by : Reiko Drinks

Kabosu Hot Rum Toddy
かぼすホットラムドリンク

I have to confess something first today.

The citrus fruit I talked about in the previous post and the one before that was NOT Sudachi, but Kabosu.

I was just informed by the source.

They are similar, and I did not know the difference.

But I got interested, and did some research.

I found out that there are differences.

Kabosu is a little larger than Sudachi.

They are grown in different regions.

The flavors are supposed to be a little different too.

They say Kabosu has a milder sourness compared to Sudachi.

Water, brown sugar, Kabosu juice, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom.

A little rum was added to finish it.

I really liked the combination of Kabosu, brown sugar, spices, and rum!

This is a great drink to enjoy on a cold winter day.

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by : Reiko Asian Food, Drinks

Bitter Melon Smoothie
ゴーヤスムージー

Bitter melon is a popular summer vegetable in Japan.

I’ve never tried it in Japan or in the U.S.

But when I saw it at a local Asian grocery store, I decided to give it a try.

This is what I got.

I thought it was pretty reasonable.

I initially made namul with it.

My reaction to my very first bite of bitter melon?

“Bitter!”

I knew it was supposed to be bitter, but it was much more bitter than I thought.

Unfortunately, I had to throw it away.

I asked other people including my mother some ideas on how to cook/eat bitter melon.

My parents grow bitter melon in their garden, but my mother told me that it’s not her favorite.

She did tell me that she does like bitter melon smoothie (and tempura).

She gave me her smoothie recipe (bitter melon, banana, apple, milk), and I decided to give it a try.

I didn’t have apples, so I used gold kiwi and cherry plum.

I could still taste the bitterness from the melon, but the bitterness was rather pleasant.

Interestingly, a lot of people told me that they initially did not like the bitterness, but then they have come to love it.

So I’m hopeful…

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by : Reiko Drinks, Japanese Food

Kuro-Mame Tea
黒まめ茶

 

I posted something I brought back from Japan in the previous post.

This is another thing that came back with me from Japan.

(You can tell I like tea!)

This tea is supposed to be vary good for your health, but it really doesn’t matter much, because I really like the taste anyway.

This is Kuro-Mame Tea.

Kuro-Mame literally means black beans, but this is a different kind from what is called “black beans” in the U.S., so I decided to keep the Japanese name, “kuro-mame.”

Tea is super easy to make.

You put a few beans in a pot and pour hot water over them.

Let it steep for a few minutes.

A great thing about this tea is that you can eat those beans after you finish your tea!

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by : Reiko Drinks, Japanese Food

Sakura Cherry Blossom Tea
さくら茶

I forgot about this tea that I bought when I was in Japan last time.

But as soon as I realized that it was March 1st today, I knew I had something perfect to celebrate this beginning of spring.

These are salted Sakura (cherry) flowers.

You quickly rinse them with water, and then you just add hot water.

The flowers slowly open up in the water, and it’s so beautiful.

The small glass of spring brought me a smile, but the outside definitely doesn’t look anything like spring in Minnesota yet.

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by : Reiko Drinks, Japanese Food

Morning Golden Spiced Milk
おはよう甘酒スパイスミルク

This is probably my ideal way to start my day.

It’s hot soy milk with Ama-zake and spices (turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom).

Ama-zake is a traditional Japanese sweet beverage.

It’s made from fermented rice.

Although it’s called “zake (sake)”, it doesn’t always contain alcohol.

There are two ways to make ama-zake, in one way you end up with alcohol and the other not.

I always make my ama-zake the way so that it doesn’t have alcohol.

Ama-zake is not difficult to make, but it’s a process because you need to let the cooked rice porridge and malted rice ferment for 8 to 10 hours at a certain temperature.

This is the ama-zake.

Ama-zake is considered a great source of nutrition that contributes to health.

So this spiced milk is an awesome drink packed with all the good stuff.

My family believes that my dad has the best skin because he drinks ama-zake every morning!

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by : Reiko Drinks

Cold Brew Green Tea
水出し緑茶

We drink a lot of green tea at our house.

“Ready for tea?” in the morning usually means “are you ready to get out of bed?”

In the morning we like our tea hot, but during the day iced green tea is refreshing, especially during summer.

My mother actually told me about cold brew green tea not so long ago, and now my husband makes it at our house.

Just like coffee, cold brew does seem to taste better for some reason.

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by : Reiko Drinks

Pretty in Pink Strawberry Milk Sake
プリティ・イン・ピンク苺ミルク酒

This may look too pretty to drink, but I guarantee you will finish it in no time!

This pretty pink sake drink is sweet, refreshing, and as well as pretty…

Just a perfect little drink for a little get together with your girlfriends.

What are in this delightful drink?

Strawberries syrup (strawberries, sugar), almond milk, and “Sayuri” nigori sake.

This sake is my favorite, and I keep a bottle for a little after-dinner drink or even for cooking.

I’m not a big fan of regular sake, but I love the mildness and the depth created from this “nigori” type of sake.

I always get a bottle from Costco.

This is how it looks when you pour the mixture to glasses.

But it’s even prettier when you add a few drops of extra strawberry syrup right before serving.

I’m glad that I had perfect outfit for the drink.

Looks lovely, doesn’t it?

Target has been one of my recent favorite places to shop for clothes.

They now have several different clothing lines, and it’s fun to check them out.

I go there all the time anyway, so it’s convenient, too.

The destination of my today’s outing was a bit unusual.

I recently found that a new cacti shop opened in Minneapolis, and I decided to check it out.

The shop is called Madre Cacti, and the place is amazing!

Filled with cacti with various kinds and sizes.

Really a cool place, especially found in the Midwest!

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by : Reiko Drinks, Fruit

Princess
プリンセス

The color of cantaloupe is just so pretty.

It screams “princess”!

The ingredients are simple: cantaloupe pureed with sugar and lemon juice, vodka, and seltzer.

I like cantaloupe, but I usually hesitate to buy one, because some of them are just not sweet at all, and there is no way to know before you buy it, cut it, and then taste it.

But the other day someone at work who knows that I like fresh fruits and veggies told me that the cantaloupe she bought the day before was so sweet and encouraged me to get one from the same store she got hers from.

I was not able to make it to the same store, but I did get one from a different grocery store.

And mine was sweet and delicious, too!!

The drink was simply garnished with cantaloupe balls.

My husband is not a big fan of cantaloupe, but he liked this princess bubbly as much as I did!

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