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Drinks

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Drinks

Let’s put some juicy watermelon to some good use.

20 Comments on Let’s put some juicy watermelon to some good use.

caribbean watermelon daiquiriThis time of the year every grocery flyer / circular you receive in the mail normally contains amazing deals on seedless watermelons. But growing up on the islands we were not accustomed to getting seedless anything… we had to old-school it and spit out the seeds. I remember hearing the old folks say that we shouldn’t eat the seeds or we’ll grow a water melon plant in our belly. Well due my love for watermelon and it’s refreshing nature, I should by now have an entire greenhouse of watermelon plants in my belly. Unless I do which would explain my ever growing waistline.

For under $3 I picked up a watermelon over the weekend and besides cubing it as a fruit salad for Tehya and Caron, I opted to add a little “zing” to it and make a frozen drink. I figured if they made daiquiris with ripe berries, why not water melon? A quick search on Google confirmed my thoughts. So water melon daiquiri it is then…

Note: If  you were to search for a watermelon daiquiri recipe online you won’t see then using the Angostura bitters as I did. Being Trinbagonian it’s part of my culture to add a dash or two of our world famous bitters to everything.

You’ll need…

4  cups  seeded and cubed watermelon
1/3  cup rum (only use the over-proof stuff if you’re brave)
1/4  to 1/2 cup orange juice
2  tablespoons  orange liqueur (Cointreau)
4  teaspoons  powdered sugar
2  teaspoons  fresh lime juice
coupe drops of Angostura bitters (new orange flavour one is excellent).

* slice or lime or watermelon wedge for garnishing.

I sliced the watermelon into pieces (as big as ice cubes), then placed them in a freezer lock bag and set them in the freezer for about 4-5 hours. After which I placed the frozen pieces of melon in a blender, along with the other ingredients I mentioned above and puree everything together (about a minute). That’s it.. you’re done!

watermelon daiquiri

Desserts Drinks Vegetarian

An energizing mango smoothie with a tinge of orange juice.

34 Comments on An energizing mango smoothie with a tinge of orange juice.

simple mango smoothie recipeLooking back at my childhood it puzzles me as to what was our facination with imported fruits like apples, pears and grapes? It’s funny how when you move away from home you crave the things you took for granted. Like off-the-tree mangoes and oranges. Mangoes with such names as Julie, long, hog, dou dous (sp), belly full, Princess Town starch, calabash, donkey st*nes and turpentine to name a few. Today I’m stuck buying  the flavour less stuff we get in the supermarkets. Mangoes that were picked green so they could last the journey to North America and still have some shelf life.

I’m sure this will taste much better if I had the mangoes that grew in our yard as a kid, but you got to use what you have.. right!

You’ll need..

1 Cup diced ripe mango
1 cup yogurt
1 Orange (juice)
6 ice cubes
1 teaspoon honey

This is so simple! Dice one ripe mango into cubes and set aside in the freezer for about 1 hour. Then in you blender, food processor..or the magic bullet that you kinda stole borrowed from your dad, combine the ingredients mentioned above and blend (puree) for about 1-2 minutes.

how to make mango smoothie

orange mango smoothie

caribbean mango smoothie recipe

diced mango for mango smoothie

orange mango smoothie recipe

mango smoothie

tropical mango smoothie

This is so refreshing after a long summer’s day as you’re about to hit the hot tub to unwind!

BTW – I placed the diced mangoes in the freezer so I didn’t have to water-down the smoothie with too much ice. This way I was still able to keep the temperature of the finished drink/dessert chilly! If Tehya wasn’t having some of this with me, I’d add a shot of dark rum or Cointreau just for good measure 🙂

Do leave me your thoughts in  he comments box below. Almost forgot.. I didn’t have plain yogurt so I used a vanilla flavoured one which turned out to be awesome.

Drinks Seafood Side Dishes Vegetarian

Were we making ceviche all along?

49 Comments on Were we making ceviche all along?

oyster

I think I was about 9 years old the very first time I had the opportunity to sample one of the Friday night rituals in Marabella. A small town, known for it’s vibrant weekend market and the hub for oil workers after work on a Friday evening. That ritual being “oyster cocktails”. A spicy drink made from oysters harvested that day in the Gulf Of Paria (eastern shores of Trinidad). You’d go over to the stall that sold it and had to choose how spicy, how large and what type of additional seasons you wanted as you placed your order. Street food at it’s best!

The stalls would be lined up around the same area (Marabella round-about)  that had people also selling doubles, roast corn, black pudding and many other delectable delights! The hardest thing was deciding which option to go with. However, the Oyster Cocktail was merely used as an appetizer… as far as I knew. Later on I learned that the older folks considered it an aphrodisiac and those with “plans” would stop by here first before going on their mission.

It’s been more than 20 years since I last had this, so what you’re about to experience is all from memory and what I could recall tasting (ingredients). I’m sure you may have a different version and I do encourage you to post yours in the comments box below.

You’ll need…

2 large oysters

3 pieces of chives (sliced thin)

1 clove of garlic (crushed, then minced)

1/2 large tomato – diced

1 large lemon (juice)

1 lime (juice)

1/4 cup cold water

1 teaspoon ketchup

dash black pepper

dash salt (as to your liking)

1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)

3-5 leaves of shado beni or (3 tablespoons of cilantro minced)

1 habanero pepper (or your fav hot pepper)

Start by taking the oyster flesh from within the shell… if you notice there’s liquid in the shell, do keep that. Pour the oyster and any juices into a small container.

pepper-oyster-drink-trinidad

open-oyster

oysters

Now start by mincing all the ingredients into very small pieces. (garlic, chives, tomato, shado beni and habanero – include the seeds for that extra PUNCH!)

garlic-for-oyster

minced-garlic-for-oysters

minced-tomato-for-spicy-oysters

Place all the minced items in a bowl.

oyster-cocktail-recipe

oyster-cocktail

Go back to the bowl you have the Oysters in and place in on a cutting surface. Like everything else, you want to mince the 2 oysters as well.

sliced-oysters

Add everything into the bowl. Remember to get the oyster juice from the original container you had the oysters sitting in before you minced them. Now all the other ingredients, including the juice of the lime and lemon. Don’t forget the water and to taste for salt.

oyster-cocktail-ingredients

spicy-oyster-cocktail-recipe

Mix everything around and allow to marinate a bit. I usually place it in a plastic container with a screw type lid into the fridge. How to serve? Get out those fancy “shot” glasses you’ve been collecting and fill each with a shot of this spicy aphrodisiac, then just before dinner serve chilled.

p60202861

BTW, do you see the similarity to ceviche?

Drinks

The Old Man and his Mojito.

4 Comments on The Old Man and his Mojito.

mojito-recipeIt must have been about 8 years ago, we were doing a walking tour of Havana (still remember all the people trying to sell us Cohiba cigars) when our guide, full of excitement said…” I’m about to take you for a drink in a very special place”. Turns out it was the old watering hole of none other than Ernest Hemingway. I don’t recall the name of the place, after-all we had just done doing a tour of a rum factory and I did give every beverage they make a special test. I do remember being asked to fork out $4 for a drink that looked like leaves in a glass. Turns out it was a Mojito and those leaves were the essence of the drink..mint!

A Cuban Classic, the Mojito!

You’ll need…

1 1/2 oz Light Rum
3 tbsp (fresh) lime Juice
2 tsp Sugar
3 (Sprig) Mint
Club Soda

Directions
In a tall thin glass, crush part of the mint with a fork to coat the inside. Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir thoroughly. Top with ice. Add rum and mix. Top off with *chilled* club soda (or seltzer). Add a lime slice and the remaining mint, and serve.

After some digging I found the name of the joint, it’s called La Bodeguita del Medi.

havana

This pic was taken during our tour of Havana.. a very historic (Like much of old Havana) cathedral.  The Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Havana (Cathedral of Saint Christopher of Havana)

Drinks

What on the beach?

2 Comments on What on the beach?

sex-on-the-beach-drink

The first time I heard the name of this drink I couldn’t help but think..”what a rude sounding drink”. Seems like we’re still in winter, even though spring was officially announced back in March. So what do I do on a gloomy day that sucks the life out of you? I break out the boxes with our vacation pics. Then I mix up a cocktail (I really dislike that word) and relive that vacation all over again. This time I’m watching pics we took at Darkwood beach in Antigua.

The drink? Sex on the beach!


You’ll need…

1 oz Vodka
3/4 oz Peach Schnapps
Cranberry Juice
Grapefruit Juice

Directions

Add vodka and peach schnapps to a highball glass. Fill with equal measures of cranberry juice and grapefruit juice, and stir.

Serve in a Highball Glass or in that mug you purchased on the islands 🙂

Here’s a pic of Darkwood beach in Antigua…

darkwood-beach-antigua

Drinks

Non alcoholic citrus punch.

82 Comments on Non alcoholic citrus punch.

A punch with no booze? Yup! This one can be enjoyed by the entire family. But for those wild “fete” nights, be sure to add your favorite rum or whiskey (make sure it’s a cheap whisky though, so you’re not wasting it).

You’ll need…

* 3 cups apple juice or sweet cider
* 2 cups orange juice
* 1 cup pineapple juice
* 1 6-ounce frozen lemonade or limeade concentrate
* 2 quarts ginger ale
* 4 cups ice cubes
* Thinly sliced oranges, lemons, or limes, and mint leaves, for garnish

Then…

1. In a large bowl, combine apple, orange, and pineapple juices and frozen lemonade or limeade. Stir to combine thoroughly.

2. Slowly stir in ginger ale and ice cubes. Garnish with citrus slices and mint. Serve immediately.

If you really want to add an island flair to this tasty beverage, add a dash of Angostura bitters.

caribbean-citrus-punch

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