Posted on 01/17/2013 9:58:21 PM PST by nickcarraway
My mother is obsessed with beets. She grows the plants in the backyard, puts them on just about everything and insists that they’re how she stays as healthy as she is (that and her immunities are pretty much Helm’s Deep after teaching hundreds of elementary schoolers for 7 years). Since my immunities are rather low, she’s always tried to get me to eat them but I just never knew how to eat beets in a way I actually enjoyed. I always found that the flavor overwhelmed my palette and when you don’t enjoy something, you tend to not go out of your way to eat it, even when it’s good for you.
And trust me, beets are good for you: they have no trans fat or saturated fat, have folic acid, and they contain magnesium, iron, calcium, phosperous, fiber, niacin and vitamins A, B and C. They can give you tons of energy because they’re high in sugar, but they’re low in calories and digest slowly so the sugar isn’t released into your system all at once the way candy’s energy boost works. Plus, they’re supposedly an aphrodisiac because they contain lots of boron, which is related to human’s production of sex hormones. Basically, if you need energy, nutritional value and sexual health benefits all in one item, beets are it. But if you don’t like them, how can you squeeze such an awesome food into your diet?
Fortunately, I’ve been exploring some new bars in the area I just moved to and found a place that serves a beet cocktail. I don’t recall exactly what was in it, but it was close to the version above, which includes beet juice, sugar and lemon juice (except mine had vodka). When I called my mom to tell her, she was both shocked and thrilled that beet cocktails exist and that I had actually enjoyed something with beet juice in it. Since I love to make her happy, I figured I would spread her beet mission message for the world via my personal favorite recipes to make: cocktails!
So if you’re a little confused about how to eat beets or simply want to gain the nutrition from them without quite so much of the taste, mixing them up in a fantastic drink is a great way to achieve that! Whether it’s for a refreshing glass to go with your lunch or a healthier-than-normal nightcap, you’ll find that beet juice cocktails are pretty fantastic in every respect.
Just to clarify the authors confusion, Drinking is not Eating.
Drinking a cocktail is not the same as eating, say pickled beets.
Many thanks.
SUGAR BEET LIQUOR
Slice thin or mince into a kettle 10 pounds of sugar beets.
Add just enough water to cover and bring to a boil.
Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain off this liquid and retain. Retain the pulp.
Repeat the previous three steps to the pulp. Discard the pulp. (Give it to the bunnies.)
Combine the liquids and simmer until the steam no longer has a rank odor.
If the liquid is less than a gallon, add water to make it so. If it’s more than a gallon, boil it off till it is.
Cool to below 110°F, and add one package Fleischmann’s yeast.
Ferment.
Distill.
Bump for happy hour.
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