Drinks
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Product review: Seedlip drinks
Seedlip drinks are an alcohol-free alternative for those people who enjoy botanical-based spirits. They are great simply paired with tonic or soda water or incorporated in more elaborate cocktails. Seedlip drinks Seedlip makes alcohol-free sugar-free distilled spirits based on a variety of botanicals. They can be considered a zero-alcohol alternative to gin (although the manufacturer informs they don’t use juniper in their production process so technically it cannot be called “gin”). These drinks have been produced in London since 2015 and are now available in several countries, including Australia. The currently available flavours include: Grove 42 (citrus): with Mediterranean orange, lemon peel, lemongrass and ginger Spice 94 (aromatics): with allspice,…
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Recipe: Peruvian hot chocolate
In Perú there’s no such thing as Christmas in July. Instead, we eat and drink all the wintery Christmas stuff in the middle of summer. The large Christmas eve dinner of roasted turkey (or suckling pig), applesauce and/or mash, Russian salad, rice, etc. is followed by hot chocolate and panettone. Peruvian hot chocolate is made with blocks of bitter cooking chocolate that are simmered with spices and then mixed with evaporated milk and sugar. It is not a “light” beverage by any stretch of imagination. However, when the weather cools down, our bodies crave hot beverages that provide energy and comfort. Hence, I’ve created a version of Peruvian hot chocolate…
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Is tonic water good for you?
Tonic water is a tricky beverage. It has water in the name, so it must be healthy, right? Is tonic water good for you? Unfortunately, most tonic water has high than soft drinks. This is bad news for people who like gin and tonic, like me. What is tonic water? “a carbonated beverage flavored with a small amount of quinine, lemon, and lime” (1) “a carbonated soft drink with a bitter flavour, used as a mixer with gin or other spirits (originally used as a stimulant of appetite and digestion)” (2) In case you’re wondering what is quinine, below are a couple of definitions (3) to satisfy your curiosity: “a…
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Sugary drinks
One of the simplest things you can do to change your health and waistline is avoiding sugary drinks. Liquid calories in general are a bad idea if you are trying to lose weight because they are easy to consume in large quantities. In addition, most drinks sweetened with sugar provide zero to little nutrition. What are sugary drinks? In general, any beverages that contain sweeteners with calories are considered sugary drinks. I like to go one step further and include all drinks that contain a significant amount of sugar, whether it’s naturally occurring or added. This is because, as said before, liquid calories are easy to over-consume and can become…
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Recipe: Pisco sour
This year I decided to put the last bottle of pisco I had in my cupboard to good use and made a round of pisco sour to celebrate with friends. Generally speaking, there are three types of pisco: quebranta (the least aromatic), mosto verde or Italia (the most aromatic) and acholado (a mix of both). Quebranta and acholado are the better ones for making cocktails. I used the classic ratio of 3:1:1:1 (pisco to egg white, syrup and lime juice), although some prefer a 4:1:1:1 ratio. I made a test run with water and stevia instead of syrup and found it less sweet and quite enjoyable. If you make your…
