Club Soda | I Can Cook That

Limoncello Whiskey Sour

Before I go into my recipe for a Limoncello Whiskey Sour, I have to tell you about the upcoming event that inspired it!

My favorite outdoor event of the year is nearly here – Flavors on the Avenue! I am such a fan of this event that I even moved to be closer to it! (I’m only half kidding, but I most certainly did move to the Passyunk Square area partially because of the amazing shops and restaurants.)

Flavors on the Avenue is inspired by East Passyunk’s former Flavors fundraiser held under a tent each year. In 2017, the event went from under the tent and into the street. Adding to the original food and drink offerings, the event now includes family activities, music and retail sidewalk sales. Flavors on the Avenue will be held this Sunday, April 29th, and covers five blocks, lasting six hours starting at 11am.

Craft beer, wine and seasonal sips will be available. Look for drinks to be sold by select restaurants out on the street, plus stop by and visit the new Founders Brewing Co. Tasting Tent. Food will be specially priced between $3.00 and $6.00 (average) and be pay-as-you-go from individual restaurants.

Participating restaurants and eateries, along with their menus, include:

Barcelona Wine Bar – Vegetable paella
Bing Bing Dim Sum – Roast pork sandwich, cold noodles
Brigantessa – Sausage with giaroinviera relish with aioli
Cantina Los Caballitos – Pork tacos, ceviche
chhaya – Fried chicken and waffles, iced coffee
El Sarape Restaurant – Tacos al pastor, cemitas, pina coladas and homemade water: Jamaica and horchata
Essen Bakery – Mini za’atar croissant stuffed with labneh cheese.
Filitalia International – Penne with gravy and meat/cheese sandwiches
Fond – TBD
ITV Philly/Laurel – Pork Skin with Sour Cream and Onion
Izumi – Gyoza (pork dumplings)
Le Virtù – Palotte cac’e: egg & pecorino croquettes, tomato, basil
Mamma Maria Ristorante – Pasta primavera and chicken cutlets
Manatawny Still Works – Whiskey cocktail, Gin cocktail, vodka cocktail, Sly Fox beer
Noir Philadelphia – Rice balls, poutine (French fries with potato gravy), meatballs w/marina sauce, watermelon salad
NOORD eetcafe – Bitterballen, poffertjes
Paradiso Restaurant – Arancini
Pistola’s Del Sur – Seafood ceviche
P’unk Burger – Swiss and bacon slider, cheese burger slider, hot dog, shoe string fries
Redcrest Fried Chicken – Spicy chicken slider, fried chicken slider and vegan slider, spicy vegan slider
Saté Kampar – Nasi Lemak (rice, peanuts, anchovies cucumber, chilie sauce), Rendang Nasi (beef stew, rice,carrots, cucumber), Nasi Ayma Kurma (chicken potatoes and rice), Teh Tarik (hot milk tea), Coconut Water
Stogie Joe’s Tavern – Meatball sandwiches and pizza
The Bottle Shop – Variety of beer (12-16 ounce)
Vanilya Bakery – Chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, ice cream sandwiches
Will byob – Quiche – Bacon and Spinach
The Chilly Banana (food truck as part of Nice Things Handmade show

I’ve written posts about this event for years now, including recipes for Pomegranate Tom Collins Cocktails, Watermelon Feta Salad, and Charred Ramp Arancini inspired by offerings at past Flavors.

This year, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite new-ish additions to E. Passyunk, Manatawny Still Works, that I’m thrilled is a part of Flavors on the Avenue this year. Manatawny Still Works opened a tasting room on E. Passyunk late last summer and has been a welcome addition to the Avenue.

I am a big fan of their whiskey, specifically their ever-changing small batch options. Their Coffee Whiskey (Batch #16) didn’t last very long in my house at all, and their latest Pennsylvania Whiskey isn’t going to last much longer!

It’s actually one of a few tasting rooms on East Passyunk. There is also a store, Pollyodd, that sells multiple flavors of Limoncello. So I thought it might be fun to make a cocktail using both – a Limoncello Whiskey Sour!

A traditional Whiskey Sour is made with lemon juice, simple syrup, and of course, whiskey.

Limoncello tends to be on the sweeter side, so I thought it would be a perfect substitute.

Ingredients (serves 2):

3 oz Manatawny Still Works Pennsylvania Whiskey
2 oz Pollyodd Limoncello
The juice of 1 lemon (about 1 oz)
splash club soda
ice
maraschino cherries and lemon wedges, for garnish

Continue reading Limoncello Whiskey Sour

Blackberry Gin Fizz

It’s been a little while since I shared a cocktail recipe! I’ve been meaning to make this Blackberry Gin Fizz cocktail since I saw a version of it in the June issue of Cooking Light.

A “fizz” is a cocktail that includes an acidic juice (lemon or lime usually) and carbonated water. Fizzes typically also use egg whites in the recipe to add some extra froth on top.

I absolutely love gin fizzes, they are a perfect warm-weather drink. I used the Cooking Light recipe for a Blackberry Gin Fizz as a starting point, but adapted it slightly.

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh blackberries
2 tablespoons sugar
the juice of 2 limes (~2 tablespoons)
10 tablespoon gin, divided
2 large pasteurized egg whites, divided
2 tablespoons half-and-half, divided
1 cup chilled club soda, divided
Mint sprigs, optional

Continue reading Blackberry Gin Fizz

Pomegranate Margaritas

You can never have too many festive cocktails to help you celebrate this time of year, don’t you think, especially one that uses in season fruit, like these Pomegranate Margaritas!

This recipe for Pomegranate Margaritas makes a beautiful drink, perfect for small gatherings!

I made my own juice for this recipe (instructions below) but you can just purchase pomegranate juice at your grocery store to make this a super quick recipe.

Ingredients: (makes 4 servings)

Lime wedge, plus more for garnish
Coarse Kosher Salt
Ice
4 ounces white tequila
2 ounces Triple Sec or Cointreau
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
the juice of 1 lime
Club soda, to taste

Continue reading Pomegranate Margaritas

Grilled Peach Old Fashioned Cocktail

Note: I was sent a Coyote Outdoor Grill to participate in the #CoyoteChallenge. All opinions are mine alone.

I am absolutely loving my Coyote Outdoor Grill; I have been grilling anything and everything I can find! To see some of my other recipes I’ve made using my beloved grill, check them out here. This time, I wanted to branch out and find recipes that you may not necessarily consider making on the grill.

I found this awesome recipe for a Grilled Old Fashioned from Damaris Phillips (Food Network). How does one grill a cocktail? Well, you grill the fruit that goes into it!

I kept to the recipe for the most part, but added in some peaches for extra flavor because my husband loves all things peach and ended up with this recipe for Grilled Peach Old Fashioned Cocktail. I also substituted in Rye Whiskey to suit our personal tastes. Feel free to use your favorite bourbon of choice instead.

My friends and I loooooove Old Fashioned’s so I was thrilled to find a new version of our favorite cocktail. I make a mean Fizzy Old Fashioned that is a perfect “punch” for groups of friends; it’s not nearly as strong as a typical Old Fashioned, but the bourbon taste is still very present.

Ingredients:

1/2 orange, cut into slices
12 pitted cherries
1 peach, cut into quarter slices, with the stone removed
Cooking Spray
5 tablespoons turbinado sugar (such as Sugar in the Raw)
3 dashes bitters
1 (750-ml bottle) rye whiskey (such as Bulleit Rye)
1 liter club soda, cold or blood orange soda, cold
ice

A quick note for my gluten-free friends. Rye whiskey, obviously derived from rye, is gluten-free. The distilling process removes the gluten proteins. So drink away!

Continue reading Grilled Peach Old Fashioned Cocktail

Sparkling Honey-Ginger Bourbon Lemonade

When I have friends coming to visit, I like to make a batch of cocktails beforehand so that I have a pre-made refreshment to serve. Lemonade-based drinks are a favorite of mine: I’ve made a Rhuby-Lavender Lemonade as well as a Bourbon-Peach Lemonade in the past.

So to keep my trend going, I decided to make this Honey, Ginger Sparkling Lemonade with Rosemary and added in some bourbon. (My friends are big bourbon fans, if yours aren’t, vodka would work as an easy substitute). I changed the recipe a bit to fit my tastes, but you can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup local honey
1/2 cup water
the juice of 5 lemons, plus the zest of 1 lemon
the juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup minced ginger
10 full rosemary stalks
2 1-liter bottles of club soda
1 1/2 cups bourbon
Ice cubes

Note: Bourbon does include grains that contain gluten. However, distilled alcohol is considered gluten-free because the process of distillation removes the harmful gluten protein, which is why I have this recipe listed as gluten free. If you are highly sensitive to gluten, bourbon may be off limits for you.

Continue reading Sparkling Honey-Ginger Bourbon Lemonade

Pom Collins Cocktail

It’s that time of year again, East Passyunk Avenue’s “Flavors of the Avenue” is almost here! From noon to 4 pm on Saturday, April 26, the best of East Passyunk’s restaurants will be offering samples of their signature dishes and drinks.

Twenty eight restaurants are participating, including: Belle Cakery, Birra, Brigantessa, Cantina Los Caballitos, Chiarella’s, El Zarape, Fond, Fuel, Garage, Ippolito’s, Izumi, Laurel, Le Virtu, Lucky 13, Mamma Maria Ristorante, Marra’s, Ms Goody Cupcake, Noir, Noord, Palladino’s, Paradiso, Plenty, POPE, Stateside, Stogie Joe’s, Townsend, Tre Scalini and Will BYOB.

General admission for the Food Tent opens at 1pm and includes Skinny Girl wine and Samuel Adams beer. Outside of the tent enjoy a free street festival with live music by We Are Fauna and The Drive-Ins, vendors and the April Showers craft show at the Fountain hosted by Crafty Balboa.

Tickets are $30 for General Admission but are going fast, so be sure to pick up your tickets ASAP! VIP tickets are actually already sold out!

I attended a media night to sample some of the offerings and am so excited for the main event. I attended the actual event last year and it did not disappoint! I have a review of some of the samples I had during the media event but also wanted to share my version of a drink recipe that was served by Stateside called a Pom Collins cocktail – a spin on a Tom Collins with pomegranate juice. Unfortunately this delicious drink will not be served at Flavors of the Avenue … you’ll have to stop by Stateside after to enjoy it!

Pom Collins Cocktail:

2 oz gin
1 oz pomegranate juice
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1.5 tablespoons basil simple syrup (recipe below)
2 oz club soda
ice
basil, for garnish

Basil Simple Syrup:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fresh basil

Continue reading Pom Collins Cocktail

Lower Calorie Sangria

Last year, I gave my dad sangria for Father’s Day. He loves sangria, so I thought I’d make it a yearly thing.

This time around though, I was also trying to sneak something by him. Instead of using sugar in the sangria, I used Monk Fruit In The Raw, a natural substitute. My father is diabetic, and Monk Fruit In The Raw is diabetic friendly (according to their website, “Monk Fruit In The Raw contains less than one gram of carbohydrates (by food exchange measure) and may be used in conjunction with food programs for people with diabetes as well as with guidelines for people with diabetes who use carbohydrate counting.”)

Now, I understand sangria in itself is not exactly diabetic friendly. But he is able to enjoy a glass or two once a year. The real reason I am trying the Monk Fruit In The Raw within the sangria is to see if he can taste a difference. You see, not only is he diabetic, but he is what some refer to as a “super taster.” He can tell you the secret ingredient in a recipe, and knows whether a wine is worth drinking. But, boy can he be picky too.

Unlike stevia, which leaves behind an aftertaste, Monk Fruit should be undetectable. So this is the first test to see if I can sneak Monk Fruit In The Raw into future recipes for my dad. So what is a Monk Fruit? Monk Fruit is a vine-ripened fruit found in Asia that kind of resembles a tiny watermelon. Monk Fruit In The Raw is made from Monk Fruit extract, which is about 300 times (!) sweeter than sugar. To make it measurable for consumption, dextrose (a natural bulking agent) is blended with the extract. Monk Fruit In The Raw also comes in a Bakers Bag, which is measurable cup-for-cup like sugar (in volume, not weight). The Bakers Bag contains Maltodextrin, which is also a natural bulking agent, that does not change the flavor of the sweetener. I used the Bakers Bag for this recipe.

Lower Calorie Sangria Ingredients:

1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (~3 oranges)
1 bottle Rioja wine
1/4 cup Monk Fruit In The Raw (Bakers Bag)
1 apple, cored and sliced
1 orange, thinly sliced and quartered
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 limes, thinly sliced
club soda, to taste

Continue reading Lower Calorie Sangria

Matzo Ball Soup

One of my favorite parts of learning to cook is having the chance to learn about cultures through different foods. I love paging through cookbooks that contain recipes I’ve never tried and learning something about the history and tradition behind these recipes. In preparation for Passover, I was sent a copy of The New Jewish Table, written by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray of Washington D.C.’s Equinox Restaurant. The cookbook takes traditional Jewish recipes and turns them into beautiful modern dishes.

The cookbook is filled with a ton of re-imagined comfort foods, and is broken into seasons to make the most of seasonally available product. The last few pages of the book also has suggested menus for Jewish holidays. I hope to cook through the Passover menu over the coming days because it all sounds so delicious (besides the gefilte fish, sorry haha.)

The Grays’ have filled the cookbook with personal stories and notes throughout that give a family feel and a background to their traditions which is a really nice touch. Each recipe is also labeled by type of recipe to make it easy to keep kosher: dairy, meat, parve, or mixed. Todd Gray’s childhood traditions are also present throughout the cookbook and include a few nods to traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. (I particularly liked these recipes because, well, what is more comforting that food from the Pennsylvania Dutch?)

This cookbook almost reads like a memory book and is filled with wonderful stories, photographs, and obviously recipes. The New Jewish Table would be great for someone who is interested in learning about Jewish traditions through food and those who have grown up with these traditions and are looking for a fresh update to their family favorites.

I decided to make the recipe on the cover, called “Not Exactly Aunt Lil’s Matzo Ball Soup.” The recipe is a more polished version of Ellen Kassoff Gray’s Great Aunt’s soup. It has noodles in it, but to make it for Passover, this version below has omitted them. Todd Gray’s spin on this traditional recipe turns a comforting dish into a truly beautiful dish. I altered the dish very slightly, but my version is below. To see the original recipe, be sure to pick up a copy of this cookbook.

This recipe falls into the “meat” category. It is also appropriate for Passover.

Ingredients:

Caramelized Shallots:

2 cups chopped shallots
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 teaspoon salt

Matzo Balls:

3 large eggs
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1/4 cup club soda
1 cup matzo meal
1/2 cup chopped Caramelized Onions (above)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

One 3-pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)
1 large yellow onion, quarterd
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 small carrots, chopped
1 medium turnip, chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch parsley, washed and blotted dry
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
12 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon salt

Garnish:

2 cups finely diced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup finely diced turnips
1/2 cup sliced scallions, both green and white parts

Continue reading Matzo Ball Soup

East Side Cocktail with Basil & How to Make Caraway Vodka

Whenever I have a cocktail, I tend to lean towards refreshing drinks, usually with gin. But while visiting friends in New York, we went to a cocktail bar that used caraway vodka in a drink. (Caraway has an anise flavor to it and is frequently used in baking. It is commonly used in rye bread and most versions of Irish soda bread.) So it adds a really nice earthy flavor to any drink. I decided to make my own to use in refreshing cocktails. I also used it to make a version of my favorite cocktail: the east side, which is essentially a gimlet. (Every drink seems to just be a variation of yet another drink).

Ingredients to make caraway vodka:

2 cups vodka (I used a cucumber vodka for more flavor)

2 tablespoons caraway seeds

Ingredients to make cocktail:

2 oz caraway vodka

1 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

1 basil leaf, chopped

ice

club soda

Making your own flavored vodka is really easy. Just take a jar and fill it with 2 cups vodka and 2 tablespoons caraway seeds. Allow to sit for at least a week. Strain and store for future use. I used cucumber vodka as a base which made a pretty awesome flavor combination.

A traditional east side uses cucumber and mint muddled together then mixed with gin, simple syrup, and lime and topped off with club soda. My version is just as refreshing, but uses some of summer’s other favorite fresh ingredients, lemon juice and basil, paired with my homemade caraway-cucumber vodka.

To make, add ice to a cocktail shaker and add the caraway vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, chopped basil, and ice. Shake and strain into a glass. Top with club soda. If desired, garnish with a cucumber or a lemon twist.

You can also serve the drink on the rocks, which I prefer (the ice keeps it nice and cool to keep it super refreshing).

If you are a fan of more citrus over sweetness, omit the simple syrup. You can further customize the drink by muddling the basil before adding it to the drink to release more flavor into the cocktail.

Everything about this drink screams summer. I wish I had made the vodka earlier in the summer so I could have had this all season. Sigh. Instead, it will just have to be my way to keep a little summer going on all year long!

White Wine Sangria Pops

I was at a restaurant on Long Island that had a drink they called a “lushee” which was basically a frozen sangria. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Pure brilliance. I told a friend about this and we knew we had to make our own, what could possibly be more refreshing on a hot summer day? I was recently sent a cookbook that actually one-upped the concept of the lushee: a White Wine Sangria Popsicle.

The book, Poptails, by Erin Nichols of Erin Cooks, is filled with sixty pops inspired by your favorite alcoholic beverages. Recipes range from classics like a gin and tonic to fancy favorites like a cosmopolitan. There are even some awesome dessert pops like cherry cheesecake and banana split.

I was in love with this book before I even received it. What an amazing idea! Who wouldn’t want their favorite drink in iced pop form? The recipes had me imagining all of the lovely get-togethers I could have: a brunch with iced coffee and bloody Mary pops, a pool party with strawberry basil martini pops, or Christmas in July with spiked eggnog, mulled wine, and Christmas cheer pops. Sigh.

Anyways, I kept thinking back to those lushes and knew I had to try the white wine sangria pops.

I tweaked the recipe within the book a bit. For the original recipe, pick up a copy of this fun book!

Ingredients:

1 bottle white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)

1 liter flattened seltzer water

1/4-1/3 cup cranberry juice (I used cranberry hibiscus)

1 tablespoon simple syrup, or to taste

1 pint raspberries

1 pint blackberries

1 pint blueberries

Note: You’ll need ice pop molds and Popsicle sticks to make these.

I wanted to start this post with the definition of seltzer, club soda, tonic water, and sparkling water. Because I always manage to mess these drinks up. And no wonder: club soda, seltzer and sparkling water are all water infused with carbonation. These can all be interchanged. Tonic water is something a bit different, it is still a carbonated water, but quinine is dissolved into the water as well. It’s quite a bit more bitter so be sure to use club soda/seltzer/sparkling water in this recipe. Or for a bit more sweetness, a lemon-lime soda would work.

Make sure to allow your seltzer water to flatten. Don’t forget this step! Unflattened carbonated beverages will explode when frozen. And that sounds like an awful waste of white wine sangria if you ask me. The book suggests opening your seltzer 8 hours prior and popping it into your fridge in a place it won’t spill.

Combine the wine, flattened seltzer water, cranberry juice, and simple syrup. I used lemon simple syrup to give a touch more flavor. Feel free to add some lemon zest to add a little extra. Add whatever mixture of berries you’d like to the pop molds. I went for one raspberry, one blackberry, and a few blueberries per pop. Fill each mold ¾ of the way full with the mixture; you need to leave a small amount at the top to allow the liquid to expand.

Note: you’ll have some extra sangria that won’t fit in the pop molds. This is so you can enjoy your creation before waiting 24 hours 🙂

Add popsicle sticks, cover, and freeze for approximately 24 hours.

To remove from the molds, fill a bowl larger than your pop molds with warm (not hot) water. Add the mold to the bowl for 15 seconds then gently pull on the top of the ice pop stock. If the pop does not release, add the mold back to the water for another 15 seconds, repeat this process until the pops come out of the molds.

These pops were refreshing and a little bit tangy. I wanted a bit more sweetness though, I might add more simple syrup next time I make them. I also would add a bit more cranberry juice so that the pops turn a very light pink color, which would probably look really nice.

What’s nice about this recipe is how adaptable it is. You can add or subtract whatever fruit makes you happy. You could use a sweeter wine, or even a (flattened) champagne. My friend made this recipe using white grape juice instead of cranberry.

There are plenty of other creative pop recipes within the pages of this book. I love the element of fun that the popsicles add and can’t wait to try more of these yummy recipes!

Yum

White Wine Sangria Pops

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 24 hours, 15 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 bottle white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
1 liter flattened seltzer water
1/4-1/3 cup cranberry juice (I used cranberry hibiscus)
1 tablespoon simple syrup, or to taste
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blackberries
1 pint blueberries

Instructions

Make sure to allow your seltzer water to flatten. Don’t forget this step! Unflattened carbonated beverages will explode when frozen. And that sounds like an awful waste of white wine sangria if you ask me. The book suggests opening your seltzer 8 hours prior and popping it into your fridge in a place it won’t spill.
Combine the wine, flattened seltzer water, cranberry juice, and simple syrup. I used lemon simple syrup to give a touch more flavor. Feel free to add some lemon zest to add a little extra. Add whatever mixture of berries you’d like to the pop molds. I went for one raspberry, one blackberry, and a few blueberries per pop. Fill each mold ¾ of the way full with the mixture; you need to leave a small amount at the top to allow the liquid to expand.
Note: you’ll have some extra sangria that won’t fit in the pop molds.
Add popsicle sticks, cover, and freeze for approximately 24 hours.
To remove from the molds, fill a bowl larger than your pop molds with warm (not hot) water. Add the mold to the bowl for 15 seconds then gently pull on the top of the ice pop stock. If the pop does not release, add the mold back to the water for another 15 seconds, repeat this process until the pops come out of the molds.

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Berry Sangria

I have a bunch of fruit left over from my Berries with Lemon Mint Syrup. It’s a lovely warm weekend in Philadelphia which immediately made me think of sangria. What a perfect way to use more of these berries!

Ingredients:

A bowl full of mixed berries (strawberries, hulled, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries)
1 1/2 cups of triple sec
1 1/2 cups cranberry juice (I used cran-raspberry juice)
1/2 cup simple syrup (left over from my Mojitos)
1 bottle of white wine
1-2 cups ginger ale or club soda, to taste
Ice cubes
Mint, optional

Continue reading Berry Sangria

Strawberry-Mint Mojitos

There are few things more refreshing on a hot summer day than a mojito. My CSA share came with mint this week as well, so mojitos sounded like a perfect drink for this little heat wave we are experiencing in Philadelphia. I didn’t want to just make a classic mojito so I was happy that the CSA share came with strawberries as well.

Ingredients (per serving):
1 teaspoon simple syrup
2 fresh strawberries, halved
Mint leaves from 1-2 sprigs
Sparkling water (club soda)
1/2 lime
2 ounces light rum
Ice

To make simple syrup, combine 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water in a saute pan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Cool.

Prepare your strawberries. Remove the stem from the strawberries and cut in half.

Add the juice from 1/2 a lime, two strawberries (4 halves), 1 teaspoon simple syrup, and the mint leaves to a glass.

Using a muddler or the back of a spoon, muddle the ingredients together. Muddling is crushing ingredients to allow the flavors and oils to be released and combine.

Add two ounces rum and ice, and shake to combine. Fill with sparkling water.

This is so refreshing. I made mine with very little simple syrup; I prefer my mojito to be more minty than sweet. Feel free to adapt the amount of each ingredient to your tastes. This recipe can also be changed to use watermelon, raspberries, or whatever else sounds good to you.