When faced with plain water and black coffee, sunny memories of sipping smoothies on beaches or mochas in foreign cafes can seem miles away. This spring term, bring the senses and flavors to your cup with these four refreshing beverages. Imagine a lush, green rainforest, with bunches of bananas clinging to the trees and cocoa plants wafting a rich, earthy aroma. You can conjure up these flavors easily in Commons with a creamy Chocolate Banana Milkshake. Cocoa fanatics can start with a tall glass of chocolate milk, but regular milk works for a lighter banana shake. Add a small cone’s worth of vanilla frozen yogurt and stir the concoction. Next, peel an especially ripe banana and mush half of it vigorously in a bowl with the back of a spoon until there are no more chunks. Pour the banana into the glass and stir the shake until it is smooth and frothy. When spices are available next to the cappuccino machine, dust the chocolate shake with cocoa powder or the plain banana shake with cinnamon for another layer of luxurious flavor. You can practically hear tropical birds singing as you savor this cool, creamy treat. The long-awaited sunshine and heat has arrived! But, forget trekking down to Starbucks for an icy reprieve from the weather. Whip up the sublime and delightfully cool Minty Iced Green Tea from the shady comfort of Commons. Begin with a tall cup of steaming water and add a bag of TAZO Zen green tea and TAZO Refresh mint tea. Set the tea aside to seep for about two minutes. For the full flavor, be sure to steep the tea longer than you normally would, because you will dilute it with ice. Remove the bags and add a dash of lime infused water, or for a punch of citrus, a squirt of lemon. Pour the tea into a tall glass of ice and enjoy. Straggling into Commons in search of caffeine, you might recall the simple days when a bowl of “chocolaty” cereal could satisfy your energy cravings. While you might no longer be “cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs,” you can still incorporate the sophisticated Iced Mocha to your energy hunt. Start with about an eighth cup of milk and add two heaping spoonfuls of hot cocoa powder. To froth up the mixture, grab a coffee-stirrer and rapidly swish them back and forth through the mixture. Add approximately half a cup of black coffee, brew of your choice, to the milk base. Carefully add in more spoonfuls of hot cocoa powder, intermittently frothing the mixture for an evenly distributed creation. Sprinkle in sugar to taste, and pour over a glass of ice. For a final flourish, top off the mocha with a dash of cocoa powder. To accompany any meal, fruit juice is always a mindless option, but this tangy, citrus Sunset Punch could easily become the center of attention. For the perfect contrast of tart and sweet, use a ratio of two parts orange juice to one part grapefruit juice to one part water. Swirl the juice to mix the flavors. The acidity of the grapefruit livens up the orange juice, but too much can make for a puckering product. Depending on the day, you can find new ways to jazz up this well-balanced basic. Try experimenting by replacing plain water with seltzer or fruit-infused water. Lime water makes a refreshing citrus trio. Those who love their food to look as good as it tastes can add a shot of cranberry juice. The pink swirls with the orange to create the hues of a vivid tropical sunset. Even if cloudy days and low spirits come, you can still savor a cupful of sunshine by tossing together a few basic ingredients for a relaxing and refreshing creation in Commons.
