Drowning my blues with Boozy Iced Tea

Have I mentioned that I do not drink alcohol? Well I do not drink alcohol - usually. Sometimes though, life just deals all sorts of hands and short of screaming - maybe crying and screaming, some alcohol is needed.

Shall I go into details? Let me see - after getting excited about a potential business opportunity, it fell through. The same day, I went to the garden for some stress relief and saw that plants in 8 pots had just died. As a result of some pest I am sure. Then - the bakery staff forgot a pretty big order and the client showed up for pickup at 4pm and everyone was confused. To cap the day off, I reached for a baby wipe to clean my face and some how grabbed antibacterial wipes instead which resulted teary eyes and bruised skin.

I was completely drained. One would have thought that I would simply crawl into bed and sleep but I was too wired. I knew this day deserved some alcohol. Down to the kitchen I went to make some boozy iced tea  - only a handful of readily available ingredients required, cold, kind of healthy and just what I needed...

To make a small pitcher for 1, you will need: 2 green tea bags (You can use any kind of tea you like including fruity flavored varieties), fresh basil or efinrin (African basil, scent leaf) leaves

You will also need cold water, sugar to taste and of course alcohol - I used citrus flavored vodka

The wonders of no recipe required. Simply chuck everything into a little jug and stick in the fridge or freezer for all the flavors to come together. I stuck my pitcher in the freezer and went up to take a long shower.

After about an hour, the boozy tea was wonderfully chilled and ready for me. Delicious. Refreshing. And also ensured that I slept very well.

Enjoy!!!

Red Wine Punch...

 

Have you figured out that I love to mix drinks yet? I fancy myself a mixologist in my own little world. I am not sure everyone else especially my friends in the drinks business would agree but I specialize in delusions of grandeur and so I choose to bask in my title of Queen of the mixologists.

 

This red wine punch came to life in an attempt to do away with seeming endless bottles of wine in my pantry. I am doing all that I can to use up all the bottles but we keep getting more as gifts and I do not seem to be making much progress.

 

On the plus side, this punch recipe uses a full bottle of wine so you will not have any wasted wine. You will need a pretty large pitcher or jug for this recipe as well as:

 

 

 

 

 

• 3 cups orange juice
• 3 cups pineapple juice
• 1 bottle good quality red wine
• Orange slices
• Lime slices

Directions:

• Combine all the ingredients and stir to combine. Chill and serve

Enjoy!!!

Cool Down With A Refreshing Watermelon Spritzer

If you are one of those people that thinks all the talk about global warming is a load of bollocks....and you live in Lagos, Nigeria at the moment...then I have no words for you. LOL

 

It is blazing hot. Scorching hot. Its so hot that air conditioners are struggling to churn out cold air. Its muggy. Most people are uncomfortable. Its supposed to be rainy season now but I can count on one hand how many times it has rained this year.

 

Drinking - make that guzzling liters of water and other cold beverages is imperative to keep hydrated and stay in relatively good spirits - I blame a lot of snappish behavior on the heat. (:-))

 

I say make the drinking fun too. This watermelon spritzer is cool. Its refreshing. It has fruit. It is easy to put together. It gives a buzz. What's not to like?



 

 

 

 

 

To make a pitcher spritzer that will serve 2 or 1.... you will need:

 

• 2 cups of white wine
• 75cl of soda water/sparkling water
• 1/2 cup grenadine
• 2 cups diced deseeded watermelon

 

Directions:

• In a pitcher/jug with a lid, add all the ingredients and stir to combine.
• Refrigerate till ready to serve
• Pour into serving glasses and enjoy......

 

 

This spritzer will make the guys and dolls happy. Make this in the morning so you can have a chilled glass of this at the end of the day.



 

 

Enjoy!!!!!

Uzo's Food Labs and Wilson's Lemonade Presents......

 

"When life gives you Wilson's Lemonade make...."

 

This series will be all about using Nigeria's first and only all natural lemonade in different ways with surprising yet totally delicious results. 

 

To kick off the series: When life gives you Wilson's Lemonade make Pink Lemonade Sangria.

 

Sangrias are great drinks to make that use extra bottles of wine you have lying around. Perfect to go with all kinds of meals and you can make pitchers in advance and keep in your fridge and relax with your guests rather than mixing cocktails to order. The addition of different kinds of fruits in whatever quantities and combinations that you like creates a different taste every time. What's not to love?

 

This sangria is made using Wilson's Pink Lemonade which has hibiscus flowers added to the original version. What you get is a pretty pink lemonade that is not as tart as the original.

 

To make enough sangria for 2 tall glasses, you will need:

• 2 cups Chardonnay
• 1 300ml bottle of Wilson's Pink Lemonade
• 1 large apple - cored and sliced
• 6 large strawberries - sliced

Directions:

• In a jug or pitcher, add all the ingredients. Stir well and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
• Serve in tall glasses.
• I like to make sure some of the fruit gets into each glass so there is a bonus at the bottom of the glass.

 



 

 

 

Double or triple this recipe to make more Sangria.

 

If you would like to get your hands on some Wilson's Lemonade, send an email to seun@wilsonsjuiceco.com and tell him Uzo sent you :-)

 

Enjoy!!!

A Mango Daiquiri with some oomph.....

One of my favorite things to do is to mix drinks. Non-alcoholic versions or adult only versions. I think there are so many wonderful things that can come out of a blender or a pitcher if you just let your imagination run wild.

 

I especially love frozen/slushy type fruity cocktails. They just make me so happy especially when served in interesting glasses. They make me think of vacations, with no cares in the world, not having to drive home....

 

I will admit that sometimes, cocktails can be over the top sweet for me and I end up diluting with water at restaurants. This mango daiquiri is not that type of cocktail. Its sweet but not cloying and the sweetness is cut by the addition of ginger which also gives the daiquiri a more exotic twist.

 

To make enough for 2 tall glasses, you will need:

• 3 ripe mangos
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

 

 

Directions:

• A few hours before you want to serve this, peel mangoes, cut into chunks and place in the freezer
• In a blender, add all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Mixture should have a slushy like consistency. You can add ice cubes if you would like it thinnner

Rum Punch

Soccer season is back. Or football as we call it here in Nigeria.

 

We are a football loving house - even though we support different teams and it is not uncommon to have a few people come over to watch games. Sometimes they get lucky and I can throw something together, at other times, I just make sure there are interesting drinks to be had.

 

Enter this easy and yummy but lethal rum punch. The guys and girls love it. Plus, you can make a pitcher and stick it in the fridge earlier in the day and you get to adjust how much rum you want in it.

 

To make a pitcher full of this rum punch, you will need:

• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 3 cups pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup dark rum





 

 

 

 

Pour all the ingredients into a pitcher/jug and stir well. Stick in the fridge till ready to serve

 

 

 

That's all there is to it. 

This punch is the perfect accompaniment to salty nibbles like pretzels, mixed nuts and potato crisps.

Enjoy!!!!!

For Adults Only - Dessert and Romance

 

 

This very simple dessert is for adults only. So simple with only 2 ingredients but big taste and looks pretty. And I dare say, an aphrodisiac too. *wink* Seriously. I cannot be held responsible for what happens after 2 consenting adults have this for dessert.

 

All you need: Irish Cream and vanilla ice cream. That's it. Oh and maraschino cherries to garnish and for that touch of red.

 

The glasses you serve this in add to the effect and make them even more special. Martini glasses are great to use. Simply place 1 scoop of ice cream in each glass. Pour the chilled Irish Cream over the ice cream. Add a cherry or 2. And that's it.

 

Indulgent, naughty but oh so nice.

 

 

Perfect as an after dinner treat, or just because, or to say I am sorry, or as a bribe, or just to be naughty or as a solo reward for being fabulous.. 

 

 

Enjoy!!!!!

Cold Brewed Iced Tea and Cuba Libre(Rum & Cola with a twist)

I don't like to drink alcohol just because I am a wuss. Really. My alcohol tolerance is so low, its laughable. But I still like to have fun fun drinks when I have company over and they getting their buzz on.

 

These 2 drinks will make the teetotalers and drinkers in your life very happy. Plus they are so easy to put together which should make any hostess happy.

 

The first drink is a citrus cold brewed iced tea. To make a pitcher, you will need:

 

• 1 green tea bag
• Cold water to fill the pitcher
• Slices from 1 orange
• Slices from 2 lemons
• Slices from 3 limes
• Sweetener of choice (Sugar, Stevia, honey etc)

How to:

• Simply put all the ingredients into a pitcher and fill with water and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours and ready to serve.
• Substitute the fruits with any combination of your choice. You can also use flavored tea bags as well.
• Sweeten to taste

I prefer to make the tea unsweetened and offer my guests the option of sweetening to taste. Just have ice on hand to add to glasses afterwards.

 

 

 

 

 

To make the Cuba Libra, you will need:



•  Juice from 9 limes
• 1 cup of dark rum
• 3.5 cups of cola
• Ice cubes

 

 

How to:

• In a pitcher, add all the ingredients listed above and serve immediately

 

 

To up the fun factor, play around serving your drinks in unusual glasses and with fun straws and picks. These drinks go very well with salty crunchy snacks like pretzels, potato chips, veggie crisps etc.

 

Enjoy!!!!!