Tag: drink

Friday Libation – Irish Rose

I am not a beer drinker, much to El Granto’s dismay. You see El Granto is what you would call a bit of a beer fanatic. He loves lagers and stouts, ipa’s and porters, bitters and pilsners. He likes to bbq with them, cook with them, and he has even made ice cream with beer. He has probably tried every single craft beer the LCBO carries.

Me, I hate the stuff. A few years ago however I discovered something on tap that I did like; Cider! It comes in a pint glass, it looks like beer, and it doesn’t have an umbrella on it. I can hang with the boys while eating chicken wings at the bar and not get razzed. Since the day I discovered cider, I have also discovered that not all ciders are equal. Myself, I am not a big Strongbow fan, so I started asking bartenders for some grenadine in my Strongbow. It took the tartness down a notch and added a bit of sweetness. Since that day I learned that cider + syrup is called an Irish Rose. Here is my favorite version:

Kristen’s Irish Rose

Ingredients:

Can of Alcoholic Cider (my favourite is Sir Perry’s)
1 oz Lingonberry Drink Syrup (from Ikea, can also use Grenadine)
Ice

How to:

Place a handful of ice into a pint glass, fill the glass half way up with cider, then add the syrup (if you put the syrup in first it never mixes well). After you put the syrup in, add the remainder of the cider. It should mix all by itself, not needing a stir. However if it does settle, give it a stir and enjoy! Best served on a deck in the sunshine.

Friday Libation

Ahh…it’s Friday of the long weekend…time to relax. (well not yet, I still have to get through today’s workday unlike my slacker of a husband who took the day off today!) None the less…as soon as I get home today I am looking forward to a drink on the deck.

This summer with my vegetable garden in full swing, and cucumbers reproducing faster than the Duggar’s, my drink of choice has been:

El Granto’s Gin & Cucumber Caesar

For all the American’s our there, a Caesar is the Canadian version of a Bloody Mary, but BETTER cause it’s made with Clamato juice. What is Clamato you ask? Well really it’s a tomato cocktail that contains some clam juice. Don’t you go making a yucky face at me, it’s delicious. You would have no idea that it has clam juice in it, it’s just wonderful. Kinda like how Caesar salad dressing has anchovies in it. Yeah and you love it, so don’t you worry about Clamato, it’s delicious.

Ingredients:

2 oz Gin
Ice
Mott’s Clamato Juice
Lime
Celery Salt
Horshradish
Hot Sauce
3-5 slices of cucumber, peeled
Matt & Steve’s Extreme Beans (a spicy pickled green bean, you can find these at gourmet grocery stores or Costco)
Worcestershire Sauce

How to:

Run a wedge of lime around the rim of a pint glass, and then rim it with celery salt.
Place cucumber in bottom of glass, pour 2 oz of Gin over top and using some sort of implement (ideally a mojito muddler) bash up the cucumber into the Gin. Macerate it, and really get the cucumber flavour into the gin. Add a teaspoon or so of horseradish (less if you’re not a big horseradish fan.) A dash of hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Give it a stir, then add a handful of ice, and top with Clamato juice. Give another stir and garnish with a wedge of lime, a slice of cucumber and an Extreme Bean or two. Enjoy!