Hari Caris

You can practically see the world from California in just one day. You can start the morning by watching the desert sun rise beyond the cactus silhouettes with campfire breakfast sizzling. You can end it sitting on the edge of a majestic cliff facing a crimson horizon, listening to the water lap along the shoreline. A ski trip to the mountains is also just a day adventure away, and with the right friends, hardly uneventful.

Of course, being a better drinker than I am a skier, by mid-afternoon I would often find myself in the resort lounge with a good friend. On one particularly memorable 2-day journey in the early 90s that involved Cherry Valley sheriffs, breaking into a high school alma mater, and accidentally sideswiping a government vehicle (and this was just on the way to Big Bear) the ski lodge was a welcome reprieve from trouble for me and Cari, my partner-in-crime roommate.

We concocted the perfect winter drink for such occasions and it turned out that the drink was a lodge hit for some warm and fuzzy laughs. We took this recipe home to our favorite sports bar and eventually they were trained to cheerfully serve these up as soon as we arrived. I have since dressed it up for home entertaining.

2 cups really good coffee
Cream & sugar to taste
¼ cup Kahlua
¼ cup vodka
Teaspoon vanilla
Fresh whipped cream
4 Cinnamon sticks to garnish

Whip the cream and set aside while the coffee is brewing. To the finished brew, add a little cream and sugar as desired. Add the Kahlua and the vodka and vanilla and pour into four festive cups. Serve with a topping of the whipped cream and a cinnamon stick.

Feel free to add additional garnish like chocolate shavings or grated nutmeg to personalize the event. Other ways you can play with this are by using flavored coffees or substituting other liqueurs such as Bailey’s or Tuaca. Serves 4 to start.

Iced Hari Caris

The winters in California are often too sunny for hot drinks in the afternoon and so you can deliver the same yummy buzz on ice. Brew a very strong pot of coffee to compensate for the ice cubes. Once coffee is brewed, add all ingredients except for the whipped cream and cinnamon stick, then pour into a pitcher and chill. Serve over ice and top with the whipped cream and any other garnishments you can think up.

2 thoughts on “Hari Caris

  1. Hey Dawn,
    How sweet of you to think of me and post this. I remember this trip fondly, ha ha, he he errrr eh hummm. OMG, I had forgotten much of it , though I did vaguely remember sideswiping the snow plow as I sped around him ripping off my fender extenders. Yikes, I still tend do drive like a maniac. Did we encounter the Sheriff in Cherry Valley? Break into a high school alma mater? Help me out, I have successfully blocked this from my memory! Didn’t you break a tooth off on this trip? I loved hanging out with you. You where a GREAT partner in crime, always up for something crazy, like no other friend I have had!:o, I remember several late night trips in your “2RAD2B” speedster, a very fun time in my life.
    I wish we had more time to hand out when I was there! Love ya girl.
    Cari

    • Yes we did all those things. I believe we went to your old high school where you showed me the pool where you practiced for the swim team – we were playing around on those floating pool covers and I fell and almost drowned (how ironic to drown with someone from the swim team). Someone called the police or something and by the time he tracked us down we were hanging out on some stranger’s porch swing. He walked up to you, squinted, and said in his drawl, “Hey aren’t you one of the Stevens twins?”.

      And I can remember several car chase scenes that involved 2RAD2B, sometimes we were chasing, but usually being chased. Just way too much fun and glad we didn’t end up in jail. Love every moment and you too.

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