FIZZY RHUBARB SHRUB

I don't know about you, but I take immense pleasure in a good drink. Coffee is a daily necessity for me. I try to be diligent about my water intake. But really I find nothing more refreshing than a fruity, homemade beverage.

I'm guessing most of you are hip to the shrub thang, but if shrubs are new to you, you're in for a treat. If you're solidly in the ultra sweet soda-y camp, you might find the vinegar hit of a shrub to be odd, but if you're like me and dig a drink that's sweet, tart, and bubbly all at the same time, shrubs will treat you right.

Rhubarb - always a good player in the tangy-sweet world - seems a perfect springtime star for a homemade shrub.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound rhubarb, sliced into into 1/4 inch semicircles
• 2 cups light agave nectar
• 1/2 cup good quality apple cider vinegar 
• sparking water
• optional for serving: sprigs of fresh thyme, kumquat slices, or an orange twist would be nice here

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sliced rhubarb and agave. Cover and let sit at room temp for 48-72 hours. Strain, reserving syrup. Add good apple cider vinegar to the liquid and you’ve got your shrub. (Feel free to add more vinegar if that suits you, adjusting the tang to your liking.) Transfer syrup to a lidded container - and keep in the refrigerator.

( You can discard the rhubarb slices, or I save them in a separate lidded container and add them to my morning bowl of granola and Greek yogurt.)

I'd suggest combining 3-4 portions sparkling water to 1 portion of shrub, but feel free to make a more concentrated or diluted shrub depending on your taste. Serve over ice. Add a little citrus or fresh thyme if you please. You can also add a splash of rhubarb shrub to your cocktails.

DREAMY BOURBON SOURS

You know that feeling? When something tastes just right?

One little sip of this Bourbon Sour leads to another. Your taste buds try to pinpoint exactly what's at play in the delectable concoction... Citrus, for sure. But what kind? Orange? Lemon? What's that hint of sweetness mingling with the bourbon? Maple syrup? You take another sip. Wonder about these things. Smile. And sip some more.

When our friends Dave and Roxy came over for dinner last fall, they brought cocktail fixins and when I saw the ingredients going into Dave's mix, I knew the drink was going to be good - but I didn't know it would be this good! Dave was kind enough to share the recipe and so was his original source, James Schaaf - thank you Dave and James.

We've now made this cocktail many many times for friends. Those who've tasted it always ask us to whip up another batch the next time we get together. With Labor Day just around the corner, you know what to do to make your friends happy.... a backyard BBQ with Bourbon Sours sounds good, doesn't it?

INGREDIENTS (per drink)
printable recipe

• fresh juice of one lemon, pulp and seeds strained (Meyer's are fantastic, if you can get them)
• 4-5 dashes orange bitters
• 1-1 1/2  tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 ounces bourbon or whiskey of your liking

Fill a big mason jar or cocktail shaker with all ingredients, including a few ice cubes. (Feel free to make one, or many cocktails at once.) Give everything a good shake and you're good to go.

Place fresh ice into a glass (or glasses) and pour the chilled, mixed cocktail over the ice. Discard the ice used for shaking.

Sip right away.

FRESH LIME FIZZ

What is it about Bali that makes us happy?  The tropical weather, colorful temples, family time, verdant landscape, open smiles, slowness. As I wrote a couple weeks ago, I am thinking of ways to take some of the magic of this trip home with us to Berkeley. Obviously we cannot take home the Balinese climate, amazing people, or their unique culture. But maybe the small joys of this place could work their way into our Berkeley lives, and into your kitchens as well!

On every menu in Bali, there is a list of fresh fruit drinks to choose from: papaya, watermelon, lime, pineapple, banana, lemon, etc... For Lilah, my 7 year old, these enticing drink menus even inspired her to really learn to read. All four of us guzzle down some kind of juicy concoction whenever we go out to eat. I try to avoid Sodas, filled with high fructose corn syrups and unpronounceable chemicals, but indulging in something cool, fresh, and homemade is a habit I would like to cultivate. We may not have ample tropical fruit available in Northern California, but we do have citrus, and plenty of it.

Almost daily, I have been making these Fresh Lime Fizzes for P, the kids, and myself. Seeing just how easy it is to whip up a "soda" at home makes me realize there is no excuse not to have citrus fizzes as a regular treat no matter where you are.

Wanting to keep these fizzes on the healthy side,  I tried them with honey instead of simple syrup. Paul liked the taste, but for me the flavor was a bit medicinal. I much prefer the simple syrup.

When we get home to Berkeley, I am going to get Otis' old fashion spritzer working so we can even make the sparkling water ourselves.

MASALA CHAI LATTE

The gorgeous produce at the Berkeley Farmer's Market inspires me to make veggie tarts, pesto, and big salads. In Bali, the market greens are lush, the fruit exotic, and the spices plentiful. Check out these meter-long cinnamon sticks and the pile of star anise at the Ubud Central Market....

Chai, made from an array of such flavors, seems a perfect celebration of the abundance of locally-grown Balinese spices. I have always been a fan of chai, but the Starbucksification of the drink has turned me off. Some buddies and I recently had the chance to cook with a very cool, smart, young Ayurvedic doctor and she taught us how to make Chai from scratch.

After Dr. Kekada's cooking class, I had a good excuse to buy all sorts of spices at the market. I have since made many pots of masala chai, played around with her recipe, and now am making a chai that P and I really love! My mom, a huge chai fan, comes to visit us this week and I cannot wait to make some for her.

While you might not find these spices at your local farmer's market, you should be able to easily get everything you need at the supermarket.