is a twist on ice tea with a small amount of lemonade and “simple syrup” mixed in. I added mint leaves and a lemon wedge for garnish. Carefully pour the tea over lemonade and ice cubes and it makes two separate layers. The ice cubes don’t last long in this heat!. It’s a smooth and flavorful way to serve iced tea.

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Iced Coffee Frappé

Recently a co-worker treated us to a McDonald’s Frappé with caramel and whipped topping. My, it was delicious. Where have I been? Well, not at McDonald’s. Or Starbucks. I rarely stop at these restaurants in the morning for a variety of reasons. But I love a cup of coffee for a caffeine infusion to get the day going. I got the idea of making my own concoction when my husband mentioned how much he enjoyed mixing almond milk with coffee for a chilled coffee drink in the morning. I brought out the smoothie blender and began to experiment.

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Festive Satsuma Margaritas

Let’s ring in the year with “Festive Satsuma Margaritas.” I love margaritas — it is one of my favorite cocktails. This version uses Louisiana satsumas in addition to limes. The beverage is easy to make at home — no special ingredients required — except for the satsumas. But you could substitute oranges, clementines or fresh mandarin oranges. This drink is very easy on the alcohol as the satsuma juice causes a diluting effect. So if you are looking for a fruity but very “light” alcoholic beverage to celebrate the new year; this one is for you.

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Spiked Hot Mulled Cider

This Halloween I’m going to spice things up with Spiked Hot Mulled Cider. I served a variation of this recipe at my wedding reception years ago which is in November. The punch recipe is hot apple cider with spices and Burgundy wine. The warm spiced apple cider is soothing and flavorful and the red wine is not overwhelming. I’ve kept the recipe for this punch all these years and made it again this week for a dinner party.spiked-hot-mulled-cider-4-img_1559 Continue reading

The Perfect Glass of Iced Tea

A perfect glass of iced tea should be soothing, slightly sweet, chilled and with none of the bitter tannin taste of the tea leaves. We drink lots of tea the year around at our house and I have a pretty good recipe for making iced tea. Tea in general has some very interesting potential health benefits as I learned at the FNCE conference.

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