The women take dainty sips, “How lovely! It’s so light and fruity! What is this delightful drink?” they say. I bring the bottle over, point to the label and casually say, “Oh, it’s a Belgium Lambic ale. You know, BEER.” Then I take a swig from the bottle and throw out an evil laugh. Suckers! Who’s so ladylike now, huh?

Yes, I would drink this beer for brunch. Just like these imaginary uptight ladies, I didn’t know there was such a thing as beer that is truly sweet and mild. It doesn’t even have a heaviness that you would expect so you could get away with small polite burps. The presence of the fruity peach taste is comparable to a wine cooler but in beer form. This is a great alternative to moscato or port wine to pair with desserts. I can easily drink this anytime because it’s practically juice. Delicious, buzz inducing juice.

Lindemans Lambic beer also comes in apple (pomme) and raspberry (framboise) flavor but peach is my personal favorite. I get mine at Trader Joe’s. You should get some and try my fantasy experiment. I’d love to know what happens!

Hitachino White Ale is one of my favorite special beers that my boyfriend discovered when we had dinner at Campanile. When the bottle came to our table my first reaction was ooh, I like the label’s design. Then I took a sip and was as impressed by the taste since it fit my girlish beer requirements. Mild, fruity, not too bitter and yet gives a good buzz.

Since that night, we began our pursuit to find Hitachino White Ale to drink at home and eventually found out that it’s not that easy to find. What we did discover after several trips to different stores was that the Hitachino brand also carries other types of ales. We would be so excited to see the little red owl that we just grabbed whatever kind it was. Oh, how naive we were.As a result of our White Ale search, we have also tried Nest Beer Amber Ale and Red Rice Ale and although in our minds we thought they would be just as good, they are vastly different and cannot compare to our favorite. Secondly, I am complete sucker for packaging. The Red Rice Ale in a red label instead of blue? Aww. I’m sold. Taste? Boo. I took the first sip and gave the rest to the kitchen sink. Anything that can be compared to the taste of cough medicine is always a thumbs down. Ooh, harsh but I’m obviously not an expert so you might like it. As for the Amber Ale, it’s a “meh”. It’s a decent beer with a darker flavor but for what it’s worth, I will have to go with the White Ale.

You can find Hitachino ales at BevMo! (if you’re lucky), Whole Foods (I’ve only seen Nest Beer Amber Ale), and your local specialty wine & liquor stores (your best bet).

P.S. Can you tell we’ve been collecting the bottle caps? They’re too cute to throw away.

Of course when you think of outdoor lunches, you think refreshing drink and the first thought is lemonade. Despite the June gloom hovering over Los Angeles the past week, summer is just a couple of weeks away and it’s time to get squeezing.

To make it more interesting I decided to combine lemon, lime and a lesser-known citrus called “calamansi“. This sour and fragrant citrus with a hint of orange flavor is the Filipino’s lemon and for many like myself, we grew up drinking calamansi juice instead of lemonade. So why not bring these two worlds together and add in lime to the mix? I did and it is dee-licious! It’s tart like old-fashioned lemonade or limeade but with added sweetness from the calamansi.

You can find calamansi at your local Filipino market or possibly at Asian stores. They are either green or orange but the color doesn’t matter too much. It’s about the size of a cherry tomato and it looks like this:

If you can’t find it at the store, befriend a Filipino and they will most likely give you a source. Mine was my parents’ backyard. As a last resort you can always make lemon limeade.

I call this combination Mint Citrusade. Like the name? I was thinking calimemonade, or lemocalimeade or limecalemonade but just looking at it hurts my eyes so I can’t imagine trying to say it loud. I highly recommend including the mint because it makes the drink extra refreshing. Mint is aromatherapy after all. So sit outside, sip your drink and relax!

Mint Citrusade
1 cup sugar
4 cups water
1/3 fresh lemon juice
1/3 fresh lime juice
1/3 fresh calamansi juice
1/4 cup mint leaves

1. To make simple syrup, combine sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
2. Squeeze lemons, limes, and calamansi to make 1/3 cup of juice each into a measuring cup or bowl.
3. Strain juice through a sieve to remove seeds and pour into a pitcher.
4. Add remaining 3 cups of water and cooled simply syrup into pitcher.
5. Drop in mint leaves and chill for at least an hour.

Printable Recipe

This bundle of tea looks like a weird hairy mushroom but once you add water it will slowly bloom…

from this…

to this…

Ta da! It’s not a hairy mushroom anymore and the tea leaves have opened up to reveal a red chrysanthemum flower. Then it will look like you’re drinking out of a vase!

A coworker introduced me to blooming teas when she came back from Shanghai with a cool thermos like the one above. I love how they go together so well and you can bring it with you wherever you go.

I found many versions of this thermos through the internet but finally picked this one from Summit Tea. I wanted it to be made out of glass instead of plastic and it is double-walled so you won’t burn your hands from the hot water. It also comes with a tea strainer that you place near the top for loose tea leaves and a lid if you’re on the go.

Summit Tea also sells blooming teas but you can usually find them in specialty tea stores. There are many types to choose from with all kinds of flowers. It’s fun to watch it unravel and makes tea drinking even more relaxing.