Q Kola, an elegant mixer. Photo courtesy Q
Drinks.

A few years ago, a young Brooklynite enjoying a vodka and tonic happened to notice the calories on the tonic water bottle, along with other ingredients not up to par with his top shelf vodka. He became a man with a mission: to make an artisan tonic water from the best ingredients he could find.

The mission resulted in Q Water (Q for quinine). The company, Q Drinks, also produced a Q Ginger and a Q Club Soda.

And now, there’s Q Kola.

Like Q Tonic Water and Q Ginger Ale, Q Kola is clean, crisp, not too sweet and made in small batches with with all-natural ingredients. The whole line is more light in body than big-brand mixers. One reason is the house style, the other reason is that high fructose corn syrup, the main sweetener of big-brand mixers, adds body and mouthfeel.

If you’d like more elegance in your Rum and Coke, Long Island Iced Tea, Mad Bomber or other drinks among the more than 163 drinks made with cola, try Q Kola.

Packaged in a beautiful glass bottle, Q Kola is made with organic ingredients, including kola nuts, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, lemon, lime, orange and nutmeg (the flavorings found in cola). It’s lightly sweetened with organic agave nectar.

There’s a store locator on the company website. You can purchase Q Kola online at Amazon.com.

Find more of our favorite soft drinks.

We love food garnishing, making each dish or drink special with tasty, edible decor (here’s a basic book to start with).

A lemon or lime wedge, for example, is nothing special. But you can make it so by cutting small grooves, or channels, in the rind.

To do this, you need a small tool call a stripper (a channel knife), which is available by itself or as a combination stripper/zester (and also available in a left-handed version).

For cutting wheels or serving a half-lemon with seafood, first strip the citrus vertically, from top to bottom. For wedges, first strip the citrus horizontally.

The stripping tool works with any citrus or hard fruit (apples, for example). The peel you strip away can be added to tea, salads, baked goods and other recipes; or you can wrap it in plastic and save it in the fridge or the freezer to garnish seafood, vegetable dishes and anything that pairs well with the citrus.

You can use stripped wedges or wheels for everything from drinks to seafood. We’ve already stripped our citrus for this evening’s cocktails.

So we now transition to cocktails:

Give your citrus garnishes a glamorous look. Photo courtesy Courvoisier.

Here’s a refreshing drink from Courvoisier that combines Cognac with apple juice and ginger, and lime wedges for garnish that look so much better when they’ve been “stripped.” Just run the stripper vertically down from the top to bottom of the citrus.

COGNAC COOLER

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. Build all ingredients in a highball glass over ice, pouring in the ginger beer last.

2. Garnish with squeezed lime wedges.

Finally, here’s a brief overview of Cognac.

XO Cognac is costly, but worth the
experience. Photo courtesy Courvoisier.

WHAT IS COGNAC

Brandy is a spirit distilled from grapes. Cognac is a type of brandy made only from white grapes; brandy can use white and/or red grapes. Cognac is named after the town of Cognac in France, and only spirits distilled in the region, following strict rules imposed by the Bureau National Inter professionnel du Cognac (BNIC), can be called Cognac.

By law, Cognac must be twice distilled in copper pot stills, then aged at least two years (often considerably longer) in French oak barrels from the French forests of Limousin or Tronçais, where it matures in the same way that fine whiskey and wine matures.

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COGNAC

There are official quality grades of Cognac based on age, established by the BNIC. As with all spirits, prices climb along with the length of barrel aging.

However, in the ongoing game of marketing new products, some Cognac producers release their own expressions (for example, C by Courvoisier and Remy Martin Coeur de Cognac, and the more comprehensible Courvoisier 12 and Courvoisier 21), which have no official designation but can really tax a Cognac buyer to figure out what’s in the bottle.

Official designations include:

 
Why are the names of the different grades in English, rather than French?

Because England was long the primary market for Cognac, and the British importers/merchants named them.

Fine Champagne does not refer to age, but the provenance of the grapes: a blend of Grande and Petite Champagne Cognacs, with at least half coming from Grande Champagne.

WHAT IS FINE CHAMPAGNE COGNAC

More confusion: It has nothing to do with wine-producing region of Champagne.

There are six different districts (called cru in French) within Cognac. Each has been graded by the government according to the quality of the grapes and Cognac produced there. The best district is Grande Champagne, followed by Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires.

A Cognac bottle labeled “Fine Champagne,” is as good as it gets in its age level.

Time for a drink!

*In 2016, the minimum age of the youngest Cognac used in an XO blend will be increased to 10 years.

A cranberry-lemonade mocktail. Photo by
Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

Mixologists invent new cocktails all the time. They look at the ingredients around them, and start combining.

You can do the same with mocktails, mixed drinks without alcohol. One of the most historic is shandy, a 50:50 combination of beer mixed with a carbonated beverage: cider, citrus soda (like 7-UP), ginger beer, ginger ale or lemonade.

The shandy is also called a half-and-half. And then there’s the Arnold Palmer, a non-alcoholic shandy made of half lemonade and half iced tea.

So today’s tip is: Create your own signature mocktail.

Start with a half-and-half recipe of your favorite ingredients. Make a small test recipe—a half cup or so.

You can turn it into a family or friends activity by inviting others to join you as co-mixologists. If you enjoy the exercise, you can make it a party activity, with a prize for the best recipe.

What should you mix?

Start with fruit sodas (cherry, cranberry, lemon-lime, raspberry, etc.), club soda and fruit juices (apple juice, lemonade, pomegranate juice, etc.). Add bitters if you enjoy them (we love them!), and top off your creation with a squeeze of lemon or lime.

To start you off, here’s a mocktail combination from Whole Foods Market, an enhancement of the raspberry-lime Rickeys of our youth:

 
For more lime flavor, juice a lime and add a teaspoon per eight-ounce serving.

BUILD ON THIS BASIC RICKEY RECIPE

The Rickey (originally the “Joe Rickey”) was created in 1883 at Shoomaker’s bar in Washington, D.C. It was named for Colonel Joe Rickey, a Missouri statesman. Each morning, he went to Shoomaker’s for a Bourbon with sparkling water over ice.

One day, the bartender added a squeeze of lime, and the Rickey was born. It’s evolved to include simple syrup and bitters. Omit the Bourbon and you’ve got a mocktail that you can layer with other ingredients (soda, juice, etc.).

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. Combine first three ingredients in a collins glass.

2. Top with soda, add garnish and serve.

Just combine these ingredients. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

Long before we knew of the original Rickey cocktail, and long before the invention of the word “mocktail,” we enjoyed many a raspberry-lime Rickey at Brigham’s soda fountain in Harvard Square (alas, long gone).

A sparkling blend of raspberry syrup, lime syrup and club soda, it was the Boston alternative to the New York egg cream. And, depending on your proclivities, it’s much more refreshing than the original.

Coconut water + espresso = hydration with a
caffeine kick. Photo courtesy AriZona
Beverages USA.

Some months ago we tasted dozens of coconut waters, including CocoZona from AriZona Beverages USA.

The company is now rolling out a second flavor: CocoZona Coconut Water with Espresso. The drink blends 100% pure coconut water with coffee, and has 50mg of caffeine per bottle.

The idea for CocoZona Espresso was hatched when an AriZona executive added some of the original CocoZona to his iced coffee. He really liked the flavor, and realized that a combination of coconut water and coffee would create a hydrating beverage with a kick of energy.

When the idea was handed to the product developers, the goal was not to recreate a latte-like flavor, which is the style of other coffee-enhanced coconut water beverages.* Thus, there is no milk or cream, just coconut water and coffee.

However, the flavor of CocoZona Espresso is like a charming “latte lite.” The natural milkiness of the coconut water combines beautifully with the coffee (which plays out more like regular coffee than espresso). Even the aroma has a bit of milkiness.

*Other caffeinated coconut water blends include Blue Monkey Organic, Coco Cafe, Coconut Coffee and Zico Latte.

We like it even better than the original, plain, coconut water.

Coconut water is a naturally isotonic drink that contains key electrolytes, such calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium, are of which are essential for rapid fluid absorption. And with 50mg of caffeine per bottle, CocoZona Espresso has an added kick.

A 14.5-ounce aluminum bottle has 70 calories. The suggested retail price is $1.99 to $2.49 per bottle. The bottle, which which has an attractive tropical-themed wrap, is 100% recyclable and can be repurposed as a water bottle (we refill the bottles with water and stick them in the fridge).

Coffee lovers: Try it!

It’s delicious. It’s healthful. It’s a probiotic yogurt drink that can be enjoyed by lactose intolerant people.

It’s the original smoothie, when mixed with ripe fruit. And it’s our Top Pick Of The Week.

Lassi is a four thousand year-old drink. Dahlicious produces its lassi in Vermont, with Indian-style yogurt made from the milk of meadow-grazing, rBST-free cows living on family farms.

What a refreshing and nutritious treat! We’ve been enjoying all four flavors: Alphonso Mango, Ecuador Banana, Oregon Strawberry and Wild Maine Blueberry.

Read the full review: Lassi come home!

Make your own lassi. Cooking video and recipe.

How much do you know about yogurt? Check out our Yogurt Glossary.

Banana, one of four Dahlicious flavors. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

Guess what: It’s good for you (unless you
have high blood pressure or other
sensitive condition). Photo by Ermek | IST.

If you’re a baby boomer, you may have grown up hearing that coffee was not good for children: “It will stunt your growth.”

Today, we know that to be an old wive’s tale. We also know that coffee, like tea, is full of beneficial antioxidants.*

Coffee has been tied to the reduction of some cancers and other diseases. Here’s an overview of its benefits from the Harvard Medical School.

And now, according to studies conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, reported in EverydayHealth.com, coffee may also help fight type 2 diabetes.

The Harvard study found the more coffee people drank, the greater the protection against diabetes.

*There are many different types of antioxidants. Those in coffee are completely different than EGCG, the principal antioxidant in tea.

The study followed 41,934 men for 12 years and 84,276 women for 18 years. Men who reported drinking more than six cups of regular coffee per day cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes buy 50%, when compared to non-drinkers. Women cut their risk by nearly 30%. Decaffeinated coffee drinkers also showed benefits, but to a lesser extent.

Yet a recent study at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health supports consumption of decaf. It followed more than 28,000 postmenopausal women for 11 years. Those who drank at least six cups of coffee daily, particularly decaffeinated, had a 33% lower risk of type 2 diabetes than non-drinkers.

More than half of Americans drink coffee everyday, according to the National Coffee Association. In fact, coffee is the number one source of antioxidants in the U.S. diet, according to a study by researchers at the University of Scranton.

What’s In The Coffee That Protects Against Type 2 Diabetes?

Researchers haven’t pinpointed the magic bullet as of yet. But both regular and decaffeinated coffees contain a high amount of the antioxidants chlorogenic acid (one of the compounds that provides coffee’s flavor) and magnesium. These ingredients can improve the body’s sensitivity to insulin and may help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.

So should you put on the coffee pot and drink another few cups? Only if you were going to do it anyway.

Says Sue McLaughlin, RD, CDE, president of health care and education at the American Diabetes Association, “More study is needed to determine why and how the study results occurred and to determine recommendations going forward.”

She also notes that just one 6-ounce cup of regular coffee contains 103 milligrams of caffeine, a substance “that has been shown to increase blood pressure in some individuals.” (That’s a very small cup! At Starbucks a Tall is 12 ounces, a Grande is 16 ounces and a Venti is 20 ounces). Heavy coffee consumption also may increase cholesterol levels.

What Does This Mean For You?

Speak with your healthcare provider, of course. But most people can keep drinking coffee in amounts they enjoy. There’s probably no reason to feel guilt over having an extra cup or two: It just may be good for you.

How Much Do You Know About Coffee?

Check out our informative Coffee Glossary.

The original smoothie, or yogurt “milkshake,” was lassi, a chilled yogurt drink served savory or sweet, blended with fruit. In much of India, where every day can be hot, it’s a refreshing and nutritious drink.

You can make your own fruit lassi at home, using the blender technique (think of how easy you have it over blenderless households that need to use the ancient technique of puréeing the fruit and blending it in a bowl with a handheld utensil).

This video recipe shows how to make mango lassi (arguably the favorite flavor) with 1 large ripe mango, 1/3 cup plain yogurt, 1/3 cup cold milk and a 1/2 cup of ice, plus a pinch of salt for flavor contrast.

You can vary the fruit, add herbs and spices, and garnish as you wish with a piece of fruit on the rim, herbs (mint, basil) or a shake of cardamom, cinnamon or nutmeg.

SECOND LASSI RECIPE: YOUR FAVORITE FRUIT LASSI

Ingredients

Makes two portions.

 
Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender carafe and blend.

2. Garnish as desired and serve.
 
Keep these recipes on hand for the next hot day!

As the weather warms up and we get thirstier and thirstier, we plan how to hydrate on-the-go.

That’s why we’re delighted that Lipton has launched its Tea & Honey To Go packets. This new line of iced tea mixes contains natural honey, real tea leaves and real fruit flavors.

Wherever you can find a glass of water—or fill your water bottle—you can have a refreshing glass of iced tea for just 5 calories per eight ounces. The packets themselves weigh nothing and can be carried in a pocket. So today’s tip is: Consider the convenience of to-go packets to make instant drinks from water.

These Lipton Tea & Honey iced green tea drink mixes include:

 
The mixes also come in pitcher-size packets.

Pour the packet contents into water to turn it to flavorful iced tea. Image courtesy Lipton.

And the except for sucralose, the mixes are all natural.* The ingredients include honey granules,† citric acid, green tea powder, maltodextrin,‡ natural flavor and color.

The products are hitting stores now nationwide. You can get a free samples when you like Lipton on Facebook, while supplies last.

*Although sucralose is made from sugar, the sugar molecule is chemically modified, which classifies it as an artificial sweetener.

†Honey granules are pure honey, dried and cut, with no additives, into pinhead-size pieces. You can buy them online.

‡Maltodextrin is a starch filler made from natural corn, rice or potato starch. It is a white powder used as a thickener or a filler without altering flavor. It’s in artificial sweetener packets, for example, because the very few grains of aspartame or sucralose required as a sweetener wouldn’t fill a packet.

A box of packets makes 10 bottles of tea. Photo courtesy Lipton.

Why We’re Big Fans Of Tea & Honey To Go Packets

1. 5 Calorie Fruit Flavor. The added honey neutralizes the sucralose flavor. The drinks are sweet and fruity, for just 5 calories per eight-ounce cup/10 calories per bottle.

2. Instant Drink. Open the packet, add to water and stir or shake. How easy is that?

3. Sustainability. Keep reusing the same water bottle, save the landfill from empties.

4. Price . At $3.29 for 10 packets (prices will vary), you can enjoy fruity ice tea for 32¢ a bottle instead of buying a ready-made drink for $1.79.

We see many products launched that aren’t really needed. We do need

Honey, Tea & Lady Antebellum

You can also enter the brand’s Drink Positive Sweepstakes with Lady Antebellum on Facebook, for the chance to win a visit with the band in Nashville and exclusive live music downloads. There’s also a series of Lady Antebellum’s behind-the-tour webisodes.

We were Lipton’s guest at the Lady Antebellum concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Great group, great evening and lots of great Lipton Tea & Honey.

Our Mac consultant introduced us to cold brew coffee several years ago. He lived next to a coffee bean shop and got the recommendation for the Toddy Cold Brew System from the shop’s owner.

The system turns a pound of your favorite ground coffee into a coffee concentrate via a slow, cold water drip. The coffee goes into the plastic brewing container, set atop a glass carafe. You add cold water, steep for 8-12 hours, and then let the concentrate filter into the carafe.

The carafe of concentrate goes into the fridge, where it stays fresh for three weeks. You add 1 part concentrate to 3 parts hot or cold water to make hot or iced coffee.

In the winter, we loved microwaving a cup of fresh-brewed-tasting coffee in 60 seconds. In the warm weather, we could easily create many cups of iced coffee.

You have to try it to believe how good the coffee is. Photo courtesy Toddy Products.

There are several reasons to love the Toddy Cold Brew System.

 
You can run out and pick one up for Mother’s Day or order it online from Amazon for $34.95 plus free Super Saver Shipping.

Jones Au Naturel: at 35 calories a bottle, a clear and clearly delicious low-calorie soda alternative. Photo courtesy Jones Soda.

Sugary soft drinks have been deemed a contributor to America’s growth in obesity and diabetes in children and adults. So a few years ago, The Harvard School of Public Health issued a call to beverage manufacturers to create a new class of beverages with very specific calorie and sugar architectures.

Jones Soda has been the first to answer the call in the sparkling beverage/soda category, and has upped the ante by making the products all natural.

The Au Naturel soda line has stripped sparkling beverages to the bare essentials: only crisp carbonated water, all-natural sweeteners and flavor essences. The sodas are clear because there’s no reason to add color. They include green tea extracts with a small dose of natural caffeine for a pick-me-up.

Consumers who have outgrown full calorie sodas, those seeking lower calorie options and those interested in all natural foods have something new and exciting to sip.

The excitement comes from an excellent, sweet flavor for only 35 calories/7 g sugar per 16.9 ounce bottle (there are 100 calories/27 g sugar in a comparable amount of Coke). That’s an 80% reduction compared to most non-diet sodas, and also includes a full five grams of fiber.

The sweetener mix comprises low-glycemic and low-calorie organic agave syrup (nectar) and noncaloric stevia, along with a reduced amount of pure cane sugar. The new product line provides an alternative to traditional sodas, without sacrificing flavor or fizz.

The Au Naturel line launches with three flavors: Green Apple A Day, Lemon Limelight and Orange Ya Glad It’s Mango. All three are very refreshing, and the calorie savings:flavor ratio can’t be beat.

Au Naturel has a suggested retail price of $1.79 per 16.9-ounce bottle.

Find more of our favorite soft drinks.