Brazilian Limeade (Limonada)

This drink is especially good in summery weather, but it can be enjoyed year round. Buy limes that aren't thick skinned and firm as they likely don't have as much juice in them. Contrary to what I usually write about not buying sweetened condensed milk when I list "canned milk," this time you want SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK in a can. If you aren't familiar with it, it is thick and sweet, and a bit off-white in color. It is a commonly used by many people to make fudge. 

 

This drink is called "lemonade" by many, because in Portuguese (the language of Brazil), the word "limão" is often used for both "lemon" and "lime," and this drink, made with limes, is called "limonada," which can be translated as "lemonade," but it is more accurate to translate the drink name as "limeade," because of the fruit used to make it.

 

Ingredients (5 to 6 servings):

 

5 limes, washed and then each lime cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup to 1 cup sweetened condensed milk, depending upon how tart you want the limeade

4 cups cold water

10 to 12 ice cubes

some lime pieces for garnish

Wash the limes well to remove any pesticide, wax and bacteria. (Wax is often put onto fruits and vegetables to help preserve them and to make them look shiny to shoppers.) Cut each lime in half lengthwise, then halve each of those pieces, then halve those pieces. Into a blender or processor, add the lime pieces and two cups water. You don't want to obliterate the lime pieces, just extract much of their juice; so, "pulse" the lime pieces about 15 to 18 times (that's what I do with my blender, but your blender may only require 12 pulses, so use some judgment). Anymore than that and the drink can become bitter. Strain the lime juice into a pitcher and add the other 2 cups water and stir. Add 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and stir well to mix, then taste the drink to see how much more, if any, of the sweetened milk you want to add. So add any additional sweetened condensed milk, always stirring to mix it into the drink well. Add ice cubes and take a few of the lime pieces from the sieve you used to strain the juice and add them to the pitcher. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Twinge-This word is related to "thong," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Twinge" goes back to Indo European "twengh," which had the notion "to press, to put pressure on, to squeeze," and this gave Old Germanic "thwangjan(an)," with essentially the same meanings, but including "to pinch." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) the verb "twengan" meaning "to pinch," and the form then became "twengen," with the further meaning "twitch," then it became "twingen," before becoming "twinge," from which the noun "twinge" was formed in the mid 1500s, and it became more common in usage by the early 1600s, meaning "a pinch, a twitch, a sudden sharp pain (often, but not always, in the abdominal area), which causes one to wince or otherwise to show sudden discomfort (with a figurative use about sudden shock from hearing about or witnessing some bad event, or from feeling a sense of remorse or sympathy about something)." The verb "twinge" had become outdated by circa 1600. German has "zwingen" (pronounced as if 'tsvingen'), meaning "to force or compel" (from the notion of "to press or to put pressure onto someone/something"). The German form has had numerous spellings over the centuries including: "dwingan," "thwingan," "twingen," "dwingen," and even the unusual "quingen;" Low German and Dutch have "dwingen," also meaning "to force or compel," West Frisian has "twingen" (to force), Swedish has "tvinga" (to force), Danish and Norwegian have "tvinge" (to force) and Icelandic has "þvinga" (þ=th, and word meaning "to force").    

Peruvian Fish Ceviche: Ceviche Peruano

"Peruvian Fish Ceviche"* is the national dish of Peru; but as such, there is no one recipe; thus, there are variations in the type of fish and chili pepper used, although there can be other variations. Also, the "side dish" of corn (maize) is most typically white corn, but often of the large kernel type, something that is not easily found outside Peru. Some people remove these large kernels from the cobs and then fry or toast them for this dish. The lime juice marinade "cooks" the raw fish in just a few minutes; so, you want to keep the fish pieces relatively small for the lime to penetrate the flesh of the fish. The chili pepper adds a bit of zest to the dish, without being mouth scorching.  

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

1 to 1 1/4 pounds halibut or sea bass, cut into bite size pieces 

1 red onion (baseball size), sliced into rings then cut into thirds or quarters

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 habanero chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped

juice from 8 to 10 limes (more if needed to completely cover the fish)

1 to 2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro (known to some as coriander), chopped

2 ears of white (or yellow or bicolor) corn on the cob (boiled or grilled)

2 sweet potatoes, sliced (1/3 inch thick)

butter lettuce (Bibb lettuce is a type of butter lettuce)

Rinse the fish under cold running water, then cut it into bite size pieces and put the pieces to soak for ten minutes in a bowl of cold water. In another bowl of cold water with a pinch of salt, put the onion slices to soak. Drain both the fish and the onions well. Put the fish and onions into a bowl, then add the minced garlic, finely chopped chili pepper, salt and lime juice (you need to have enough lime juice to completely cover the fish pieces). Mix well (I do it by hand), cover the bowl and let the fish marinate for 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Cook the corn on the cob in some boiling water, likewise with the sweet potato slices (you can also grill the corn and sweet potato slices, if you like grilling). Cut the corn cobs into pieces of about 2 to 3 inches each. To serve: Place some butter lettuce on part of each plate and top the lettuce with some of the ceviche. Add a couple of slices of sweet potato and a piece a corn on the cob to each plate.

* "Ceviche" is also spelled "seviche" and "cebiche," and in the Spanish of Spain, the latter is considered proper. By the way, while there are theories as to the origins of the word, regardless of how you spell it, the word's history is very difficult, and at this time, I prefer to say its origin is "unknown."

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Halibut-This word for a particular type of flatfish is a compound of "holy" ^ and "butt" (flatfish), with the "holy" part added as the fish was often eaten on holy days. English has several words of the spelling "butt,"^^ although as it is used in the fish name, this version is related to the same form that gave English "buttock," as its general meaning is "the end piece (of something), often the thick end piece," and it is related to the word "beat," a word from the Germanic roots of English. This form "butt" goes back to Indo European "bheud/bhaud," which meant "to beat, to strike." This "supposedly" gave Old Germanic "butt," meaning "flatfish," although I'm more than a little skeptical about there ever having been such an Old Germanic word with the flatfish meaning; rather, I believe such a word was derived from the Old Germanic form that gave us "buttock;" that is, "but(t)a(n)," meaning, "that which is cut off," or, "the end piece, the short piece." It is interesting that "apparently" Anglo-Saxon (Old English) did not have a form of the word (this is one of the reasons I don't believe there ever was an Old Germanic form that referred to the flatfish), although it's always possible there was an unrecorded form of the word, and if true, it certainly wasn't prominent, which seems odd for these seafaring Germanic tribes from what is now the coastal areas of northern Germany, the northern Netherlands and southern Denmark, where fish, including various flatfish, were plentiful. After all, fairly large numbers of people from these tribes picked up and sailed to Briton. Old English seems to have used "flóc" to mean certain types of flatfish. "Butt," in reference to flatfish, appears in English around 1300, seemingly a borrowing from its close cousin Low German "butte." "Halibut" is from the late 1300s or early 1400s (it seems to have initially been "holibut," in English), when eating fish replaced the consumption of typical animal meat on certain Christian holy days. This seems to have been borrowed from the then Low German form "hellebütt."^^^ Relatives in the modern Germanic languages: German has "Heilbutt," initially as "heiligebutt," borrowed from the Low German form "hilligbutt," but then contracted to the modern form with influence from Low German "hellebütt" and Dutch "heilbot" (which is still the modern form). The North Germanic branch of the Germanic languages do not have forms of "halibut" nor of "butt," another reason why I don't believe there ever was an Old Germanic form (Note: Swedish once had "but/butta," but this was a borrowing from Low German). Unfortunately, the Brothers Grimm shed no light on these difficult words, as their entry is very sparse.        

^ For the history of "holy," this is the link to the article: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2011/08/german-question-part-one-hundred-twenty_47.html

 

^^ Several of the forms of "butt" are likely related, as most forms are from Germanic.  

^^^ It is important to remember, there is no standard Low German language, but rather there are dialects classified as being Low German. Hundreds of years ago, especially, most languages were developing standard forms, but dialects with different spellings and pronunciations were more the rule, rather than the exception; thus, lots of spelling variations. 

Thai Salmon Salad with Peanut Sauce

A great salad with lots of nutrition and the peanut "saucy" flavor of Thailand and Southeast Asia. Well suited for lunch or a light meal. This salad is meant to have some heat from the chilies, but if you do not like heat, you can certainly replace the hot chilies with mild peppers, like some chopped red or green bell pepper. 

Ingredients (5 to 6 servings):

1 pound salmon in 2 or 3 fillets (can have skin, which will be removed after cooking)
1 tablespoon peanut oil for the fish
1/2 cup shredded or grated carrot
1 cup shredded cabbage
4 green onions, chopped with the green part
1 firm mango, peeled and chopped (not completely ripened)
2 chili peppers, sliced (serranos or jalapeños are good)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mixed greens, like spinach and kale
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (or 8 to 10 grape tomatoes, halved)
juice of 1 large lime
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds, lightly toasted, or finely chopped roasted peanuts
(optional) salt to taste (keep in mind, the dressing has salt from some ingredients)
lime wedges for serving

Dressing/Sauce:

1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled
1 hot chili pepper, stem and seeds removed  
2 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons honey
a little water

For the dressing/sauce: put all of the ingredients, except water, into a blender; blend together well. If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of water and blend, continue to repeat this step until the desired consistency is reached. 
For the salmon: heat the peanut oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and fry the salmon on both sides until it is cooked through and is able to be flaked. Set aside to cool.
For the salad: in a large bowl, add the carrot, cabbage, green onions, mango, chili peppers, mixed greens and tomatoes; toss to mix. Squeeze the lime juice over the salad. Flake the salmon and toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet for about 1 minute (or chop some store bought roasted peanuts and heat them briefly in a dry skillet). Top each serving with some flaked salmon pieces and either some toasted sesame seeds or chopped peanuts. Drizzle some of the dressing over each salad and serve with a wedge or two of lime on the side.

WORD HISTORY:
Dwindle-This word is related to "dead," "death" and "die," all words from Germanic, with the verb "die" either coming to Old English as a borrowing from Old Norse, itself a Germanic language, or as an original English word and receiving emphasis and reinforcement from Old Norse to help it prevail as the primary word for "to lose one's life." "Dwindle" goes back to Indo European "dheu," which meant, "to die." This gave Old Germanic "dwinanan," meaning, "to lessen, to diminish, to waste away." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "dwinan," meaning, "to waste away, to fade away." This then became "dwinen" and then "dwine," with the "dwindle" form showing up in William Shakespeare's play "Henry IV, published in about 1598." Exactly why the suffix was added is a mystery to me. Shakespeare's use of "dwindle" certainly boosted overall usage of the word. Some relatives in other Germanic languages: Low German "verdwienen" (to disappear, to lessen), Dutch "verdwijnen" (to disappear), West Frisian "ferdwine" ("to disappear"), Icelandic "dvina" (to diminish, to lessen, to decrease). NOTES: 1) I have found "reference" to a Danish form "tvine," meaning "to pine away," but sources are few and sketchy, so I can't confirm it as a modern form. Old Norse, the forerunner of the modern North Germanic languages, had "dvina" (to diminish, to lessen). 2) I cannot find a form in German, including in Old High German, the ancestor of modern German, but that "might" be because the word did not come into extensive use before the dialects that became German pushed southward. Further, there was obviously no later borrowing of the word from Low German.

Tarragon Gimlet or Rickey

I'm not a big fan of strained cocktails, so I almost always make cocktails with ice ("on the rocks"), but you can certainly mix them with ice and then strain them into a glass. A gimlet has a very definite lime taste, but the addition of tarragon syrup gives the drink a bit of anise flavor, as well as taking the edge off of the lime juice. By adding some club soda you can make this into a "rickey," a drink supposedly named for a Democrat and lobbyist from Missouri, although initially is was made with bourbon.   

I consulted this great website for this cocktail: https://thecocktailnovice.com/

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 ounces gin 
1 ounce lime juice
1 to 1 1/2 ounce tarragon syrup*
ice

Add the ingredients to a rocks glass (also called an "old fashioned glass"), stir. 

For a rickey use a somewhat larger glass and the same recipe, but:
add club soda or mineral water to fill

* For easy to make tarragon syrup:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/03/herbal-syrups-tarragon.html


Tarragon Gimlet ...

WORD HISTORY:
Miser (Misery)-The origin of "miser" is unknown, but Latin had "miser" as an adjective meaning, "unhappy, in a distressed mental state;" thus also, "worthy of pity." This was borrowed by English in the mid 1500s, but as a noun meaning, "very sad person," which then seems to have taken on the meaning, "a sad person who hoards money to the point of being contemptible, a money-hoarding wretch," still the general meaning of the word today. The idea is that a miser uses the hoarding of money to compensate for their overriding unhappiness. The Christmas tale by Charles Dickens is a great example of this. The Latin adjective form gave Latin the noun "miseria," meaning, "condition of woe, state of suffering some physical pain or mental anguish," also, "state of being poor." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "miserie" (later "misère"), "situation of suffering and distress," including "poverty." This was borrowed by English in the latter part of the 1300s as "misery," meaning, "state of serious and debilitating physical suffering," but also, "condition of visible pain or unhappiness." 

Watermelon Cocktail (With Alcohol or Without)

Watermelon is a fruit that is about 90% water and with lots of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A and C, plus lycopene, which is found in many red colored fruits and vegetables, like tomatoes. It also has a good deal of fiber. This refreshing drink is easily non alcohol or you can give it an alcohol content with some vodka, or watermelon vodka or watermelon schnapps, both available at a number of liquor outlets. If the watermelon is not all that sweet, you can add some honey or some blue agave. As you can see in the photos below, I used a large glass (with ice) for the non alcohol type, and a smaller cocktail glass (with ice) for the alcoholic cocktail. 

Ingredients (about 3 to 5 servings, depending upon glass type and amount of ice used):

2 1/2 cups seedless watermelon chunks (pieces of a size to be easily fed into your blender)
3 to 4 inch piece of cucumber, peeled and the seeds scraped out
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
(optional) 2 tablespoons honey OR 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon blue agave
ice cubes
(optional) garnish each serving with a piece of lime 

To a blender, gradually add the watermelon and then the cucumber, then the lime juice and sweetener, if using. Blend until smooth. Add ice cubes to a glass and fill with the watermelon mixture. 


Non alcohol watermelon cocktail ....

Watermelon with watermelon vodka ...

WORD HISTORY:
Glad-This word is related to "glee" and to "glisten," both words from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "ghel," which had the notion "to shine, to cause or to bring light." This gave Old Germanic "gladaz," meaning, "bright, shiny, glossy;" thus also figuratively, "brightly cheerful and happy, joyous," and the further figurative meaning, "smooth, flat" (that which provides a basis to be bright, glossy and shiny). This gave Old English "glæd," meaning, "cheerful, pleasant" as an adjective, but it was also used with this same spelling as a noun (later as "gladness") meaning, "joy." "Glæd" later became "glad," but also "gled" to some (seems northern England and southern Scotland?), with "glad" eventually prevailing as standard. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "glatt," meaning, "smooth," from the notion of "shiny and glossy" often coming from smooth objects; "slippery," although typically used most often about ice and not about greasy objects; and German also uses the word as English uses "smooth," in the figurative sense, "no problems;" as in, "We had a smooth trip to the beach and everything was wonderful" (one way to say this in German: "Wir hatten einen glatten Ausflug zum Strand und alles war wunderbar"); Low German is interesting, because it has "glatt," the primary meaning of which is "smooth," but I have a strong suspicion that this form has worked its way into Low German from standard German, as its comparative form is "gladder" (smoother), and Low German once had "glad" and the compound noun "gladmod," literally "glad mood;" that is, "cheerfulness;" West Frisian has "glêd," meaning, "smooth, shiny;" Dutch has "glad," meaning, "smooth, slick, slippery;" Danish has "glad," meaning, "cheerful," and it also has "glat," meaning, "smooth, slippery," but this is a borrowing from German (with likely reinforcement by Low German), Icelandic has "glaður" (=glathur), meaning, "happy, cheerful;" Norwegian has "glad," meaning "cheerful, happy;" Swedish has "glad," meaning, "happy, cheerful, merry."  

Mojito Cocktail

This drink was invented in Cuba, although exactly where and when in Cuba is disputed, but "possibly" as long ago as the second half of the 1500s. A couple of these and I was speaking Spanish to my neighbors, who are Spanish and English speakers from Puerto Rico. The problem is, I don't speak Spanish, and what's worse, they seemed to understand me! Hm, if I drink Stoli vodka, maybe I'll be able to speak Russian so I can tell Vladimir Putin, "You're a no good pile of horse dung."  

Ingredients:

2 ounces white rum
juice of 4 lime wedges
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, to your preferred taste
10 mint leaves
club soda to fill
ice

I used a tall glass, but you can certainly use a smaller glass and adjust the amount of the ingredients. If you prefer not to have the ice cubes in the glass, you can use a shaker and strain the cocktail into a glass. Rinse and dry the lime before cutting into wedges. Squeeze the juice from the lime wedges and then mix in the sugar. Rub the mint leaves a bit in your hand to help them release their essence and add them to the lime/sugar mixture. Add the rum, stir briefly and add the ice then fill the remaining glass space with club soda. Mix in the squeezed lime wedges. You can garnish with lime and/or a sprig of mint. 

WORD HISTORY:
Poncho-This word for a "type of cloak that slips over the head" goes back to Araucanian^ "pontho," which meant, "cloth/cloak made of wool." This was borrowed by Spanish as "poncho," which was then borrowed by English in the early 1700s. By the mid 1800s, American English added the meaning, "waterproof garment slipped over the head." 

^  "Araucanian" is an Amerindian language family of South America, primarily in Chile.  

Baja-Style Mexican Fish Tacos

Presumably tacos have been around for a long time; almost certainly, well before the Spanish set foot in Mexico; after all, wrapping food in cooked ground corn batter is not a terribly difficult concept to figure out. I, myself, figured it out last week. hahaha! While the history of tacos is sketchy, at best, the use of the word "taco" for this famous food is more than a little unclear. Quite some time ago I had a neighbor who was originally from Mexico. He told me the word taco, which actually means "plug, stopper," came to be used for the food by Mexican miners, who wrapped gunpowder in paper for use to extract minerals from the mines. I believe these explosive "tacos" were used more to extract silver, but I don't know that to be a fact. Anyway, the idea of wrapping fillings in tortillas led to the use of the word for the food, or at least that was my neighbor's story. On the other hand, tacos are a great snack, and could the word have been used because they act as a quick "stopper" for one's hunger between meals; thus, "a light meal?" Of course, there could be a simpler explanation proposed by some, that a word from one of the native languages for this already existent food was close to the Spanish word "taco," and so that is the word the Spanish speaking people took as the name for the food.

In Baja, the western part of Mexico, access to the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California eventually brought about fish wrapped in tortillas; thus, the fish taco, a "somewhat standardized" form of which spread to the U.S. side of the border and to San Diego and vicinity, although the tasty dish is much more widespread now. Notice I used "somewhat standardized" form for fish tacos, as with any popular dish, there will be inevitable variations, and so it is with fish tacos. Some people use red cabbage, some people use lettuce, some people use vinegar, some use chili peppers, some use white cheese, and I'm sure there are other changes. I like fish tacos with "Mexican rice,"* often called "Spanish rice" in the United States. 

Ingredients (8 servings):

1 bag shredded cabbage/carrot cole slaw mix 
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 pound cod in 4 fillets, then halve each fillet (8 pieces total)
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup beer, more if needed to thin batter (light color, a Mexican brand if you desire more authenticity)
oil for cooking
corn tortillas 
chipotle sauce **
lime wedges 

In a bowl, add the slaw mix, the onion, the cilantro. In a cup or small bowl, mix together well the olive oil, lime juice, salt and honey. Pour the dressing over the slaw and mix in well. Best if refrigerated for a minimum of a couple of hours. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, the ancho chili powder, the salt, the baking powder and the beer to form a batter. Add enough oil to a skillet to give you about 1/2 inch of oil. Heat the oil over medium heat. Drop a cube of bread into the oil. If the bread sizzles and starts to brown, you're ready to go. Dip the fish pieces into the batter, then let the excess batter drain off. I fry 4 pieces of fish at a time. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds or so. Put a piece of fish into each tortilla, add some of the slaw mixture, then drizzle on some chipotle sauce. Add a lime wedge to each serving.  

* The recipe for Mexican Red Rice (Arroz Rojo) is at the link:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/02/mexican-red-rice-arroz-rojo.html


** To make the creamy chipotle sauce, this is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/02/creamy-chipotle-sauce.html

Baja Fish Taco with Mexican rice...

WORD HISTORY:
Canon-This word has a number of meanings, the most common of which are: "church law issued by religious authorities," which broadened into, "law, principle, rule, guideline, standard accepted as proper;" "a list of people deemed worthy of sainthood;" "the collected validated works of a writer;" "a clergyman living under the principles of certain religious orders and often serving in a cathedral." "Canon" is related to "cannon," the gun, a word borrowed by English. It "seems" to go back to transliterated Sumerian "ginah,"^ which meant "reed," which seems to have been taken by transliterated Akkadian as "qanuh," with the same meaning. This gave Hebrew "qaneh" (same meaning). This was borrowed by Ancient Greek from Hebrew as transliterated "kánna," and also meant "reed," which were used for measurement and keeping things in a straight row; thus, "ruler (the implement);" thus, "a standard." Latin took the word as "canna," with the same meanings, but which then developed into "Church issued decree" ("rule to be followed"), as "canon." "Canon" was borrowed into Old English from Latin, but certainly reinforced by French, which had had the term passed to it from Latin. Latin had developed the adjective "canonicus," meaning, "by the rules of the Church, according to the rules of the Church," and this came to be used as a noun for the "clergyman" meaning ("a man who lives by the rules of the Church"). This passed into Old French as "canonie," and it was either taken to England by the Normans or developed among the Norman nobles in England as "canun/canoun." It was borrowed by English, at first as "canoun," in the late 1100s.     

Cuban Bul: Refreshing Beer Cocktail

This is a popular refreshing Cuban beer cocktail. It is super easy to make.

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

2  12 ounce bottles or cans of light colored beer, like a lager or pilsner
2  12 ounce cans of ginger ale
juice of 3 limes
1/4 cup sugar
ice cubes
pitcher & glasses
lime slices for garnish

Empty the beer and ginger ale into a pitcher. Add the lime juice and sugar and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Fill some glasses with ice cubes and pour in the drink mixture. Garnish with a slice of lime.

WORD HISTORY:
Cinch-This word goes back to Indo European "kenk," which had the notion, "to encircle, to put a ring around something with the intent to bind." This gave Latin "cingere," which meant, "to encircle," which produced the Latin noun, "cingulum," meaning, "belt, girdle, sword belt." This gave Latin-based Spanish "cincha," meaning, "belt, girdle," used in Mexican Spanish for a "a saddle strap or belt for horses." This was borrowed by American English in the 1850s with that meaning. A verb form developed from the noun in the 1860s and meaning, "to fit with a belt or girdle, to tighten with a belt to make secure." By circa 1890, the idea of "securing" produced the verb meaning, "to make certain," and "a certainly, something easily accomplished," for another noun meaning.   

Michelada Cocktail: A Toast To Mexico!

A "Michelada Cocktail" is from our southern neighbor, Mexico. Since before becoming president of the United States, Donald Trump had shown more than a little disrespect for Mexico and its people. Of course, Trump shows disrespect for many people, except Nazis and Vladimir Putin. So, if you decide to visit the White House, put on a Nazi armband; nothing fancy, any old Nazi armband will do, and you're sure to be given a warm welcome, which may even include a "heil" or two.

There are variations to this beer-based cocktail, including the use of tomato juice or Clamato.*


Ingredients (per 10 to 12 ounce drink):

light colored beer like Corona or Modelo
juice of 1/2 lime
lime wedge to rub around glass rim and outer edge
some chili powder mixed with some salt (or Mexican Tajin seasoning**) 
1 to 2 teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
cucumber slice
lime slice
ice cubes

Mix a teaspoon of salt with about 2 tablespoons of chili powder on a small plate (or use Tajin seasoning). Use a large chilled glass or beer mug and take a wedge of lime and rub it over the rim and outer edge of the glass. Dip the lime juice moistened glass rim into the seasoning, making sure to then tilt the glass and roll it in the chili powder mix so that the outer edge of the glass also gets a coating of the seasoning. To the glass add the lime juice, the hot sauce, the pinch of cayenne pepper, the Worcestershire sauce, a few ice cubes and then fill the glass with beer. Give it a stir and add a slice of cucumber and a slice of lime to the side of the glass for garnishes.   

* "Clamato" is a brand of drink, which is a mixture of tomato juice, clam juice/broth and some seasonings. It is produced by Motts, a Keurig Dr. Pepper company.    

** "Tajin" is a dry Mexican seasoning of lime, salt and ground chilies. It has a spicy, tart flavor, but it is not overly "hot." It is available in many supermarkets, Latino markets or spice shops.  

WORD HISTORY:
Pint-This word is closely related to "paint." It goes back to Indo European "peig/peikh," which meant "to cut, to carve," the notion of which led to, "to carve decorations into an object." This gave its Italic/Latin offspring "pingere," and the idea of "decorate or adorn" broadened further into "decorate with color;" thus came the meaning, "to paint." The participle of "pingere" was "picta" ("painted") and this produced, "pincta," which meant, "a mark painted on a container to show a particular quantity." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "pinte," meaning, "a measurement of liquid." English borrowed the word as "pinte" in the mid 1300s, but it wasn't long before the ending "e" was dropped. By the mid 1700s, the word had also come to be used for a pint of ale.  

Bloody Bull (Bloody Mary)

A Bloody Bull is really just a Bloody Mary with beef broth added; well... that, and a bull having a bad day at a bullfight in Spain. "If" you don't drink alcohol, drink the mix without the vodka.

Ingredients:

46 ounce can tomato juice*
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons celery salt
2 tablespoons adobo seasoning **
2 tablespoons horseradish
1/2 cup beef broth (the low sodium type is not only fine, but better)
2 tablespoons sambal oelek/(hot) chili sauce*** (or to taste per serving****)
vodka (1 ounce per serving****)

In a large pitcher, add all of the ingredients, except the vodka. Mix well, then refrigerate for several hours, or add vodka and ice to a glass, then add the mixture.

* I use the less sodium type of juice, as the celery salt, adobo seasoning and beef broth (especially if you use bouillon, but you can use the lower sodium broth) all will add salt, but it will help, at least somewhat, to control the amount of salt.

** Adobo seasoning is a type of Puerto Rican/Latino seasoned salt, easily available in supermarkets, although perhaps in the "Hispanic/Latino Foods" section. Ingredients vary somewhat, but generally it includes, at a minimum: salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, dried oregano.

*** Sambal Oelek is a chunky hot chili pepper sauce that originated in Indonesia. It should be easily found in the Asian section, or in the hot sauce section, of supermarkets. 

**** You can hold back on adding the sambal oelek and add it to each individual serving to each person's preference. I've put 1 ounce of vodka, just to keep things simple, but you can use whatever amount each person prefers.

WORD HISTORY:
Juice-The overall history of this word is a bit unclear, but it goes back to Indo European "yeus," which had the notion, "to mix." Latin had "ius," which meant, "broth, soup, juice." The question, is, where did Latin get this word. I "assumed" it had come down to Latin from some Old Italic form, which itself had been the direct offspring of Indo European. Further research has made me call this lineage into question, as Latin may well have borrowed their form, "ius," from Old Germanic, "yustas/justaz," (from the Indo European form), and English once had "wos/wós" (apparently slight dialectal differences), which meant, "juice, sap, liquid." This English word existed alongside the English word "sæp," with the same general meanings, and which became the more specific modern word, "sap." ^ Anyway, Latin "ius" then became, "jus," which passed to French in that same form, and this then was borrowed by English or merged with the English form "wos" in the 1200s, by which time the meaning as becoming the more specific, "liquid from fruits or vegetables." The related word, "jus," meaning, "reduced meat broth or meat juices, gravy," "apparently" came to English by way of American/Canadian English directly from French. It is most commonly used in the expression, "au jus," meaning literally, "with the juice;" thus, "meat served with its own juice."

^  German still uses its closely related form of the word "sap," which is "Saft," for "juice," but also for "sap" (although "Sappe" is also used for the latter); thus, for example: "Apfelsaft," "apple juice."