My favorite energy drink

Before a water polo game, Brett Johnson and his teammates like to prepare themselves mentally and physically with a jolt from their favorite drug in liquid form.

“It’s like crack; it’s addicting,” he says of his favorite energy drink, Monster.

Caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world and it is infamous for its energy boost and mild addictive properties. Energy drinks that contain high doses of caffeine are quickly gaining popularity with the younger generation.

Last year alone, $2.3 billion was spent on energy drinks and one in five college students had consumed energy drinks in the past year.

Charleen Essling, a nutritionist, is very concerned with the possible lasting effects of consuming energy drinks.

“Kids have never had access to so much caffeine in soda form before, when it’s mixed with all that sugar and carbonation. It’s just not healthy,” Essling said. “This generation is going to be the guinea pigs.”

Conversely, Dr. Aurora Saulo of the University of Hawaii believes that there are no adverse effects to caffeine, as long as it is in moderation, about 300 milligrams per day, which is what the Food and Drug Administration says is safe.

“Even the World Health Organization says consumption of caffeine in moderation is okay,” Dr. Saulo said. “Common sense tells you that if you go over moderation, you are taking a risk.”

Dr. Saulo, who often advises food manufacturers, admits that there is some controversy over caffeine.

“Caffeine is a food safety issue. It is one of the hotter topics,” she says.

According to CNN, a Colorado high school banned the energy drink Spike Shooter after several students reported feeling sick after consuming it. One student drank four cans before beginning to feel sick, ultimately being sent to the hospital.

A store near the school had been promoting Spike Shooter, giving away free beverages. The cans warned “Begin use with one-half can to determine tolerance.”

Most of the time, the caffeine content of a beverage isn’t even labeled on the can so there is almost no way of knowing how much caffeine you are putting in your body.

An excess of caffeine in the system can cause heart palpitations, jitters, shortness of breath, and nausea.

The Food and Drug Administration recommends, but does not regulate, the maximum caffeine content in a beverage to be 65 milligrams for 12 ounces.

An 8.4-ounce can of Spike Shooter has 300 milligrams of caffeine. In comparison, a cup of coffee has around 100 milligrams of caffeine

The basics of frozen cocktails

Frozen cocktails and summer go hand in hand, whether it be with a Sunday barbeque, a pool party or a nice quiet book in the sun with a glass in your hand. All you need is the liquor, ice, glasses and a blender and you can be whipping up some delicious concoctions in no time.

A few basic tips for making frozen cocktails are to use small ice cubes, frozen fruit and to use glasses that have been kept in the fridge or freezer so that the cocktail does not melt too quickly.

When making the cocktail you should always add the liquid ingredients first, followed by the frozen fruit and then the ice. The blender should start on the lowest speed first, gradually increasing the speed as you blend the ingredients.

The most common frozen cocktails have to be the daiquiri and the margarita.

Basic Daiquiri

2 oz white rum

2-3 dashes dark rum

2-3 dashes syrup

tsp powdered sugar

fruit pieces

oz lime juice

Add the rum, syrup and lime juice follow this with the fruit of your choice, powdered sugar and then some ice cubes to your blender and blend until it reaches your desired consistency then pour into cocktail glasses to serve.

If the mixture appears too thick then you need to add more ice, if however the mixture appears too thin then you need to add more fruit.

A creamy version of a daiquiri is made by adding ice cream to the mix, this recipe makes enough for two people.

Strawberry Daiquiri

cup light rum

2 tsp lime juice

2 cups frozen strawberries

2 cups vanilla ice cream

Place the rum and juice into the blender and begin to mix. Next add the strawberries and ice cream and continue to blend. Serve in cocktail glasses with a strawberry garnish.

Margaritas are made with tequila, the robust flavor of which works really well in a frozen cocktail.

Frozen Margarita

3 parts tequila blanco

1 part fresh lime juice

1 part cointreau

Place all of the ingredients into a blender with half a cup of ice and blend. Serve in a salt rimmed margarita glass.

Frozen Kiwi Margarita

2 oz tequila

2 oz pineapple juice

1 oz triple sec

oz lime juice

oz simple syrup

1 kiwi fruit, peeled and quartered

Garnish: half kiwi slice

Optional garnish: coarse sugar

Combine the ingredients in a blender with cup ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and garnish with a half kiwi slice. If desired, coat the rim of the glass with sugar.

If you do not like the flavor of rum or tequila, there are plenty of other recipes to try, a popular one that I like is the Banana Strawberry Smoothie.

Banana Strawberry Smoothie

2 oz banana liqueur

1 large banana sliced

1 cup frozen strawberries

2 cups frozen vanilla yogurt

Blend these ingredients together as above and serve in a highball glass.

If you do not feel like the fruity cocktails that are usually on offer over summer you could try the coffee flavor of the Iced Coffee Cocktail.

Iced Coffee Cocktail

1 oz coffee liqueur

2 oz coffee

1 oz pouring cream

2 tsp sugar

1 cup ice cubes

Combine all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Serve in a highball glass, but beware this cocktail is seriously addictive!

Let your imagination run wild this summer and try your favorite cocktail recipes with added ice and convert them to frozen. If the usual recipe calls for all spirits or mixers such as juices and soft drinks then add ice and blend them together. If the usual recipe calls for milk, cream or half n’ half then turn it into a frozen recipe by adding ice cream and blend.

Cocktails are fun and creating frozen ones can become addictive, as well as refreshing.

Guide to champagne and wine cocktails

Champagne is typically enjoyed during special occasions. Whether it’s a quiet moment to celebrate a wedding anniversary or a toast given at a business reception, champagne heightens the mood of the moment with its effervescent charm and delectable flavors.

Wine is often paired with food, making the unique characteristics of a specific wine the determining main in which varietal and vintage to drink. Wine can also be an integral part of a celebration, especially wines that are aged and have character depth.

To some purists, the mixing of champagne and wine with anything is an abomination. They staunchly believe any additional ingredients ruin the spirit of a sparkling or still wine. But for cocktail lovers, especially creative bartenders, champagne and still wine is the quintessential base to mix with a number of other ingredients.

Choosing the type of champagne and wine is a critical element of making a cocktail. For sparkling wines, choose a varietal that isn’t yeasty or especially fruity. Many champagne cocktails have fruit or fruit juices in the recipe. The best white wine to use for a cocktail is Semillon, which is a rich, honeyed wine that is used as a blend with sauvignon blanc. Grenache makes a great red wine for a cocktail. It is a medium-bodied, fruity wine that is primarily blended more powerful red varietals.

Always add champagne or wine last when making a cocktail. Pour the champagne or wine slowly into the glass, almost as if you are trying to layer the drink. If you must stir a champagne or wine cocktail, do so slowly and gently. Make sure to immediately serve champagne based cocktails immediately to take advantage of the crisp carbonation.

The following are some ideas for champagne and wine based cocktails. These are basic recipes that are a part of every talented bartender’s repertoire. The recipes are premised on using a champagne flute for champagne cocktails and an eight ounce wine glass for wine cocktails.

Peach Bellini

One of the more refreshing champagne cocktails, this drink is perfect on a sweltering summer day.

5 ounces champagne

1/2 ounce peach schnapps

2 ounces peach puree

Champagne cocktail

6 ounces champagne

2 dashes bitters

1 bar spoon of superfine sugar

Lemon zest

Place the sugar and lemon zest at the bottom of the flute. Add bitters to soften the sugar so it can react with the lemon zest. Then pour the champagne over the lemon zest to prevent foaming. The lemon zest adds a unique touch to

Drink recipes: Gimlet – Part 2

The Gimlet is a classic drink of sheer simplicity. Though this drink was originally made with gin, vodka is the more popular liquor of choice today. The key with whichever liquor you chose is to use the good stuff. This drink enjoyed enormous popularity immediately following WW II. Roses Sweetened Lime juice enjoyed a growing popularity during the same era. Though not always called by name roses lime juice is as much a part of this drink as gin or vodka. Though the gimlet is seen on occasions, roses is a staple for nearly every bar worldwide.

The oldest recipe in my box comes from Crosby Gaige’s 1944 edition of “The Standard Cocktail Guides” and is the traditional recipe for the drink.

Traditional Gimlet

2 ounces gin

2 ounces sweetened lime juice (this is probably roses not homemade)

Served up

Combine gin and lime juice in cocktail shaker full of shaved ice, chill momentarily and strain while pouring into martini glass.

Garnish with a fresh lime wedge.

Vodka Gimlet

2 ounces of vodka

1 ounces of roses lime juice

Build the drink just like the traditional gimlet

Garnish with a fresh lime wedge

Hints

This drink can always be served on the rocks in an old fashioned glass

When chilling this drink, don’t go more than thirty seconds or the drink will become watered down. This is critical especially with gin.

Some folks like to add soda when having this drink on the rocks, but adding soda is a big no if having it straight up.

This can be the basis of some great herbal infusion dinks. Try muddling a little mint or basil in the roses before combining with vodka or gin.

For More info on Roses try this article by Dan Hutchinson

http://www.barnonedrinks.com/n ewsletter/archive/december2004 .html

Where I found the original recipe

http://www.cocktail.com/recipe s/gimlet1940.htm

Book reviews: My Best Friends Girl, by Dorothy Koomson

BLACK & BLONDE

Something for the heart’ was my idea when I was browsing through amazon some time ago and I hit on Dorothy Koomson’s ‘My Best Friend’s Girl’. What I gathered from the synopsis and the readers’ reviews looked promising: Two best friends, Kamryn and Del (Adele) fall out with each other after Del sleeps with Kamryn’s fianc and has his child. Some years later Kamryn gets a letter from Del asking her to visit her in hospital, she’s dying of leukaemia and wants Kamryn not only to take care of her daughter but to adopt her as she’s got no one else to turn to. Plot-wise not bad, full of potential, I looked forward to a moving read!

I got it right from the start, the scenes in the hospital and in the house of Del’s parents from where she rescues 5-year-old Tegan who’s being mistreated there in the same way as Del was are indeed moving. Raising an own child is a great responsibility, it can be a difficult, heart-wrenching and sometimes even dangerous task, but obviously parents and children learn how to live together by doing so, but to include a ready made’ child into one’s hitherto childfree career life and to know what to do and how to behave correctly can seem an insurmountable obstacle. I like the description of the every day life and the surprises it holds for Kamryn and Tegan, I’m no expert in the field of child-raising but what I read here sounds realistic to me.

Something funny: it took me rather long until I realised that the main character Kamryn, who tells the story, is an Afro-Brit! I *had* noticed remarks like, ” my dark skin and curly hair” but had thought Kamryn only wanted to emphasize Tegan’s fairness, her light skin and blond hair; living in a country where black people are only a tiny minority I had imagined her as someone resembling the women in Southern Italy I know whose skin is much darker than mine and whose hair is curly, heehee! When the penny had dropped I looked at the cover photo (see above) again, well, the hand of the adult holding the child *is* quite dark. The fact that I hadn’t realised that Kamryn and Tegan belong to different races shows that race isn’t an issue here, maybe it’s one only in so far as to emphasise that race *is no issue* when it comes to loving each other and living together.

So that’s what the book is about? As I didn’t know anything about the author Dorothy Koomson I informed myself on the net, I learnt that My Best Friend’s Girl is her 2nd novel and I even saw her (a thirty-something

How to spot alcohol problems in your teen

Its easy to spot the teens who have it all together. Just look for the bumper sticker on the back of mom’s over-sized SUV proclaiming their child as student of the week. Unfortunately, teens with alcohol and drug problems don’t come with convenient labels and don’t fall into neat, prepackaged categories. That student of the week could very easily be beer pong champion of the weekend. Every parent would like to believe they are raising teens who are well educated on the dangers of drug and alcohol use, and will make smart choices, even in the face of peer pressure. However, a quick study of the statistics related to drug and alcohol use and abuse by teens tells us that we all cant be raising such teens. Many of the teens we are raising are using drugs and alcohol at alarmingly early ages.

A review of literature from the “experts” will give us all the telltale warning signs … falling grades, mood swings, irritability, loss of interest in school activities and so forth. However, not all teens are working out of the Alcohol / Drug 101 play-book. In fact, many are able to maintain grades, participate in sports and activities, and display a pleasant demeanor … all while learning to shoot a beer, cut a line, or roll a joint. These teens are perhaps the most dangerous. In their minds, they are bulletproof. Just like you, they have heard all the warning signs during every DARE program they endured during grade school and middle school. But yet here they are, partying it up on the weekends and still making the grade. They have it all figured out. What’s more … because they are bright, articulate, educated young men and women … they also have more creative ways of masking their alcohol and drug use.

Think you know what a “drug kit” is ? No, it isn’t a bag of weed and rolling papers. It is what the “smart” teens keep in the car or carry with them to mask their drug and alcohol use before returning home. Check the car your teen uses and see if you find any of the following items: eye drops such as visine, deodorant, body spray, breath spray, and Listerine breath strips. All seemingly harmless items of personal hygiene for the teen who wants to look and smell well groomed. Put them together, and you have a drug kit. These items are used by teens to mask their evening of partying when returning home to chat with mom and dad before going to bed. Mom and Dad will not be able to detect blood shot eyes, clothes that smell like pot, body

Getting A Job In The Food And Beverage Industry

Working in a restaurant / bar can be a great way to earn a good income. Taking a position as a server, or bartender, is the best option, as they are tip based positions which is where the most money can be earned. But, these jobs are not necessarily easy and you have to have the right personality to deal with the public on a regular basis. So if you have the personality and want to get started in the Food & Beverage business, what is the best way to get started?

Well to start you need a good resume. It needs to be different and highlight your personality, not just your work experience. People eat and drink at restaurants because they wish to be social, otherwise they’d sequester themselves at home. Restaurant owners want people that are personable, who are comfortable in the spotlight, because when you are serving a big group, you will be the centre of attention. Smiling, a good sense of humour and wit are all important tools as a server or bartender, so make them obvious on your resume. Otherwise, highlight your professionalism and work ethic. Here is an example of a bartenders resume to get you started. Also you create your resume, tailor it to each restaurant or bar you apply. Don’t send the same resume to a hip hop club that you’d send to a fine dining restaurant.

You also have to be well groomed. Sorry, nobody wants to eat their meal around someone who smells like sour yogurt or looks like they just rolled out of bed. Being well groomed is directly related to your income potential, so take it seriously. Owners of these businesses will also judge you based on how you look. Even though this may sound shallow and judgmental, you are in the service business and most people, especially those that tip really well, don’t want to be served by a slob. If you are apply for jobs on a particular day, go out and treat yourself to a clothing make-over and haircut, then hit the restaurants and bars with your nicely designed resume.

Once you have the job, the best way to make a living as a server or bartender is to make the job a profession. Even if you are just going to be employed in the food and beverage industry until you are finished school, taking your position seriously and being an absolute professional with garner you a significant wage increase. Take some time to watch the really experienced servers and bartenders at good restaurants and bars. Learn from your coworkers and especially learn the basics like opening a bottle of wine and the top 10 cocktails your establishment serves. Finally, work on your memory because if you can remember a customers drink and name the next time they come in, you’ve just earned yourself a great tip. Do this for everyone and you may just find the money so good that you have a new career.

Weird and Wonderful Recipes Just For Fun

There have always been really strange recipes around that are passed from kitchen to kitchen until they fade and a new fad takes over. Usually they are perfectly edible, they may even taste quite good, but at least one ingredient is strange or used in a peculiar way.

Bacon Mugs

I found a version of this on Stumble. The resulting mugs make great containers for salads, rice etc. Use small ovenproof dishes upside down. These you cover with foil pressed well down. These you cover with bacon. I t is best if you cross two rashers over the upturned base and then wind one or two more rashers in and out to make a bacon basket. Cook these on a baking tray to catch drips. How long they take to become crisp will depend upon the bacon and your oven. A hot oven is best, but may produce some smoke. The bacon will shrink of course, but removed carefully from the foil after cooling and they should keep their shape. I must try this with vegetarian bacon, but these crisp up really quickly so keep a careful eye on them. Another idea might be to create a basket in a long, shallow dish.

Carrot Jam

This comes from a Second World War time book, so is really old. The fact that the recipe has survived this long must mean that it is worth making. Next time I make carrot cake I will split it and spread it with some of this. I cannot give quantities as it depends upon how much mashed carrot you have.

Wash and peel your carrots. Chop them small and boil in slightly salted water until soft. Drain and sieve or chop finely in a food processor. To one pound of this pulp add on pound of sugar , 1 teaspoon of powdered ginger and the juice and grated zest of a lemon. Boil all these together as when making any other jam. Pot when it begins to get thick.

Rose Petal Jam

My darling Granddad would allow me to pick his precious roses to make this. Some petals, especially white ones need trimming at the end where they join the flower as this part of the petal can produce a bitter taste.

2 mugs of rose petals packed fairly tightly, 2 ½ mugs of sugar, 2 mugs of warm water, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

Cut the petals into ¼ inch strips. Cover with the water and cook for about 10 minutes. Strain this, reserving the petals, and use the liquid to make a syrup with the sugar and honey. Boil and then simmer for 5 minutes before adding the petals once more. Then cook on the lowest possible flame for about 40 minutes– an asbestos mat helps with this recipe. Add the lemon juice and cook for a further 20 minutes. Pour into sterile pots and seal. Some would want to add a little colouring, but I am a purist and never do.

Jelly Fruit – Americans would probably call these Jello Fruit.

I remember these as a great treat at birthdays when I was a child. Somehow eating the jelly from out of a fruit shell made it taste better – at least in my imagination.

Each fruit will give you 4 portions. Halve your oranges. Remove all the flesh taking care not to damage the skins. Place the dry skins upright on a tray, or better still balance them in muffin tins which means that they stay upright more easily. Make up your jelly/jello a little thicker than normal and pour into the empty shells as full as you can as it shrinks a little when it sets. Place the tray in fridge and let set. Then cut each half shell once more so that the orange shell is now in quarters which make them much easier to eat. All you have to do now is to think of something to do with all that orange flesh. Now that my family is grown I wonder if it will work as jelly shots?

Drink recipes: Cosmopolitan – Part 1

Cosmopolitan or Cosmo, a pretty in pink cocktail displaying its sophistication (if not yours) in a chilled martini glass, belongs to the light and fruity vodka-martini family. These drinks became popular at poolside gatherings and brunches in the early seventies as flavored vodkas hit the market. They really took off in the mid eighties as Absolute and its flavor varieties arrived in the states. Who invented this cocktail remains a mystery. Many people mention Cheryl Cook, a South Beach bartender in the mid eighties. Some say it originated in the northeast. Tony Cechini in his recent book “Cosmopolitan: a Bartender’s Life” lays claim to the recipe. We do know that it has been a favorite of such diverse pop icons as Oprah Winfrey, Hunter S. Thompson and all those gals from Sex in the City

Let’s make one. This recipe is for one five ounce cocktail.

Equipment

1 five ounce chilled martini glass

1 cocktail shaker

1 bar strainer

1 twenty-one or older thirsty consumer of adult beverages

Ingredients

2 ounces of Citrus Vodka (don’t cheap out, drink better and drink less)

ounce of Cointreau

ounce of fresh lime juice

ounce of cranberry juice

1 twist of orange

Ice

Process

Fill the shaker with ice. Add all above ingredients to shaker except the twist of orange. Close the shaker and shake vigorously until a mist of ice forms on the outside of the shaker. Take the orange twist and with the inside {the white part) aimed at the inside rim of the glass circle the interior, and drop in. This leaves a light spray of orange oil that is part of the flavor of the drink and the twist doubles as a garnish. Use the strainer to keep the ice out of the drink and pour into the chilled martini glass.

Tips

I prefer to use a Boston style shaker setup. This consists of an unenclosed tin shaker and a clear sixteen ounce pint glass. The glass should fit snuggly into the tin and can be separated by catching the edge of the tin on the counter or bar. It just adds to the show to see the pink cocktail slide in and out of the glass as you shake it. Mixology is fun to flair with whether at home or as a profession. If so inclined a few simple dance steps can be added to the shaking vigorously part but don’t hurt yourself.

If you want a softer drink add more cranberry juice. Some people prefer this drink with equal parts of vodka, cranberry and cointreau. The most important thing is what you want. Don’t be afraid to tell the bartender that you prefer it red not pink. Triple Sec can be substituted for cointreau but it lowers the drink quality.

This drink is great for patio parties, poolside gatherings, brunches, lunches and just plain ole cocktail hour. Be cosmopolitan if only for a few moments at a time.

Use a cranberry cocktail style juice.

Taking a look at Oktoberfest beers

Just to prove the fact that our beer palates can evolve with time, and sometimes for no discernable reason, I have come to more fully appreciate a beer style that has heretofore been one of my least favorite seasonal offerings. I’m talking about the German, or German-inspired, Oktoberfest (Marzen) beers. These amber lagers always had two things working against them for my personal affection – they’re lagers and they’re amber. This combination, quite frankly, generally always evokes one thought in my mind; boring.

There is exception to every rule, of course, and I have never gone so far as to say that all lagers, and all amber beers in general are boring, but I certainly have counted them among the more pedestrian of beer styles. This has not been an arbitrary assessment either; I’ve sampled plenty of amber ales and lagers that have only strengthened my conviction in this regard. I am an ale man, through and through or at least I was.

Enter the Oktoberfest beer. I don’t know what changed this year for me, but I have really grown to enjoy this fall favorite in a way I’d never enjoyed it before. Maybe I have sampled better examples of the style this year, or maybe I’ve grown to recognize subtleties of aroma and taste that have been lost on me in the past, I don’t know. Whatever it is, though, I’m thankful. The Oktoberfest style is a terrific session beer that also paired very well with a variety of foods and is flavorful enough to stand on it’s own – a particular distinction for a lager, in my opinion (at least a lager than is not a bock).

The first Oktoberfest beer I tried this year was from Millstream Brewing Company. This beer has remained my favorite of the lot so far. I can’t speak to just how closely this beer sticks to the nuanced criteria for a true Oktoberfest beer (noble hops, etc ), as I’m no authority on the style, but I do know that this beer is just plain tasty and in some ways reminds me more of a good nut brown ale than a lager. Here are my tasting notes on this one:

Pours a nice amber brown color with a bubbly light tan head. Active carbonation in the pint glass and thin rings of lacing are evident. The nose is of roasted malt, slightly nutty and a touch of floral hops. The palate is quite malty, with a pleasant nutty character that is , to me, not unlike a good nut brown ale. Well-balanced flavors and enough hop presence to keep this one on the dry side. Mouthfeel is medium, at best, and quite crisp and clean on the finish. This is certainly one of the better American-made Oktoberfest beers I’ve tried in recent memory.

I figure I’ve sampled a total of nine different O-Fest beers so far this year and am planning on a few others in the coming weeks, before I focus my attention more fully on some of the glorious strong and dark ales of winter for which I have a passion. I’ve greatly enjoyed broadening my horizons with this surprising lager. If you’re curious about the other examples of the style I’ve tried so far, here’s a list (in order of preference):

1. Millstream Oktoberfest Lager 2. Schlafly Oktoberfest 3. Beck’s Oktoberfest 4. Harpoon Oktoberfest 5. Paulaner Oktoberfest 6. Samuel Adams Oktoberfest 7. Spaten Oktoberfest 8. Leinenkugel Oktoberfest 9. Michelob Marzen

If you’ve had other O-Fest beers you particularly like, and think I need to add to my list, please let me know. Now that I have a newfound appreciation for this not-so-new beer style, I figure I have some catching up to do! If you’d like to find out more about the Oktoberfest celebration, and the accompanying beer style, start here.

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