Wimbledon starts today. That oldest of tennis tournaments. The only one played on grass, the one considered the granddaddy of tennis titles and the one with such a strict dress code (whites only) that in 2013 Roger Federer was asked to change his shoes because the soles were bright orange. The first Wimbledon championship was held on June 9th 1877 and was advertised as a “lawn tennis meeting, open to all amateurs”. Except women. Of course. Twenty two men showed up and played with wooden rackets and hand sewn flannel balls. Two hundred people watched. In 1884, women were allowed…
This is another easy cocktail to throw together, eminently suitable for the holiday season. I’m not usually big on rimmed drinks because they’re a bit of a hassle, quite frankly, but Christmas is exactly the time to put in just a tiny little bit of extra effort. This chocolate martini requires only two ingredients to be shaken together: 2 oz of vodka and 1-1/2 oz of crème de cacao. I had hoped to use an artisan crème de cacao after reading about them, but alas, there were none to be found in my area so I used Dekuyper and it…
The only thing remotely scary about this spooktacular cocktail is the fangtastic ease with which it goes down. Consider yourself warned. This is a grown-up milkshake with a bit of I scream, plenty of boos and one hell of a bite. One too many and you’ll find yourself a fully fledged member of the walking dead. And it’s as frighteningly easy to make as it is to drink…even with that bootiful chocolate web on the glass. To make the web melt several ounces of chocolate and put it into a small ziplock bag. Snip a tiny little piece off one…
So, these fabulous concoctions may not physically transport you to the sun drenched cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, but…if you sit in a spot with the warmth of the sun on your face, perhaps next to some gurgling water, and screw up your eyes really tight and hold your breath, you might, just might, perhaps, get just a tiny little bit of the way there as you take a sip. These spritzes are the fresh, light drinks that a hot August evening calls for. Fruity and lightly fizzy with just a tinge of bitter for grounding in the case…
Read More A Tale of Three Spritzes – Aperol, Campari and Hugo
There’s something about summer that brings out the bartender in me. I suppose it must be the allure of sitting outside and enjoying the balmy evening air to the accompaniment of a little jazz, the twinkle of fairy lights and nibbles. Oh, and the fireflies. Never get tired of watching the fireflies in the summer. I consider them payment for the humdity. Anyway, here’s a round up of a few cocktail books I have on hand at home and given that it’s wedding season I also think they’d make a great gift with a bottle of premium liquor… and maybe…
The Aviation is a pre-prohibition drink which fell out of favour for a long, long time. The cocktail resurrection of a couple of decades ago put it front and centre but with bartenders using the oft-consulted Savoy Cocktail Book which used only the gin, maraschino liqueur and lime juice. In the early 2000’s someone discovered a 1916 version which included Creme de Violette, right around the same time that this flowery liqueur became available once more. Personally, this is one of my favourite cocktails. It’s a charming combination of flavours – not too sweet and gently floral. Drinking one brings…
It’s a perfect time right now to make this delicious homemade Italian liqueur. It requires several weeks of sitting in a dark cupboard at which point the last remaining drab, wet days of spring should have walked out the door, kindly leaving it open so the warm summer air can waft right in. Limoncello weather. It’s ridiculously easy to make although you will need to purchase a large jar of some kind if you don’t already have one. I purchased a gallon size Mason ball jar for $20 from World Market which was the perfect size. You’ll also need 15…
This is a short post about a simple cocktail. Because everyone’s busy. There’s no recipe either because it’s far too easy for that. This is what you’ll need. A bottle of sparkly, a bottle of pear nectar and some St Germain Elderflower Liqueur. I used 2/3 nectar to 1/3 sparkly although you could do 1/2 and 1/2 or any ratio you like really. I preferred it heavy on the pear because it tastes light and refreshing while still festive and it avoids any unnecessary hangovers. Because… no time. It also keeps the cost down if your serving a big crowd.…
This chocolate whisky liqueur is a little piece of Christmas heaven in a glass. Bring it out on Christmas Eve when you’ve finally managed to wrangle the kids into bed, waited patiently until they’re soundly sleeping and are left facing several hours of finishing up the wrapping and assembling of presents to go under the tree before they wake up again, in oh, maybe five hours. Unless of course you live in an alternate universe (quite popular these days) and Santa delivers yours, in which case you can turn on a favourite Christmas movie and relax. This recipe was in,…
Exploding heads – a truly strange phenomenon that appears to have gripped the country in recent years with the first cases arising around June of 2015 and reaching a fever pitch last November. One year ago today, to be exact. Medical analysis would indicate that the problem is not going away anytime soon. Sad! Such a strange occurrence indeed but one which can also be found on a funny TV series, in my dreams and now in the martini glass. But drinks before psychoanalysis. The cocktail version of an Exploding Head owes its name to the habanero pepper. Petite but…
