mocktail Archives - Use Your Noodles

Virgin Blackberry Rosewater Smash

May 7, 2020

The best refreshing drink, featuring blackberries, lime, and rosewater, is called virgin blackberry rosewater smash.

I know Spring is in its full blow but I’m already dreaming about refreshing Summer drink.

So I’m getting ready for Summer with one of the best Summer staple fruits – blackberries.

When they are in season, I freeze them, so I can use them for baking or for drinks throughout the year. If you have access to some delicious frozen blackberries or they happen to be in season, you need to make this mocktail. It’s made with smashed blackberries, some sugar, rosewater, and lime juice and topped with either water or sparkling water – whatever you prefer.

Of course, if you’re making a party and you wanna add some booze, that’s totally fine. A splash of gin or vodka would also make a great drink.

But these days, mocktails are my jam! Especially drinks with flowers. Luckily I still have some elderflower cordial from last year, although elderflowers are starting to bloom again so soon I’ll be making a fresh one 🙂

So this blackberry rosewater smash is a really easy drink to make.

After making some simple rose water syrup, just mix it with some smashed blackberries, lime juice, and water or sparkling water and you’ve got yourself the most delicious refreshing treat!

How to make simple syrup?

It’s actually very easy. All you need to do is combine the same amounts of water and sugar and cook until the sugar just dissolves. You don’t need to cook past that, it’s done. After the syrup has cooled down, add the rose water. I like to add it after the syrup has cooled so all the essential oils (and flavors!!) stay intact.

What if you don’t have rose water?

So you have no rose water, I get it it’s not something everyone has in their kitchen. That’s not a problem at all. I like rosewater because it adds such a nice flowery flavor.

So if you happen to have some elderflower or lilac syrup, you can use those too!

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Virgin Blackberry Rosewater Smash

Course Drinks

Keyword blackberry smash, elderflower mocktail, rosewater, summer drink, virgin cocktail

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 4 serving

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

Rose water simple syrup (can be replaced by 1/2 cup lilac or elderflower syrup)

⅓ cup unrefined cane sugar
⅓ cup water
4 tsp rosewater

Other ingredients

2 cups blackberries fresh or thawed frozen
2 tsp lime juice
1½ cups water or sparkling water

Instructions

In a small saucepan combine water and sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Let cool to room temperature, then add rose water and stir well.
Divide blackberries, lime juice, and rose water simple syrup into four glasses and use a muddler to pureé the blackberries.
Add some ice to the glass and pour over water or sparkling water.
Serve immediately.

Iced Beetroot Chai Latte (+ Warm Verison)

October 10, 2019

Treat yourself with an iced beetroot chai latte – a perfectly refreshing and fragrant autumn drink!

Even though it’s getting quite cold here, I still love me some cold drinks. Let me tell you a little secret. This drink is actually delicious warm as well as cold. I can’t decide which one is better but I decided to go with the iced version for this post since I just love seeing some ice cubes in a drink. They are so photogenic 🙂

So what is it?

This iced beetroot chai latte is a perfect mixture of earthiness from beetroot juice, herbal flavor from rooibos tea, spiciness from chai spices, sweetness from honey, and creaminess from milk. I don’t drink a lot of milk, it doesn’t do me well, but I make exceptions once in a while. Or I use any nut milk, which works beautifully in this recipe.

I realized I don’t drink enough beetroot juice, although I love it. So I was messing around a while ago, mixing it with some spices and teas that I love in this cold cold weather and this came out. I’m a huge fan of rooibos tea. I didn’t know it went so well with beetroot, but it’s truly a brilliant combination.

I love using beetroot in both savory and sweet dishes in the cold months. I love it grated and fried with onions as a side dish and I also love the chocolate beetroot cupcakes. I can’t get enough of them! I wanna know what you love to make with beetroot? Let me know in the comments!

On a different note, I realized that it’s been a month since I posted a recipe. I have something special coming up and hopefully, I can reveal it to all ya in a week or two! If you don’t wanna miss the big new regarding food photography be sure to subscribe to my photography mailing list and you’ll get the info right in your mailbox.

5 from 1 vote

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Iced Beetroot Chai Latte

Warm version in the notes.

Course Drinks

Keyword beet iced latte, cold drink, iced latte

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

3 cups beetroot juice
1 cup water
2 rooibos tea bags
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
5 peppercorns
5 ginger slices
2-3 TBSP honey
1 cup milk (or nut milk for vegan version)

Instructions

Boil the water. Remove from the heat and place two rooibos tea bags, cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns and ginger slices in the boiling water. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid, add honey and let cool.
Once the infusion is cooled, add it to the beetroot juice and mix well.
Pour into 4 glasses and add milk and ice cubes.

Notes

If you want to make a warm beetroot chai latte, cook the infusion as in the instructions above. Once you’ve strained the liquid add it to beetroot juice and cook just until it starts to simmer. Add honey, pour into cups and add milk.

Grapefruit-Elderflower Mocktail

June 7, 2019

Relaxing in the summer heat with a cold grapefruit-elderflower mocktail can be one of the great pleasures in life. Flowery and citrusy – the best kind!

After the elderflower cordial recipe from yesterday, I just had to make a delicious summery mocktail. Nothing beats the summer heat like a super refreshing drink. I made a non-alcoholic recipe, but I added a hint on how to make it boozy in the notes if you like that 🙂

We’re spending so much time outside now, that it’s finally hot and feels like summer is just around the corner. You know, no more long sleeves and socks… Grrr, I hate them, I truly do! The greatest time of year is when I can move my socks to the back of the closet. So yeah, we’re thinking about buying some kind of transportable cooker or grill, so that we can prepare dinners outside.

During the Winter it’s become such a nice habit to cook the dinner together with hubby and son. We really wanna continue doing this through the Summer, but we also want to be outside as much as possible.

Back to the recipe, this is another very simple recipe and it literally takes minutes to make. And if that is not enough, it’s packed with flowery elderflower flavor and has the citrusy zing of grapefruit and lime. What else could you ask for?

What if I don’t have elderflower cordial on hand?

You can use fresh or dried elderflowers just the same. Pour half a cup of boiling water over 2 elderflowers and add 1/4 cup sugar. Let steep for 10 minutes. Let cool down. Use it as the syrup in the mocktail.

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Grapefruit-Elderflower Mocktail

Course Cocktail, Drinks

Keyword elderflower mocktail, grapefruit mocktail

Servings 4 drinks

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

1/3 cup elderflower cordial (link to the recipe in notes)
3/4 cup grapefruit pink grapefruit juice
2 TBSP lime juice
1 1/2 cup sparkling water

Instructions

Mix elderflower cordial, grapefruit juice and lime juice in a jar.
Place ice cubes in 4 glasses.
Pour over the mocktail mixture and add sparkling water.
Serve immediately.

Notes

ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL RECIPE HERE
COCKTAIL VERSION: Add a shot of gin to each glass and enjoy!

Whiskey-Spiked Mulled Ginger Beer

December 18, 2018

It’s drinks like these mulled ginger beer with a hint of whiskey that create the Christmas atmosphere.

Hi guys! It’s been too long since I’ve written here. I’m not gonna bore you with a ton of details. If you want to see what’s been keeping me away from my blog, you can check my personal IG. You’ll see my little elf growing up, keeping me busy and on the move. He’s such a nice little boy an I love how he enjoys helping us in the kitchen or anywhere else for that matter. He loved to pick veggies from the garden in the summer. His favorite veggie for picking: green beans. Current obsession: baking cookies, dancing and playing with puzzles. One particular puzzle ALL DAY LONG. We’ve had to fix it multiple times it’s in such bad condition.

This was just a really short version of our life right now. And I’m so excited about the upcoming holidays. We’ve got the tree up, lights are on, decorations are up, we just need a drink to keep us warm. We’re all about spicy. Even the kiddo doesn’t mind a little heat.

This whiskey spiked mulled beer is not for kids, but be sure to check the recipe notes for a non-alcoholic version that’s safe for kids 🙂 I want my kid to be able to eat and drink with all the rest of the family, so I try and make dishes and drinks that he can enjoy too. We’ve almost entirely banned eggs since he’s allergic and you’ll probably see a lot more egg-free recipes in the future.

Okay, let’s head to the recipe. I’ve tried mulled beer when we stopped in Lithuania on our Eurotrip honeymoon. It blew my mind. Who’d have known cooked beer would be so good. After that, I tried bad ones too and I can tell you choice of beer matters a lot. I’m making mulled ginger beer, but you can use others as well. Just make sure the beer is not too hoppy and bitter because this will reflect in the mulled beer.

If you need more drinks to keep you warm during the cold winter you may want to try my Mulled Mandarin Juice or homemade Hot Chocolate.

5 from 1 vote

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Whiskey-Spiked Mulled Ginger Beer

It’s drinks like these mulled ginger beer with a hint of whiskey that create the Christmas atmosphere.

Course Cocktail, Drinks

Keyword beer cocktail, easy recipe

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 6 people

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

1 L ginger beer
juice of 2 oranges
peel of one orange
4 cinnamon sticks
6 slices ginger
4 rosemary springs
honey to taste
whiskey to taste

Instructions

Add ginger beer, orange juice cinnamon sticks, ginger slices and rosemary springs to a pot and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes then remove from heat and add honey.
Pour in mugs or heat-proof glasses and add whiskey to taste.

Notes

Non-alcoholic version: omit whiskey and use non-alcoholic ginger beer

Mango Margarita Smoothie

February 22, 2018

Who doesn’t love a simple refreshing margarita smoothie with mangos? I sure do!

Hey, it’s been a LOOOOOONG time. Way to long.

I’ve missed posting here so much. I’ve kicked myself in the rear end this week and made a plan for a few future recipes. Hopefully, I can see them through! Baby Jernej is not so little anymore. He’s standing on his own now, crawling all around the place, exploring the world and filling our hearts with all kinds of joy. If you wanna see what’s going on in our personal life head on to my personal Instagram account.

And now to the recipe. Today is National Margarita Day and I made a non-alcoholic mango margarita smoothie.

I’d say cheers, but it’s long gone.

There’s something about mangos in smoothies. Puréed mangos give such a nice smooth texture to drinks. They are one of my favorite fruits to put in smoothies, besides avocados. All due to the texture. Okay, and flavor too 😀 What are yours?

Since becoming a mom, maintaining a healthy diet has been so hard. The biggest problem for me is forgetting to eat, which I find super weird and annoying. And that’s why recipes like this are super important… Simple, easy and done in no time. I’m planning on sharing a few other recipes suitable for mom’s with little time to prep and also for little kids to enjoy. Btw, baby J tried the mango margarita smoothie and he approves 😀

Who doesn't love a simple refreshing margarita smoothie with mangos. I sure do!

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Mango Margarita Smoothie

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

1/2 mango (chilled)
3 oranges (chilled)
2 limes (chilled)
salt for garnish

Instructions

Peel mango and juice oranges and limes and blend all until smooth.
Run a lime wedge around the outside of a glass and dip the rim in some salt for garnish and taste. Pour in the smoothie.

Sparkling Basil & Blueberry Float

July 27, 2017

A perfectly refreshing and comforting non-alcoholic summer drink – sparkling basil and blueberry float.

How’s summer been treating you so far?

So far, we’ve had increadible hot weather and we finaly managed to get some vacations. We love going to the lakeside. We spent a week at the amazing lake Bohinj. I dare say it’s one of the prettiest places in Slovenia. The lake lies right under the mountains in a national park. It’s amazing to see the slopes of the mountains end at the lake shore and see the most perfect sunset behind the peaks all while swimming in the cold (but no freezing) water.

Our friends with two kids joined us there. The kids had so much fun and us adults had a lot of beer. Omg, this sounds like we were neglecting our kids, but I asure you we weren’t. Beer was necesary to beat off the heat. And the uncountable wasp attacks. Anyway, it was a great vacation, minus wasps!

Coming back home, we stepped right into the blueberry season. Not the wild ones, those are gone for a while. But they would work just as well if not better in this recipe.

Anyway, the frost completely damaged our blueberry flowers and there are barely any blueberries. My parents-in-law have a lot, though. Luckily their blueberries survived the frost 🙂

I was thinking about making another drink recipe. I haven’t done one in a while and it’s about time to have one for the summer heat. I remember seing a ton of float recipes on Pinterest. I’ve never really tried one, but I was sure vanilla ice cream and blueberries would make an awesome summer float. So I made a simple recipe, that’s both a refreshing drink and an awesome dessert. Who wouldn’t like that?!

Again my obsession with basil. I swear it’s in all my food these days. There’s just so much of it. And I like how delicious it tastes in sweet recipes. Blueberries and basil – a spot on combination. My new favorite! No really, it’s that great. You need to try the recipe ASAP.

Combine all of that with lime juice and a creamy bourbon vanilla icecream and you get the tasteiest, most delicious blueberry float. I actually saved some from the shoot in the fridge and they were just ass good the next day. Vanilla icecream turned into a creammy fluff and kept the bubbles from sparkling water right in the drink. It was just as yum the next day. Who would have thought 😀

I feel like my posts are getting shorter and shorter, but I really need to get some sleep. I’m writing this while baby is two hours in his night sleep, so I only have a few more hours to get some proper rest. He usually wakes up at half past one or around two and after that it’s a gamble. He might sleep well, or he’ll move in his bed (sleeping or not). I can’t really sleep while I hear him moving, so I’m looking forward to him getting his own room in about two or three months. He’s actaully quite a good boy as far as sleeping goes, but I wouldn’t mind a full eight our sleep. Haven’t had one in four months.

We’ll I’ve kept my babbling way too long.

Off to bed now!

Good night folks and happy Friday in a couple of hours!

A perfectly refreshing and comforting non-alcoholic summer drink - sparkling basil and blueberry float.

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Sparkling Basil & Blueberry Float

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Blueberry Purée

3 cups blueberries
3/4 cup cane sugar
3/4 cup water
juice of one lime
10 big basil leaves

Sparkling Basil & Blueberry Float

blueberry purée
400 ml sparkling water
juice of two limes
8 scoops bourbon vanilla ice cream
frozen blueberries or crushed ice

Instructions

Blueberry Purée

Place all ingredients into a skillet over medium heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Purée cooked blueberries and the liquid in a food processor and let cool at room temperature. Refrigerate before serving if preffered.

Sparkling Basil & Blueberry Float

Fill four small glasses with blueberry purée, place frozen blueberries or crushed ice over. Pour over lime juice and sparkling water and top each drink with two scoops of bourbon vanilla ice cream.

Refreshing Vanilla Strawberry Iced Tea

March 30, 2017

A refreshing spring vanilla strawberry iced tea – perfect combination of rooiboss tea, vanilla and strawberries. Keeps you cool and hydrated during sunny spring days!

I’ve made this delicious drink last week while baking the strawberry cake for my birthday. My birthday is on March 22nd and it just happens that that’s also World Water Day. I love that! I love water! Water is also my absolute favorite drink in the entire world, besides tea. I don’t actually know anyone who would drink as much tea as I do.

I’m gonna be honest with you – tea can get boring at times. Adding fruits and some ice will do the trick though. Makes it refreshing and adds a bunch of vitamins to your drink. Since I was already making the strawberry cake last week I figured why not make a strawberry iced tea. I had a ton of strawberries anyway.

Lately, I’ve been obsessing over rooibos tea, which I find so nice and sweet with a slight vanilla flavor. Besides my daily three cups of raspberry leaf tea this is the one tea I drink the most. Since it’s getting quite warm over here, I’m drinking it cold. And GUESS WHAT it’s a perfect match for strawberries. It really is! And since I’m loving the mild vanilla flavor in the rooibos, I added more vanilla, ‘cuz WHY NOT?

Yay, my favorite refreshing iced tea was born 😀

Let me know if you try it and think the same!

Regarding the prego belly. It’s still here and the baby is still very and I mean VERY lively. Doesn’t seem to want to come out any time soon, but we never know. I’m hoping for April 1st!

Seems like the last month my sweet cravings have gone over the roof. I’m eating more junk than ever and feeling so so regretful about that. I should probably stop feeling like that, because it doesn’t really do much good. I still eat junk if I feel like it. Okay, I’ve kindda managed to keep myself away from nutella. Kindda… I make pancakes for breakfast just to have an excuse to eat Nutella. Otherwise I have like five slices of bread with butter and honey for breakfast. Okay, honey is now bad, but the amount of honey is. Trust me five slices full of dripping honey is too much. But I guess the cravings will go aways eventually 🙂

Did I mention there’s honey in the strawberry iced tea? Of course there is, duh 😛

I’ve also managed to do some gardening. I’ve tranfered my little tomato seedlings to bigger pots, so they’ll have enough room to grow. The truth is, we have to buy tomatoes by the middle of July, sometimes even more. It’s seems so unfair. I’m looking at the growing plants for months before the tomatoes go red. It always seems like the wait is way too long, although totally worth it. Okay, I’m babbling. I’ll stop now.

That’s all for now! By the time I post another recipe I might be writing with one hand full of baby cuteness. If you don’t hear from me for a while, you know what happened 😉

A refreshing spring vanilla strawberry iced tea - perfect combination of rooiboss tea, vanilla and strawberries. Keeps you cool and hydrated during sunny spring days!

5 from 1 vote

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Refreshing Vanilla Strawberry Iced Tea

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

250 g strawberries
600 ml water
4 tsp red rooibos tea
2 TBSP honey
1/4 tsp vanilla seeds (from one vanilla pod)

Instructions

In a big saucepan boil water and add red rooibos tea and steep covered for 10 minutes. After the tea has finnished steeping strain it into a big jug.
Uncover and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, remove strawberry stems and discard. Place the strawberries in a blender and make a smooth purée. If you prefer your purée to be without the tiny pits, strain it through a fine strainer.
When the tea has cooled down to almost room temperature add honey and mix well. Add strawberry purée and vanilla, mix well and pour into glasses filled with ice.

Sparkling Pomelo Ginger Shandy (Virgin And Not So Virgin)

February 16, 2017

This sparkling pomelo ginger shandy is a nice refreshing drink with a little kick of spice, perfect for lazy sunny late winter days.

What do you do when you can’t have booze? Make something out of beer.

Yeah, yeah, I know many of you will say beer without alcohol is not beer at all and you might be right. Some of them taste…hmmm. How should I put it? Miserable.

But when you’re pregnant and can’t have alcohol, trust me, it’s much easier to like non-alcoholic beer. Some brands make very good ones, but I’ve also had one that tasted like a chewing gum. Uhm, not so good!

Well, it was about time to make another drink recipe, since it’s been a while now. I’m all about citruses during this winter. I don’t think I’ve eaten so many oranges and mandarins at any point in my life and a big squeeze of lemon in a glass of water is a total must. I haven’t had any pomelo, so I thought I’d put it in a sparkling beer drink with some spicy ginger and have a pomelo ginger shandy.

Pomelo is such an awesome fruit, it’s sweet like a grapefruit, but doesn’ have the bitterness, which is great for a beer drink, since beer is already bitter.

On top of all the pomelo juice, the ginger gives the drink a little heat and warms you up 🙂 That’s why I love ginger!

And pretty much everything about this drink 😀

This pomelo ginger shandy is such a nice refreshing drink for the lazy days leading to spring, sitting in the sun on a balcony wrapped in a warm blanket. Listening to bird singing starting again, such a lovely time. I’m getting sentimental.

Our balcony life (yeah, this should totally be a title of a movie) is gone during the winter, but when the sun starts to become warmer and the days get longer, we start hanging out on the balcony again. During the spring and summer it’s where we eat, play board games, read and do pretty much everything. Like, who needs the indoors, anyway?!

So, I’m very happy with the longer not so freezing cold days 🙂

And I’m happy to have this non-alcoholic drink, which can also be alcoholic, whatever you prefer. It’s a great way to pimp up your favorite beer and add some fruitiness 🙂

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Sparkling Pomelo Ginger Shandy

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 2 people

Author Anja Burgar

Ingredients

Simple ginger syrup

4 TBSP cane sugar
3 TBSP grated fresh ginger
1 TBSP pomelo zest
2 TBSP lemon juice

Pomelo Ginger Shandy

500 ml pomelo juice (juicing described in the instructions)
500 ml lager beer (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)

Instructions

Simple ginger syrup:

Add all ingredients to a mortar and make a smooth paste.

Juicing pomelo:

Pomelo is a big fruit and it's hard to juice it on a regular juicer. I peel the pomelo and remove the thin white skins, then blend it in a blender for a minute or two and use a nut milk bag or a tea towel to squeeze out the juice.

Pomelo ginger shandy:

Mix together pomelo juice and simple ginger syrup, pour into glasses and add beer.

Sober Festive Sangria

November 24, 2016

I love non-alcoholic festive sangria, especially when it tastes like winter with all its beautiful mixed fruits and Christmas spices. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do and you can prepare it ahead of time.

I love a non-alcoholic festive sangria, especially when it tastes like winter with all its beautiful mixed fruits and christmas spices. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do and you can prepare it ahead of time.

Anyone up for a festive drink?

I know, I know, it’s not Christmas yet, but we’re slowly getting in the mood. I’m already making plans for Christmas baking and seeing some lovely Christmas market. Oh, I love those! I’m not a fan of crowded places, but Christmas markets are an exception. They don’t really make sense if you’re there all alone. The great thing about them is the smell. The smell of spices and sugar accompanied by Christmas lights and friends.

I don’t know if you guys remember, but I’ve been angry about Christmas stuff being in the stores and on the streets way too early in one of the last years post. I’m over it this year… can’t really wait for December to come with all its perks.

So super excited about the almost festive time I made this very simple festive sangria with pear juice. If you prefer apple juice, that’s fine, use it. Or make it half-half. It’s not really a stick-to-it-100% type of recipe, you can totally make it your own. I’m using pear juice because I love it and I don’t drink it that often. It’s kindda hard to get in the stores, so juicing fresh pears is often the only way to go. I cheated this time 😉

Alcohol lovers, there’s none in the recipe, but if you’re up for a boozy version, you can try adding wine or some fruit liqueur.

Now, obviously there are winter spices in here! OBVIOUSLY. You can’t go without 🙂

I added some cinnamon sticks, star anises and cloves for that Christmasy feel and some ginger and peppercorns for a nice spicy kick. I just realised there probably aren’t many thing I don’t put peppercorn in, some baked goods and some cocktails, otherwise it’s there. All the time. It’s getting worse with the pregnancy, I simply can’t eat anything witout it. And apparently, I can’t drink it either. Remember the Mulled Mandarin Juice. You can find those there, too 🙂

You might think I’m crazy, but they actually make a big difference, so please please don’t leave them out. Or at least don’t tell me 😛

The fun thing about this recipe is, you make it a day ahead and when you’re ready to party, take it out of the fridge, add some sparkling water and you’re on 😀

I love simple and quick recipes!

I love non-alcoholic festive sangria, especially when it tastes like winter with all its beautiful mixed fruits and christmas spices. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do and you can prepare it ahead of time.

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SOBER FESTIVE SANGRIA

Course Cocktail

Keyword cocktail, mocktail

Prep Time 15 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

3 cups pear juice
2 cups sparkling water
2 pears
2 apples
2 oranges
1 pomegranate
3 cinnamon sticks
3 star anises
6 slices of ginger
1 tsp peppercorns
5 cloves

Instructions

Slice pears, apples, and oranges into 3mm slices or chunks as big as you like.
Remove seeds from the pomegranate.
Place all fruit, cinnamon sticks, star anises, ginger, peppercorns, and cloves in a big bowl or a jar and pour over pear juice.
Keep in the fridge for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Before serving to add cold sparkling water.

Minty Watermelon Slushie Drink

July 6, 2016

A simple, 2-ingredient refreshing watermelon slushie drink with mint.

Use Your Noodles - Minty Watermelon Slushie Drink

Hi, there!

It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me. I’ve had a bad gum infection with one week of high fever. I couldn’t eat anything but blended food. Luckily it’s almost over and I can tranfer to harder food. I’m totally feeling like a little baby while I’m writing this 🙂

So I was living of drinks like this watermelon slushie or roasted peach and strawberry fizz. Not complaining, but I wouldn’t mind biting into some chrisp bacon 🙂

A simple, 2-ingredient refreshing watermelon slushie drink with mint.

We’ve been having beautiful sunny summer days over here. Like perfect day, not to hot, not to rainy. Just perfect. Note: I was resting inside with fever. Not complainging, no.

And what says summer like a nice big juicy watermelon. It is perfect as is, but it’s even more amazing in combination with fresh mint. Trust me, you’re gonna be a huge fan when you try it!

I mean, look at this intensive red color. Like you can resist… I know I can’t. Wait a second, I’m gonna go whip one up.

…

Done!

It’s so easy and the best part is, you don’t even need to remove the seeds. The seeds of the watermelon are packed with vitamins and minerals. It would be such a waste to remove them.

I’m usually throwing the seeds out, because they are to hard to eat, but if you blend the watermelon that’s not really necessary.

And you thought you would have to work for this drink 😉

How to make this delicious watermelon slushie drink?

Easier done than said. Yup, throw chilled watermelon chunks and a few mint springs in a blender and you’ll get a super refreshing drink in seconds.

That’s pretty much it. Throw in awesome looking garnish and relax 🙂

What’s your favorite way to use a watermelon? Write it in the comments below 🙂

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MINTY WATERMELON SLUSHIE DRINK

Course Drinks

Keyword cold drink, slushie

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 kg watermelon chunks refrigerated for several hours
10 mint springs

Instructions

Blend watermelon chunks and mint in a blender to get a smooth thick juice.

Red Currant, Orange & Mint Mojitos

June 16, 2016

Perfectly refreshnig comfort summer drinks red currant, orange and mint mojitos!

Use Your Noodles - Red Currant, Orange & Mint Mojitos

Let’s have a drink!

I’m having one for sure. Hopefully, tomorrow my splint is coming off and that’s a big reason for celebration. It’s about time, I’m not really fond of walking on three legs 😛

So join me for a glass of delicious summer cocktail. One sip and you won’t be able to stop.

Perfectly refreshnig comfort summer drinks - red currant, orange and mint mojitos!

We love hanging out on our balcony listening to the birds in the cherry tree, playing board games, eating scrumptious chocolate brownies and drinking refreshing fruity drinks. One of our favorite summer drinks is mojito. In any form. We usually drink a traditional lime and mint mojitos, but sometimes we make some changes. Like adding other seasonal fruit.

There’s a big bush of red currants behind the house, full of perfectly sweet and sour tiny fruits 🙂 So I replaced lime with red currant and got a super delicious and refreshing mojito. I added some freshly squeezed orange for some sweetness and the citrusy taste. The combo of red currant and orange is not something I’ve tried before, but I must admit they make a wonderful pair.

Mental note to self – make cookies!

What I like about this cocktail recipe is the colour. If you’ve seen my other recipes, you’ve probably guessed that I like my food colourful 🙂 and seasonal 🙂

To make these lip-smacking red currant, orange and mint mojitos all you need is some fresh fruit, a bottle of rum, sparkling water and mint. And of course lots of ice!

The recipe calls for fresh red currants, that you blend into a puree, which means you keep all of the goodies from the fruit. If you don’t mind about the little seeds, you don’t need to strain the puree.

Now, let’s get the party started!

I’d love to hear what your favorite summer drink is. Write it in the comments below 🙂

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RED CURRANT, ORANGE & MINT MOJITO

Course Cocktail, Drinks, mocktail

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

MOJITOS

2 cups red currants stems removed
2 cups orange juice freshly squeezed
1/2 – 3/4 cups white rum
3 cups sparkling water
2 tsp unrefined cane sugar Optional
handful of mint
abundance of crushed ice

GARNISH

1/4 cup red currants
4 mint springs

Instructions

In a blender, blend red currants to get a pureé.
Use a muddler to crush mint to release the mint oils. Add 2 TBSP orange juice and unrefined cane sugar and muddle a little more.
Divide red currant pureé into 4 glasses, add ice, mint mixture, remaining orange juice, white rum, and sparkling water.
Decorate and serve immediately.

Notes

Mocktail version: Replace rum with orange juice.

Also try these tasty summer drinks:

Grapefruit-Lime Cocktail With Rosemary And Ginger

Roasted Peach And Strawberry Fizz

Roasted Peach and Strawberry Fizz

May 20, 2016

Delightful spring mocktail – roasted peach and strawberry fizz!

Yey, so excited about this recipe!!!

This drink to me is like pie. You know the feeling, when you take out a pie and all the syrupy juices are sizzling around the fruit? And the smell… so good 🙂 This is like a pie in a glass 🙂

And I love it!

Delightful spring mocktail - roasted peach and strawberry fizz!

This roasted peach and strawberry fizz is soooo simple. Sometimes, I can’t belive, how many great thing you can do, with so little. This is definitely one of them! 🙂

All you’ll need to do is cut peaches and strawberries in half, roast them and blend them. Then add a little apple juice, preferably homemade or organic, and some sprakling water. And there it is.

A perfect spring drink!

While we’re on the spring subject. Spring has been awfull this year in Slovenia. Ugh, my tomato, pepper and chilli plants are barely holding on in thir tiny cups, just waiting to be planted outside.

But its so COLD. I mean, I make drinks like this, just to feel like it’s spring. It’s a crime!

But good news… Today it is sunny and we’re having a big picnic party for my brother’s and friend’s 30th birthday.

Lots of people, lots of good food, beer, friends. That’s what I call spring. Hopefuly, the weather will hold and let us have the party we deserve 🙂

Now, go on… try the the recipe 🙂

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ROASTED PEACH AND STRAWBERRY FIZZ

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Cooling time 10 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

3 peaches
600 g strawberries
1 1/2 cup apple juice
1 1/2 sparkling water
abundance of crushed ice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 175 °C.
Cut peaches in half and remove the pit. Cut strawberries in half. Place the fruit on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 25 minutes.
Take the tray out and leave to cool for 10 minutes or more.
Remove the skins from peaches and blend the flesh together with apple juice in a blender to get a smooth pureé.
Blend the strawberries separately.
Divide the strawberry pureé into 6 glasses and add ice. Pour the peach and apple juice mixture over ice and add sparkling water.
Serve immediately.

Also try this refreshing drink:

Grapefruit-Lime Cocktail with Ginger and Rosemary

April 14, 2016

A cold grapefruit-lime cocktail with ginger and rosemary to take you to your favourite beach!

Use Your Noodles - Grapefruit-Lime Coctail with Ginger and Rosemary

Have you ever sat down in a nice cozy chair on a sandy beach somewhere far far away, having a waiter bringing you a cocktail whenever you ran out of the previous one. If your answer is YES – you’ve got my admiration and a bit of jealousy 😉 . I haven’t done that yet, but it is on my THINGS-TO-DO-BEFORE-I-DIE LIST. Until then, I’m making my own coctails, or if I’m feeling extra adventurous, I’ll go out and order a mojito!

This cocktail I’m showing you today is not a mojito, but it also contains white rum. Yum, right?

Well, being a fan of sunny days and cold drinks, it’s kinda hard to watch out of my window. You guessed it right – it’s raining. Blah…

Luckily, I have a whole fridge of these delicious grapefruit-lime coctails in my fridge.

Let me tell you, where the hidden trick is. It’s all in the ginger and rosemery syrup. It’s a syrup that you can prepare in advance and keep in the fridge for a week, so you’ll have it on hand, whenever you feel like having a drink. It’s a pretty simple syrup. You boil the water with ginger and rosemary let steep and add some honey.

I’m not a fan of super sweet cocktails, unless that’s because of the actual sweetness of the fruit. I normally use honey or unrefined cane sugar, because I love how they make everything taste caramely.

Why do I love this recipe so much? Because it is as delicious in a mocktail version as in the one shown in the recipe. Simply omit white rum or replace it with sparkling water and you got yourself an everyday treat!

Are you thirsty already? I sure am! 🙂

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GRAPEFRUIT-LIME COCTAIL WITH GINGER AND ROSEMARY

Course Cocktail, Drinks

Keyword mocktail, pink grapefruit cocktail

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

GINGER AND ROSEMARY SYRUP

a big chunk of ginger ~30g
10 small rosemary stems ~10g
4 TBSP honey

GRAPEFRUIT-LIME COCKTAIL

2 cups freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
1 cup lime juice
1 cup ginger and rosemary syrup
1/2 – 3/4 cup white rum
abundance of crushed ice

DECORATION

4 stems of rosemary
a slice of pink grapefruit cut in quarters

Instructions

Ginger and rosemary syrup

Cut ginger in thin slices and vigorously roll rosemary between your hands. Place them in a small saucepan and add 1 cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil, then remove from heat and leave to steep for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes add honey.

Grapefruit-Lime Cocktail

Pour grapefruit and lime juices in 4 glasses. Add ice, almost to the top of the glass. Pour over the ginger and rosemary syrup, and white rum.
Decorate with stems of rosemary and slices of grapefruit.

Notes

The recipe for the syrup is for 4 glasses. If you are making a batch, you can multiply it.
Mocktail version: Omit the white rum or replace it with sparkling water.

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