"All I Care about is Love"

It is funny how drinks are named. Somehow on my first testing as I am experimenting with the colour and taste, that name will just occur in parallel with my senses. Don't even need to think harder, it is like the name automatically attaches itself to the taste, aroma, or color, mostly the taste. And for that moment, I register it as a reference name in my mind and be able to use it later to revisualize it as an object or something abstract, like a feeling, a quality, or mood.

Strawberry can never go wrong with anything. Everybody knows that, and I just love it. And for the mix of strawberry with banana added with a twist of bailey calls out a musical mood with an image of Richard Gere as Billy Flynn (Chicago) singing his lines " I don't care about expensive things ….. Cashmere coats ….. Diamond rings ….. Don't mean a thing ….. All I care about is love ….. That's what I'm here for".

Makes any sense? Try it and let your drink speak for you!



HANDSOME
Serves 2 persons

Ingredients:
- Strawberries - slice > 150 grams
- Banana - slice > 1
- Dairy whipping cream > 3 tablespoons
- Granulated sugar > 2 1/2 tablespoons
- Water - 2 tablespoons
- Bailey liquor - 4 tablespoons
- Ice cubes - 2 cups

Method:
- Mix all ingredients in a blender and whiz till fine.
- Decorate with strawberry slices and add ice cubes as desired.
- Serve.

..... In Harmony

Can't resist strawberries, especially their shapes, textures, and colors. From all kinds of fruits I have ever used to decorate cakes, strawberries are doing the greatest magic to enhance their look and edibility. Regardless whether it is for cold or hot desserts, strawberries bring the beauty and attention under the spot light.

Strawberries also carry very strong taste and aroma. The reason why I think I could never get enough in combining it with a variety of fruits to discover new and interesting flavor. Recently I tried mixing it with apple and this was what I got... the feeling when everything is ......... in harmony.



IN HARMONY
Serves 2 persons

Ingredients:
- Stawberry - slice > 135 grams
- Fuji apple - peel, core, slice > 1
- Coconut milk > 1/4 cup
- Water > 1/4 cup
- Granulated sugar > 2 tablespoons
- Ice cubes > 1 cup
- Coconut white rum > 2 tablespoons

Method:
- Mix all ingredients in a blender and whiz till fine.
- Decorate with apple slice and add ice cubes as desired.
- Serve.

Melodious Passion

This week countless of lovely greeting cards would have been sent to the loved ones in the honor of St. Valentine, the patron saint of love and romance. Zillions stalks of roses and packs of chocolate candies were delivered for expressing care and compassion. Most people believed that on that special day, the true spirit of love shined through.

Some suggested that Valentine's Day was not only a celebration of romantic love, but of the friendly love of all mankind. Others commented that Valentine's Day was for commercial purposes - hotels' dining tables were fully booked, greeting cards and lovey-dovey goods were cleared from shelves, and people were in the mood of spending.

Well, for me it comes down to just this little drink - red, sweet, refreshing, and melodious! Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

MELODIOUS PASSION
Serves 2 persons

Ingredients:
- Strawberries - halve > 177 grams
- Chinese pear - peel, halve, core, cut in segments, slice > 114 grams
- Water > 1/2 cup
- Ice cubes > 1 cup
- Granulated sugar > 3 tablespoons
- Kirsch > 2 1/2 tablespoons

Method:
- Mix them all in a blender and whiz till fine.
- Decorate with strawberry and pear slices.
- Serve.

Basil Crush

Gosh, this is exactly the drink I am yearning for everytime I am thirsty. Something as refreshing as orange juice and yet has an extra kick of licorice and mint. Superb!

First time tried it in a Thai restaurant near my office and ever since I couldn't get it out of my mind until last night when I actually made it in my kitchen. Chopped chopped, plucked plucked and made my blender useful one more time. And of course many times of tasting to get the taste right! The result was juicy combination of pineapple and passion fruit empowered by Thai basil leaves.

Small leaf herb with distinctive purple stems, Thai sweet basil carries a stronger taste compared to other sweet basils. In the raw form, it is served as a condiment in Thai and Vietnamese dishes. You will recognize it everytime you have a bowl of phở, the Vietnamese soupy noodle. Known as horapa in Thai, it is differentiated from its other Thai fellows: Thai holy basil (kakpraw) and Thai lemon basil (maengluck).

BASIL CRUSH
Serves 2 persons

Ingredients:
- Pineapple - peel, roughly chop > 200 grams
- Thai sweet basil - pluck leaves from stalk > 12 grams
- Passion fruit puree > 2 1/2 tablespoons
- Granulated sugar > 1 1/2 tablespoons
- Water > 1/2 cup
- Ice cubes > 1 cup or more as desired


sweet thai basil

Method:
- Mix pineapple, Thai sweet basil leaves, passion fruit puree, sugar, and water in a blender. Whiz until smooth.
- Add ice cubes and continue whizzing until ice cubes completely crushed.
- Pour into a tall glass, sprinkle with some chopped basil leaves, and decorate with basil flower and pineapple chunks.
- Serve cold.