Motivation Anywhere

...is in short supply these days. I blame the oppressive summer heat. All I want to do is sit around, eat fruit, and drink tall glasses of sparkling water. I don’t even want to turn on my oven because it makes my apartment hot. Needless to say I’ve been making a lot of salad.

Things that have been keeping me happy: The King of Pops, World Cup, Harpoon Summer Vacation Mix, and caipirinhas.

Speaking of caipirinhas, here’s an interesting twist on a traditional version that I made a while back.

Rhurbarb Caipirinhas

First you’ll need some rhubarb simple syrup. Like the name suggests, it’s simple to make:

3 pounds rhubarb, sliced thin
1 ½ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups water

Throw the ingredients in a saucepan and bring everything to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until the rhubarb is soft. Strain the rhubarb and pour the strained liquid back into the saucepan. Reduce until the liquid becomes a syrupy consistency, and then let the syrup cool.

For the caipirinha:

1 oz. rhubarb simple syrup
Half a lime, cut into 4 wedges
2 oz. cachaça

In a rocks glass, muddle the simple syrup and limes together for about 30 seconds. Fill the glass with ice, pour in the 2 oz. of cachaça and stir. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Update: Looks like the NY Times Dining Section is in on the rhubarb syrup action, albeit with a different version than mine - http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/case-study-rhubarb-syrup/?ref=dining