portrait of a lady grey

The latest tea and a book choice is Henry James' classic Portrait of a Lady and Twinings' classic Lady Grey.  The 1881 novel is full of quirky Jamesian characters and the unusual romantic suitors of Miss Isabel Archer, and the citrusy tea is delicious hot or iced.  And what tea lover could resist this opening paragraph?

Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea. There are circumstances in which, whether you partake of the tea or not--some people of course never do--the situation is in itself delightful. Those that I have in mind in beginning to unfold this simple history offered an admirable setting to an innocent pastime. The implements of the little feast had been disposed upon the lawn of an old English country-house, in what I should call the perfect middle of a splendid summer afternoon. Part of the afternoon had waned, but much of it was left, and what was left was of the finest and rarest quality. Real dusk would not arrive for many hours; but the flood of summer light had begun to ebb, the air had grown mellow, the shadows were long upon the smooth, dense turf. They lengthened slowly, however, and the scene expressed that sense of leisure still to come which is perhaps the chief source of one's enjoyment of such a scene at such an hour...

(Pictured:  The Hour of Tea, Frederick Carl Frieseke, 1914)

sober but still spirited sangria

For those of us lucky enough to live near supermarkets that are turning more Hispanic in food offerings, you're probably going to be able to find wonderfully grapey-sangría flavors of soda made by Goya or Señorial.  The latter comes from Mexico, and the former from Secaucus, New Jersey.  Drinking this soda straight is a little too sweet for me, but I like to use it to make non-alcoholic sangría.  Just in case you're craving sangría but still want to keep a clear head -- and the fun thing about the Señorial version is that it seems to taste slightly more fermented and alcohol-based, even though it's not.  You'll need: 

1.58 quart bottle of Señorial Sangría flavored soda or 3 12 ounce bottles of Goya Sangría soda (pre-chilled)

One 12 ounce can of orange, lemon or lime seltzer water (pre-chilled)
A good-sized navel orange
2 small limes
6 ice cubes
About one and a half cups of sliced fresh fruit -- like grapes, peaches, strawberries, melon, cherries -- whatever you prefer

Combine sangría soda, seltzer water and ice in a 2 quart pitcher.  Add the juice of one lime, then save the other lime for garnish.  Cut the orange in two and squeeze the juice of one half into the pitcher with the other liquids.  Cut the remaining sections from the other half of the orange and add to the pitcher along with the rest of the fresh fruit.  Refrigerate for another 10 minutes and then serve in glasses garnished with wedges from the remaining lime.

¡Mucho gusto! -- and the hotter the weather, the better this seems to taste.

colorful café

Turkish Café II  -- August Macke, 1914

when life gives you meyer lemons

...perhaps contemplate a tartly fragrant cup or chilled glass of Stash Meyer Lemon herbal tea and/or even enter Stash's Meyer Lemon Tea recipe contest.  Categories are for Savory, Sweet and Beverage recipes, and the prizes are appropriately worthwhile.  The tea itself combines an appealing blend of lemongrass and Meyer lemon oil, rosehips, orange peel and hibiscus -- while the deadline for any contest entries is June 17th.

(Pictured:  The Lemon -- Edouard Manet, 1880)

mulled and feisty

Since we're stuck in hopefully one of the last cold and chilly spells in Chicago before summer arrives, I figured it was time to fire up the kettle and try another cup of Loyd Tea's Mulled Wine Tea with Honey and/or Grzaniec Kozacki.  I had this a couple of months ago and found it a bit harsh, but now with some additional honey and an appropriate windy rainy 40 degree temperature backdrop, it was a unique but not unwelcome taste.  The box that the tea comes in reveals various things -- that it's a Polish brand, that fur-hatted cossacks seem to be  involved, and that it has a rooibos base with cinnamon and apple and "a hint" of alcohol.   I can buy this tea around the corner but for others it might be difficult to find; I did, however, come across this sweetpoland.com website which sells the Mulled Wine and Honey Loyd flavor and wonderfully describes it as being like "Polish gentry - exuberant, dissolute, swaggering and eager for a brawl." 

ginger and fizz

Fentiman's Ginger Beer is a carbonated tonic made with ginger, of course, along with other delightful natural things like pear juice, yarrow and juniper.  Fentiman's is a British company but their refreshingly unique beverages are available at places like Cost Plus World Market in the States (or the "former Colonies" as their North American website reminds us), should you wish to sample Fentiman's Ginger Beer or Curiosity Cola, or perhaps their Shandy or Victorian Lemonade.  I've noticed that some people and the Fentiman's website describe this drink as pleasantly pungent, with a "tickle and burn" effect, but that taste is nothing compared to the more intense assault of Goya's Jamaican Ginger Beer.  That's a total ginger mule kick with some spicy pepper thrown in for good measure, and I would say it's really only for true ginger fans like me who want to feel the fire and/or who can't resist the colorful parrot on the bottle.  

wonder if she's drinking russian caravan

Pictured:  The Tea Merchant's Wife (Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev, 1918)