Dept. of Hot & Steamy Memories. This weather reminds me a lot of the week before our wedding: after two straight weeks of frigid rain, the week leading up to our wedding was blazing hot. Remembering a few rather warm Indian weddings we'd been to where refreshments were actually served during the ceremony, we decided to serve some of our own tonics (sans alcohol) before the ceremony.
We were inspired by a few recipes from an old Martha Stewart's magazine that I'd saved thinking "these tonics might come in handy one day." That one day happened to be the big day. I still have guests from our wedding asking me for the recipes.
Here they are - written for one-serving. If you'd like to make them for eighty people, I'll send you the conversions! (Thanks, Martha!)
Peach/Chamomile Tonic
- 8 oz. cold water
- 1 chamomile tea bag
- 2 whole star anise (available at many international grocers and some supermarkets)
- 1/2 teaspoon honey, or to taste
- 4 slices of fresh peach
- Few cubes of ice
Boil water. Pour into mug or tempered glass (like a pint glass), add tea bag and star anise, let steep for five minutes, or longer for a deeper flavor. The star anise will lend a refreshing spicy flavor, and it works very well with the peach. Stir in honey. Strain and chill. Add peach slices to chilled tea and serve over ice.
Mint Lime Fizz
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 4 sprigs mint, plus more for garnish
- Few cubes of ice
- 8 oz. (1 cup) seltzer water
Mix juice, honey and mint in a tall glass. Mash the mint in the glass with the back of a spoon. Enjoy the aromas, there's nothing like fresh mint in the summer - simply the smell of it will cool you down. Add ice cubes. Pour in seltzer. Listen to the sound - this sound, too, can cool you off if you just listen. Garnish with a few whole mint leaves.
Anemone Green Tea with Honey 
- 8 oz. (1 cup) cold water
- 1 ball anemone green tea* (or 1 regular green tea bag)
- 1/2 teaspoon honey, or to taste
Boil water. Pour into mug or tempered glass, add tea and let steep for five minutes. Stir in honey. Strain and chill. Serve over ice.
*Anenome Green Tea balls are available through Serendipitea.
Enjoy making these, enjoy drinking them.. and stay cool. skgr
Thanks for these fun and cool recipes. I enjoy your casual and sophisticated take on living, do you have any other wedding tips?
And then there's shrubs:
Southern Blackberry Shrub
From Diana Rattray,
About.com Guide to Southern U.S. Cuisine.
INGREDIENTS:
* 4 cups fresh blackberries, about 16 ounces
* 2 cups cider vinegar
* 2 cups granulated sugar
* cold water
* ice
PREPARATION:
Place blackberries in a non-metal bowl or pitcher; add vinegar. Cover with plastic wrap or lid; refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. Strain mixture into a saucepan, pressing blackberries to extract all liquid. Discard solids then stir in sugar. Boil 2 to 3 minutes; remove from heat and let cool. Store in a tightly covered jar or pitcher. For each serving, combine 1/4 cup of the blackberry concentrate with 1 cup cold water; pour over ice in glasses.
Makes enough concentrate for about 12 servings.
Iced Hibiscus tea . . . also know as Agua de Jamaica
1 qt boiling water for 1/2 cup dried flowers,
boil 15 minutes and let it cool, then strain.
[Or use hibiscus tea bags]
Add sugar to taste while it's cooling.
Dilute with tons of ice to serve
I make it concentrated without the sugar so it keeps longer in the fridge, then add simple syrup to individual servings. It is a dark ruby color, and bitter - definately unsweet, as we say down south.
Mint, ginger, lemongrass, cinamon, all optional.
Epicurious has a recipe for lemonade with ginger and mint. I use less ginger and add vanilla instead. Yummy yummy...
A verrrrrry refreshing drink we had in Portugal was white port wine and tonic. Dry, slightly sweet, bubbly. So good that I just drooled on the keyboard.
San Pelligrino + elderflower syrup from Ikea
There's always the ever-popular post-sailing quaff which originated in Bermuda, the Dark & Stormy, usually made with Gosling's dark rum:
Put ice in a high ball with 2 shots of Gosling's and fill with ginger beer. Squeeze some lemon or lime juice in. Sip and enjoy.