Drink | Black Cherry & Orange Mango Soda/Syrup

I got the idea to make soda the other day and after doing a little research I am happy to report that it is both incredibly easy AND delicious. It's all about the syrup and after this first session I already have a few adjustments I will make on the next round... and there will definitely be a next round, or two or three.

If you're going to use fresh fruit, choose fruits that are very ripe and juicy and either put them through a juicer or puree them and press through a strainer. If you use canned or bottled juices like I did, look for juices that have very high natural juice content, and a very low sugar content. The only issue I had with my syrup is that it's a little too thick so adjustments I would make for next time would be to add either a 1/4 cup juice back in to the syrup while it's cooling or another suggestion I read was to add 1 tablespoon corn syrup to the finished syrup to help keep it smooth. 

BLACK CHERRY & ORANGE MANGO SODA/SYRUP

1 cup water
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup fresh fruit juice or concentrated fruit juice (the more concentrated the juice, the more intense the final flavor)

1  |  Combine the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and let simmer until the mixture is reduced by half. Taste the syrup to check the sweetness. At this point you can add different flavor extracts or herbs such as rosemary or thyme depending on the flavor of the syrup.

2  |  Store the finished syrup in a sealable glass jar or bottle in the refrigerator. To make homemade soda, simply add syrup to a glass of ice and top off with seltzer water or club soda.

Drink | Pear Cosmopolitan Jelly Shot

It all started when my friend Taylor recently asked me the question, "Do you think it's possible to make fancy jello shots?" Via Martha Stewart, I stumbled upon the somewhat incredible website The Jelly Shot Test Kitchen. Being new to the world of "fancy jelly" I decided to start relatively easy with a Pear Cosmopolitan.

PEAR COSMOPOLITAN JELLY SHOTS  |  Recipe inspired by The Jelly Shot Test Kitchen

1 cup white cranberry juice cocktail
3/4 cup pear flavored vodka
1/8 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed and strained
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup Cointreau
2 envelopes Knox gelatin (if using molds, add 1/2 envelope additional gelatin. 1/2 envelope equals about a teaspoon of gelatin powder.)
Sliced pear for garnish, if desired

1  |  Pour cranberry and lime juices into a saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin. Allow to soak for a few minutes. Heat on low, stirring constantly, until gelatin is fully dissolved (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in the liquors, making sure to fully incorporate. Pour into pan, and chill until set, several hours or overnight.

2  |  To serve, cut into shapes. Garnish with sliced pear, if desired. Makes 18 to 24 shots.

Drink | Bing Cherry Muddler

A few weeks ago when I started Design & Dishes I was compiling a list of blogs that I love and appreciate. Being a graphic designer I have a large list of design blogs I follow regularly, but getting in to the world of food blogs was relatively new to me. Then along came Sprouted Kitchen, a food blog by the amazingly talented Sara Morris. Sara is a food loving, health craving, veggie fiend, who enjoys the culture of enjoying a meal with friends and family. She's also incredibly sweet and was kind enough to respond to an email I sent her, congratulating her on her success with Sprouted Kitchen. It's one of those blogs that you just can't wait to see what's coming next. I crave her posts!

This beverage comes from Sprouted Kitchen. Click here for the original recipe! Hopefully I did it justice as I was unable to find Rainier cherries. I also think using the basil infused vodka I made last week really added to the overall flavor!

BING CHERRY MUDDLER  |  Recipe inspired by Sara Morris at Sprouted Kitchen

8 Rainier cherries
Few leaves of lemon basil
2 tsp. turbinado sugar
2 oz. vodka
Crushed ice
Sparkling water

1  |  Pit and halve the cherries. Put the cherries, lemon basil and turbinado in a glass (or pitcher if making more than one), and muddle it with a muddling tool, or the bottom of a wooden spoon. Get aggressive, you need to get as much juice out of the cherries as possible.

2  |  Fill a glass with 3/4 full with crushed ice. Add the vodka and muddled cherry mix and fill the rest of the glass with sparkling water.

Drink | Herb-Infused Vodka

I have been talking about doing this for weeks so I'm really excited to finally be posting this! I got the idea to make herb-infused vodkas a few weeks back when I saw this post on Design*Sponge! It's seriously as simple as getting the vodka of your choice, buying and/or picking herbs, and putting them in a few lidded jars or bottles and allowing the mixture to infuse for several days. I started with some spring and summer basics: mint and basil.

HERB-INFUSED VODKA  |  Inspired by Ashley English for Design*Sponge

1  |  Clean and dry a glass container with an air-tight lid. Place several sprigs of whatever herb you’d like to infuse in the jar, along with additional flavoring agents, if using. Cover with vodka. Secure the lid tightly.

2  |  The amount of time required for infusing will vary. If infusing an herb by itself, allow up to two days, shaking the jar several times daily. If using additional flavoring agents, allow at least one week. Keep out of direct sunlight and store at room temperature during the infusing process.

3  |  Strain solids off using either a fine-mesh wire strainer, coffee filter or cheesecloth. Transfer the infusion back to the jar used for processing (after cleaning it out) or into a decorative bottle for gifting. Store the infusion in the refrigerator (and consume within 1 month) or the freezer (consuming within 2 months).

Drink | Mango Cooler

So I've been wanting to do this for awhile... I'm starting a new section for the blog: Drinks! I had a blast making dinner for some friends last night - which I will be posting shortly - but I have to say the cocktail was everyone's favorite part, including mine!

The new Bon Appétit with Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover has some fantastic Spring recipes, including Paltrow's delicious Peach Cooler, which is a spin on a Pimm's Cup, a cocktail from her adopted hometown of London. I decided to throw my own spin on it by substituting peach for mango.

MANGO COOLER  |  Recipe inspired by Bon Appétit June 2011

2 ripe mangos, peeled, cut into 1/2in. wedges
6 tablespoons mango juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup vodka
1 English hothouse cucumber
2 cups chilled Prosecco
1 1/2 cups chilled soda water
12 fresh mint leaves


1  |  Using a wooden spoon, mash mangos with juice and lemon juice in a large pitcher. Stir in vodka (can be made 4 hours ahead). Cover and chill.

2  |  Cut 1/3 of cucumber lengthwise into 4 spears for garnish. Thinly slice remaining cucumber. Stir Prosecco, soda water, mint, and sliced cucumber into pitcher. Fill glasses with ice. Pour cooler into glasses; garnish with cucumber spear and mint.