I have to admit I’ve been on an iced drink kick lately. Shanghai’s muggy weather and our lack of AC makes it hard to muster up enthusiasm for standing in front of a hot stove. Lately I have just been whipping up quick pasta dishes, then rushing to the freezer to pull out ice cubes for a cold drink.
Lemonade is hard to beat as the de rigeur summer beverage. That is, unless we’re talking about lemonade with alcohol. Basic lemonade may be necessary for an afternoon in front of the laptop, but come nightfall, I’d much rather have something like Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Vodka-Thyme Lemonade. I have never been to Perry St. in NYC where this is served, so I can’t say how this recipe compares to the actual version. What I can say is that it’s pretty simple if you account for the few hours for making thyme-infused syrup.
Just make sure to hide this from the kids.
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Vodka-Thyme Lemonade
Adapted from Perry St., New York, via Food & Wine Cocktails 2007
Makes 1 drink
1 tablespoon sugar
3 lemon wedges
Ice
1/4 cup Lemon-Thyme Syrup*
1 ounce vodka
Splash of club soda
A few thyme sprigs
*To make Lemon-Thyme Syrup: Bring 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cup sugar to boil. Stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, add 1 handful of thyme springs, cover and let stand for 2 to 4 hours. Add 3/4 cup lemon juice and strain. Syrup can be refrigerated for up to a week.
To make lemonade: Moisten the rim of a highball glass with a lemon wedge and coat lightly with sugar. Fill the glass with ice cubes.
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the remaining lemon wedges with the Lemon-Thyme Syrup. Add ice and vodka and shake. Strain into highball glass and top with club soda. Garnish with thyme sprigs and serve.
While Lulu Almond Drink is indeed, as we found last month in Beijing, wonderful:
http://appetiteforchina.com/blog/lulu-almond-drink
we found something even more remarkable in a simple restaurant in Beihei Park: Hot Coke with Ginger. When my wife was bold enough to order one, we got a large mug of hot coca-cola with about a full inch of finely shredded ginger floating on it. More ginger than coke, but an absolutely mouth-watering combination. Trust the Chinese to come up with a winning combination westerners would never have thought of.
I have never heard of hot Coke with ginger…now I’ll be on the look-out when I go to local restaurants!
Looks exquisite :D
Looks amaze! Saw this recipe as shared by FarmboxLA. I had a similar drink at trendy ABC Kitchen in NY and was thinking of trying to make it at home– now I know how!