Rachel Marwedel
Staff Writer
Each Monday, I gather my roommates and taste-test two mocktails. Here’s how this week’s went:
Watermelon Whirl
A refreshing blend of cool watermelon and sweet apricots. 4 cups of cubed watermelon
- ½ cup apricot nectar
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Optional: Lime Slices
Puree watermelon in a blender. Add Apricot Nectar, lime juice, and honey. Process 10 seconds. Garnish with lime slices. Makes 6 servings.
This recipe (like many in the weeks to come) originates in The New Mixer’s Guide to Low-Alcohol & Nonalcoholi
Drinks by Sheila Buff and Judi Olstein. To start, I cubed my watermelon, removing pieces with high quantities of seeds, then pulsed it in my blender for 30 seconds. Upon removing the blender lid, I realized I’d have to strain it before my next step. Only problem? I don’t own a strainer. So, for the next 10 minutes, I carefully poured small quantities through my tea strainer… inefficient would be an understatement. After extracting the juice, I poured it back into the blender, and added my next ingredients. I was worried about the honey in this step – when honey comes into contact with cold liquids, it tends to clump and not blend very well. If I had to remake this recipe, I would have heated up my apricot juice, and poured the honey into it, so it would dissolve. After processing, I poured it into glasses (which, by the way, only makes about 4 servings) and added some ice.
A few sips immediately profiled this drink – a soothing summer treat, best to be enjoyed at the pool, or on hot days when you’re looking for something a bit extra. It’s mild, but still interesting enough to be enjoyed again. I’d call this one a keeper! Into the recipe box it goes.
Nectarine Nectar
If you’ve ever wanted to drink applesauce, here’s your chance.
- 4 very ripe nectarines
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup crushed ice
Peel, pit, and slice nectarines. Combine nectarines, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, and crushed ice into a blender. Process 1 minute or until smooth. Serve at once. Makes 2 ½ cups.
This recipe also comes from The New Mixer’s Guide. The nectarines I found at Fred Meyers weren’t, perhaps, as ripe as they could’ve been, but I made do. I quickly peeled and removed the pit from all four, then cut them into chunks. From there, the recipe was fairly straight forward – though every step of the way reminded me of handling baby food. In the end, it did make around 2 ½ cups, just enough to serve me and the roommates.
If you happen to be under 12 months and haven’t developed the ability to eat solid foods, well, I have the drink for you. One of my roommates, upon tasting, responded with ‘It feels like drinking applesauce’. There’s no better description than that. Needless to say, this one’s staying right in the recipe book.
