Pink Grapefruit Refresher

Cheers! If now isn’t the time for a fun drink, I don’t know when is! I whipped up this as an afternoon frozen treat but it definitely lends itself to being a frozen cocktail too! I never make drinks anymore but need to get back to it. This one has pink grapefruit juice with lemonade to mellow out the tartness. The grenadine adds some sweetness plus it brightens up the color!

My blender can totally pulverize ice but this drink could be on ice too- especially if it would be too icy and chunky, I’d shake it and serve over ice.
The Three Bite Rule - Pink Grapefruit Refresher

Pink Grapefruit Refresher

Ingredients:

2 cups ice
3/4 cup lemonade
2/3 cup pink grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon grenadine

Directions:

Add everything into the blender.
The Three Bite Rule - Pink Grapefruit Refresher
Blend well.
Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Pink Grapefruit Refresher
I loved this. The pink grapefruit is distinct and I knew it needed more sweetness. I used 100% ruby red grapefruit juice and a single serve lemonade. My tests were just frozen slushies which was truly a highlight of the afternoon. Each of the kids were stealing sips while they played outside.

For an evening version, I’d add some citrus vodka.

Guest Post: Peanut Butter & Banana Old Fashioned Cocktail

Today is a great day for a guest post, right!? We all need a cocktail right now and I’m thrilled to introduce you to Mike! We met in college and I fondly remember wearing a shirt to a conference that said “Have you met Mike?”. He has always been one to bring people together so cocktails in these strange times seems ohh-so fitting. Mike has been posting FAN-TASTIC cocktails and I asked if he’d share one here. Woohoo! Bottoms up! Meet Mike:

My name is Mike Lawlor, and I am the AGM for two different restaurants in Dorchester, Ashmont Grill & Tavolo Ristorante.  I come up with seasonal cocktails for each establishment with the help of my bartenders.  When the governor and mayor decided to move restaurants to take out only I decided I would post cocktail recipes that were delicious and approachable for the every day person with ingredients they may have in their pantry and liquor cabinet.  I am fortunate enough to manage two bars where I have endless resources.  Some cocktail recipes I will offer an easy suggestion for a replacement.

The Three Bite Rule - PB & Banana Old Fashioned

When we closed the doors at Ashmont Grill we let our staff do some grocery shopping on items that wouldn’t last through all this craziness.  We are a tight knit family so we wanted to make sure everyone had some food to last through these hard times.  I grabbed some bananas and decided to freeze them.  My roommate came home night with a bottle of Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey…ding ding!  Who doesn’t love a peanut butter and banana sandwich?  I sure do!  Growing up my favorite sandwich was a PB and banana on cinnamon raisin bread.
The Three Bite Rule - PB & Banana Old Fashioned

The Cocktail:

Peanut Butter & Banana Old Fashioned

2 oz. of Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey
1 oz of Banana Puree
2 Dashes of Chocolate Bitters

Preparation:

Banana Puree:
1 Cup of water and sugar
2 bananas Chopped
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
Bring water and sugar to a boil and let the sugar dissolve. Add the bananas and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes, or so.
The Three Bite Rule - PB & Banana Old Fashioned
Take off heat, let cool. Blend and then strain.
The Three Bite Rule - PB & Banana Old Fashioned
LETS MAKE THE COCKTAIL!
Grab your cocktail shaker.  Add the ingredients and stir with a bar spoon.  Add some ice, stir again.  Grab a glass of your choice and drop in some ice (I recommend a large whiskey cube so it doesn’t dilute the drink) strain the cocktail and cheers!
The Three Bite Rule - PB & Banana Old Fashioned
I hope you’re inspired and mix up a cocktail. I’ve had multiple virtual happy hours and will have to mix up a cocktail instead of wine for my next one!!

Caramel Coconut Coffee

These strange times call for jazzed up home coffees! Social distancing isn’t really a coffee change for me. I tend to not spend $4 on a fancy coffee, but LOVE to whip up fun drinks at home. There’s still joy in sipping this while playing legos or putting shapes into the correct shaped hole. I’m aiming to post when I can, depending on what we an access. We’ll see!

Plus, you can order all these ingredients for groceries delivered.

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Coffee

Caramel Coconut Coffee

Ingredients:

1 cup coffee
1/4 cup coconut almond milk
1 teaspoon caramel syrup

Directions:

Brew coffee.
Warm the milk just to take the chill off. Then froth the milk (either with a milk frother or shaken vigorously in a glass jar).
Drizzle caramel sauce onto the sides of the cup then add in the coffee. Spoon the foam onto the top.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Coffee
The coconut is subtle and not as creamy as real milk but it foamed well! I have this one and it is the best treat $12 can get you!

P.S. I have some other ideas for your leftover caramel syrup: Caramel Apple Smoothie; or Salted Caramel Cider French Toast; or Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Salted Caramel; or Turtle Hot Chocolate.

Gingerbread Syrup for Hot Drinks

Gingerbread lattes! Gingerbread americanos! Gingerbread hot chocolates! The possibilities are endless! I 100% wait until after Thanksgiving for Christmas things but these flavors felt fall enough to fit this week of Thanksgiving.

The Three Bite Rule - Gingerbread Syrup

Gingerbread Syrup

Ingredients:

(makes ~2 cups, or 12 servings. Half unless gifting!)
1 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbs honey
2 tbs molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated or minced ginger
1 strip orange peal

Directions:

Heat everything together and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Pour through a mesh strainer, or through a cheese cloth, or through a coffee filter.
The Three Bite Rule - Gingerbread Syrup
Stir into coffee and top with frothed milk. (Microwave milk in a glass jar for 15 seconds. Screw on the top and shake vigorously.)
The Three Bite Rule - Gingerbread Syrup
Top with whipped cream and an extra sprinkle of nutmeg!
The Three Bite Rule - Gingerbread Syrup
I keep fresh ginger in the freezer and use a veggie pealer to shave the skin off and then chop or grate. It lasts forever and is a great addition to peanut sauce or smoothies too.

I loved this! It was such a fun treat to have on hand! It is delightful in coffee or in hot chocolate. The flavor is strong so a tablespoon felt like plenty in a cup. This makes more than enough so I’ll half it next time.
The Three Bite Rule - Gingerbread Syrup

Dragon Fruit Smoothie

This might be the easiest smoothie I’ve ever made yet it feels the most exotic! It only has 3 ingredients! Unlike many of my other smoothies, this one isn’t a meal, but is a great cool fruit serving as a snack or with something else for breakfast.
The Three Bite Rule - Dragon Fruit Smoothie
I buy these frozen dragon fruit puree packs at the grocery store and I went full on tropical for the flavors here: dragon fruit, mango, and coconut!

Dragon Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 dragon fruit puree pack
~1 cup frozen mango
1 cup coconut almond milk
1/2 cup water, as needed

Directions:

Add the dragon fruit. mango, and coconut almond milk into the blender.
The Three Bite Rule - Dragon Fruit SmoothieBlend and add water as needed for your desired consistency. (I used ~1/2 cup)
Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Dragon Fruit Smoothie
How pretty is THAT??? Dragon fruit = pitaya. I often see both words on the package. Those frozen packs are beautifully pink and a bit of a splurge but this nicely highlights the sweet flavor. The color is even more radiant without any dairy in there- not that I should call almond milk dairy. I really only use it for the flavor. There’s nowhere near the calcium or protein of regular milk but I don’t loooove milk so I can appreciate almond this with a more watery and coconut flavor.

I should have poured some into my popsicle containers! This would be a good one!