Mulled Wine

Intro

Back in the day, pre-children, I used to take pottery classes. Rosalie Blake was the tutor and while I was never particularly good I really enjoyed those Thursday nights. It may well have had something to do with the mulled wine. We used to make a crockpot of this each class and sip away while we potted. I'm pretty sure we always got onto the clay ..... 

Recipe

Combine together in a crockpot and stir until dissolved:

• 1 cup sugar (I think demerara sugar was especially good)
• One and half cups boiling water

Add:

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves
• 4 cups red wine
• a quarter cup of brandy
• 1 thinly sliced lemon (we used grapefruit sometimes and it was surprisingly good)

Cover with lid and simmer on low for 3 or 4 hours or 1-2 hours on high. Do not boil.

Old Fashioned Lemon Drink

Intro

Diane Edyvane's old fashioned lemon drink is world famous in Levin after she served it up at our annual volunteers morning tea party. Everyone in Horowhenua (except me) grows lemons and Diane and Fred are no exception - acres of citrus including limes, several varieties of lemon, grapefruit etc. Sometimes she uses a few limes as well as lemon in this cordial - just for a change. This is another old family recipe - not my families - but Diane remembers her Mother making this, as did hers - often with tartaric acid and epsom salts as well as the citric acid. 

Recipe

• 6 lemons (8 or 9 if small)
• 1.5 kg sugar (1.3 kg)
• 50 g citric acid
• boiling water

Peel the rind off two lemons. Place peel plus 2 cups of sugar in food processor and process until well ground. Squeeze the juice from the six lemons and mix juice with lemon sugar, the remaining sugar and the citric acid. Add boiling water making total volume up to 3 litres and stir to dissolve. Cool and store. Serve diluted with water about 1 part cordial to 5 or 6 parts water depending on taste.

Gin Gimlet

Intro

I propose Gin Gimlet as the Summer drink of choice this year. Last year we only had 2 summery days so didn't need one but the previous year we did Margaritas - which, despite containing the devil's liquor (tequila), made for a memorable summer.

Recipe

• 1 part gin
• 1 part Roses lime cordial (up to 3 parts really but I prefer 1:1)
• ice

Mix it up and drink.

Margarita

Intro

Less said about tequila the better. Just remember children: it is not your friend and will leave you dying in a ditch as quick as look at you*.

Recipe

• tequila 1 part
• triple sec 1 part
• lime juice 1 part
• cracked ice

Shake, strain and pour - or not, whatever.

* Also, it is impossible to be sad if you are drinking tequila.