Five Drink Recipes for Labor Day

Years ago, I was in a music store with a friend, and a couple of young men from another country came in to return a guitar. But the store clerk said that he could not refund their money because he was not the manager and as it was Saturday, the manager wasn't there, and he wouldn't be there on Sunday either. So they asked if they could return the guitar on Monday, and the clerk said no, because Monday was Labor Day and it was a holiday. So finally the young men, somewhat skeptically, turned around to the other people in the store and asked, "Is there really such a holiday as Labor Day, and what is it for, because we are not from this country and we have never heard of such a day?" And the response was stunned silence followed by laughter because no one in the store knew what it was for. We just knew that people celebrate it by doing no labor whatsoever, which we explained to the young men when we had stopped laughing. I hope they got their money back.

By Labor Day summer is over, but we are not ready to let it go. And in any case it is too hot to do anything energetic, so we sit around and drink cold drinks and eat snacks. So we keep Labor Day in two ways, first by celebrating the garden which will soon die with winter, and second by reliving our summer vacations which we associate with tropical countries, but always we have something cold to drink.

Celebrating the Garden

Hops Tea
This is very easy, just pick some fresh hops from the vines and steep them in boiling water for a few minutes. It's bitter but refreshing.

Herb Combination Teas
These are lovely on a warm day. Use lemon balm, spearmint and chamomile to make a little bundle, and pour boiling water over it to make a cup or a pot of tea. Another nice combination is lemongrass, basil and mint. Tea can also be spiced up with exotic spices such as citrus peel, slices of fresh ginger, whole cloves, star anise or a cinnamon stick. They can be sweetened with a drop of honey and drunk chilled.

Tomato Coolie
Try this for a more substantial garden drink.
Put in a blender:
2 cups of ice
2 cups of tomatoes, with the skins slipped off and the seeds squished out
several leaves of basil
a pinch of salt
1 lemon's worth of lemon juice
1 red jalapeño pepper, the whole thing (if you are feeling brave, or a pinch of chili powder)
1 tablespoon of sugar, melted in a cup of water.
some tarragon or whatever herbs you like.
Blend it all together and pour it through a sieve to get ride of the bits. Makes two glasses.

Celebrating the Tropics

Mint Mojito
This is a sort of Cuban Daiquiri with or without alcohol.
Put in a blender:
2 cups of ice
1/3 cup of simple syrup (made from about 1 tablespoon of sugar melted in 2 tablespoons of water)
lime juice or key lime juice from three large limes or more small ones (cut some slices from the lime first to decorate the drinks)
1/4 cup of mint leaves
1/4 cup of water
rum, optional
Blend and drink it with a slice of lime (makes two).

Sunshine Smoothie
This is good for breakfast or lunch, especially when you don't feel like cooking anything.
Put in a blender:
1 cup of orange juice
1 cup of sliced peaches (fresh or frozen)
1 cup of yoghurt
sugar to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon)
Mix it all in a blender (makes one big one).