drink Archives - Wood & Spoon

Kentucky Coffee (and a coffee chat!)

Kentucky Coffee by Wood and Spoon blog. This is a sweetened bourbon coffee topped with whipped cream and served warm as an after dinner beverage. Homemade whipped cream sweetens the coffee and added liquor provides an extra kick to the morning drink. Recipe found on thewoodandspoon.com

Just before the new year, I was chatting with a friend who told me it was time to start writing on this site again. Sure, we’ve been exchanging recipes and small talk and quick hellos here and there, but as of late, there’s been fewer words and in-depth sharing. To be completely honest, 2020 wore me out, and between family, other work projects, and even just managing my own heart and peace of mind amidst the ongoing political and social turmoil, there wasn’t a whole lot leftover to share here. I just needed a bit of a reprieve. But the truth is, our stories matter; the offerings we expose to one another can encourage, soothe, nurture, and excite the people we share them with. As much as I needed a break last year, I want to share transparently with you guys even more. So today’s the day. I think it’s time we catch up.

A Coffee Chat

Let’s coffee chat. Are you guys at all interested in the enneagram? I’ve long been a fan of personality tests, even those silly ones on Facebook that tell you, like, what Disney Princess or “Friends” character you are, but the enneagram is the first test that pinned me right on the nose. As a type 3 wing 2, I love to set goals, love to achieve, and love to seek praise, accolades, admiration, and so on. I like efficiency and checking things off my list, and my personality tends to thrive when there’s a finish end in site- all good things… right?

Except at some point last year, I stopped thriving. Life came to a halt and I wasn’t able to move at a pace that felt purposeful. Although those first couple months of quarantine empowered me to take on the new tasks of “homeschooling” kids, cleaning out my house, and even working towards new work goals, as time went on, those efforts became tiresome and I began to feel like I was flailing under my self-imposed, incessant need to move forward. Can anyone else here relate?

I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but somewhere along the way I knew I had to get comfortable with my own discomfort. My identity wasn’t tied to my ability to achieve, and my worth wasn’t diminished just because my capacity for work was temporarily overwhelmed. Those months of last year that I spent feeling tired and defeated ended up being huge moments of growth, because they forced me to disconnect my value as a women, mother, friend, and wife from my own efforts. They forced me to slow down, become comfortable with my flaws, and receive love from the people around me even when I didn’t feel like I had much to offer in return. Honestly, it felt really good just to look at the little piles of chaos in my life and know I didn’t have to make them all perfect immediately; I had value even if I didn’t get it all right the first time.

The Good News

So I guess this is a message of encouragement. Wherever you find yourself today, know that your worth isn’t tied to your abilities, your social standing, or your appearance. You’re not a failure if you have to do less, say no, or take time to take care of yourself; it’s okay if there are areas of your life where you’re still very much so a work in progress. Whether you’re starting over, feeling behind, or even just suffering from an extreme case of poor self-confidence, know that there is grace for you to be exactly who you are in the season, and you have at least one friend (raises hand!) in that fresh start boat with you. 2021 may not be easier than 2020, but it is an opportunity to embrace new hope, resolve, and dreams. If you’re like, “Yes, I need that today,” I hope you’ll take this opportunity to move forward towards them.

Kentucky Coffee

I’ll keep the rest short today. This Kentucky coffee was inspired by a Mayan coffee I had this time last year in Mexico. The drink was warm and boozy, made slightly sweet with thick clouds of freshly whipped cream on top. I tracked down the Mayan liquor and began making them at home as an after-dinner treat. This rendition, a Kentucky coffee, features high-quality bourbon and a smidge of maple syrup for added sweetness. The homemade whipped cream is all the same and absolutely steals the show. Don’t skimp on the whip, okay?

If you find yourself in need of a coffee chat of your own, I hope you’ll make one (or two! or three! or four!) of these Kentucky coffee drinks at home to share with a friend. I hope you all have a terrific week. Happy baking!

If you like this Kentucky Coffee you should try:

Sweet Tea Old Fashioned
Sweet Tea Hot Toddy
Bourbon Bundt Cake
Bourbon Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Coffee Donuts: Two Ways

Kentucky Coffee

Print Recipe

This Kentucky coffee, made boozy with quality bourbon, is slightly sweetened with maple syrup and homemade whipped cream and served warm in a mug!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 5
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1
Category: Beverage

Ingredients

¼ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar or powdered sugar
10 ounces strong brewed coffee
1–1/2 ounces bourbon
¼ ounce maple syrup

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Instructions

In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk the cream until frothy and slightly thickened. Add the sugar and continue whipping until medium peaks form. Set aside.
To a coffee mug, add the coffee, bourbon, and maple syrup and stir. Top with dollops of whipped cream and serve. You can add more coffee for a less-strong beverage.

Warm Apple Tea

4 Comments / Food and Drink

I think most of us need that morning cup of something. Whether it be coffee, tea, or even a ritual AM smoothie, our mornings taste better with a drink that will start us off on the right foot. Today I’m sharing this simple recipe for warm apple tea, and I have a feeling it’s going to make your mornings a whole lot sweeter.

I’ve been incredibly blessed with two (and a half!) really easy pregnancies. The first trimester usually brings an onslaught of morning sickness and yawning and bloating, but I’m otherwise in the clear. Aside from a few out of the norm food cravings (I’m looking at you, sausage egg and cheese biscuits), the only really strange thing that happens to me early on in every pregnancy is that I suddenly can’t tolerate coffee. Although I’m normally a devout morning coffee drinker, the smell, the taste, and even just looking at my French press doesn’t settle with me at all those first few weeks of pregnancy. Thankfully, now that I’m on my way into the second trimester this aversion is mostly gone, but for a month or two I survived the mornings solely because of tea.

Warm Apple Tea

This warm apple tea is just the type of thing I would have reached for. Lightly caffeinated, quick to make, and completely free of any scent of java, this warm apple tea is the perfect beverage to cozy up to during our chilliest weeks of the year. This beverage is infused with fresh apples, cinnamon, and vanilla bean, with just a touch of lemon added for balance. While I’ve mainly enjoyed it as a morning sip, this is a perfect little beverage to serve in the afternoon to fireside friends and your other favorite couch loungers. Let’s chat about how to make it.

Making the Tea

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine a few cups of Red Diamond Sweet Tea with one roughly chopped apple, a cinnamon stick, and 1/2 of a vanilla bean. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer over low heat for about 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to rest on the burner so that all of the flavors meld. Give the mixture a taste after about 10 minutes, resting longer if you want stronger flavor. Pour your desired amount of apple tea into a heat-safe glass and finish it off with a bit of lemon juice.

This drink is perfectly sweetened with flavors jumping out at you from all sides. Although I have preferred to enjoy it warm, you can easily chill the mixture for an iced-down daytime beverage! It batches nicely, so be sure to make a few servings at a time to reheat all week long. Just take care to strain the fruit, cinnamon, and vanilla bean pods out of the liquid.

Give this warm apple tea a try and be sure to check out Red Diamond Ready to Drink Sweet Tea! As a Southern transplant, I’ve learned my way around sweet tea, and this is one brand that I can trust. They provide quality, real ingredients with consistent flavor. If you’re craving more tea recipes, be sure to check out the sweet tea hot toddy I recently created! It’s another warm drink, just a little boozier. Enjoy, friends!

Warm Apple Tea

Print Recipe

This warm apple tea is made from refrigerated sweet tea infused with fresh apple, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon! Serve it warm or chilled!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 10
Total Time: 20
Yield: 1-2
Category: Beverage

Ingredients

2 cups (480 gm) ready to drink sweet tea
1 large apple, roughly chopped (I prefer a tart baking apple)
1 cinnamon stick
½ vanilla bean, cut open, or ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste/extract
Juice of ½ lemon

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Instructions

Combine the tea, apple, cinnamon, and vanilla bean in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the pan on the burner for all the flavors to infuse together. Take a taste test after 10 minutes and pour into a glass if you’re satisfied with the level of spice from the cinnamon. If not, allow to it sit for another 5-10 minutes. Squeeze some lemon juice into your prepared tea and enjoy! This recipe batches nicely, so feel free to double or triple the recipe, strain out the fruit, cinnamon, and vanilla, and reheat as desired. Beverage can also be chilled and served over ice.

Honey Basil Margaritas

14 Comments / Food and Drink

At the end of April, my mom and I created a summer bucket list- a list of projects and goals we wanted to complete before fall came rolling through. Initially, I was determined to tick each and every item off that list. I’d finish sewing a few quilts, piece together George’s baby photo album, and shed the remaining pregnancy pounds, among a number of other tasks that I was sure I’d finish with ease.

I was wrong.

Had my summer bucket list included eating an entire ice cream cake by myself, binge watching every episode of “Naked and Afraid” on my DVR, or successfully maintaining a sports bra/t-shirt hybrid of a farmer’s tan, then this summer would have been crowned an all out success. Instead, my biggest success of the summer was keeping two humans alive (three, if you count my husband), and finally sleeping through the night myself without an extra kick in the pants from my good friend, melatonin.

One silver lining of those summer nights and my struggling bucket list are the cocktails. Ohh, the cocktails.

I have honey basil margaritas to thank for a lot of my summer nights. Made with classic margarita ingredients and the added bonus of a honey simple syrup and fresh basil, these honey basil margaritas are incredibly refreshing and the perfect mix of sweet, sour, and salty. This is a cocktail made for sunset-watching on the beach, summer barbecues, or (if you’re like me) when the witching hour is strong and mama just needs a little something to take the edge off.

The honey simple syrup is made like any other simple syrup, by boiling equal parts water and sugar (in the form of good quality clover honey) until it’s dissolved. After being chilled, the syrup is muddled with the basil before being shaken to oblivion with the lime, tequila, and orange liquor. You can store your syrup in the fridge for two weeks and I highly recommend shaking it up with some of your other favorite citrus-based cocktails (French 75, anyone?)

I’m sharing this recipe for honey basil margaritas in participation of #DRINKTHESUMMER , a virtual cocktail party being hosted by Sherrie of With Food + Love . Even though summer is short, it is always plenty generous with a bounty of produce that is worthy of celebration, so be sure to check out her post where she will be sharing the names and recipe links of the other bloggers involved.

If you made a summer bucket list and failed to complete it, don’t fret. Just drink up what’s left of the summer and look forward to all that fall has to offer.

To see more of #DRINKTHESUMMER , click to the host site here .

Honey Basil Margaritas

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Made with fresh basil and a honey simple syrup, these honey basil margaritas are a refreshing, summery take on the Mexican classic.

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 15
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 1

Ingredients

For the honey basil margaritas

3/4 ounce honey simple syrup (recipe below)
4 medium sized basil leaves
2 ounces tequila
1/2 ounce orange liquor
1 ounce lime juice

For the honey simple syrup

1/2 cup good quality clover honey
1/2 cup water

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Instructions

To prepare the margaritas

In a shaker, muddle the basil leaves with the honey simple syrup. Add the remaining ingredients and fill the shaker with ice. Shake for 30-45 seconds. Pour into a salt-rimmed glass and enjoy!

To prepare the honey simple syrup

Combine the honey and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, bring to a boil and then remove from the heat. Allow to cool on the stove or in a heat-safe container in the fridge. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

drink

A Coffee Chat

The Good News

Kentucky Coffee

If you like this Kentucky Coffee you should try:

Kentucky Coffee

Ingredients

Instructions

Warm Apple Tea

Making the Tea

Warm Apple Tea

Ingredients

Instructions

Honey Basil Margaritas

Ingredients

For the honey basil margaritas

For the honey simple syrup

Instructions

To prepare the margaritas

To prepare the honey simple syrup

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