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While I was eating a soft, ripe and juicy persimmon one morning, I understood why this fruit has been regarded as one of the various kinds of aphrodisiacs in history.  It then occurred to me...why not an aphrodisiac in a cup? 

I was inspired to then research various fruits, spices, herbs and teas throughout history that have been recognized as having sensual qualities.  The knowledge I gathered was fascinating, as I learned that lovers, poets, kings, mistresses and even doctors alike have been interested in this phenomena.

And now we launch Apricot Chai: a tea which its every component is deeply rooted in history as having erotic qualities. It contains black tea, apricot and peach preserves, gingerroot, cloves, vanilla beans, and recommended with a flowing drop of honey.  Here is the breakdown:

Sensual tea: In the 1300's in China, tea became a romantic ritual symbolizing poetry and beauty. The Japanese treat tea as a drink of immortality which has to be consumed in a precise ceremonial, making each step an initiation and a sign of poetic ecstasy.  When tea made its way to Europe in the 1700's, a Corsican doctor, Simon Paoli, tasted it and declared that it should be banned because it was too intoxicating.

Peach Preserves: In China and Japan, brides wear wreaths of peach blossoms as a symbol of viginity and fertility.

Apricot Preserves: In Australia, the aboriginies prepared a special tea made from apricot stone. They would crush and smear the fruit onto their erogenous regions as a pre-coital perfume to enhance love-making.

Vanilla Bean: In certain regions of South America, including Mexico, Venezuela and Argentina, men try to capture their former vigor by soaking vanilla beans into a glass of tequila for a long period of time, which is to enhance their 'performance.'

Ginger root: It is widely known that ginger stimulates the circulatory system.  The Arab physician Avicenna from the 11th century, prescribed honey mixed with ginger and a little pepper to stimulate sexuality.

Cloves: Cloves are also a stimulating spice, which allures the senses to encourage lust.

Citrus peels: Oranges have been used by the Christians to tempt the appetites of the lions at the Coliseum.

Honey: Egyptian medicine used honey as a base to cure sterility and impotence. Also, medieval seducers hypnotized their lovers by using mead, a fermented concoction made from honey. Sheikh Nefzawi from the 16th century recommended having pine kernels mixed with honey before lovemaking in his sexual manual "The Perfumed Garden".

With all of these ingredients, the Apricot Chai is recommended to be drank with your significant other.

While flying to Las Vegas for a friend's bachelorette party, I was page-turning Southwest airline's magazine called "Spirit" when I happened upon a most interesting tea alcoholic drink.  With its main ingredient being tea, naturally I was eager to try this on our trip and figured it would do the ladies a lot of good to loosen up the right way while tanning at the Hard Rock poolside.

The article's title was "Bourbon Slush"  and it was a recipe provided by Fred Thompson, author of Bourbon: 50 Rousing Recipes for a Classic American Spirit.  I will soon discover that Fred properly characterizes this concoction as a "slurpee for grownups."  Fred described the drink as a whiskey sour meets a granita. He promises that it makes a great beach drink.  Hmmm...this sounded too dangerous for a pack of wild and sexy ladies in Sin City.  But why else go to Vegas if we can't walk on the wild side?

So I tore out the article (yes, I'm THAT girl) with the plan of attack that the poolside bartender would make a whole pitcher for us. Needless to say, my high hopes where just that. Of course they couldn't take special orders and didn't have fresh brewed iced tea with concentrated lemonade and orange juice!  

Determined to have this made, I kept the recipe in my bra for safe-keeping and enjoyed it with some friends the following Sunday at home. I must say, slushie and delishious it was! Freshing I might add, but I soon realized that one was more than plenty...

and a good idea to have kept it a secret from the ladies!

Ingredients: (Makes 6 Bourbon Slushes)

2 cups brewed black tea (I used Organic Darjeeling)

1 pint Maker's Mark

2 tablespoons sugar

1 12 ounce can frozen lemonade, concentrate, thawed

16 ounce can frozen orange juice, concentrate, thawed

Chilled lemon-lime soda

Directions:

1. Combine in large metal bowl. Put bowl in freezer, stir with a whisk every two hours until mixture is frozen.

2. Scoop frozen tea into an old-fashioned glass until it's about two-thirds full.

3. Top off with soda without stirring the mix. Serve when soda has turned the frozen tea slushy.

Want ice cream but can't handle the calories?  Tempted for a frozen yogurt but could do without the sugar?  Feel healthy and refreshed with a non-fat, yet delicious dessert: tea popsicles!   The secret to making tea popsicles is to simply double the ingredients.  Here's how: 

Ingredients:

1. Iced tea smoothie (recipe to follow):

2. Popsicle tray with sticks

3. Freezer

Prepare your favorite iced tea smoothie recipe, using double the ingredients. Allow the ice to melt for 20 minutes or so. Pour the mix into popsicle trays. Add the sticks. Place in freezer for at least 2 hours. 

Fruit Tea Smoothie Recipe with ingredients doubled:

1. Two heaping tablespoons of Fruity Dream herbal tisane

2. Two teaspoons of honey

3. Two cups boiled filtered water

4. Ice, cubed or crushed

5. Whipping cream 

Directions:

Combine tea and honey in a teapot. Add filtered water, just below boiling temperature and steep for 4 minutes. Stir until honey dissolves.  Strain brewed tea mixture over ice in a blender. Blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipping cream on top or a grapefruit slice garnish to really live it up. 

Voila!

I have a confession to make. Prior to meeting my southern husband, I have never heard of Sun Tea before. When he found this out, he had the most quizzical expression on his face as if he saw something in my teeth and couldn't decide whether to laugh or cringe.

And so I got the lecture.  "Sun Tea", he proclaimed, "is part of what bonds children with their mothers, is what makes childhood memories everlasting, it's what no child should ever be deprived of, otherwise its a childhood not worth having..."  OK, maybe I am exaggerating the lecture a little bit. 

So in order to save my marriage, I embarked on a Sun Tea journey to discover everything I can about this mysteriously fascinating summer liquid. I phoned the in-laws of the south for ole' fashioned recipes,  I scoured the Internet for variety of recipes, I researched recent safety concerns in the making of Sun Tea and experimented in my own backyard to bring you this very thesis on Sun Tea.

To begin, here are some basic ground rules in preparing to make Sun Tea:

1. Watch Out for Bacteria.  If you ask the new-timers, the process of making Sun Tea can form a bacteria that can be harmful to your health. If you ask the ole-timers, a lil' bit of bacteria ain't hurt no body! The issue is that using the sun's rays to make tea can facillitate bacteria called alcaligenes viscolactis, according to the Center of Disease Control. Tea steeped in a jar on your porch won't get any hotter than 130 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to truly kill germs, water needs to be heated at 195 degrees F for 3-5 minutes.

To appease both the old school and the new school of thought, it's best to avoid risk yet without stripping yourselves from fond childhood memories by doing the following:

a) Use a sterilized glass container (more about glass below)

b)  Use a strainer after steeping Sun Tea to rid of any aliens in it.

c) Simply toss the tea away if you see foamy, syrupy substances or any weird-looking strands.

2. Use a Glass Pot. According to recent studies, plastic containers may be adding harmful chemicals to the liquids they contain. The procedure speeds up if the liquid bottle in plastic is left in the sun for a long time. Bottles exposed to the sun in the research showed traces of carcinogenic and neurotoxic substances.

3. Use Filtered Water.  Tap water typically contains unknown substances that without a full boil may be harmful to your health. Another cleaner and safer method to make Sun Tea is to use filtered water instead. This will also enhance the flavor of the tea itself.

4. Use Loose Leaf Tea.  Even though most of the traditional recipes utilize tea bags, I prefer to use fresh ingredients wherever I can. Tea bags to me are akin to buying pre-ground coffee in a can where the freshness is compromised. 

5. Be Creative.  Add your favorite citrus rinds and/or garden herbs to your own batch of Sun Tea.   

5. Refrigerate immediately after use.  Throw out any leftover tea after 3 days.

These days, non-tea-drinkers categorize our fun loving group into two stereotypes: the zen and serene / the pretentious (and possibly British).  I'm sure the health-conscious are thrown somewhere into the mix.  This weekend, I vow to throw those preconceived notions to the wind and let lose with a high in tea, low in calorie, summer cocktail.  The days are warm and the nights are long, what better time than now?  Move over Long Island Ice Tea, there's an electrifying new antioxidant-rich drink on the block.  Enjoy...

 ELECTRIC HONEYDEW

1 Tbsp green tea leaves (White Monkey Paw green tea works great)

1 Tbsp dried chamomile leaves

2 oz gin

3 leaves anise-hyssop

2 oz pureed honeydew (puree in blender)

3/4 oz lemon juice

1/4 oz agave syrup

1 fennel frond, for garnish

In a jar or glass, mix green tea and chamomile leaves with gin and let sit for 3 hours at room temperature.  Muddle anise-hyssop leaves, then combine with tea-infused gin, honeydew puree, lemon juice, and agave in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake and strain into a martini glass and garnish with a fennel frond.

MAKES 1 SERVING

Calories: 178

Recipe courtesy of Women's Health Magazine