Simply pour orange juice in highball glass and then top it with a dash of syrup. It'll fall down to the bottom because it's more dense than juice, creating a cool green-to-yellow gradient effect.
Syrup slightly changes taste of juice - it rounds up the orange feeling - but it doesn't add too much sweetness, making this non-alcoholic cocktail both visually appealing and refreshing.
This green-to-yellow gradient effect is what reminded me of a ripening timeline of orange fruits, thus the name of the cocktail.
If you'd like an alcoholic version, you can always add an ounce of vodka (as the first ingredient to be poured in glass, before the juice), or you can try and experiment with blue curaçao liqueur, but I'm not sure if liqueur is dense enough (ie. more than the juice) to fall to the bottom and create desired effect. Feel free to share your experience with us, if you try this.
First of all - no, this is not a brandy for teenagers! Nor this article promotes underage drinking in any way... You see, this evening I've had a rare opportunity to sip 18-years-old rakia! Now, don't take this for granted - I am not sure for how long it aged in oak barrel - but it surely was distilled 18 years ago... As far as I'm concerned, it deserves its nickname - teenager rakia :)
It is grape rakia, or maybe even grape pomace rakia. A friend who offered me a glass of it got it as a gift, so he is not sure of it's exact origin. But, judging by the taste, I'd tell it's definitely from a grape basis.
This dark colored rakia has really pleasant, sweet aroma, mostly derived from its aging. Although many younger rakias are quite pleasant, this one is exceptionally smooth and quite tasty. You can feel hints of fruits in taste, elegantly (sur)rounded by caramel-like taste it got from aging in wooden barrel.
Since distilling rakia is a long-lasting tradition in Serbia, many people do it for their own purposes. Someone would call it moonshining, but it actually isn't - it's completely legal and most of the produced rakia is made for own purposes and gifts, anyway. Not all of produced rakia is good, but many people produce high quality spirits. It has to be said that many of those people are unaware of its actual quality. It takes some time to discover a top-quality product in all that mass of home-distilled rakias, but it's definitely worth it!
About a month ago I've written about a grape harvest and grape crushing. In the meantime wine was filtered out of crushed grapes and the whole mash (grape pomace) was left to ferment in order to be distilled into pomace brandy (komova rakia, or komovica). Well, today's the day, it's distilling time.
grape pomace, raw material for komova rakia (or komovica)
Process starts early in the morning. Although the principles of distillation are simple, it's quite time-consuming process and there are dozens of small details which demand to be taken care of. In addition, we (my father and grandfather) distill rakia in traditional way - in small copper still, which is heaten by wood, not by gas. It really demands patience, skill and a lot of experience - one person (usually my grandfather) controls the fire the whole day, while we manage other necessary tasks.
one person constantly controls the fire
Once the distilling equipment's been assembled, pomace is poured into the still, which is then closed and the pipe can be put on top, leading from still to cooling part of the equipment. Then the fire starts and soon afterwards the first distillate starts to drip out of the cooling part of the equipment. The distillate is strong at first, but it gets diluted as the process goes. The key is to monitor alcohol content using special scale in order to stop the process when it drops below a certain point. This process, called first run, is repeated for a few times, until all available pomace has been distilled.
monitoring the alcohol content of distillate that drips slowly but steadily
Second run is similar process, but with one key distinction - basis for distillation is not pomace anymore (which has been distilled in the 1st run), but the weak, first-run distillate. It is re-distilled in order to improve the alcohol content. That done, at the end of the day, you get a potent clear spirit, pomace rakia, which now has to age for certain period of time in oak barrels in order to become a delicious drink, made from pomace, something that one would never think can be used for any purpose...
It was my birthday yesterday, and some of guests asked me to make a special cocktail for them... Since I am always in hurry when I host an event at my home, because I have to serve everyone, I had to make something simple, but delicious. And that's exactly what "Above the pink clouds" is - simple, yet creamy and delicious.
I really liked it and I decided it'd be a cool birthday gift from me to all of you (especially ladies, considering the color is pink ;) )
Here's the recipe:
1oz vodka
1oz milk
dash of grenadine syrup
Shake all ingredients in shaker with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass.
Many of you are, probably, so used to Chinese food that you don't find it particulary interesting. But, considering the fact that first Chinese restaurant in my town opened just recently, Chinese food is quite new and interesting for us here... Needless to say, we rushed to try out some of their food. First, you have to understand that our (Serbian) national cuisine is based on lots of meat, and it's definitely not easy on stomach. I was really curious about Chinese food, but I didn't want to "experiment" too much :) So, for starters, I've ordered only a sour-spicy soup and algae salad. First was recommended by a friend, while the latter was solely my choice - I do like to experiment, afterall :)
Well, soup was... I lack words to describe it! It was sour, it was spicy, hot... It's best to have a glass of water nearby, just in case you can't handle that much spicyness. But, it was nevertheless really delicious! One of the best soups I've ever tasted!
On the other hand, algae salad, although visually quite appealing, wasn't something I enjoyed. It isn't bad, and it also contains some other vegetables, but the taste of algae reminded me too much of a morning at seaside... I expected those algae to be thermically altered in some way, but they weren't, so I got the impression that I'm eating them directly from sea... That's not something I enjoyed.
Anyway, our little visit to this Chinese restaurant was definitely a great experience. We'll be coming back for more and more, since menu is everything but not short :) There's just so much to try... Expect new posts soon ;)
Thanks to our reader and fellow lounger Julijana for this recipe and image. My previous post about Banana smoothie inspired her to share this recipe with us. It surely sounds and looks tasty. I'll try it out first thing in the morning - which I also suggest you to do ;) Enough with introduction, here's her recipe:
1 tsp of Nescafé
4 ice cubes (more or less, whatever suites your taste)
Sugar (also according to your taste)
4oz of (Mint & Chocolatechip) Ice Cream
4oz of milk
I usually put all the ingredients in a regular cocktail shaker and do the magic. If you prefer more foam, you can first put the ice, coffee, sugar and a few drops of water (just enough to shake it and make foam), shake it, and pour into a glass. Mix milk and ice cream and add it to the coffee mix. The ice cream is easier to mix when a bit melted/softer. You can also use the regular Nescafé hand mixer, but I prefer the old-fashion shaker. This drink is very refreshing and flexible. You can use whatever ice cream flavor you want (personally, I prefer Baileys or Mint & Chocolatechip). You can put ingredients in amounts you prefer.
Although this song is part of Morcheeba's album "Dive deep", released at the beginning of 2008., I've discovered it just a few days ago. This "discovery" coincided with first autumn rain and colder weather, and it matched my mood perfectly, like it's written for me as a part of a soundtrack of my life :) I feel that dark note in it, pale sadness, but it's still warm, emotional song, and the beat flows perfectly. Vocals are special feature, adding perfectly to this mood I am in...
But, enough about my impressions, take a listen and judge yourself... "Sit in my blue chair"... I'm certain you'll enjoy it... ;)
