What an odd thing to write about on a Sunday morning.
The first time I drank a cocktail, a Tom Collins (see pic right) mixed by the bartender at an air force base dance, circa 1986, was a revelation. Wine is fine, beer brings cheer, liquor is quicker, but cocktails are sublime. Alcohol + sweet or sour, fire or cool, jewel fruit or earthy spices creates a recipe meant to evoke emotions, inspire enthusiasm, or mellow temperaments; in the hands of a skilled bartender, cocktails = alchemy. I mean, I slurped that Tom Collins with such gusto that I almost went home with a complete stranger that night, a Quebec air force minion; talk about stranger danger. And I don't even like gin!
I discovered a new cocktail of my own concoction this week, which I just had to share [NOT pictured, that's a margarita on the left]. President's Choice has a new product called Blood Orange-Juice in Italian Soda. I put cubes and gold tequila in a tall glass and topped it with the Blood Orange Soda: delicious and slightly nutritious (real blood orange juice in the soda). Now, lately I think tequila tastes just right in almost any cocktail, but this one was special: the slightly sour but mostly sweet orange soda, the fresh cubes clinking against the glass, the bite of the tequila, the bubbles; ah, a great summer drink. I will definitely serve that at my next party, along with margaritas for the tequila-traditionalists. [Not those frozen abominations called margaritas, the real thing, where you still taste the tequila and it doesn't give you an ice-cream headache].
My favourite cocktail is a cosmopolitan (pic right), and I cannot believe how many places I've visited in Canada where they don't know how to mix one. I mean, this drink recipe has been around for more than 30 years. Catch up, people! I was starting to get really annoyed by the enormous variation in cosmos that I was served, until I realized that I really didn't care that much, as long as I just called it a "cocktail" and enjoyed the drink for its own self and the effort of the maker. I did buy a book called "The Little Pink Book of Cocktails" because it's the perfect size to fit in my purse, and when a waitress at a small place says they do make cocktails but they don't know how to make a cosmo, I can whip out my book and show them the recipe.
Just for the edification and future reference of my readers, a cosmo requires (amounts are for those who enjoy the flavour of vodka, if you want it fruitier, increase the cranberry and lime slightly):
Mix vodka, triple sec, lime, and cranberry juice in an iced mixing cup. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Now, is that such a difficult drink recipe to have in your permanent repertoire, people who pretend to be bartenders but really ARE NOT? NOTE: in a mixed drink, premium vodka is optional; regular vodka will do, and saves the wallet. They've done taste tests, and most people cannot tell the diff between vodkas.
2 comments:
Mmmmm cosmohhhhh = divine! I will also have to try your practically health food blood orange drink, sounds yummy. Now I'll just have to share with you my fave summer refresher -- raspberry vodka and pink lemonade. Tastes just like the cherry popsicles of our yoot! (only more liquor-y!) :D
That's perfect for tomorrow: I'm on my way to the store to buy raspberry vodka and pink lemonade -- thanks for the receep and thanks for reading and commenting on my blog: made my day!
Post a Comment