This vanilla milk is made with honey. Here’s the recipe from A Well Fed Life. You can use your sweetener of choice (ours is Splenda).

An easy way to make coffee milk: Just add coffee syrup, as in this recipe from Cocktail Crafty.

July is National Ice Cream Month. In our neck of the woods, gourmet ice cream sandwiches have been the rage for a while.

What makes them “gourmet,” beyond the super-premium ice cream, is the sandwiching—usually homemade cookies in chocolate chip, chocolate chocolate chip, oatmeal, peanut butter and snickerdoodle.

When we make our own cookies for homemade ice cream sandwiches, we make chocolate-dipped graham crackers. When people ask what they can bring, we assign them a batch of cookies.

There’s plenty of time to invite friends and family for a casual ice cream social* this weekend or next. You set out the fixings, and let guests make their own sandwiches.

Then, make up your menu:

 
Limit the cookie, ice cream and garnish choices the first time out. See what gets consumed most; then you can vary the choices next time.
 
UTENSILS

 
BEVERAGES

What beverages go best with ice cream sandwiches?

Youngsters might clamor for soft drinks, but coffee and tea, hot and iced, go best.

You know your guests: Are they insistent on beer and wine, or would they be happy with an iced coffee—with a shot of vodka or coffee liqueur?

Consider these options, each of which can be enjoyed plain or with a shot:

 
RECIPE: VANILLA MILK or COFFEE MILK

Ingredients Per 8-Ounce Glass

________________

*To estimate how many cookies or waffle quarters you’ll need, multiply 2 cookies/sandwich times 2 sandwiches/guest.

Ice cream socials date back to 18th-century America, long before the dawn of electric freezers—not to mention electric ice cream makers. The ice cream was hand-cranked.

While a laborious undertaking, ice cream socials were very popular, traditional gatherings. According to Wikipedia:

 
ICE CREAM TRIVIA: THE FIRST FLAVOR

Many people would guess that vanilla was the first ice cream flavor, but that is far from the case.

You have to think back to the origins of ice cream, around 2000 B.C.E. in China, when the first ice cream was made from snow, flavored with fruit syrups.

The concept reached the Middle East via traders, and Alexander the Great brought it to Greece after conquering Persia in 331 B.C.E., where it became a treat for the nobility, who had the servants to fetch snow and ice from the mountains and turn it into dessert. The shaved ice and snow were combined with fruit toppings, honey and nuts—the first sundae, perhaps.

Vanilla, which originated in Mexico and was used to flavor the cacao drink, didn’t become a flavor in Europe until the 1600s. As in Mexico, only the wealthy could afford it.

Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing vanilla to the United States in the late 1700s. He became familiar with vanilla at the court of King Louis XVI, while serving as U.S. minister to France (from 1785 to 1789). When he returned to the U.S., he brought 200 vanilla beans with him, and his cook had learned to make ice cream.

Here’s the history of vanilla.

Alas, when one’s palate evolves, those overly-sweet syrups from street vendors no longer bring pleasure. And the day-glow colors? Sheesh!

One way we’ve worked around this is to make adult snow cones with a better syrup like Monin or Torani—still pretty sweet—combined with a matching liqueur, in a 1:1 proportion.

If you have an ice crushing machine or a snow cone machine, it’s a great idea for a casual summer cocktail party.

And then, there’s the iced coffee snow cone, a riff on one of America‘s favorite warm-weather beverages.

We adapted this recipe from one by Nuggets Market—12 locations in northern California.

You can have a family-friendly iced espresso, or add Kahlúa or your favorite coffee liqueur.

Instead of coffee, you can make a variation with chai concentrate (we use Original Oregon Chai Tea Latte Concentrate), or with strong-brewed tea.

Serve them in a vessel of choice. Since we never got around to buying paper cones, we use a rocks glass and a spoon.

The recipe follows. Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The different types of ice cream and other frozen desserts.

> The history of ice cream.

> The year’s 50+ ice cream holidays. December 21st is National Snow Cone Day.

> Here’s how ice cream was made, 4,000 years ago.

> Make snow cones at home with the Little Snowie machine.

> What are snow ice and shave ice?

> A recipe for papaya shave ice.
 
 
RECIPE: ESPRESSO SNOW CONES

Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the 2 espresso, vanilla extract, Coffee Mate and optional liqueur, and let chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. Once the mixture is chilled…

2. SHAVE the ice. Fill a blender halfway with ice cubes and use the “crush” setting. Don’t fill the blender more than halfway or the top ice won’t get crushed.

3. FILL the serving cups one-third full with whipped cream. Add the ice, pour the espresso mixture over ice, top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF SNOW CONES

Snow cones are the oldest form of ice cream—if you substitute a bowl or cup for the a cylindrical cone, which came much later (the history of ice cream).

The original “ice cream,” made in China some 4,000 years ago, consisted of flavoring snow with syrup. Fast forward to the 1850s, and you have ice shaved from large blocks into a paper cone or cup, topped with syrup.

Shaved Ice In 11th Century Japan

In 11th-century Japan, kakigori, a shaved ice dessert, is believed to have already existed. It was made from ice harvested in winter and stored in ice houses: a luxury available only to the wealthy nobility.

Ice was shaved into a metal bowl and eaten with a sweet sap from vines, hydrangeas, and ivy, with some golden syrup on top.

Around the 19th century, with the ice-making technology of the Industrial Revolution, kakigori was finally affordable to the general public.

The first kakigori shop was opened in 1872. The ice was flavored with fruit syrup, and optionally topped with adjuki beans and sweetened condensed milk.

Kakigori became a common treat, leading to modern versions of Japanese shaved ice and Hawaiian shave ice [source].
 
Snowballs In 19th Century Baltimore

On the other side of the world, in the U.S., historians trace the snow cone to Baltimore in the 1850s. When blocks of ice first began to be manufactured commercially, ice wagons would transport the huge blocks from factories to businesses—not just locally, but interstate.

On hot days in Baltimore, on the route from New York to Florida, children would run up to the ice wagons and ask for small scrapings of ice. Mothers began to top them with syrups, and called them snowballs.

One of the easiest toppings to make at home was egg custard, a simple mix of eggs, vanilla and sugar (hold the cream!). It gave the “snow” a creaminess, closer to ice cream than the bright-colored fruit flavors that subsequently became popular.

Sources name Baltimore as the home of the “egg custard snowball,” where it remains a prevalent summer snack (photo #4—it’s now often topped with melted marshmallows).

By the 1870s, Baltimore theaters would sell snowballs in warm months. According to Wikipedia, “Signs in theaters instructing patrons to finish their snowballs before coming in to the second act are the earliest tangible evidence of snowballs.”

Around the city, snowballs were served on newspaper, but in the classy theaters, butchers’ boats were used. In the 1890s, patents for electric ice shavers were filed as Baltimoreans sought faster alternatives to hand-shaved ice.

Snow Cones In Texas

As the recipe spread, the name evolved. Plop the shaved ice into a paper cone or cup and call it a snow cone.

In 1919, Samuel Bert, who would invent an ice-crushing machine the following year, sold snow cones at the State Fair of Texas. But ice continued to be largely hand-shaved until Ernest Hansen of New Orleans patented the first block-ice shaving machine in 1934.

According to Wikipedia, during the Great Depression, snowballs became more readily available around the U.S. A cheap treat, they were nicknamed Hard Times Sundae and Penny Sunday.

Hansen’s ice shaver produced ice that had the consistency of snow, unlike the other ice shavers, which produced rough, crunchy ice (think )—a true snow cone [source].

With milk rationing during World War II, snow cones became a go-to icy treat.

Today’s snow cone syrups, available in dozens of flavors, have one thing in common: They’re all made in vibrant—not necessarily natural—colors.

[2] Classic snow cones: super-sweet, in day-glow colors (photo © La Estrella Bounce).

[3] Favorite childhood treat: a rainbow snow cone (photo via Katlin Cockrell | Pinterest).

[4] A Baltimore specialty: egg custard snowball with marshmallow topping (photo © Scott Suchman | Baltimore Magazine).

[5] Tequila snow cones (photo © World Market).

[6]Strawberry, rum and Grand Marnier snow cone. Here’ the recipe (photo © Sugar And Charm).

[7] Blue Curaçao snow cone (photo © The Aviary | Chicago)

[2] Zucchini on the vine. Zucchini is very easy to grow, with a large yield (photo courtesy Burpee).

What we like even more is summer zucchini, which we can often find for half the price of the winter offerings.

For a party or a family dinner—or to whip up quickly when friends drop by for a beer or glass of wine—try this cheesy zucchini pizza from The Baker Chick, one of our favorite food bloggers. Sign up for her emails at TheBakerChick.com. It’s well worth getting her recipe emails every week or two.

Shredded zucchini and mozzarella are spread on pizza crust over a ricotta/garlic mixture. (We also made a version with red sauce and kalamata olives—equally delish.)

The zucchini dries out a bit first, but it totally crisps up with the bubbly cheese.

“This is really simple but just so good,” says Audra, The Baker Chick. “I didn’t quite realize how much I would love this.”

You will, too! Audra made this as a pan (square or rectangle) pizza, but you can use whatever pan you have.

We added a different garnishes on different slices of the pizza. We loved them all!

We added the garnishes both after the pizza came out of the oven, and during the last 5 minutes of baking, with a slight preference for the latter (except for the fresh basil, which shows best then added out of the oven).

Bonus Tip: You can mix the ingredients the day before. Then, it takes just five minutes to roll the dough, sprinkle them on top and pop into the oven. In 15 minutes, it’s ready.

RECIPE: EASY ZUCCHINI WHITE PIZZA

Ingredients

1. PREHEAT the oven to 500°F. Drizzle a quarter sheet pan with olive oil, using a paper towel, basting brush or your fingers to make sure the entire surface is coated. Set aside. (You can also use a pizza stone.)

2. GRATE the zucchini and squeeze out all the water, either by pressing in a fine mesh strainer or with a paper towel.

3. MIX the zucchini with the mozzarella, adding salt and pepper to taste. In another bowl…

4. COMBINE the ricotta and garlic. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.

5. ROLL out the dough on a floured surface and stretch into the pan. Spread the ricotta mixture over the dough, and top with the zucchini/mozzarella mixture.

6. REDUCE the oven temperature to 450°F and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
  

July 10th is National Piña Colada Day, for which we offer two Piña Colada cheesecake recipes.

The first is no-bake, family friendly recipe from from Invo Coconut Water.

It’s gluten-free, made with a coconut crust and a lighter filling that uses coconut water instead of cream of coconut. It is adapted

The second recipe is a richer version from Betty Crocker, using a traditional graham cracker crust, cream of coconut, rum and pineapple juice—the latter three, ingredients in a Piña Colada cocktail.

Here’s the history of the Piña Colada and the original recipe.

Two Pina Colada cheesecakes follow. The second one, below, is made with rum!
 
 
RECIPE #1: PIÑA COLADA CHEESECAKE WITH GLUTEN FREE CRUST

Ingredients For The Crust

 
For The Filling

 
Preparation

1. MIX the crust ingredients and press them onto the bottom of a springform pan.

2. WARM the coconut water in a small pan or microwave, sprinkle on the gelatin, and allow it to dissolve for 3 minutes.

3. COMBINE the sugar and cream cheese. Beat in the gelatin mixture and fold in the pineapple chunks. Pour the batter into the pan and crust refrigerate for 5 hours. If using the pineapple rings garnish, press them into the top of the cake an hour into the firming.
 
 
RECIPE #2: PIÑA COLADA CHEESECAKE WITH RUM

Ingredients For The Crust

 
Ingredients For The Filling

 
For The Glaze

 
For The Garnish

 
Preparation

[2]This recipe from Taste Of Home is decorated like a pineapple Upside-Down Cake, with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries.

[3] You can use a conventional pineapple cheesecake glaze with this recipe from Kraft; but we prefer to carry through the Piña Colada theme with option #4.

[4] This garnish of toasted flaked coconut seems the perfect topping (recipe from Blahnik Baker). Pass around some crushed pineapple for a topping. If you have the time, make a small dice of fresh pineapple.

2. MIX the crust ingredients in small bowl. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set.

3. BEAT the cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, until just blended. On low speed, beat in the remaining filling ingredients except the pineapple. Gently fold in pineapple and pour the filling over the crust.

4. BAKE for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the edge of the cheesecake pulls away from the pan but the center still jiggles slightly when moved. Run a small metal spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen the cheesecake.

5. TURN the oven off and open the oven door at least 4 inches. Let the cheesecake remain in the oven for another 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for an additional 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.

6. MAKE the glaze. In a 1-quart saucepan, mix the reserved pineapple juice plus enough water to equal 2/3 cup, along with the cornstarch and sugar. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the glaze is slightly thickened. Cool 20 minutes at room temperature.

7. TOSS the glaze with in large bowl with the pineapple and mango. Spoon onto the top of cheesecake when ready to serve. Garnish with mint leaves.
 
 

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[3] Here’s the recipe from Joy The Baker.

[4] Fans have turned Pimm’s Cups into ice pops and Jell-O shots. Here are recipes from Brit.co.

Pimm’s is a line of liqueurs, called fruit cups* in the U.K., first produced in 1823 by James Pimm (1798–1866).

A tenant farmer’s son from Kent, he studied theology in Edinburgh, but moved to London in his early 20s and became a shellfish monger. Not long after, he opened Pimm’s Oyster Bar in London, which grew to a chain of five restaurants.

He served oysters with a “house cup,” a gin sling with his proprietary mix of liqueurs and fruit extracts. (Slings were a category of drink that, at the time, combined a spirit with soda water or ginger ale).

The English gin of the time was not the smooth, botanical spirit we enjoy today, but a rough drink that had departed from its Dutch roots. It was often distilled into a crude, inferior but cheap spirit that was more likely to be flavored with turpentine than the juniper berries of the Dutch jenever from which it evolved.

So Pimm, ahead of the curve, doctored the rough gin with a “secret mixture” of liqueur, herbs, and fruits. He served it in a small tankard known as a No. 1 cup; hence, the name of the drink: Pimm’s No. 1 Cup.

Reddish-brown in color with subtle notes of spice and citrus fruit, the Cup was a big hit. He sold bottles to other establishments.

In 1851, he expanded the line† to include Pimm’s No. 2 Cup, made with a Scotch base; and Pimm’s No. 3 Cup, made with a brandy base. He initiated large-scale distillery production to supply his wholesale customers.

The history of Pimm’s Cup follows, as well as the original Pimm’s Cup recipe, how to set up a Pimm’s Cup Party Bar, and the different categories of cocktails.

________________

*A fruit cup, also known as a summer cup, is a traditional English long drink, most commonly based on gin, with the addition of a soft drink such as lemonade or ginger ale. The drink is a summer drink, garnished with fresh fruit (apple, cucumber, lemon, lime, orange, strawberry) and/or herbs (mint, borage). Other classic British drinks include Dubonnet Cocktail and Regent’s Punch.

†Over the years, under subsequent owners, Pimm’s created other cups, some using spirits other than gin. After World War II, Pimm’s No. 4 Cup, based on rum was invented; followed by Pimm’s No. 5 Cup, based on rye whiskey. Cups 2 and 5 were discontinued, and Pimm’s No. 6 Cup, based on vodka, debuted in the 1960s. There have been special editions, such as the Winter Cup and a Blackberry & Elderflower variant of No. 6 Cup. The first shot was the best: Pimm’s No. 1 cup remains the overwhelming favorite.
________________
 
 
PIMM’S CUP HISTORY: FROM FRUIT CUP TO DIGESTIF TO BRITISH STAPLE DRINK

In 1840, Pimm created what is today known as a Pimm’s Cocktail, as a digestif—a drink that purportedly helps with the digestion of food. It was conceived as a tonic to aid the digestion of customers who had eaten too much (which must have been a common problem among those who could afford it, given the proliferation of digestif liqueurs and wines).

He combined his No. 1 Cup with lemon juice and a topper of ginger ale or sparkling lemonade, served over ice with mint and fresh fruit—and thus an iconic British drink was born.

In 1865, the year before his death, Pimm sold the business and the right to use his name to a Frederick Sawyer, who sold it in 1880 to Horatio Davies, a future Lord Mayor of London. A chain of Pimm’s Oyster Houses was franchised in 1887. Today the brand is owned by spirits giant Diageo.

Sidebar: The Scoop On Digestifs

Taking a liqueur after a meal has long been thought to aid digestion due to its alcohol content. While it may seem to skeptics an opportunity for another drink, there’s some truth to the tradition (but note that heavy-alcohol drinks like brandy and whiskey have an adverse effect on digestion).

A smaller amount of alcohol stimulates the stomach’s production of the enzyme pepsin, the enzyme that helps digest proteins. It also increases secretions of the pancreas and gall bladder, which similarly break down food for use as energy.

In actuality, it’s the bitter herb- and spice-based digestifs that work best to help digestion. Ingredients such as caraway seed, fennel seed, and savory are thought to be especially beneficial to digestion. If you want an after-dinner drink with benefits, look to Chartreuse, Fernet Branca, Jägermeister, and Kümmel.

Fortified wines such as cream sherry, port, Madeira, and vermouth are traditional digestif wines; but these days, take a trip to the medicine cabinet for Alka-Seltzer, Pepto-Bismol, Tums, etc., the best cure(s) for what ails your digestive system.

In our opinion (since we’ve had the drink but don’t know the secret Pimm’s Cup formula), a Pimm’s Cocktail is more of a pleasant summer sipper than a digestif.
 

There are actually two approaches to Pimm’s Cup Cocktail.

 
Garnishes include as much sliced fruit as you like. The conventional fruits are apples, cucumber, oranges, lemons, and strawberries, plus herbs such as borage or mint (for a modern twist, try basil).

Ginger ale is a common substitute for carbonated lemonade or bitter lemon; but we very much like Sanpellegrino’s Limonata, which has less sugar than other carbonated lemon drinks.

The second approach was devised in New Orleans. It uses regular lemonade, a top-off of 7-Up or Sprite, and a cucumber garnish. If this sounds more appealing to you, here’s the recipe.

 
Ingredients For A Pitcher

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the Pimm’s, the apple, orange, and lemon slices, and mint in a large pitcher. Chill until ready to serve.

2. ASSEMBLE: Add the soft drink and stir gently. Pour over ice in tall glasses. Garnish with cucumber, strawberries, or as you wish.
 
 
RECIPE #2: PIMM’S CUP PARTY BAR

Pimm’s Cup is one of the two staple drinks (along with Champagne) at the Wimbledon tennis tournament, the Chelsea Flower Show, the Henley Royal Regatta, and the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. It is the standard cocktail at British and American polo matches. It is also extremely popular at summer garden parties in the U.K…so why not enjoy one in your own garden?

You can make it by the pitcher, fully garnished. Or, just mix the liquid ingredients and the sliced apple, lemon, and orange, and let guests garnish their own with the other fruits and herbs.

You can find more Pimm’s cocktail recipes at AnyoneForPimms.com.
 

COCKTAIL CATEGORIES

If you like to understand what you consume, here’s a partial taxonomy of cocktails. The list of categories can be quite extensive—frozen drinks, mulled and other hot drinks, nogs and other egg- and dairy-based drinks, layered drinks, etc. But here are some basics, starting with this basic divider:

 
The differences between categories and sub-categories can be as minor as switching lemon juice for lime juice.

While this may seem like splitting hairs, remember that in the days before broadcast media, people had more time on their hands. One of our favorite examples of this is nouns of multitude.

1. Ancestral Cocktails. These are the original, early 19th century cocktails. These can sound generic, such as “whiskey cocktail” and “gin cocktail.”

The goal, back in the day, was to make spirits more palatable by sweetening them, with a teaspoon of sugar or a sweet liqueur. Often, aromatic bitters were included for complexity, and the drink was served either straight up or on the rocks. Two enduring examples are the Old Fashioned (without the muddled fruit and club soda found so often in today’s bars) and the Sazerac.

2. Champagne Cocktails. These are fizzy cocktails, made with champagne or sparkling wine. The champagne can be the principal ingredient, as in the Champagne Cocktail; or can be used to top off a sour or other drink, such as a French 75.

These drinks, originally served in coupes like champagne, are now largely served in flutes or other narrow glasses.

3. Highballs. Simple highballs combine a spirit and a carbonated mixer (club soda, cola, ginger ale) plus ice in a tall (highball or collins) glass. Pimm’s Cup and Rum and Coke are examples.

Replace the mixer with juice or liqueur to make a complex highball: a Dark and Stormy or Screwdriver, for example.

 
4. Juleps. A julep combines a base spirit with sugar, fresh mint, and ice. The Mint Julep, made with bourbon, is the best known today; but in earlier eras, juleps were also made with most other spirits.

 
5. Sours. Add lemon or lime juice (sometimes, grapefruit) and sugar to the spirit and you have a simple sour. They are usually shaken with ice and served straight up in a rocks glass.

In some sours, an egg white is added for body and a foamy top, as in the Daiquiri and Whiskey Sour.

Add another sweet ingredient—liqueur, fortified wine, or syrup—and you have a complex sour. Examples include the Cosmopolitan and the Margarita.

If you love details like this, check out our…

WHISKEY GLOSSARY: The different types of whiskey and related terms.

[6] From the Highball group, an Tom Collins (photo © Tanqueray).

[7] From the Sour group, a Whiskey Sour (photo © The Mercury | Atlanta).

[8] From the Julep group, a Mint Julep (photo © Distilled | NY).

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