 I don't drink coffee, so this is a drink that is right up my alley. The Starbucks Medicine Ball started out as a secret menu item and then became so popular that it joined the official menu. But truly - if you're not feeling 100%, this is a great non-coffee option to warm you up and make your feel better on a damp, cold day. The best part? This is super easy to make at home. And if you have a friend who is feeling under the weather, a little basket with these simple ingredients and the recipe is a nice way of giving a warm hug. Medicine Ball Tea INGREDIENTS:
PREPARATION:
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 I love that certain sporting events have signature drinks and food items as part of the experience. There’s pimento or egg salad sandwiches at the Masters, there’s Mint Juleps for the Kentucky Derby, the Pimms Cup at Wimbledon. And for the last 18 years it has been the Honey Deuce at the U.S. Open. The Honey Deuce is so summery! It looks like pink lemonade and people love it. How do I know? Because in 2024 there were 556,782 Honey Deuces sold at the U.S. Open, resulting in $12.8M in sales! I think this drink, with its cute honeydew melon tennis ball garnish, is a lovely drink to signal the end of summer, tennis fan or not. This recipe from the NYT Cooking makes a LOT of punch so I have it listed below in three different formats: a single drink, drinks for two (for deux!), or punch for a party. Honey Deuce Melon Ball Punch Version #1: Cocktail for One: INGREDIENTS:
PREPARATION: Step 1: Use a melon baller or mini ice cream scoop to scoop the honeydew into balls. (These serve as your tennis ball garnish.) Freeze until ready to serve. (Note: freeze two on them on each cocktail skewer. It is impossible to do that once they are frozen.) Step 2: Combine the lemonade, vodka, raspberry liqueur and lemon juice in a pitcher or large measuring cup. Stir and refrigerate until very cold, about 30 minutes. Step 3: Fill a highball or old-fashioned glass with ice. Stir the punch once more and pour over the ice. Place the skewer 2 melon balls with a toothpick to garnish each drink. Version #2: Cocktails for Deux: INGREDIENTS:
PREPARATION: Step 1: Use a melon baller or mini ice cream scoop to scoop the honeydew into balls. (These serve as your tennis ball garnish.) Freeze until ready to serve. (Note: freeze two on them on each cocktail skewer. It is impossible to do that once they are frozen.) Step 2: Combine the lemonade, vodka, raspberry liqueur and lemon juice in a pitcher or large measuring cup. Stir and refrigerate until very cold, about 30 minutes. Step 3: Fill two highball or old-fashioned glass with ice. Stir the punch once more and pour over the ice. Place the skewer 2 melon balls with a toothpick to garnish each drink. PUNCH for a PARTY: this is the original NYT Recipe version of the recipes, and it makes 6-8 drinks: Honey Deuce Melon Ball Punch INGREDIENTS:
PREPARATION: Step 1: Use a melon baller or mini ice cream scoop to scoop the honeydew into balls. (These serve as your tennis ball garnish.) Freeze until ready to serve. (Note: freeze two on them on each cocktail skewer. It is impossible to do that once they are frozen.) Step 2: Combine the lemonade, vodka, raspberry liqueur and lemon juice in a pitcher or large measuring cup. Stir and refrigerate until very cold, about 30 minutes. Step 3: Fill highball or old-fashioned glasses with ice. Stir the batched cocktail once more and divide it among the glasses. Place the skewer 2 melon balls with a toothpick to garnish each drink.  It is the middle of summer, and that makes me happy because it is Hydrangea season! These Blueberry Hydrangea ice cubes are perfect with seltzer for a mocktail, or with Prosecco for a cocktail. I even like them in my iced tea – it gives it an Arnold Palmer vibe. I used a silicone ice cube mold for small cubes that I found on Amazon, and it worked great. (And please note that there are no actual Hydrangea leaves or flowers in these cubes.) Enjoy! Blueberry Hydrangea Ice Cubes INGREDIENTS: 1 pint of Blueberries 1 bunch of Mint Leaves Lemon Juice Lemonade (or water if you prefer) PREPARATION: Place three mint leaves and approximately 6 blueberries in each section of the ice cube tray. Add about ½ tsp of lemon juice to each cube, then fill the rest of each cube with water or lemonade. Freeze for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight. SERVING: Place one - three ice cubes in a glass, and fill with Prosecco or Seltzer. Enjoy!   I love an Aperol Spritz. It reminds me of traveling in Italy and looking at the Mediterranean. But what if there was a quick way to have an ice cold Spritz, especially when it’s literally 100 degrees outside? The answer is an Aperol Popsicle. I got these popsicle molds from Amazon and use them for regular ice pops for the kids as well. This recipe is easy, and since they are in the freezer they are ready to go on a hot evening when you want a nice cold cocktail by the pool. Enjoy! Aperol Popsicles INGREDIENTS: 2 Cups Aperol 1 Cup Orange Juice (I prefer it without pulp for these pops) 1 Cup lemonade 2 bottles of prosecco (1/2 cup per serving – recipe makes 10 pops) PREPARATION: Mix all of the ingredients into a pitcher or a container with a spout for easy pouring. Freeze with a popsicle stick per pop in the ice pop mold. SERVING: Remove one pop from the mold, and place in a wineglass (stemless works best). Serve with prosecco. Enjoy!   I read that this year was the "Summer of the Hugo Spritz." Which I love, but these Hugo Spritz Ice Cubes make it even easier. I've got chilled Hugo Spritzes in the freezer ready to go out to the pool at any time. This recipe could not be easier. I hope you enjoy them, too! Hugo Spritz Ice Cubes (recipe is per cube) INGREDIENTS: 1 oz Elderflower liqueur 1 oz water ½ oz lime juice 1 thinly sliced wheel of lime 1 thinly sliced wheel of lemon PREPARATION: Pour each ingredient directly into a silicone large ice cube tray. I place a small cookie tray under it to keep it steady and not spill. Carefully place in the freezer and freeze overnight. SERVING: When ready to serve, add an ice cube to a glass, and top with Prosecco. Enjoy!   When it comes to cocktails, I personally prefer gin to vodka. I like that there is a variety of gins with different herbal taste profiles. And I like pink gin for the flavors. Pink gin gets its color from bitters. Plus its pretty. Besides being refreshing, and fun for being pink, this cocktail recipe is very quick and easy to create, and is the perfect (pink) gin cocktail for summer. Or to toast to the end of Summer. Or toast to the beginning of Autumn….You get the idea. Pink Gin and Prosecco Raspberry Fizz INGREDIENTS:
Cheers! Skål! or Cin Cin! You choose.  I recently read that this summer is the “Summer of the Hugo Spritz.” And I’m there for it – refreshing, citrusy, and the perfect companion to reading all day by the pool. This recipe is easy to make for yourself or for guests. I hope you enjoy it! A little history on the Hugo: It originated in 2005 with a bartender named Roland Gruber in Naturno, Itay. He created it as a lighter and more floral alternative to the Aperol Spritz. He originally called it “Otto”, but later changed it to “Hugo.” It quickly became popular throughout Northern Italy, Austria and Germany and then it’s popularity spread worldwide. The Hugo Spritz (recipe is per cocktail) INGREDIENTS: Mint Leaves (to taste – I like to use three) 1 oz Elderflower Liqueur (like St. Germain) 1 oz Soda Water (seltzer) 4 oz Prosecco 1 Lemon, thinly sliced into wheels Mint sprigs (to garnish) PREPARATION: Stir all of the ingredients together and then pour into the glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a mint sprig.  I am always on the lookout for a special cocktail or two to serve over the holidays. Garnish and Gather, based in Atlanta, shared this recipe on their blog earlier this year and said it was perfect for a hot summer day. And I don't disagree. But I held onto the recipe for the holidays. I gave it a test run to see if we liked it, and it was lovely. I think the flavors of the gin and the honey are well-suited for a chilly evening, as is the sprig of rosemary. As they say, this cocktail is the bee's knees! It was also a great excuse to buy two gorgeous coupe glasses. This recipe makes 2 cocktails. The Bee's Knees Cocktail
INGREDIENTS:
INSTRUCTIONS:MAKE ROSEMARY HONEY SYRUP
PREP GARNISH & MAKE COCKTAIL
 When given the choice, I prefer wine. But sometimes I'd like a cocktail. My default is usually a Gin and Tonic or a Gin Martini which are both good, but I'd like more variety. So when I see an interesting cocktail recipe I'll give it a try. There was an old article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by M. Carrie Allan from the Washington Post entitled, “Ranch Water a cool, popular Texas drink.” Well, I had never heard of it, and the main ingredient is Topo Chico (which I love) so I thought I’d give it a go. Please let me know if you've had this, decide to try it, or love it. I want to know! Ranch Water
INGREDIENTS · Ice · 1 1/2 ounces tequila, preferably silver · 1 ounce fresh lime juice · 1/2 ounce Cointreau or other orange liqueur (optional) · 1/2 ounce agave syrup (optional) · 2 to 3 ounces chilled Topo Chico mineral water · Fresh lime slices, for serving (optional) PREPARATION Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the tequila, lime juice, Cointreau and agave syrup, if using, and stir to chill and combine. Top with the mineral water, gently stir again, and serve garnished with lime slices, if using.  I am not British nor Irish. I only get to claim that heritage by marriage. However, I feel a great connection when I am there. London feels a bit like New York (home) to me. But that’s not it. It’s my love of tea. My favorite souvenir is a teapot and some new tea to try when I get home. In order to brew the perfect cup, or “cuppa,” for you or your mom, there are a few things that you need. But the most important ingredient: Great Tea. Tea can be black, oolong, green, herbal, or any variety in between. I suggest trying a lot of varieties to find your favorites. I have a few favorites that I’ll share here with you. You'll see that I lean more towards the black teas (e.g. Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling and Yunnan) than to the Green Teas (e.g. Green, Sencha, Matcha) or the herbals (e.g. Hibiscus, Chamomile). British Teas My favorite British Teas are from Fortnum and Mason. While I enjoy many of their teas, my two go-to blends are their classic Royal Blend, and the Jubilee Tea. Both are smooth, black teas. I leave plenty of space in my suitcase when I go to England so that I can bring back as many boxes as I can. Another tea I really enjoy is Harrod’s No. 30 Assam Tea from India. This is a bold black tea and I really enjoy the strong flavor, especially on chilly mornings. I tend to drink this one more in the winter than any other time of year. And if you travel to York (which is one of my favorite destinations with so much history), please do visit one of my favorites: the Hebden Tea Shop on the Shambles. I bought so much tea the last time I was there, and I even let the kids pick out some weaker teas for themselves to try. The shop smells fabulous and was a great little experience. And my favorite was their Assam. French Tea Yes – you read that right – French Tea. Another of my favorite tea shops is Kusmi Tea, of Russian descent and now made in Normandy, France. Originally founded by Pavel Kousmichoff in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1867, the brand moved to Paris at the onset of the Russian Revolution in 1917 and opened an outlet at 75 Avenue Niel, Paris that still exists today. While they do have other locations in Paris, this one is my favorite. (As an aside, they have two locations in New York - you can find them at the Plaza Food Hall on 59th, or in the Westfield Center at the World Trade Center. And if you are in London, they have a location at 15 Marylebone High St.) My favorite teas from Kusmi are: Russian Morning No. 24, Jasmine Green Tea and Anastasia (organic Earl Grey), and White Anastasia. American Tea I was on a business trip to Portland, Oregon and the hotel I was staying in was showcasing local brands. The tea that they served was Smith’s Tea. As you might image I travel with my own tea, but I decided to give Smith’s a try and I am SO glad I did. My favorites from them are: Kandy, Big Hibiscus, and Lord Bergamot and Jasmine Silver Tip. It turns out that Steven Smith, who founded the company in 2009, had previously started Tazo Tea which he then later sold to Starbucks. Anyone who knows me knows that I usually have a few of Tazo’s Awake tea bags in my bag at any time so I was not surprised that I liked the Smith tea so much. Proper Hot Water & Steeping:
I am sure we all recall the controversy from a few years ago where an American woman was demonstrating how to make the perfect cup of tea in a microwave. As far as I am concerned, this method is for emergency purposes only since the water heats unevenly and won’t steep the tea properly. In my mind there are two situations in which to make tea, so there are two different processes: Version 1 is for company or enjoying the ritual and serving from a teapot. In this scenario you’ll boil the water either in a stovetop kettle or an electric kettle, but you’ll be serving from a ceramic (most likely) teapot. Version 2 is in the office or in between video calls for WFH, for one person. Version 1 - With a classic Teapot: 1. Boil the Water: You can do this with a kettle on the stovetop or with an electric kettle. Some electric kettles will even let you control the temperature of the water so that you can be precise for certain types of teas (e.g. 208°F for black tea). I use a simple electric kettle that was a gift from my mother in law, and I love it. I also suggest using filtered water whenever possible so that you don’t end up with any odd flavors mixed in with your tea. 2. Warm the Teapot: Always boil more water than you think you need so that you can use some of it to warm the teapot. You’ll want to fill at least ¼ of the teapot, swirl it around and then pour it out. Why do we do this? The water temperature won’t drop too much when you add the hot water for the tea if the teapot has been warmed. 3. Tea in the Teapot and Steeping: Next you’ll want to add the tea to the teapot, then add the hot water. Here you have two options – loose tea or tea bags. Loose teas are more flavorful, but it’s your choice. If you use loose tea, you’ll want to use an infuser that is large enough for the teapot. If you have a tea cozy, you’ll want to use it to cover the teapot to keep it warm while you let it steep. Every type of tea has a different recommendation for how long to steep, but its also your personal preference. But you do not want to steep for more than 5 minutes or it will get bitter. 4. Serve: Pour the tea into the teacups and leave some room for your guests to add lemon, sugar, or milk. The infuser will keep the leavers from getting into the cups. If you do not use all of the water in the teapot, make sure that the infuser is not sitting in water. Over-steeping will make the tea very bitter. 5. A Second Pot of Tea: If you want to have another teapot of tea, you can re-use the tea you already have in the infuser. You’ll want to add more hot water and let it sit and steep again. This time you’ll need to add 2 more minutes this time for the second steep. Version 2 – The Single Cup of Tea at Work or WFH: When I am working from home, I use tea bags instead of loose tea. I still use my electric kettle, and a mug. The bigger the better to save trips back to the kitchen. Sometimes, if I have a few more minutes between calls, I will use loose tea and an infuser for my tea at home. I have quite a collection of them. One of my favorite infusers is my “mana-tea” but the one that works the best is the classic stainless steel one the has a hinge, like this one from Amazon. So if you are making tea for yourself, here are my suggested instructions: 1. Boil the Water: Again, you can use a stove top kettle or an electric kettle, and use filtered water if you can. 2. Put the tea in the mug: Place the tea bag or infuser into the mug before adding the hot water. Be sure to leave enough room to add milk, honey, lemon juice or whatever you plan to add later on. 3. Add the Hot Water and Steep: Steep until the tea is a good color for you – usually 4-5 minutes for black teas, 3-4 for green teas |
AuthorKris Delaney is a marketing executive, foodie, travel enthusiast, and book nerd based in Atlanta, GA. Archives
August 2025
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