Those menu or time challenged have been treated in the past year to a few cookbooks that give a 360 degree view of the world's cuisines in one tome.

One of the entriesin that category is Flavor Exposed '100 Global Recipes from Sweet to Salty, Earthy to Spicy' (Kyle Books, April 2012) by Angelo Sosa with foreword by Alain Ducasse.

Besides sweet and savory dishes, Summer garden parties deserve creative drinks, here's one.

Thai Basil and Cumin Lemonade

Serves: 4 Time: About 15 minutes Flavors: Sour/Sweet/Herbaceous

If my son ever decides to have a lemonade stand, I’d like to think I’d have some influence over his product. If so, this would be my suggestion for our collaborative effort: a refreshing, fragrant beverage suitable for all ages. Seriously, I’m pretty sure this is a get-rich-quick idea for a small business, so if you want to steal it and start a Thai Basil and Cumin Lemonade stand, by all means, go for it.

 2 cups fresh lemon juice

1½ cups water

1½ cups sugar

2 fresh sprigs Thai basil, plus leaves

2 tablespoons sliced ginger

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

ice

1 In a large pitcher, combine the lemon juice, water, sugar, Thai basil, and ginger.

2 Put the cumin seeds in a small dry sauté pan over low heat and toast until just

aromatic, about 2 minutes. Immediately add the warm cumin seeds to infuse the

lemonade with the cumin flavor and stir to dissolve the sugar. Refrigerate until

fully chilled, about 30 minutes.

3 To serve, mix again and pour over ice. Garnish with Thai basil leaves.

(* Recipe from Flavor Exposed '100 Global Recipes from Sweet to Salty, Earthy to Spicy' (Kyle Books, April 2012) by Angelo Sosa with foreword by Alain Ducasse, Photos by William Brinson, reproduced with permission of the publisher, all rights reserved)