drinks

This summer Eating Berkeley brought you a medley of delicious and refreshing summer drinks and cocktails. Though the cloudy, grey days have been signaling the return of pumpkin spice and hot chocolate, we at the Clog aren't quite ready to let go of the sunny days of the past. With game days coming up and the promise of catching some rays in the next couple weeks, we thought we'd share our most thirst-quenching and revitalizing drinks. We made you smoothies and sodas, martinis and mojitos, but mostly we guzzled gin like our very lives depended on it. So read up, plan a party, sunbathe and have your muddler at the ready, but most importantly, enjoy.

Lovers of fast food burritos rejoice, Chipotle will be quenching your thirst all throughout the month of September. Whether you're a burrito or a bowl kind of person, we at the Clog are sure you'll be able to agree that this is a worthwhile promotion. High school, college and graduate students just have to show their IDs when making an in-store food purchase to be eligible to receive the free drink. Note, however, that those delicious Izze sodas won't be included in the free drink promotion, nor will other bottled juices and sodas. Fountain drinks and iced tea will have to suffice.

The land of Frappuccinos and mom chats, Starbucks seems to always be trending. The most recent Instagram phenomenon features our classic cups with the Starbucks siren and brightly colored drinks in all colors of the rainbow. Off of the fan-driven secret menu, these drinks are colorful and intriguing and definitely worth a proper Clog tasting. Here’s what we tried and what we thought.

I love summer and I love soda, but commercial sodas are so packed with refined sugar and unnatural shit that I frankly can't stomach it. So, I decided to make my own. I went to Berkeley Bowl and browsed the produce section to see what moved me. I spied a beautiful bounty of fresh, young ginger root and that inspired me to make ginger lime syrup. I picked up a piece of regular ginger and a piece of young ginger, which has a thinner, lighter skin and slightly sweeter, less intense flavor.

Finals stress is long behind us, but we at the Clog would like to unwind before summer classes and internships make work pick back up again. What better way to cool off than with a mojito that features strawberries, which scream summer, and basil, which is known for its relaxation properties? We promise it’s almost as good as taking a trip to the spa. This recipe makes only one mojito, but feel free to multiply it to share with your inevitably jealous housemates.