Iced Lemon Tea Grass Jelly Drink

Today weather is sweltering hot. Ideal for F1 drivers but not for the average joe who doesn't have air-conditioning install in their residence. Luckily, I bought some "仙草" Grass Jelly - a traditional chinese jelly-like desert consume to cool oneself in the sweltering summer. It's normally offer as plain sugared drink. I decide to give it a twist by adding grass jelly to popular summer drink - Iced Lemon Tea.


Iced Lemon Tea Grass Jelly Drink

• 2 Tablespoon of Nestea Ice Lemon Tea Mix
• 4 Tablespoon of Grass Jelly
• 700ml of Iced Water

This drink is best served in 1 litre mug big enough to quench any insatiable thirst. Mix everything in the mug and serve with lots of ice cube.

Caipirinha - Ideal Cocktail For Summer

Recently, my friend "jio" as in invite me to go try the Brazil Churrasco (Fiesta Brasilia) at United Square with assurance the offering will be more authentic Brazilian than the Churrsaco (Carnivore) at Vivo City. True to his words, I had the best Churrsaco experience as Fiesta serve a very wide spread of meat and authentic Brazilian side dishes. What knock me off the rocker is Caiprinha serve in Fiesta Brasilia is extremely refreshing as it cleanse you of those feeling of oiliness you feel after binging too much. I believe it is a best summer cocktail for hot summer and I decide to share with you all.

Caiprinha

• 2 Lime
• Fine Sugar
• Cachaca (for purist) or Vodka (if you cannot find any)
• Sprite (for watered down version)

The version shown here is a watered down Caiprinha as I wanted it to be more suitable for people across the age as the alcohol content is so low it unlikely you can get drunk from it. First slice one of the lime into thin slices and put aside. For the second lime, cut into 4 quarters and put one of the quarter into a mug or drinking glass lined with 3 teaspoon of sugar. With a spoon, crush the lime so that the lime juice is released and mixed with sugar. Add in additional lime slices you cut earlier and fill the mug/glass full of ice. For original version, fill the mug/glass with Cachaca or Vodka and stir it well. For the watered down version, pour in Sprite then add in 1 tblespoon of Cachaca or Vodka. For those who want a stronger punch can add in more Cachaca or Vodka.

Iced Honey Lemon Water

Lately there is lot of self proclaimed Hong Kong Cha Chan Ting (aka HK Kopitiam in direct translation to Singapore context) opened in Singapore. Contrary to those in HK, Singapore HK Cha Chan Ting is a more upmarket with focus on deco and presentation. They are popular with teens due to it affordable pricing. One of the most noted dish you can find in Cha Chan Ting is baked rice which I won't be talking here. Instead I will focus on side like concocted beverages which I find refreshing beside your usual Lemon Tea, Coca-cola or Sprite you find in common restaurant.

Honey Lemon water (warm/cold) is one of the commonly found beverages you find in those Hong Kong Cha Chan Ting which I happen to liked a lot especially after a heavy meal. Lemon itself due to citrus acidic factor aids digestion as well as health beneficial anti-oxidant properties. Honey itself is known for it anti-bacteria properties which is good for persistent cough. For baby or toddler, it is better to avoid due to honey contain trace amount of Clostridium botulinum which might cause allergic reaction to them.

It cost about $2.20 to $3.50. Well you can make your own which cost a lot less but taste just as good or even better.



Honey Lemon Water

1. Lemon (5 for $1.85 in NTUC cheapest price so far)
2. Hovovata New Zealand Pure Honey (1kg for $9.05 in Carrefour cheapest price so far)
3. Ice/Hot Water (700ml if based on the serving shown in the photo)

I had tried a few brands of honey, Hovovata seem to be the only honey to dissolve well in cold water. On the other hand, it does not taste too sweet like sugar as compared to other brands of honey. You are welcome to use cheaper honey from China but I found them hard to dissolve in cold water. Therefore, for iced honey lemon water you need to dissolve a bit of hot water before you pour in the cold water.

For 700ml of water, you need half a lemon for it slice into 3 slice for easy squeezing . Squeeze it fresh when you want to drink as lemon juice tend to oxidise very fast if you left it out too long. Squeeze the lemon juice into the mug, pour a tablespoon of honey inside and mix it well. After that pour in the cold water and mix it well and top it off with ice. For serving as hot beverage, just replace it with warm/hot water. Hot beverage is ideal if you have cough or sore throat as honey's anti bacterial properties can relieve throat soreness and alleviate cough while the Vitamin C in lemon can fortify your body to deal with ailments. You can adjust the lemon and honey according to your preference whether you want it sweeter or more tangy. There you have it, simple and easy to made with little effort.