The drinks I prepare have a very important purpose: to quench the considerable thirst caused by the Texas heat. Many of these refreshing concoctions put to good use the fruit and herbs that grew around us when I was a kid: lemons, limes, mint, and strawberries. And while I love to drink wine with dinner, I don’t otherwise drink much alcohol. My friends, on the other hand, adore cocktails, so many of my drink recipes can be adapted to include liquor. I gravitate to ice-cold, fruity, citrusy concoctions that are delicious with or without a shot of flavored rum or vodka. Even hot apple cider, which is my favorite drink around Christmas, is enhanced for some by a nice shot of rum. The rich smell of cinnamon and apples warms the spirit as much as sipping it warms the body.
The limes we grew in Texas are almost a hybrid lemon-lime and we used them to make “ades.” It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized other people usually used lemons, not limes. This is the recipe I grew up with, and it works just as perfectly with the limes you can buy at the store as it did with the limes we grew.
MAKES ABOUT 7½ CUPS; 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
Juice from 8 limes (about 1 cup)
½ cup sugar or to taste
Ice, for serving
1. In a large pitcher, place 6 cups of room temperature water along with the lime juice and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Place in the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour. Divide among 4 or 6 glasses and serve over ice.
We felt so fancy and elegant as children, sipping “virgin” strawberry daiquiris out of beautiful glasses. I still enjoy these without the rum, but when I do add it, I always choose a flavored rum for the delicious tropical fruit flavor it adds.
MAKES 3½ CUPS; 2 TO 3 SERVINGS
5 ounces frozen strawberries
½ banana
1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade
½ lemonade can (6 tablespoons; 3 ounces) of coconut, banana, or pineapple rum (optional)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
About 12 (3½ cups) ice cubes or as needed
Up to ½ cup fresh orange juice, or to taste
1. In a blender, place the strawberries, banana, and frozen lemonade. Fill the empty lemonade can halfway with rum and add it to the blender with the sugar and ice. Blend until well combined and slushy. Add orange juice to thin the mixture if necessary or more ice cubes to make it thicker.
2. Divide among 2 or 3 glasses and serve.
We had lemon trees and mint all over our ranch when I was a kid. I don’t remember when I tasted the two together for the first time, but since then I’ve never liked lemonade any other way. For kids or anyone not drinking alcohol, it’s a fabulously festive and beautiful nonalcoholic treat. Or add a shot of rum or vodka to each glass and make a cocktail out of it!
MAKES 3 CUPS; ABOUT 4 SERVINGS
FOR THE LEMONADE
½ cup sugar
¼ cup hot water
½ cup fresh lemon juice (from 4 lemons)
FOR MINT LEMONADE (2 SERVINGS)
About 12 (3½ cups) ice cubes
1½ cups lemonade, plus more if needed
6 to 7 sprigs of fresh mint, plus more for garnish
1. To prepare the lemonade, place the sugar and hot water in a 2-quart container. Close tightly and shake until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon juice and enough cold water to make 3 cups total. Shake until well combined.
2. To make 2 servings of mint lemonade, place the ice in a blender—it should fill the blender about halfway. Pour over the lemonade. Pull the leaves off the mint and add to the blender. Puree until well blended and slushy. If too liquidy, add more ice and puree; if too slushy, add a little more lemonade and puree until well blended.
3. Pour into two 12-ounce glasses. Garnish each with a mint sprig and serve immediately.
FROM AUNT ELSA’S KITCHEN Citrus fruit such as limes, lemons, and oranges should always be stored at room temperature. Don’t try to juice citrus that has been stored in the refrigerator; it does not release its juice as readily when it is cold.
In the South, we mean it when we offer you a tall glass of sweet tea—it is sweet! This is the real thing, infused with help from the hot sun and sweet enough to put a smile on anyone’s face. Make sure to add the sugar right after you bring the warm tea in from the sun so it’ll dissolve completely. Once the sweet tea is mixed, keep it refrigerated and discard it if it appears at all cloudy.
MAKES 8 CUPS; 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
8 bags black caffeinated tea
8 cups filtered water
¼ to ½ cup honey
¼ to ½ cup sugar
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Ice, for serving
1. Wash a clear, glass pitcher in hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly. Place the tea bags in the pitcher and add the filtered water. Set in the full sun until the tea is nicely dark, 1 to 2 hours. Remove and discard the tea bags.
2. Add ¼ cup honey and ¼ cup sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Taste and continue to add honey and sugar until the tea reaches the desired sweetness.
3. Add the lemon slices to the tea and serve over ice. If not serving immediately, store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.
FROM AUNT ELSA’S KITCHEN Just float the lemon slices in the tea; don’t squeeze the lemon juice into the full batch. The lemon juice alters the balance and acidity of the tea causing it to taste “off.” Of course, once the sweet tea is served, folks can squeeze the lemon into their own glasses if they’d like.
Traditionally, Long Island Iced Tea is made with clear liquors and a splash of cola to give it an iced tea color. Instead, my version depends on a fabulous vodka that my friend Virginia from Alabama gave me: sweet-tea-infused vodka from a small distillery called Firefly.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
Ice
2 tablespoons silver tequila
2 tablespoons sweet-tea-infused vodka
2 tablespoons light rum
2 tablespoons triple sec
2 tablespoons gin
Juice from 3 small lemons (6 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ to ¾ cup cranberry juice
2 lemon wedges
1. Fill a shaker with ice, and pour in the tequila, sweet-tea-infused vodka, rum, triple sec, gin, lemon juice, and sugar. Shake for about 20 seconds, until the shaker is freezing cold on the outside. Fill 2 pint glasses about three-quarters with ice, then pour the cocktail mixture over the ice.
2. Top off with enough cranberry juice to make the drink the color of iced tea. Garnish each glass with a lemon wedge and serve.
This is a Christmas favorite at my house, perfect for everything from big holiday parties to a quiet winter night at home. Sometimes I put a batch of it on to simmer just because its delicious fragrance of warm spice and apple fills the house and makes me happy.
MAKES 8 CUPS; ABOUT 6 SERVINGS
½ gallon apple cider
2 3-inch cinnamon sticks, plus more for serving
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Cinnamon sticks, for garnish
1. In a Crock-Pot place the apple cider, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. Heat over low heat until hot, about 30 minutes.
2. Serve hot in mugs; place a cinnamon stick in each mug as garnish.
