Comfort Chanukah Drink

Chanukah is one of my favorite holidays!  There's not a lot of requirements, the ritual of the holiday (lighting candles) is at night, and it's very nice and lovely to be around lights (and oily food!).  It's also a tradition to have the chanukah candles lit in a window, visible to many who pass by your window.  These lights not only add more physical light in dark winter skies, but also send a message that this home is a Jewish home, proudly celebrating a moment in Jewish history.

There is another message which I think is worth publicizing along with the lights of the candles, which inspired this Chanukah cocktail.  There is a legend that there was a woman named Judith or Yehudeet (similar name to Judah, like the Maccabee!  Coincidence??  ;)  who helped to lure one of the leaders of the Assyrian army into her tent for some warm milk and cheese.  She was able to then kill him (or have him killed?  ), therefore helping the Maccabees in the war.  There are many stories about Jewish women, but they are not always publicized or even mentioned.  This Chanukah, I am inspired to continue to tell and learn stories of Judith and others who may not have a voice to share their stories.  This cocktail is bright, like the candles of the chanukiah, and it is a dairy drink, perhaps like the drink which Judith gave to the army leader.  May we all be inspired by the lights of Chanukah to tell stories, learn from them, and be comforted by them.

Recipe for Chanukah Comfort Drink:

-2 spoonfulls of white hot chocolate mix (I like the kind from Second Cup, Canada)

-1 shot of chocolate liquor

-optional:  1 shot of peppermint schnapps

-the rest of the mug either with warm milk or with some hot water and some warm milk

Chag Urim V'Sameach!

Happy Chanukah!

Stars while Travelling Cocktail

"Lechi lach, to a land that I will show you"
Debbie Friedman (based on the text from this week's Torah portion)

The cocktail which I created is in honor of this week's Torah portion, Lech Lecha.  In the text (Genesis 12 and 15) it says:

יֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃

The LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

2

וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וֶהְיֵ֖ה בְּרָכָֽה׃

I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you; I will make your name great, And you shall be a blessing.

יּוֹצֵ֨א אֹת֜וֹ הַח֗וּצָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַבֶּט־נָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֗יְמָה וּסְפֹר֙ הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים אִם־תּוּכַ֖ל לִסְפֹּ֣ר אֹתָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ כֹּ֥ה יִהְיֶ֖ה זַרְעֶֽךָ׃

He took him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He added, “So shall your offspring be.”

Abram, who will later be named Abraham, is sent by God to leave his homeland and travel to a new country.  He is promised by God that he will be blessed with as many descendants as the stars in the sky.  

There is much that can be learned from this text, but what I take from it nowadays is this:  it has been hard to see where we are going and what direction things are going to take here in the U.S., in Israel, and in the world.  I have been feeling a bit lost sometimes about what to do next, how to help, etc.  Sometimes it is hard to see the stars both literally, as a New Yorker, and figuratively.  Hopefully this cocktail will help to guide us and remind us to look at the positives, and take it step by step in our journeys.

Here is the recipe:

-1 shot vodka

-1 shot St. Germaine liquor or triple sec

-2-3 shots of lychee juice

-1 slice of star fruit

Optional step before making the drink:

This idea was suggested by my Ima (mom):

-dip the glass rim in water and a bit of lime juice, then sprinkle some brown sugar on a plate and dip the glass rim in the sugar (this should give the glass a bit more sparkle, and it can also represent the second promise about the descendants being as numerous as the dust of the earth)

Enjoy and feel free to add in the comments if you made this drink and if you have any suggestions!

Build Your Own Sukkah in a Glass!

Build Your Own Sukkah in a Glass!

Thank you for reading my blog!  I hope that those of you who tried out the Pomegranate Tekiah drink enjoyed it.  Those of you who didn't get a chance to try it yet, it's not too late!!  It is still the season of pomegranates and wishing a happy new year to those who go by the Jewish/Hebrew calendar sometimes.  

This drink is for the upcoming holiday of Sukkot, which starts this Wednesday Oct 4th in the evening and ends next week on Oct 13th with the holidays of Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.  This drink can work for the whole week, either as a cocktail, as a shot, or even as  a non-alcoholic drink.

I would like to dedicate this drink blog and recipe to those affected by recent hurricanes.  I hope that this brings a little more hope and sweetness to the world and inspiration for people to give and donate to help with the hurricane relief.  

Sukkot is a time where some Jews build huts or sukkot to eat in and sometimes even sleep in for 7 days of the holiday.  One of the main reasons that we have this practice is to help to remind us of the time with the people of Israel lived in huts on the journey from Egypt to the land of Israel.  This holiday brings back memories to when I was in Canada with my family and we would often be huddled in winter coats and gloves in the sukkah, rushing to pack up the tables and chairs immediately after the meal so that it wouldn't get rained on...which brings me to think about those affected by the hurricanes.  As I sit in the many sukkot of family and friends in Chicago, New Jersey, and in New York City, I will definitely be thinking of those who have no permanent home, or whose home(s) was damaged or destroyed.  

May the evening blessing of wishing for a sukkah-type shelter of peace come true for us all (hapores sukkat shalom aleinu).  

recipe for build-a-sukkah-cocktail:

-1 shot of chocolate liquor

-optional:  1 shot of chocolate-flavored vodka

-optional:  1 shot of peppermint schnapps

-2 (or more, depending on taste) shots of either milk, almond milk, rice milk, name-your-choice of milk

-1 mint leaf

-2, 3 tooth picks

recipe for non-alcoholic version:

-1 shot of chocolate syrup instead of chocolate liquor

-3 shots (or more) of name-your-choice of milk

-1 mint leaf

-2, 3 tooth picks

Check out my instagram account @areasontolchayim for pictures, stories, and more!

Chag Sameach!  Have a wonderful Sukkot holiday!

Pomegranate Tekiah Cocktail (or Shot)

Happy New Year or Shana Tova!

Welcome (or welcome back) to my blog about reasons to l'chayim!  Very shortly, a new Jewish year of 5778 will begin!  In spirit of the new year, I want to challenge myself to start a new instagram and revive my blog about cocktail drinks in connection to Jewish holidays, themes, events, and maybe sometimes even the weekly Torah parsha!  Thank you for reading my blog and for following me on instagram.  I'm hoping that these recipes will help to bring a new taste for the holidays and more sweetness and fun in your homes.

And now, the cocktail:  Pomegranate Tekiah Cocktail

This can be made as a drink or as a shot, depending on your taste or mood.  This drink can work as part of a Rosh Hashana dinner drink, a cocktail hour/happy hour pre-dinner drink, or even lunch!

The idea of this drink basically comes from the idea of a mix of salty/sour and sweet.  I wanted to create a taste that incorporated two aspects of Rosh Hashana.  Many take time during this point of the year before the new year to make changes an improvements for the upcoming year.  During the holiday itself, many will greet each other with "Shana Tova U'Metukah" or Have a sweet new year!  So, this drink is meant to inspire both the t'shuva , the call to change and metukah , the sweetness and hope for a better year.  

The name of the drink is based on the names of the ingredients in the drink (including tequila) and one of the sounds that the shofar (the instrument blasted in synagogues during Rosh Hashana).

And now, the drink itself:  
The first step for either a cockail or a shot would be to drizzle some honey on a plate (I recommend paper, since this part can be messy...).  Then, take your margarita/martini/shot glass and dip the rim in the honey.  You can almost imagine that you're dipping the glass in the honey instead of the traditional apple in honey;).  Then, add 2 shots of tequila
1 shot of triple sec or cointreau (or even pomegranate liquor, if you can find it!)
1 tbsp of lime-aid or fresh-squeezed lime

for a shot:  add a splash of pomegranate juice
for a drink:  fill the rest of the glass with pomegranate juice

Feel free to add a lime wedge for garnish (and for fun).  Also, if you're drinking this as a shot, feel free to eat an apple slice after the shot for a sweet touch!

May this year bring more hope and sweetness and t'shuva !
Shana Tova U'Metukah