Although Labor Day is often pegged as the official end of summer, the characteristic mugginess continues long enough to still merit trips to the pool and dinnertime grilling well into September. But what kind of accompanying refreshments can you serve to fit the summertime mood of relaxation? With a bit of foresight, coupled with the willingness to work a little harder than just cracking open a can of beer, you're on your way to quenching your thirst with beverages that still speak of summer.
Mint Tea
The various types of mint -- whether spearmint, peppermint or fruit-scented varieties -- have long been known for their refreshing and antiseptic properties. In fact, my shampoo is made from mint, and after a long day of working outside, its cooling tingle is a really energetic wake-up for my scalp. Imagine that same feeling jam-packed in a glass, and you've got yourself a glass of mint tea. Not mint tea that comes in a bag, but a sweetened infusion of mint leaves steeped in water, which packs much more punch than merely making iced tea with mint tea bags.
Get yourself some mint (one of the little plastic herb containers sold at the grocery store will yield enough if you don't have your own plant) and chop it up to further release the flavor. Put it in a pitcher and pour boiling water over the mint; let steep for about 10 minutes. Keep the mint in the water infusion and let chill in the refrigerator until cold. At this point, strain out the mint and sweeten to your taste with sugar or honey. The mint flavor will be quite potent, so adding ice cubes to individual glasses not only ensures that the drink will stay cool but also helps to cut back the mint's sometimes overpowering kick.
Sun Tea
The mint infusion is one form of "tea" that is palatable for me. Growing up, my parents and I would attend crab fests, a staple of which -- besides the crabs, of course -- was iced tea. Trying to fit in, I would order it and dump in a couple packets of sugar, but I secretly loathed the taste. So imagine my surprise when my elementary school teacher made sun tea with Celestial Seasonings' Lemon Zinger tea bags. Compared to iced tea, I found its taste to be a 180-degree turn in a positive direction. To this day, I still use Lemon Zinger tea bags, usually putting three into a pitcher of water, sweetened to taste. To emphasize the lemon flavor, I also add a slice or two of lemon to the water. Once this mixture is complete, just let it sit in the sun all day -- the flavors will essentially meld together, creating a complex drink that is more nuanced in taste than iced tea. That's the true theme of summer -- letting someone else (or in this case, something else) do the work for you. Thanks, sun!
Lemonade
Possibly even greater than my love for sun tea is my love for lemonade. There's something magical about tempering the acerbity of lemons with sugar -- and making it yourself. Taste-wise, there is no substitute for making lemonade from scratch. Any commercial lemonade I try, from the stuff with unpronounceable ingredients to the simple lemon-sugar-water mixtures I see in Whole Foods, simply can't compete with the homemade version.
So next time the whim strikes, first try making a simple lemon juice and sugar base, then add enough water to turn the mixture a slight cloudy white. At this point, your lemonade should be perfect.
To shake up generic lemonade, try steeping either fresh lavender or grated ginger in the liquid for an hour or so in the fridge. Strain before serving. For pink lemonade, puree some strawberries in a blender and add to the lemonade base. I think this sure beats that chemical water called Hi-C Pink Lemonade.
Clara
Everyone likes to blab on about the countries they've visited, and I suppose I'm no exception. But in this case I speak of Spain because of the beautiful discovery I made while visiting one summer: clara. My discussion about lemonade should give enough insight to show that lemonade is one of my all-time favorites. But mixing lemonade with beer? That seemingly questionable mix is clara. In England, this half-beer-half-lemonade mixture is called a Shandy, but this combination is actually popular around the world in various incarnations.
I remember mixing some of my own and bringing it to a party a while back. When asked what I was drinking, I was met with disgusted responses along the lines of, "Those are two drinks not meant to be mixed -- blech!"
But seriously, fill a glass halfway with a crappy beer and top off with (hopefully homemade) lemonade. Although the European versions rely on fizzy lemonade, you can also substitute ginger ale if you really like your drink jazzed up with gas. I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised at the summery taste of this light drink.
For these recipes, I've purposely been imprecise on measurements. Hopefully this won't scare you away. If anything, I'm hoping that they'll lead to experimentation and potentially taste-testing the results to suit your own tastes. Summer is a time for kicking back, so why adhere to rigid rules about a cup of sugar or six ounces of water? And even as summer comes to a close, you can hopefully recreate the summertime atmosphere by trying one of these drinks.
Nora's column runs biweekly on Wednesdays.
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