30ml sauternes
20ml port
25ml gin
15ml Grand Marnier
10ml fresh lemon juice
Shake over ice, pour into a tall glass, add a twist of lemon and serve.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
The good mixer: detox punch cocktail recipe
The only thing this detoxes is your drinks cupboard, but there’s nothing wrong with that, or with using up dusty bottles from three Christmases ago. This may seem heady, but it’s very pleasant: each flavour comes through, fusing into a cupboard-cleansing, fruit bomb. Serves one (or multiply by 10 in a bowl, add fresh cherries and ice, and ladle out).
30ml sauternes
20ml port
25ml gin
15ml Grand Marnier
10ml fresh lemon juice
Shake over ice, pour into a tall glass, add a twist of lemon and serve.
30ml sauternes
20ml port
25ml gin
15ml Grand Marnier
10ml fresh lemon juice
Shake over ice, pour into a tall glass, add a twist of lemon and serve.
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Americano shandy recipes
Bear with me on this one: Campari and sweet vermouth make a happy marriage, most famously with a hefty glug of gin in a negroni, or as an americano when lengthened with soda water. Here, they rub along surprisingly well with a hoppy lager to make a shandy with a certain Italian elan. It’s a little bit country and a little bit rock’n’roll. Serves one.
25ml Campari
25ml Martini Rosso (or other sweet vermouth)
About 150ml pilsner-style lager
1 lemon slice, to garnish
Pour the Campari and vermouth over ice in a tall glass and top with lager. Garnish with a slice of lemon.
25ml Martini Rosso (or other sweet vermouth)
About 150ml pilsner-style lager
1 lemon slice, to garnish
Pour the Campari and vermouth over ice in a tall glass and top with lager. Garnish with a slice of lemon.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
How to Pick a Ripe Orange
There are differing peak seasons for oranges depending upon variety. Valencia oranges are in season from late spring to mid summer. Navels are best from mid winter to early spring and blood oranges are at their peak from early winter until early spring. Sour oranges are harvested beginning in late fall and the harvest continues through spring depending upon the region and climate.
Select. Select a firm, smooth and thin-skinned orange that is full colored and heavy for its size. Color is not a good indicator of quality; some oranges are dyed and some fully ripened oranges such as the Valencia may regreen. Brown surface patches do not mean the orange is unripe or spoiled, but rather that it was grown in a very warm and usually humid region. Avoid oranges that are soft or moldy.
Amount. Three medium-size or 2 large oranges equal about one pound of segments.
Store. Oranges will keep at room temperature for up to 1 week and in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Whole or segmented oranges are not recommended for freezing. Orange juice can be frozen in plastic containers for up to one year.
Prepare. To eat an orange out of hand, wedge your thumb between the peel and flesh and pull off peel a piece at a time. Break fruit into sections.
To remove the orange’s peel and the bitter white membrane beneath, run a sharp knife between the peel and flesh in a spiral fashion.
To juice an orange, roll the fruit on a firm surface to soften the flesh then ream on a orange or lemon juicer.
To grate orange peel for zest, rub the colored part of the rind only against the small holes of grater or use a zester or vegetable peeler to remove the rind and then chop finely.
Select. Select a firm, smooth and thin-skinned orange that is full colored and heavy for its size. Color is not a good indicator of quality; some oranges are dyed and some fully ripened oranges such as the Valencia may regreen. Brown surface patches do not mean the orange is unripe or spoiled, but rather that it was grown in a very warm and usually humid region. Avoid oranges that are soft or moldy.
Amount. Three medium-size or 2 large oranges equal about one pound of segments.
Store. Oranges will keep at room temperature for up to 1 week and in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Whole or segmented oranges are not recommended for freezing. Orange juice can be frozen in plastic containers for up to one year.
Prepare. To eat an orange out of hand, wedge your thumb between the peel and flesh and pull off peel a piece at a time. Break fruit into sections.
To remove the orange’s peel and the bitter white membrane beneath, run a sharp knife between the peel and flesh in a spiral fashion.
To juice an orange, roll the fruit on a firm surface to soften the flesh then ream on a orange or lemon juicer.
To grate orange peel for zest, rub the colored part of the rind only against the small holes of grater or use a zester or vegetable peeler to remove the rind and then chop finely.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Cocktails with dinner?
There's an upside and a downside to having a martini before a meal. On one hand it's the equivalent of a reveille, letting the stomach know that, hurrah, we're not having frozen pizza for once. On the other hand, a martini's alcohol content may make you forget to appreciate the food at all.
This would be a bit of a waste tonight because I've come to Gillray's, a new steak restaurant in the old London County Hall building. A 450g porterhouse steak costs £36 and the meat has, I'm assured by chef Gareth Bowen, spent two years eating only the best pasture, before shuffling off in the direction of what he refers to, with a respectfully lowered voice, as its "final destination".
But, at Gillray's, the gin is almost as important as steak and their menu trumpets the fact that the two can be the perfect partnership. "There are certain gins that are very strong in the flavour of juniper," explains bar manager Karina Elias, "and juniper and beef is a great marriage."
That's why I'm planning to not just start with a martini, but to ignore the wine menu and stick with gin for the whole meal. Gillray's is one of a number of establishments pushing the idea of a "cocktail sommelier." The Assagetti restaurant in Piccadilly, for example, encourages diners to try its mojito sbagliato with fish and there have been similar attempts to entice customers away from the wine list at US restaurants such as PS7 in Washington DC and the newly opened Booker and Dax in New York.
The waiter at Gillray's suggests I try an aston webb collins with my steak: "pomegranate and passion fruit seeds muddled with mint and sugar, shaken with Tanqueray gin." It is nice enough but too fruity to bring out the best of the wonderfully flavoursome meat. I think my mistake was in requesting something not too alcoholic. Despite the pleasantness of both the food and the drink, I'm not sure they're ready to get hitched yet, even if, at Gillray's, a cocktail at £10 is only about £3 more than a glass of merlot.
However, the march of cocktails from bars into restaurants won't stop here. The next day I visit cocktail maker Tony Conigliaro's laboratory, where he's working with Belgian food scientist Bernard Lahousse to create what they're hoping will be the inspiration for a food and cocktail pairing menu at his bar this summer.
The first results are on the table in front of me. A plate of puréed aubergine, raisins, black olive, dry ham, lime zest, pickled walnuts and tahoon cress and, next to it, a glass of Conigliaro's woodland martini. The theory is that the drink and the odd, experimental dish share what they call a "flavour profile" and that, following a mouthful of one with a mouthful of the other, will result in both becoming more than the sum of their parts.
Lahousse has analysed over a thousand different ingredients, breaking them down into their constituent aromas, and he says that, as a rule, you'll find that foods or drinks which go well together share some molecular kinship. This works, he claims, even when you reverse-engineer recipes by the likes of Escoffier or time-honoured cocktails such as the mojito. "If you divide rum into its aromas," he says, "you find that in one part you can smell mint. If combinations work, most of the time there is a scientific explanation."
The woodland martini is made of gin, amontillado sherry and "woodland bitters". It does, indeed, go well with the earthy flavours that Lahousse has put together. More importantly, though, using their techniques, a mixologist ought to be able to create a cocktail to go with almost any dish. "It's easier to fit a cocktail to a dish than it is a glass of wine because you have more tools and many more flavours to play with," says Conigliaro.
So, in theory, with the right information, you could take the ingredients of a frozen pizza and then mix up a cocktail to match. Prime steak, however, will surely always be happier with a nice glass of wine.
This would be a bit of a waste tonight because I've come to Gillray's, a new steak restaurant in the old London County Hall building. A 450g porterhouse steak costs £36 and the meat has, I'm assured by chef Gareth Bowen, spent two years eating only the best pasture, before shuffling off in the direction of what he refers to, with a respectfully lowered voice, as its "final destination".
That's why I'm planning to not just start with a martini, but to ignore the wine menu and stick with gin for the whole meal. Gillray's is one of a number of establishments pushing the idea of a "cocktail sommelier." The Assagetti restaurant in Piccadilly, for example, encourages diners to try its mojito sbagliato with fish and there have been similar attempts to entice customers away from the wine list at US restaurants such as PS7 in Washington DC and the newly opened Booker and Dax in New York.
The waiter at Gillray's suggests I try an aston webb collins with my steak: "pomegranate and passion fruit seeds muddled with mint and sugar, shaken with Tanqueray gin." It is nice enough but too fruity to bring out the best of the wonderfully flavoursome meat. I think my mistake was in requesting something not too alcoholic. Despite the pleasantness of both the food and the drink, I'm not sure they're ready to get hitched yet, even if, at Gillray's, a cocktail at £10 is only about £3 more than a glass of merlot.
However, the march of cocktails from bars into restaurants won't stop here. The next day I visit cocktail maker Tony Conigliaro's laboratory, where he's working with Belgian food scientist Bernard Lahousse to create what they're hoping will be the inspiration for a food and cocktail pairing menu at his bar this summer.
The first results are on the table in front of me. A plate of puréed aubergine, raisins, black olive, dry ham, lime zest, pickled walnuts and tahoon cress and, next to it, a glass of Conigliaro's woodland martini. The theory is that the drink and the odd, experimental dish share what they call a "flavour profile" and that, following a mouthful of one with a mouthful of the other, will result in both becoming more than the sum of their parts.
Lahousse has analysed over a thousand different ingredients, breaking them down into their constituent aromas, and he says that, as a rule, you'll find that foods or drinks which go well together share some molecular kinship. This works, he claims, even when you reverse-engineer recipes by the likes of Escoffier or time-honoured cocktails such as the mojito. "If you divide rum into its aromas," he says, "you find that in one part you can smell mint. If combinations work, most of the time there is a scientific explanation."
The woodland martini is made of gin, amontillado sherry and "woodland bitters". It does, indeed, go well with the earthy flavours that Lahousse has put together. More importantly, though, using their techniques, a mixologist ought to be able to create a cocktail to go with almost any dish. "It's easier to fit a cocktail to a dish than it is a glass of wine because you have more tools and many more flavours to play with," says Conigliaro.
So, in theory, with the right information, you could take the ingredients of a frozen pizza and then mix up a cocktail to match. Prime steak, however, will surely always be happier with a nice glass of wine.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Tips for Planning a Cocktail Party Wedding Reception
Couples have been trending away from traditional seated wedding dinners for the last few years. One of the most popular new styles to emerge from this trend is the cocktail party wedding reception. A cocktail reception is typically very glamorous, relatively affordable, and a lot of fun! Check out these tips for planning a cocktail reception that everyone will enjoy.
Because they are non-traditional by nature, it makes sense to choose a unique venue for a cocktail reception. Depending on the size of your guest list, it could be a loft, an art gallery, a wine bar, a museum, or perhaps a tent. While you certainly could host a cocktail reception in a more standard venue like a wedding hall, country club, or ballroom, you would lose some of the special ambiance that gives this type of celebration its hip and chic reputation.
One thing that clearly distinguishes a cocktail reception from a traditional seated wedding dinner is...the lack of traditional seating. You won't find a dozen round tables for ten at a cocktail party. The vibe is much more mingle and sip than sit down for an extended time. That said, it is important that you have adequate seating for all of your guests. Sufficient table space is also crucial. If you have ever tried to hold a drink, balance a plate of appetizers, and eat all at the same time, you know why! A good arrangement is a combination of small tall tables with stools (preferably the kind with backs) and low sofas with side tables and coffee tables. This type of furniture can easily be rented if your site does not have it.
Since the focus at a cocktail reception is not a full meal, the menu will be a bit different. For one thing, you won't have a cocktail hour followed by a traditional reception with dinner, given that the whole party is like an extended cocktail hour. A cocktail reception tends to be shorter in duration, which can help save money for the couple on a budget. The menu should mostly be easy-to-eat finger foods and small bites. Since you will not be serving dinner afterward, plan on a much larger quantity of appetizers than you would for a 45 minute cocktail hour. The closer to a typical meal time your reception will be, the heavier you should go on the hors d'oeuvres.
Passed hors d'oeuvres of all types should be served by waitstaff. You will also want to set up several displays where guests can help themselves, including a cheese display. Think creatively about what your guests might enjoy. You can add a few interesting stations to your cocktail reception to make the food really special. Options include a tapas bar, raw bar, sushi station, and a mashed potato bar. Sometimes couples also have a pasta station; while not exactly an appetizer, pasta is inexpensive and filling for those who will find appetizers alone to be too light. Naturally, you will want to have a full selection of cocktails, wine, and beer for this style of reception. Many couples also incorporate a signature drink, which is both chic and can trim the bar bill a bit too.
Since a cocktail wedding is non-traditional, the bride will likely want to select an interesting dress and unique bridal jewelry. A princess style ballgown would be out of place for this celebration. A cocktail reception is the perfect excuse to choose a chic short wedding gown, worn with a fascinator and unique handmade bridal jewelry. 1950's or '60's retro inspired dresses are also fabulous for the bride. Round out the evening with music provided by a jazz trio for the perfect background to a chic cocktail wedding reception.
Because they are non-traditional by nature, it makes sense to choose a unique venue for a cocktail reception. Depending on the size of your guest list, it could be a loft, an art gallery, a wine bar, a museum, or perhaps a tent. While you certainly could host a cocktail reception in a more standard venue like a wedding hall, country club, or ballroom, you would lose some of the special ambiance that gives this type of celebration its hip and chic reputation.
Since the focus at a cocktail reception is not a full meal, the menu will be a bit different. For one thing, you won't have a cocktail hour followed by a traditional reception with dinner, given that the whole party is like an extended cocktail hour. A cocktail reception tends to be shorter in duration, which can help save money for the couple on a budget. The menu should mostly be easy-to-eat finger foods and small bites. Since you will not be serving dinner afterward, plan on a much larger quantity of appetizers than you would for a 45 minute cocktail hour. The closer to a typical meal time your reception will be, the heavier you should go on the hors d'oeuvres.
Passed hors d'oeuvres of all types should be served by waitstaff. You will also want to set up several displays where guests can help themselves, including a cheese display. Think creatively about what your guests might enjoy. You can add a few interesting stations to your cocktail reception to make the food really special. Options include a tapas bar, raw bar, sushi station, and a mashed potato bar. Sometimes couples also have a pasta station; while not exactly an appetizer, pasta is inexpensive and filling for those who will find appetizers alone to be too light. Naturally, you will want to have a full selection of cocktails, wine, and beer for this style of reception. Many couples also incorporate a signature drink, which is both chic and can trim the bar bill a bit too.
Since a cocktail wedding is non-traditional, the bride will likely want to select an interesting dress and unique bridal jewelry. A princess style ballgown would be out of place for this celebration. A cocktail reception is the perfect excuse to choose a chic short wedding gown, worn with a fascinator and unique handmade bridal jewelry. 1950's or '60's retro inspired dresses are also fabulous for the bride. Round out the evening with music provided by a jazz trio for the perfect background to a chic cocktail wedding reception.
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