Kim Haasarud - 101 Blender Drinks

Special thanks to Vita-Mix and my Book Club focus group. All of you were a great help. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright 2010 by Kim Haasarud. All rights reserved. Photography copyright 2010 by Alexandra Grablewski Food styling by Brian Preston-Campbell Prop styling by Leslie Siegel Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com.

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Includes index. ISBN 978-0-470-50513-7 (cloth) 1. Blenders (Cookery) 2. Cocktails. I. II. II.

Title: One hundred and one blender drinks. TX840.B5H376 2010 641.874--dc22 2009023916 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 introduction When people hear blender drink or frozen drink, they most probably think of sipping a tall, cool one while sitting on a beach, or maybe a morning smoothie. But with the mixology movement happening across the United States, along with raised awareness of local ingredients, the number of various combinations for frozen drinks is limitless. Anything can be blended, from fruits to vegetables to nuts to herbs to sparkling beverages. Throughout this book, youll find some standard classics like the Strawberry Daiquiri, Frozen Margarita, and Pia Colada, but youll also find unique combinations such as the , and frozen sangrias. I was inspired by great food chefs like Jamie Oliver, Tyler Florence, and Giada De Laurentiis and created some frozen libations around some of their dishes.

I also included some recipes from some of my mixologist friends. There are some amazing things you can do with a blender besides just blending the drink. Vitamix, one of the major manufacturers of blenders, sent me one of theirs to play around with, and I have to say, well, it was love at first sight. There are so many things you can do with it, from grinding your own spices to making specialty purees and whipped creams. You can also make your own nut milks for use not only in blended drinks but in classic cocktails as well. There are also blending techniques one can use that will create different textures and shapes of the ice.

For example, if you blend the ingredients first and then add the ice, it makes for an extremely smooth, sometimes even frothy, drink, and the ice does not water it down. Who knew? So, whip out the blender and get crackin. Before you know it, youll be singing the words of Garth Brooks: Give me two pia coladas... I gotta have one for each hand! Cheers! BLENDING TIPS Tip #1: Blending with Ice There are many types of ice, ranging from half-moons to cubes to crushed, that can be found in peoples freezers or at the grocery store, and they all can greatly affect the texture of a blended drink and the amount of dilution as it melts. Even though the recipes may call for a cup or two of ice, the best way to determine how much ice you need is just to eyeball it. The first step is to blend the ingredients first without the ice.

Then, slowly add a few cubes of ice at a time until the drink reaches the texture you want. I like my blended cocktails to be sippable, meaning that I dont have to tap the back of the glass or use a spoon to get the contents to move. The drink should easily flow out of the blender cup. If the contents immediately start to separate in the glass, you need to add more ice. If you have trouble getting the contents out of the blender cup, you used too much ice. Tip #2: Fresh vs.

Frozen Fresh, seasonal fruit that you find at your local farmers market is always best. But in some cases you can use frozen fruit, such as peaches, mango, berries, and so forth. I have found that the frozen fruit isnt nearly as sweet as the fresh stuff, so you may need to add a little sugar (or simple syrup) to taste. Tip #3: Sugar In the recipes where I call for , you can also just add regular granulated sugar, Splenda, or a number of different sweeteners including agave nectar, honey, brown sugar, Demerara sugar, confectioners sugar, sanding sugars, and so on. The blender instantly disperses them evenly. (Even some fruits can take the place of sugar, such as white grapes.) Also note that a regular recipe on the rockssuch as a Margaritarequires more sugar if youre going to blend it.

So, always keep extra on hand. SIMPLE SYRUP 1 cup sugar 1 cup hot water In a small bowl or glass, combine the sugar with the hot water and stir until completely dissolved. Let cool completely before using. Keep covered and refrigerated. Tip #4: Cleaning Always try to rinse the blender cup and base right after use. They are super-easy to cleanthe ingredients rinse right off.

However, if youre like me and occasionally leave the blender cup in the sink overnight (my bad), its much more difficult to clean and can be dangerous if you try to scrub the blades. One trick I found is to put some hot soapy water in the blender cup and blend it clean! Just make sure the lid is on tight and that the water isnt scalding hot. BLENDED EXTRAS AND SUBSTITUTIONS Syrups In addition to , there are many other syrups one can use in a blended drink. Monin is a large syrup manufacturer whose products can be found in many grocery stores. Or, you can make your own. Just use the same basic recipe as .

But, the possibilities are endless. HONEY WATER 1 cup of honey (can use any typeclover, orange blossom, buckwheat, etc.) 1 cup of water Combine the honey and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Keep stirring until the honey has completely dissolved. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to use. HIBISCUS ORANGE SYRUP 2 cups steeped hibiscus tea 2 cups white sugar 3 orange wheels Combine the hibiscus tea, sugar, and orange wheels into a large pan over medium heat. Keep stirring until the mixture starts to boil.