Drinks Archives | The Vanilla Bean Blog

rhubarb lemonade

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 21 May 2017 16:44:04 +0000

I took a much needed trip to Winona last weekend – my husband surprised me for Mother’s Day and sent me to a bed and breakfast, along with my old college roommate (and still dear friend), Kate. Kate and I lived together for several years in Winona, so we spent most our time walking around the Winona State University campus feeling nostalgic and dreamy, and catching up on everything. So much has changed since our time there, yet so much is still the same. We ate and drank plenty at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse as well, and guzzled down this rhubarb lemonade after a long stroll. After arriving home I immediately emailed Colleen for the recipe, and she graciously shared it with me. A trip to Winona always involves a date with Larry and Colleen, and they kindly invited both Kate and I over for dinner. It was an incredibly warm evening for May, so we all sat outside, along with their son Erik, sipping vodka lemonades and nibbling on all the goodness Colleen had waiting for us. The Wolner’s house is rather magical, and if you’ll allow me to pull out some nerdery, I’d say it rather has a […]

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Two Easy Holiday Drinks

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 23:52:34 +0000

A few weeks ago the kind folks at Martha Stewart Living sent me their new copper bar set. I’m not much of a mixed drink kind of person, more like the ‘1/2 beer with dinner’ type, even though I do have a cabinet stuffed full of liqueur bottles. These, however, are used almost exclusively for baking. I decided to live it up just a little this December; trade the beer in for something more sassy, and put the new set to good use with holiday drinks. I met Ben from BET Vodka at Molly’s fabulous brunch a few weeks back, and he donated a bottle to make some drinks with. I took a fancy to his beautiful vodka bottles at the brunch (I also had a delicious drink made from it), and thought it would go well with pomegranate juice and ginger ale. Turns out it does. Then I received a few bottles of wine from Seven Daughters – I have had a good number of glasses of it over at the Faux Martha’s house, and knew it would pair wonderfully with something simple. Orange juice and Moscato happened at a recent family gathering, and everyone loved it. These two […]

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Hemingway’s Daiquiri

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 15:51:19 +0000

The Sun Also Rises was the first Hemingway novel I read. His short stories made a brief appearance in my high school career but were instantly shelved; the subject matter was a too dark for a 16-year old ray of sunshine who secretly still read Nancy Drew mysteries. The Sun Also Rises is rather bleak as well, but there was no choice about reading as a five page paper was required to go along with it. I read the book in an entire day (that pesky paper was due the following morning), and found myself equally loving and hating Hemingway. He is genius about throwing in the most brilliant sentence or two just when you least see it coming. He sneaks it in so well, weaving it into conversation or description so quickly and quietly in his unpretentious prose. It will derail you in a put-the-book-down-for-just-a-minute-I’m-having-an-ah!-moment kind of way, and then you’re back, half caring about characters and storyline, mildly depressed and needing a drink. My brother-in-law Dave came over recently and made Hemingway’s daiquiri. There’s nothing sweet or slushy about his version, but I think that’s appropriate. Grapefruit juice, lime juice, rum, and maraschino liqueur are all shaken together […]

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rhubarb raspberry fizz

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:10:37 +0000

Instead of simmering the rhubarb and raspberries with honey, I’ve added the honey to the warm juice after it’s been cooked and strained. I found this gave it a more ‘clean’ honey taste. I thought 2 tablespoons was the perfect amount – it still left a little bit of tartness to the drink. Feel free to add more if you’d like it sweeter. If you want to make the juice ahead, remember that honey will firm up in the fridge, and you will have to gently reheat the mixture to loosen the honey. Sugar could be substituted, although I would include it in the simmering stage. A tablespoon or two of minced ginger would be lovely here, and strawberries or blueberries would make a nice substitution for the raspberries. A splash of bourbon is also excellent! I made this with both club soda and ginger ale, and liked it both ways.

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frozen Frangelico coffee with maple cream

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 07:14:00 +0000

I have only recently become someone who likes to have the occasional alcoholic beverage. Throughout my preteen and young adult years it was common to hear phrases such as ‘goody two shoes’ hurled at me by friends and enemies alike; however, I’ll save delving deeper into those stories for a much sadder day. The only thing you need to know now is that although the thought of not being in complete control of everything my evening activities absolutely terrifies me, I do enjoy a drink. Usually I opt for a nice cold beer or Crispin hard cider, but this sassy number has my name all over it. It’s the perfect potion: frozen, slushy coffee, hazelnut liqueur, and whipped cream infused with maple syrup, all in one tall, beautiful glass. Cheers to you, to me, to things that only make us stronger, and all of life’s funny little hang ups. Frozen Frangelico Coffee with Maple Cream Martha Stewart You can double the amount of heavy cream and maple syrup, making this an extra awesome dessert type drink. I might have done that. I think honey would also be a good substitute for the maple syrup – you might not need as […]

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black tea lemonade

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 01:57:00 +0000

we opened two halves of a miracle, congealed acid trickled from the hemispheres of a star, the most intense liqueur of nature, unique, vivid, concentrated, born of the cool, fresh lemon, of its fragrant house, its acid, secret symmetry. -Pablo Neruda Black Tea Lemonade 8 cups of water 5 tea bags of a strong, black tea (I usually use Irish Breakfast) 1 12-ounce can of frozen lemonade concentrate Boil 8 cups of water on the stove top. When you’ve reached a rolling boil, add the tea bags. Let the tea bags boil in the water for 3-5 minutes. Turn the burner off, and let the tea steep in the water for at least an hour. Pour the frozen lemonade concentrate into the tea and mix well. You are ready to serve! If you need to drink it right away, add lots of ice to your glass to get it wonderfully cold. Otherwise, refrigerate and drink when needed.

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