Friday, baby!

Nearly 5:30 on a Friday evening. All of our readers are gonna have a night out on the town, right? Hit those bars, buy tacos at two in the morning, eat something some guy hands you and then just freak out for a while...

Ah, but slow down there, Raoul Duke. If you're frugal like me, you want to have the same amount of crazy fun for half the price, right? That's why I'm going to recommend a cocktail every Friday, one you can whip up yourself without worrying about saving your singles for the bartender. So without further ado, my recommendation for this week:

Planter's Punch.

This libation's got a storied history in my family. Responsible for endless nights of drunken revelry and eventual total unconsciousness at a little Sea Island, Georgia pub called The Loggia Bar, it's delicious, strong, and absolutely perfect to sip (or pound) on a hot summer night. The mix of juices and three kinds of rum will make you feel absolutely tropical, not to mention absolutely...well, you get the picture. And since the Loggia got bulldozed in May, you'll be drinking a little (or big!) glass of history.

So enjoy, you party people. And remember, always drink responsibly.

Cider tastes better than beer.

Yeah, I said it. And I'll say it again, in bold letters: CIDER IS BETTER THAN BEER. I'm not saying that beer is bad or anything, but I like hard cider better--and I shouldn't be mocked for the preference.

Go to a bar with your buddies. Plop down in the stool, get the bartender's attention. Ask for cider. Even if you're a 6 foot 5 Hell's Angel with "LOVE AND HATE" tattooed on your knuckles, bloodstains on your chopper, and a bandoleer across your chest, your pals are going to stare, possibly laugh, and probably ask if you're sure you don't want a Smirnoff Ice.

Screw that noise. I was introduced to cider by a 300-pound Irish bus driver who could pound pints of the black stuff for six hours straight and still want whiskey afterwards. That's pretty damn manly. And what's this association with Zima and "alcopops?" Cider was what you drank long before beer took hold in this country, with pints pounded down by everyone from hard-bitten frontiersmen to John Quincy Adams. It only lost its popularity when beer breweries arose near urban centers. And like so many other things, that was all the Germans' fault. Lousy Germans*.

Luckily, cider seems to be making a comeback--in England, anyway. It's nice to know that if I'm ever in London and I ask for a pint of Magner's or Scrumpy Jack, I won't get snickers or funny looks (which is good, because I am emphatically not a bloodthirsty Hell's Angel).

If you'd like to read a brief history of the drink I love so much, check out my article on the main site. And next time you see a guy asking futilely if the bar stocks Woodchuck, show some sympathy. An American cider-lover's existence is a torturous one.

*In reality, Jim has nothing against the Germans, nor does he wish they would "go back to Germania." He just wishes they wouldn't make such good beer.**
**If any Germans are offended, Jim deeply apologizes, as he knows that Germans are not "all smiles und sunshine."

I Dream of Tea (and Whiskey)

As this is my first post on our new Recipe4Living blog, I thought I would introduce myself by talking about two of my favorite things, tea and Irish whiskey (even more magical when served together). Really, these two beverages speak volumes about me. During the drudgery of these cold winter months in Chicago, I do my utmost to replace a part of my chilled blood with hot tea, hot toddies (made with Irish whiskey, recipe below), and the occasional hot chocolate. But since that last one goes against my hard-earned reputation of drinking like an old man despite being a 20-something female, let's just forget that one for now. Hot tea and toddies are superbly flavorful ways to warm up, making me slightly uncomfortable with people who scoff at hot drinks.

Don't get me wrong, coffee has its perks (excuse my pun), but it only seems to impress me with hefty amounts of cinnamon, as was introduced to me by an Ethiopian restaurant in Evanston called Addis Adeba. If you live in the Chicagoland area, check this place out. In the traditional spirit of sharing, meals are presented on a large communal platter for the table and everyone scoops up the food with pieces of spongy injera bread. No, you cannot have a fork and knife. Trust me, it's fun and finger-lickin' good.

But I digress. Despite that cinnamon treat, tea is a much more interesting experience than coffee for me, especially when it comes to loose-leaf. The varieties of tea are quite staggering, and loose leaf creates an aesthetic experience while brewing in a clear cup or pitcher. I once gave a sweetheart a special Valentine's Day red tea which look and smelled gorgeous as it brewed with rose buds and more. One of my favorite loose-leaf teas right now is White Pear from adagio, which has a surprisingly smooth flavor. And, Adagio's loose-leaf infuser is simple brilliant. You put the loose-leaf into the clear cup with hot water (it's also microwaveable), let it brew, and a valve in the bottom releases the filtered water into your tea cup. It's just as easy as a teabag and MUCH more flavorful. Check it out here.

Hot toddies are an entirely different kind of experience, perfect for chilly nights at the local pub. All you need is hot water or tea, a shot of Irish whiskey such as Jameson, or my own personal favorite, Bushmills, honey, and a lemon stuffed with cloves. It's great for a cold. Nothing coats a throat quite like it. Enjoy!

Hot Toddy

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. whiskey
1 oz. honey
1 lemon wedge
2-3 whole cloves
3 oz. hot water

Directions

Add hot water to the whiskey, and then stir in the honey. Stuff the cloves into the lemon wedge and add to the drink. Enjoy.