Welcome back to the Craine’s Nest!  Thanks for being here!

The last days of Summer are upon us here in East San Diego, and that means one thing… SERIOUS HEAT.  So, instead of complaining about the sweaty, humid heat (ok, I’ll still complain a little!), I think I’ll sip away the last days that we have left of this very long season.  So…

I’ve returned to give you a sweet and simple drink recipe that I concocted this week when temperatures rose into the hundreds!  Every year, when August comes to a close, I think, “Thank goodness Summer is OVER-  hey, it wasn’t even that bad!?!?!?”  But somewhere in the back of my mind lurks a sneaking suspicion that I’ve forgotten something… and that’s when September strikes.  105 degree days and pretty much sheer, sweaty torture when you live in an A-frame with absolutely no insulation and no AC.  That’s right.  No AC.  My husband says it’s making us stronger people but I’m pretty sure it’s just making me mean!  It’s hard to be nice when you live in a sweat lodge.  It’s also hard to explain this annual amnesia that I experience but I think it’s a denial that allows me to remain in this house year after year, because I’m too lazy to pack it in and move out!

Whatever the case may be, while I was sitting in my AC-free living room the other night, sweating bullets, and trying to finish up my last post, I realized I needed something REALLY cold to drink.  I looked around my kitchen and found some mint, lemons, tonic, a little vodka, some sugar and ice, and I got busy mixing!

Here is your grocery list:

• 1/3 cup Mint Simple Syrup (you’ll need water, sugar, and one bunch of mint for the recipe below- this is a modified, much-less-sweet version of traditional simple syrup)
• 2/3 cup Tonic Water
• 3 cups of Ice
• Freshly Squeezed Juice of  4 Lemons
• Vodka- anywhere from none (the virgin rendition is delicious), to a splash, to as much as you want!  But be careful!  The vodka is almost undetectable after everything is blended, and the drink is SO refreshing, that you can seriously throw it back!
• You will also need a decent blender that can grind solid cubes of ice to a pulp.  I have a Ninja from Target-  it was about 50 bucks for a small blender and a larger one (they come together, 2 to a pack) and I swear they can attack ANYTHING!

Start by making your Mint Simple Syrup.  Mine is a fairly diluted version, considering most are 2 cups sugar to 1 cup water.  I put 1 cup of sugar into a small pot with 1.5 cups of water and 1 bunch of mint (not the kind you buy in small plastic containers, but a FULL bunch of mint, that you would find in the produce section of your grocery store).  Cut off the bottom stems, rinse the mint, and then do a quick chop.  Place all ingredients into your pot, and bring to a boil, stirring as you go.  Dissolve all of the sugar and stir for maybe a minute more (after it’s been boiling and the sugar has dissolved) and then bring the heat down to low and let it simmer, undisturbed for a few minutes.  The syrup is SO yummy and definitely the superstar of the drink.  Once you’re done, bring the pot to the sink and pour the brew into a fine colander with a large bowl beneath it.  Push on the mint to get all of the juice, and then allow the syrup to cool.

Just a note to mention that I prefer the more diluted simple syrup in this drink, because you can use more of it, and the outcome is not outrageously sweet.  I played around with it until I got what I wanted.  You can always adjust it to your taste.

Also to be noted, is that you can make your simple syrup in the same manner as described above, with any flavor you’d like.  Some good alternatives for this drink might be rosemary, basil, or lavender.

Moving along!  While your simple syrup is cooling (better yet would be to make it ahead of time, and then put it in a mason jar or glass bottle and into the fridge-  it will last about 2 weeks), you can start throwing all the rest of your ingredients into the blender:  tonic, ice, fresh lemon juice, vodka, and then your simple syrup.  Blend until it is a slushy, frothy consistency.  Pour into a glass (I use a Spiegelau IPA glass- set of 6 at BevMO for around $40) and garnish with a stem of mint and a lemon wheel.  It’s pretty and it’s cool and you’ll feel refreshed the minute you look at it!  I take the mint stem and put it into the drink along with the lemon wheel and it is heaven on a hot night!

Now, all that’s left to do, is to sit back and sip away the last days of summer!  Cheers!

Happy Nesting.

Kirstie xo