Day 140 - Farewells and Cocktails

_Captain’s Log, StarDate 2007.11.24-09.18_

There was a farewell lunch arranged for us today, at a Chinese place. We asked for vegetarian, and the first thing we got was boiled vegetables. The distinction between “vegetarian” and “vegetables” having been made clear, we enjoyed some noodles and a lot of tofu (in everything). Ofcourse, chocolate fudge cookies at the vending machine at work followed

In the evening, we started emptying out our fridge and putting together cocktails with whatever we could find. The first one was primarily grape juice and gin (in glasses with sugar-coated rims) and the second one was a cross between a Screwdriver and a Bloody Mary (in glasses with salt-coated rims). Judging by my roommate’s reaction, they turned out rather well!

Day 117 - Local Shopping

_Captain’s Log, StarDate 2007.11.01-20.24_

Groceries, scale models and some Boreale Blonde Pale Ale… just the usual stuff!

Bacardi Silver O3

“Mandarin, Tangerine and Valencia Orange Flavoured Rum Beverage” - I love it!

Kamikaze

[ Source: Drinknation.com ]

Background:

• Unknown
• This was the first cocktail I had in Montreal, at Ste. Elisabeth
• A variation of this in which I used Orange juice instead was also the first cocktail I mixed for friends at the Hotel

Ingredients:

• 30 ml Vodka
• 30 ml Triple sec (an orange-flavoured liqueur)
• 30 ml Lime juice

Garnish:

• 1 Lime wedge

Glass:

• Cocktail

Method:

• Shake and strain into cocktail glass
• Garnish with lime wedge

Variations:

• Unknown. It would be nice to know if there is a better alternative to Triple sec than Orange juice…

Caipirojka

[ Source: Smirnoff Tastemaker Sessions ]

Background:

• The Brazilians used sugarcane juice and rum and called it Caipirinha.

Ingredients:

• 45 ml Vodka
• 4-5 Wedges of lime
• 10-12 Fresh mint leaves, torn
• 15 ml Sugar syrup, or 2-3 tsp demerara sugar

Glass:

• Old fashioned/whisky tumbler

Method:

• Muddle together sugar, lime and mint leaves
• Fill glass with crushed ice, pour in the Smirnoff and stir
• Add more crushed ice to top
• Garnish

Variations:

• Indian Summer: Use a tall glass and top with lemonade. Also add a bit of chat masala/rock salt/chilly!

Daiquiri

[ Source: SAQ.com ]

Background:

• One of my all-time favourites, probably because of its frequent appearance in Frederick Forsyth’s spy novels. Its origins lie near a beach and an iron mine of the same name near Santiago, Cuba in 1905.

Ingredients:

• 45 ml (1 1/2 oz.) White rum
• 20 ml (4 tsp.) Lime or lemon juice
• 5 ml (1 tsp.) Sugar, powdered or syrup

Garnish:

• 1 cherry

Glass:

• Cocktail/Martini, with salted rim (or use sugar with one of the variations)

Method:

• Pour ingredients into shaker filled with ice
• Shake and strain into glass
• Garnish with cherry

Variations:

• Lots and lots… the Daiquiri lends itself very well to being mixed with fruit juices like strawberry, lychee, mango, passion fruit…

Cocktails

Here are some of my favourite cocktail recipes, collected mostly from personal experience (and a couple of bartending courses). I have a micro-bar at home which I put to use on the weekends. I’m not an alcoholic, I believe there are much simpler, cheaper and more effective ways of getting drunk than going through the effort of mixing a cocktail that looks good and tastes better.

My partner in crime is my good friend Ankur who first dragged me to the Smirnoff Tastemaker Sessions Amateur Bartending Classes. Surprisingly enough, although he mixes fantastic drinks, he is a teetotaller (yeah, I’m still trying to figure that one out :-/ )

Find more recipes at:

• Tulleho.com - The home of the responsible Indian drinking community (if there is such a thing)
• SAQ.com - The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) is Québec’s state-owned corporation responsible for the trade of alcoholic beverages