One Kitchen, Many Cultures

/Drinks (Page 6)

Drinks

Showing: 31 - 36 of 42 Articles
Desserts Drinks

Guinness Punch.

13 Comments on Guinness Punch.

This is one of those “big people” drinks we enjoy in the Caribbean and it’s rumored to give you extra energy and vitality  in the bedroom. I’m sure as you make your way up and down the Caribbean islands you’ll find variations to this Guinness punch recipe, so use this one as a base and feel free to give it your own personal touch. Add some vanilla ice cream, maybe an egg and I’m sure some freshly grated orange zest will add more excitement to this drink.

You’ll Need…

1 Guinness
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup milk (2 %)
8 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk *
pinch nutmeg
1 cup ice
2 drops Angostura bitters
pinch cinnamon

This is so easy and quick to put together it will become one of your go-to drinks when you’re looking for a little excitement in your life. Basically all you have to do is place all the ingredients mentioned above in a blender and give it a good pulse and you’re good to go.

Remember to not overfill your blender or risk it overflowing as you blend it together (can go foamy). The idea is to have a rich, creamy drink with a lovely sweet undertone. You may need to adjust the condensed milk to satisfy your liking. Serve immediately for best results.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Drinks

The Ultimate Caribbean Rum Punch.

31 Comments on The Ultimate Caribbean Rum Punch.

When most people think about the Caribbean (if you’ve never lived on the islands) one of the things which comes to mind is sipping on a cold glass of rum punch, decorated with slices of fresh fruit while sitting taking in the rays on white sandy beach (or a swim-up bar at an all-inclusive resort). Truth be told, rum punch is not as common a drink with locals as you would think. A more classic drink would be rum and coke or if you were in Cuba, a Mojito and if in Puerto Rico, it would be Piña Colada.

I’m going back to my “ultimate” series and in doing so, give you what I think is the perfect rum punch recipe.

 

You’ll Need…

1 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups grenadine syrup
2 cups rum (Caribbean rum)
1 cup coconut rum
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups orange juice
5-8 drops of Angostura bitters
dash nutmeg

Orange slices, for garnish
Pineapple slices, for garnish

Notes. The traditional way of making rum punch is to use a strong white rum, but I much prefer a dark rum as I love the undertones you get from it. If you don’t have Grenadine, use a simple syrup or if you have a cane juice syrup that would work well also. Be sure to add crushed  or cubed ice before serving.

The only real work here is to squeeze the limes for that freshly squeezed juice we need (you’ll need about 8 limes).  Basically all you have to do is add all the ingredients mentioned above into a large container, mix well and put in the fridge to chill.

If you’d like you can also add 1 cup of carbonated water to the mix before serving for that extra zing.  Then pour into your serving jug or punch bowl, add some ice and watch your guests hover around as they enjoy what is sure to be the ultimate rum punch. Remember to garnish with slices of orange to make everything look pretty. Speaking about punch bowl, I recall my mom had one and to this day I’ve never seen any punch in that thing. My dad used it for tossing receipts and other things from his pocket.. that’s where you’d also find our house keys as well.

Do remember this holiday season to partake in the beverages in moderation and NEVER drink and drive. BTW, you’ll get about 10 cups of rum punch from this recipe and more if you add the carbonated water and ice.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Drinks

How To Make The Most Refreshing Mauby Drink.

32 Comments on How To Make The Most Refreshing Mauby Drink.

 

Mauby is one of those classic refreshing drinks you’ll find throughout the Caribbean. Other than freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juice, we’d have a tall glass of mauby with our beloved “Sunday Lunch”. As I’ve  mentioned before, the biggest meal of the week in the Caribbean is usually the Sunday lunch, so it’s one of those fond memories we have of growing up on the islands. With a unique sort of liquorice flavor, mauby must be enjoyed cold to really appreciate it… especially on a hot day. You can certainly find the mauby concentrate sold under many labels in the Caribbean, but nothing beats making your own from the ‘bark’ which is easily available in most West Indian food marts.

In this recipe I’ll show you how to make your own concentrate which can be stored in the fridge for the next time you get a craving for this lovely drink. All you’ll have to do is add water and sweeten to taste and you’re good to go.

 

You’ll Need…

4 cups water
10 mauby bark
2 cinnamon sticks (small)
2 (4 inch) pieces of orange peel (dried)
nutmeg (see note below)
3-4 cloves

Note: If cinnamon is not your thing, you can leave it out but note that it does add a nice overall flavor to the drink. The nutmeg is totally optional.. if you have a whole one, simply crack off half and add it to the brew (half).

In a deep saucepan place all the ingredients and on a med/high heat, bring it to a boil.

You now have two options. If you’re intention is to make this mauby juice immediately, allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes. If you’re like me and in no rush, all you do is allow it to go for 5 minutes at a rolling boil, then turn off the stove, cover the pot and allow it to steep for about 5 hours. I usually allow it to steep overnight for best results. Both options gives you a mauby concentrate. All you have to do is … for every cup of concentrate add 2 cups of water, then sweeten to your liking. For the perfect glass of mauby, I usually sweeten with cane sugar and hit it with a couple drops of Angostura bitters… top with crushed ice and a slice of lime or lemon!

* Strain and store in a glass (or plastic I guess) in the fridge.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Drinks Holiday Recipes

A Refreshing Spiced Caribbean Sorrel Drink.

58 Comments on A Refreshing Spiced Caribbean Sorrel Drink.

When our daughters were younger I remember that whenever anyone was coming to visit from Trinidad and Tobago they always had a few bottles of Sorrel Shandy in their suitcase for them. Especially Tehya, who felt grown-up drinking from a bottle which looked similar to a beer bottle. My memories of sorrel (the drink and not the salad greens) is one of much joy, especially since it’s a drink most people from the Caribbean associate with the holiday season around Christmas.

My mom and dad would always plant sorrel between their corn and pigeon peas in the garden and come the later part of the year is when the flowers would be in full bloom and ready for harvesting. The flowers of the plant is what’s used for making the sorrel drink. In the recipe below I’ll be using dried sorrel which is commonly available in most West Indian and some Asian markets as I couldn’t source fresh sorrel petals. This will also serve to prove that sorrel does not have to be a drink enjoyed around Christmas time as the dried sorrel works just as great as the fresh stuff and is available all year long.

Before we get to the recipe I must mention that if you use less water and no sugar (as mentioned in the recipe) you can make a concentrated syrup, which you can bottle and keep in the fridge for quite a while. Then all you do when you’re ready for a refreshing glass of sorrel on a hot day, is to pour some out, add sugar and water and you’re good to go.

You’ll Need…

2 cups dried sorrel
8 cups water
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 stick cinnamon
1 cup sugar (see note below)
4 cloves

Note: I started off with 1 cup of sugar, but ended up using 2 cups. I only mentioned 1 in the recipe since your tolerance for sugar will be a bit different than mine. This way we have a starting point to which you can use as a gauge to add more (to your liking).

This is a very simple recipe, which does need a bit of time and patience since the sorrel must steep to release all it’s wonderful flavors.

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot, then add all the ingredients to the pot. Bring back to a boil and reduce the heat to a rolling boil. Allow this to boil for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover the pot and allow this to steep for at least 4 hours (overnight would be best).

Next up, strain the contents into a juice jug and add more sugar as needed (see note above). You can store this in the fridge for about a week… if you don’t finish it before then.

* You can certainly add more cinnamon and cloves if you want to give it a more ‘spiced’ flavor and if memory serves me correctly, I believe my dad would also put some dried orange peel when boiling. I add my sugar when the water is hot so it dissolves faster… just my way of doing things. If you want a grown-up version you can always add a shot or two of dark rum or vodka to your glass.

Here’s the video I did when I put this sorrel recipe together:

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Desserts Drinks

Peanut Punch For Two.

49 Comments on Peanut Punch For Two.

peanut punch (6)

There’s been a number of requests for a peanut punch recipe, so I caved in today and finally got around to putting one together. My dad who’s one of my go-to people when I’ve never made something before, is wintering in the Caribbean so this recipe cost me a long distance call. And though his recipe calls for using custard, which I didn’t use… you’ll be amazed at how simple, quick and how delicious this drink is. Peanut punch is one of those drinks that we tend to associate with sexual prowess in the Caribbean and it’s said to be good “for the back”… thoughts?

This recipe will yield enough for two people or one greedy person 🙂 You can always make more by doubling the recipe.

You’ll Need…

8-10 cubes of ice
2 tablespoon peanut butter (smooth or chunky – your choice)
1 cup milk (again your choice – I used 2%)
1 tablespoon condensed milk (Sweetened)

Note: Once you’ve made this basic or traditional peanut punch you can experiment a bit by adding some of these ingredients…
– dash vanilla essence
– ripe banana
– dash nutmeg
– honey
– granola

* If you don’t have condensed milk, you can add sugar or honey as your sweetener or a combination of both.

You’ll need a blender or as I did, a magic bullet. Start by placing the ice in first. This way the condense milk and peanut butter will go on top of it and not settle on the bottom where the blades will not reach.

After the ice I put in the peanut butter, followed by the condense milk and milk. Then blend for about 30-40 seconds until everything breaks down and is incorporated evenly.

peanut punch

peanut punch (2)

peanut punch (3)

peanut punch (4)

peanut punch (5)

peanut punch (6)

peanut punch (7)

You’ll have a delicious, very filling, creamy and frothy drink. Serve immediately to make use of that ice we crushed during blending. Above you’ll notice that I listed some additional ingredients you can use as you become a bit more experimental. I would suggest adding one or two to start and go from there. For a more filling peanut punch, you can add the ripe bananas and/or granola I mentioned above.

My favorite memory of peanut punch other than the tetra packs my mom would have in her parlor, was going to visit my god father on Saturdays at his “chinee” shop in Princess Town, where he had peanut punch in the sort of fountain that had all the freshly made drinks. His fruit punch was also deadly!

Do leave me your comments below and don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter and how can we forget the huge selection of cooking videos you can watch.

Drinks

Rich and creamy Punch-de-Creme.

32 Comments on Rich and creamy Punch-de-Creme.

trinidad recipesChristmas for me growing up in the Caribbean was not as much about gifts and the shopping madness that seems to take over the spirit of the season in North America. It was more about food, family and fun times. The lovely aroma you’d get Christmas eve all the way past Boxing day as homes were engulfed with stews, curries, soups, baked meats and wonderful cakes and pastries being baked. Boxing day was pretty close to that childhood memory this year, as we were celebrating my mom’s birthday so there were lots of goodies being prepared.

As our guests arrived and made their way into the “action” I noticed that one of my cousins had brought me a bottle of Punch-de-Creme that my aunt (her mom) had made just in time for Christmas. Punch-de-Creme is one of those things you’d only get around Christmas time, and though this is not a “kid” drink… as kids we did sneak a sip or two whenever we got the chance.

Punch-de-Creme is basically a rich creamy drink that’s infused with strong rum for that added kick. It’s like the Caribbean version of Bailey’s. I didn’t get a chance to speak with my aunt for the specific recipe she uses, but after many drinks were shared that night…  just about everyone had a recipe to share with me on making Punch-de-Creme. Add booze and people will instantly become experts at just about anything.

From all the “ole” talk, here one I think would produce a great final drink…

You’ll Need…

3 eggs
Peel of one lime
2 ½ c condensed milk
3 c evaporated milk
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp ground clove
1 tbsp. vanilla essence
2 tsp Angostura bitters
1 cup rum. (use more for a real “kick”)

* Note: The traditional way to make this is with with strong “over proof” rum, but feel free to use the 40% proof rum that seems to be the norm in North America. I also noticed that some people preferred to use dark rum, while others liked using white rum. The choice is all yours… or what you may have available.

Note: Since I don’t like using eggs in it’s raw state, this recipe calls for gentle cooking of the eggs (almost custard like)

Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, put in the lime peel and beat until fluffy. Now remove the lime peel, add the evaporated milk, and mix thoroughly.  Pour into a the top pan of a double boiler and cook, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens and coat the back of a wooden spoon.. Remove from the heat, pour into a mixing bowl and add all the other ingredients except the rum and bitters.  The final step… Ensure that the mixture is thoroughly cooled then add in the rum and bitters and mix.  Bottle immediately.  Serve chilled or on ice.

Store in the fridge!

trinidad Punch de Creme

Punch de Creme

Since as I mentioned this was gift I received from my aunt, I don’t have the normal step by step pics I usually post with every recipe. I do apologize for any inconvenience. The pic of the gingerbread house in the background was built by our middle daughter, Tehya. Added it to the background for the festive mood.

Happy Cooking

Chris…