Beverages

Ginger Beer
3/4 cup (1/4 pound) grated ginger root
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
12 cups (3 quarts) plus 1/4 cup water
2 1/4 ounce packages active dry yeast
2 cups sugar
In a large bowl, combine grated ginger root, lime juice and cream of tartar and stir well. In a large kettle, bring 12 cups water to a boil over high heat. Carefully pour hot water over ginger mixture and set aside to cool. In a small bowl, combine yeast, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir to make a smooth paste. When ginger mixture is lukewarm, add yeast mixture and stir well.
Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let stand for 3 days. (But the longer you let it stand, the stronger it gets!) Pour ginger mixture through a sieve with another large bowl underneath to catch the liquid. Add remaining sugar to ginger beer and stir well.

Recipe: Caribbean Lime Mousse
Fast, fresh and definitely refreshingly light, a true taste of the Caribbean.
12/3 cups water
1/3 cup cornstarch
Pinch salt
11/2 cups sugar
4 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
4 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbs lime zest, chopped
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup evaporated milk or pourable cream
Heat water in a saucepan. Whisk in sugar, cornstarch and salt, stir until mixture thickens. In a bowl, beat egg yolks with vanilla. Add a spoonful of the hot liquid to the eggs, then add the egg mixture to the hot liquid in the pan. Stir constantly over a slow heat for two minutes. Add the lime juice and milk. Cool mixture and fold egg whites into lime custard. Spoon into long-stemmed glasses, garnish with chopped zest and top with a dash of aromatic bitters.
Serves 4