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…
According to Winston Churchill, the gin and tonic “has saved more Englishmen’s lives and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire.” It was the tonic’s quinine, of course, which did the life saving. Seventeenth century Peruvians discovered that the bark of the cinchona tree (which became known as the fever tree) could be used to treat various fevers. It worked impressively well for not only treating malaria but preventing it as well. As a result it became something of a powerful weapon for the British to rule their distant lands of India. And rule it they did, for almost…
The phrase “dog days” doesn’t actually come from our canine friends lolling around in the heat, apparently. It comes courtesy of the ancient Greek and Romans and has more of a celestial meaning than a four legged one. In July, Sirius, known as the “dog star” (because it made up the nose of the constellation, Canis Major, shaped like a dog) would rise at the same time as the sun. Because it was such a bright star, it was initially believed that its energy combined with the sun to create the hottest days of the year – the “days of…
This is a drink of the ’80’s. A time period which doesn’t have a stellar reputation for producing anything of real style or substance. Hot pink lycra, oversized shoulder pads and big hair certainly, but I think most of the cool, classy stuff was left behind a few decades earlier. But it just so happens that I was a big fan of the fuzzy navel back in the day and in a recent moment of nostalgia, decided to mix one up. Turns out there are some things that can be brought back and enjoyed all over again. The fuzzy navel…
Many years ago in Portland, Oregon, there was an uber cool, uber chic bar named the Brazen Bean. It was in the upper part of an old Victorian house and was one of the best places to go in town for an interesting cocktail. Over time I tried many of them but I always seemed to be lured back to the Brazen Martini. So simple and chic, it consists of 1 part vodka to one part Parfait Amour. Now, depending on where you live, you may have trouble finding such a liqueur. It’s French, with hints of orange and vanilla.…
I went into a local restaurant recently and asked for one of my favourite drinks — a Kir Royale. It’s a classic cocktail and one I have ordered many, many times over the years. On this particular occasion, however, the waiter was unfamiliar with it. Not too surprising — he was pretty young. I explained that it was simply champagne and creme de cassis, suggesting that surely the bartender would know how to make it. Except that she didn’t either and not only that — creme de cassis wasn’t even in the building The outcome of this story is that…
