Sweet as a Southern Peach comfort from Monster Shakes by Vicki Valsamis  (Smith Street Books, May 2017).

Sweet as a Southern Peach 

Peach iced tea and Southern Comfort are a perfect match. 

 Shake

22 fl oz milk

5 fl oz peach iced tea syrup

½ cup Southern Comfort

1½ oz/¹⁄4 cup soft brown sugar

3 scoops vanilla ice cream

Monster your shake

1 cup white chocolate buttons

pink pearl dust, for decorating 

Strawberry syrup (recipe below)

2 scoops vanilla ice cream

Vanilla bean whipped cream (recipe below)

2 Cinnamon donuts

2 mini ice cream waffle cones

1 dried peach half, cut into quarters 

orange and yellow cake sugar, for decorating 

Serves 2 

Place the chocolate buttons in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Dip the rims of the glasses into the melted chocolate and sit upright, allowing the chocolate to drizzle down the glasses. Decorate with the pearl dust.

To make the shake, combine the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and combined.

Line the inside of each glass with strawberry syrup. Gently pour the shake into the glasses and top with a scoop of ice cream. Using a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, top the shake with a swirl of vanilla whipped cream.

Set the donuts, ice cream cones and dried peach into the cream. Fill the cone with a swirl of cream and decorate with the cake sugar.

 –––

 Strawberry Syrup

 Makes 2 cups

 2 tablespoons superfine sugar

9 oz strawberries, hulled

½ cup strawberry jam

2 tablespoons glucose syrup

Combine the sugar with 2 tablespoons water in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly for 2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved, brushing any sugar from the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Add the remaining ingredients and stir for 1 minute or until well combined. 

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. Puree with a hand-held blender for 1 minute or until smooth. Transfer into a squeeze bottle or container.

The syrup will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

Makes 2½ cups

10 fl oz whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

2 and 1/2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

(* Reproduced with permission from Monster Shakes by Vicki Valsamis , published by Smith Street Books in May 2017. Photography by Chris Middleton )