Blerg.

So, I’m gonna keep posting some pics on this site until I’m settled in over there and figure out my next plus one (probably gonna be something to do with music). In the meantime, keep checking for pics from my recent trips to Abu Dhabi and Syria!

So, I’m not sure how I’m feeling about all this. On the one hand, this is pretty awesome and I’m learning lots of really interesting stuff (history, different tastes and entertaining people (always a plus)). On the other hand, it’s honestly just not the time or the place for it.

So, I’m thinking about teaching myself origami for the year. One new piece every week =)

It’s not nearly as cool as the booze thing, but, I have to admit, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

Meh.

What do you guys think?

Side note: I haven’t gone shooting in a really long time. Starting to get itchy…

See you soon.

I really hope the lovely Naj had fun that night.

=)

1) Super fun

2) Super expensive =S

Anyway, daiquiri night was quite fun and successful. I had a lovely mix of people and one of my friends got me a cocktail recipe book! It’s really cool and I’m excited to start flipping through it.

So, the daiquiri (besides being the favourite drink of such greats as Ernest Hemmingway and President John F Kennedy) is originally named after a beach near Santiago, Cuba. It started out there when a group of US engineers had to improvise when they ran out of gin, and sugar and lime were just a natural combination.

The drink started off as a tall glass full of ice with two spoons of sugar poured on top, squeeze of a lime and then two ounces of rum. The drink was popularized in the 1940s under Roosevelt’s ‘Good Neighbor Policy’, which opened up trade relations with Latin America. Since Gin and Whiskey were now in short supply in war-engaged America, Rum made for the perfect substitute and quickly shot up to becoming a popular and fashionable drink, taking the daiquiri with it.

The drink is originally sifted or stirred in ice. Later variations included shaking the drink (which waters it down), blending the drink with crushed ice and the addition of fresh fruit purees such as strawberries, bananas, etc.

This one really was a fun time! I made some variations to test before my guests arrived and found that I did not like the sifted style and preferred the crushed ice style daiquiri. Also, strawberries took a hit this winter with the ultra cold weather, so they were a bit on the bitter, not sweet, side.

The result was the success of the green apple daiquiri!

It’s a fairly simple recipe once you get the right measurements down:

1. handful of chopped up green apple
2. Glass full of crushed ice (be nice to your blender, crush the ice beforehand)
3. Sour Apple liqueur (for colour and taste)
4. (my secret) A splash of Vanilla liqueur
5. (my other secret) A small bunch of seedless grapes (yes, the blender will destroy the seeds, but they are very bitter!)
6. A tablespoon of simple syrup (see below for definition)
7. Squeeze of half a lime
8. Shot plus of rum (ask your guests how they like it – strong, normal or wiener)\

Blend in a good blender, starting on low settings and then moving it up. The consistency should be a bit slushy. But, if you keep the apple peel (which you should), you’ll get a really nice texture in there. A dirty slushy is what you’re going for.

Pour some apple liqueur into a plate, sugar in another and rim a martini glass (see week 1 for rimming instructions).

Pour your drink, add a straw and enjoy!

Now, here’s what’s awesome about these. You can substitute the fruit and liqueur above and achieve the same results! Banana daiquiri, peach daiquiri, mango, etc! It’s brilliant like that and guaranteed to be a hit! go ahead and experiment (personally, I’m jonesin’ to try a litchi daiquiri (but no liqueur for that one as I would say the litchi juice would be syrupy enough).

Good luck! Let me know if you guys have any cocktails you think I should try and I’ll be sure to put em on my list!

See you all next week =)

PS. I’ve been yelled at for not having enough pictures up on here. So expect more pics coming up in between drink days. :)

I had a nice potluck brunch/bloody mary day with some really interesting friends and people. It was quite fun and we had a ton of really good food! I made a nice omelet and some foul (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foul_Madammas). Other people brought some hummus and some pigs in a blanket and such. Overall, a raging success on the food front!

As for the bloody mary, everyone raved that it was the best they had ever had! Unfortunately, I can’t share the recipe from The Continental Bar in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. A friend of mine used to be a bartender there and was nice enough to share the recipe under the condition that I wouldn’t post it. So, sorry, guys. =(

Suffice it to say it’s pretty much like your standard bloody mary (tomato juice, tobacco, worcestershire sauce, lemon, horseradish and vodka) with some interesting additions to the mix. It’s quite spectacular and getting the right mix can be a bit tricky, but I encourage you to go out there and experiment!

I tried to learn a little bit about the drink itself but it seems that it’s origins are quite disputed on the interwebs. As such, I’m just gonna keep this post on the short side.

Now, when it comes to garnish, I like a little bit of celery or even a pickle. Tossing in some pickle or olive juice in there really gives it a little bit more of that stinky, tangy flavour. Using different spices is also really fun. Just be sure to get it to the point where it’s the right amount of spicy. The right amount of spicy is achieved (in my opinion) when you taste the following:

1) Mmmmm. Is that a thinned out tomato juice?

2) Ooh. There’s a bit of sweetness in this, isn’t there?

3) Holy crap nuts! That’s a nice kick going down my throat! It’s like two fuzzy Chihuahuas fighting down my esophagus! (But in a good way)

There you go. Nice, thinned out tomato taste, kinda sweet, then a nice kick going down.

So, sorry for not being able to share the recipe, but I’ll be sure to pick some other drinks whose recipes I can share =D

See you next week!

So, the night started out as a disaster. Everyone complained the drinks were too strong and no one finished a whole glass. Then my shaker opened up and poured vodka all over my shirt and jeans. Ugh. Just disastrous.

Then again, I thought, looking back at my photography, that didn’t start off too well either. So, practice and reading will make everything better.

So. Martinis. Here are some fun facts for you:

• Shaken vs. Stirred: A shaken martini breaks up some of the hydrogen peroxide (alchohol), making it a bit weaker than a stirred martini. It also leaves behind tiny slivers of ice. The martini is now ‘bruised’.
• Martinis are a strong drink. They are essentially straight vodka or gin with some vermouth.
• Appletinis, etc are also strong drinks, they just taste fruitier. Your sorority sisters weren’t drinking appletinis made with apple liquor, they were drinking vodka and apple juice.
• For all clear liquors, ice cold is the key! Crank the freezer to 11, place your martini glasses, shaker and vodka in there.

Ok, ground rules and facts:

1) Good bartenders are never drunk, at least not their first day on the job. Must figure out a way to test my drinks before serving them without having too many. The night before, perhaps?

• Rule number one: Don’t drink on the job.

2) Presentation: Slamming a drink into a martini glass is not enough. Garnish it and present it in a nice way.

• Rule number two: Presentation is not everything, but it’s a lot.

3) Anateboteo was right, the martini is one of those drinks that nobody likes, but everybody orders to appear fancy and everyone thinks THEIR way of having it is the right way. So, bad choice for a first week’s drink “A good martini…Deceptively difficlut. But obnoxiously simple with practice”

• Rule number three: Match the guest list to the drinks

4) Don’t ever think that you are so awesome that measures are beneath you.

• Rule number four: Don’t be cocky.

But the night wasn’t a complete disaster. I eventually nailed an apple and vanilla martini recipe that was a raving success! Unfortunately, Curls, if you’re reading this, it was just after you left. =(

The winning formula is as follows:

• 2 shots vodka
• half shot sour apple liquor, half shot vanilla liquor
• half a cap of vermouth

Place the above ingredients in a shaker FULL of ice, shake furiously like it owes you money. Before pouring the potent potable out, rim the glass with a marrachino cherry, then, in a plate full of sugar, twist the rim of the glass. you now have a sugar-rimmed glass to pour the drink into!

Add a couple of cherries on a toothpick, a mint left or two and serve!

Cheers.

See you next week!

PS. Mad props to Anateboteo for helping me out last night!

Here’s the deal. Last year’s Plus One was exhausting. So, this year, I’m going to take a break and learn a new skill that’s fun and not too difficult (but still a cool skill to learn).

This year’s resolution is going to be…learn how to make one new cocktail every week. =)

It should be super fun. Have a bunch of people (guinea pigs) over every week and mix a new cocktail. End result? 52 cocktails under my belt and a fully stocked bar and bar utensils. Naturally, photos will be provided.

Should be loads of fun. First drink is going to be Vodka Martinis this Thursday.

See you this week!

Thanks to everyone who took this journey with me and for all your love, feedback and support. Check back with the site in the next few days for a big surprise! Next year’s new learnings are gonna be super fun!

See you…around. =)