Drink

"Coole" Cream






P1020810


We first tasted Coole Swan Irish Liqueur last year when we attended Fare Plate in New York City. It is a beautiful creamy white with a slightly lighter taste than Bailey’s. While I still love Bailey’s, try out a bottle of Coole Swan for a change up.

Our new ice cream maker has been an inspiration: I have made peppermint chip, “healthy” avocado dark chocolate, and now my own Coole Swan Ice Cream. This ice cream goes fast in our house, so be warned: it is highly addictive stuff!

Recipe
Note: recipe is formulated for a 1 ½ quart ice cream maker. We bought the inexpensive Cuisinart ICE-21, which we are pleased with so far.

Ingredients
• 1 cup of whole milk
• 2/3 cup of granulated sugar
• A scant 2 cups of heavy cream
• ½ cup chilled Irish cream liqueur (preferably Coole Swan)

Whisk the milk and sugar together in a medium sized bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add in the heavy cream and whisk gently (you do not want to thicken the cream at all). Cover and chill in the fridge for 2 hours or more.

After at least 2 hours, set up and turn on the ice cream maker (look at your ice cream maker instructions/ ours must be running before pouring in the mixture).

Gently pour in the milk, sugar, heavy cream mixture. Run the maker for 15-20 minutes. Add in the chilled Coole Swan during the last two minutes. Alcohol impedes the freezing process, so you need to add it towards the end. My ice cream was fairly soft and some of the liqueur did not mix in, so I poured it into a chilled glass container, stirred it and popped it quickly into the freezer for a few more hours. It was perfect!

Easy to eat on its own or try in one of the recipes below!


P1020836




Swan Sundae

• 2 scoops of Coole Swan Ice cream
• A dollop of hot fudge sauce
• A dollop of whipped cream (Using a handheld mixer, I whipped up the leftover heavy cream from the recipe and it worked great.)
• Sprinkle of chopped pistachio nuts

Arrange all of the ingredients in a bowl and serve immediately.



P1020844




Coole Swan Affogato

• Strong ice coffee (I made espresso, added cold filtered water and then chilled it. Cold brew would also work well)
• A scoop of Coole Swan Ice cream
• A dollop of whipped cream
• Generous sprinkle of cinnamon (delicious with the Coole Swan- amazing together!)

Scoop the ice cream into a glass and pour the coffee over it (works with hot espresso too). Put the whip cream on and sprinkle the cinnamon over it.


P1020808

Stone Wall

The ingredients you'll need

With spring well underway, we thought it was appropriate to celebrate with a refreshing, easily-made cocktail. This is a slightly different version than the classic Stone Fence, a colonial-era drink noted for being a favorite of Ethan Allen. Word has it that he and “the Green Mountain Boys” filled up on a mix of rum and hard cider the night before attacking the British-controlled Fort Ticonderoga.

We’ve added some orange bitters and a nice helping of cinnamon sugar around the rim of the glass, which makes it a sweet and tart treat. We also changed the name to Stone Wall in recognition of a song that Conor’s Uncle Jack used to sing, “the Old Stone Wall.”

Ingredients

  • Good quality rum
  • Hard cider
  • Orange bitters
  • Cinnamon sugar

Directions

Rim a rocks glass with cinnamon sugar by wetting the rim with water and dipping the glass rim into the cinnamon sugar. Drop in a few cubes of ice.

The ratio of cider to rum is 3-1. For a single glass, for example, use 2 ounces of rum and 6 ounces of cider. Add one or two dashes of orange bitters, stir and enjoy.

A Stone Wall cocktail

Cinnamon Cream Martini

Cinnamon Cream Martini

Nothing beats Irish Cream Liqueur and milk. However, we were looking for something that cut down on the milk (since it does not always agree with Libby), and we also wanted a bit of a twist on this classic combination. So we came up with the idea of using almond milk and some cinnamon. Turned out absolutely delicious we are happy to report.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces of Irish Creme Liqueur (Baileys works, of course. I love Kerrygold Irish Creme and Coole Swan, but they are not as easy to come by).
  • 2 ounces of Vanilla Almond Cinnamon Milk (see instructions below)
  • 2 tsps of sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tbs of cinnamon
  • Splash of Irish Whiskey

Directions

1. You need to make the cinnamon milk about an hour ahead. Pour 2 cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk into a small saucepan on medium heat. Stir in the cinnamon and sugar. As you heat, stir often and make sure not to boil. When the cinnamon has mostly dissolved and it is steaming, strain into a container using a fine sieve. Put in the fridge for 30-45 minutes to cool. Store the unused milk in an airtight container for up to 10 days.


2. In a shaker with ice, combine the Irish creme, 2 ounces of the cinnamon milk mixture, and the splash of whiskey. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Another way of enjoying is to keep the cinnamon milk warm and add in the other ingredients for a hot drink. The cinnamon milk is also great as a non-alcoholic beverage.




Strawberry shrub

Strawberry shrub

Under categories, I’ve labeled this Strawberry shrub as quick and easy. Though technically it takes several days, the prep is about as quick and easy as it gets, so I feel vindicated.

Let’s start with the definition of a shrub. Some of you might know a shrub as a mix of fruit juice and liquor, but vinegar is a fine substitute and it’s what I’m using here. I like to have some around at parties so teetotalers have something interesting from which to choose. It not only makes a refreshing soda type beverage, but it can also be an ingredient in alcoholic drinks as well (sangria, gin fizz) or in salad dressings, desserts or even sweet and savory dishes.

Shrubs have been around for centuries and were originally a way of preserving summer flavors through the winter. The two mainstays of this basic shrub syrup are sugar and vinegar. Obviously the type of vinegar you choose will affect the end results, but for me, the fun comes in choosing the flavor. For ease I’ve chosen fresh strawberries. You can try substituting other flavors as well, like citrus - lemon/orange (avoid lime); peach; apple, berries, or combinations thereof. Then try to pare a vinegar to match your flavor, apple cider vinegar for apple shrub, for example.

Keeping a ratio of 1-1-1 is the trick. I’ve used 2 cups of strawberries, 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of vinegar - simple. And you won’t believe the results - unique and delicious. You can vary the strength by adding it to seltzer, which is my favorite way to use this. You can have anything from mildly flavored to strong and sweet with a hint of tart. The vinegar indeed comes through, but it is remarkably refreshing with the sugar to balance things out.

The acid in the vinegar helps to preserve the syrup, but it should still be kept in the fridge nonetheless.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups strawberries (I used frozen for convenience. They’re generally picked at their peak and frozen soon afterward.)
  • 2 cups raw sugar (Feel free to use refined, but the hint of molasses gives it a little more interest for me.)
  • 1¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ¾ cup apple cider vinegar

If frozen, thaw the strawberries enough to be able to slice. Slice or mash the strawberries a little bit (quartering them is enough). Mix the strawberries and sugar in a bowl, cover and place in the fridge for two days, stirring a couple times along the way. Stirring will help to mix the sugar into the berries as the whole concoction “melts.”

Remove the bowl from the fridge, strain out the strawberries, making sure to push down on them to extract as much syrup as you can. Discard the remaining berries. They will be fairly broken down. This will leave a syrup. Stir in the apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar and place the mix in a jar or sealable bottle. Store in the fridge for two more days or until the sugar is fully dissolved.

Mix into seltzer at whatever ratio you like, top with ice and enjoy. Then try variations of the recipe: red wine vinegar, ginger, peaches, plums, pomegranates. Experimentation with such a simple recipe is a fun way to try new flavors. One of my favorites is 2 cups of blueberries, 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1 cup of red wine vinegar - fruity and smooth.

Strawberries and sugar
Strawberries mixed with sugar

Strawberries and sugar after two days
What strawberries and sugar look like after two days

Ready to mix
Ready to mix the syrup with the vinegar

Bottled strawberry shrub
Bottled and ready to add flavor at a moment’s notice

Chocolate Blackcurrant Smoothie

Chocolate blackcurrant smoothie


Most people aren’t aware that the Irish are among the biggest consumers of chocolate per capita in the world. Forbes ranked them number three behind Germany (#2) and Switzerland (#1). It’s easy to understand when you realize that Irish chocolate is also among the best in the world.

We’ve combined the Irish love of chocolate with one of the country’s favorite berries, the blackcurrant, and created a delicious frozen treat. The blackcurrant is a tart berry and fares well with the added sugar in jams. It is the backbone of one of the country’s most popular beverages, Ribena, which we’ve used as flavoring in this smoothie. It’s also used as an herbal medicine in Europe and is catching on in the States for good reasons. High in Omega-6 fatty acids, it helps to reduce inflammation in the body, is sky high in antioxidants, has 3-4 times the vitamin C of oranges based on serving weight and can help lower blood pressure. Combine those superfood qualities with the anti-oxidant power of pure cacao powder and the nutrient dense, fiber and protein rich, antioxidant knockout punch of chia seeds and you’ll have reasons to smile at this sweet concoction.

Keep in mind, Ribena contains a fair amount of sugar, so we couldn’t list this as a healthy drink.

Ingredients (makes two 14 once servings)

  • 1 frozen banana (break banana into 4-5 segments before freezing)
  • 2 tablespoons cacao powder
  • 1 teaspoon chia seeds
  • 1½ cups Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, chilled
  • ½ cup Ribena Blackcurrant Concentrate (sold in some international aisles), chilled
  • 7-8 ice cubes

Combine ingredients in blender, placing the harder items on top. Blend until smooth.

Irish Mint Martini and Shamrock Smoothie

irish-mint-small


Balance is an important aspect to eating, and here, it is embodied in two distinct drinks – although they do share my latest obsession with peppermint oil. Cannot get enough of the stuff.

The martini is for the St. Patrick’s Day party; the smoothie is a cure for the hangover after the party!

Irish Mint Martini

Put ice in your martini shaker.

Ingredients (serves 1)

  • 1 ounce of Amaretto
  • 1 ounce of Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur (or another Irish Cream)
  • 2-3 ounces of organic milk (amount depends on your flavor preference, I like 3 ounces)
  • ¼ teaspoon of organic peppermint oil
  • 5 drops of green food coloring (optional)

Shake it up, pour into a chilled martini glass, drink immediately, and repeat.

Shamrock Smoothie Hangover Cure


irish-mint-smoothie-small


Alcohol robs the body of B vitamins, so start March 18th out right with this Shamrock Smoothie. It contains spinach, which is great for cleansing and boosting some B vitamins. Banana contains a load of B-6 and vitamin C for immunity. Peppermint is also great for digestion. Maca powder (optional) boosts immunity and contains B vitamins – and gives you an energy kick. Note: please check with your physician if you are taking any medications before using maca, and avoid peppermint if you have heartburn due to GERD.

Ingredients (serves 1)

  • 1 ½ cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • Large handful of organic spinach
  • ½ -1 tsp of organic peppermint oil (depends on how much you love peppermint)
  • 1 banana
  • 3 ice cubes
  • 1 tsp of vanilla paste or vanilla extract
  • 2 pitted medjool dates
  • 1 tsp of maca powder (optional)

Blend in a high-powered blender until smooth and drink.


smoothie-ingredients-small
Shamrock Smoothie ingredients