This has become my go-to drink this summer! It’s bright and tart, with just the right amount of sweet. While not traditional, I use cucumber-lime vodka because I love the hint of cucumber. Check out my latest video on YouTube to learn how to make it. It couldn’t be easier! Cheers!
Continue reading “Cucumber Lime Vodka Gimlet” →
I’m a bit selective when it comes to bringing items into our home. My husband would argue that I’m just paralyzingly picky. I blame it on my tendency toward perfectionism. I spent a year scouring antique shops and flea markets for a painting for our dining room. Something with a bohemian flare to fit with the rest of the house, in soothing hues of blue and green to match the green walls in the room, which, I should mention are not yet green. When I finally found it – an antique reproduction of a John Audubon blue heron – I knew intuitively that it was the one. But about the green walls – that is to say, the walls which are currently just a vision of a painting project we planned three years ago. I can’t seem to find just the right shade. Green, but not too green – more of a silvery-teal, like Tuscan kale after it has just been washed. I’ve been through dozens of paint swatches, each an infinitesimal variation on the same shade, of which my husband claims to see no difference. I haven’t settled on the right one. Selective or just picky? The problem, I think, lies in the curtains. Continue reading “Moscow Mule + Ginger Beer Tonic” →
The French Martini is a vodka-based drink made with Chambord and a splash of fruit juice. I’ve seen recipes for it made with everything from pineapple juice to lemon juice. I don’t know how “French” this martini actually is, but using Chambord makes everything a bit more elegant. Chambord is a liqueur from the Loire Valley of France and, while the brand is fairly new (founded in 1982), it’s crafted after the 17th century liqueur that was a favourite of France’s aristocracy at the time. It’s made with blackberries, raspberries and black currants which are meticulously blended with Cognac and vanilla. Continue reading “Chambord and Rose Martini” →
Happy New Year! I hope yours is off to a fantastic start! For the last few months I’ve taken a break from posting my weekly cocktail recipes, but I thought it would be fun to get back in the swing of things and start the start the year off with a new martini. This blueberry vodka martini is made with an organic blueberry-lemon syrup, sweetened with local honey. It reminds me of the freshness of Spring – wildflowers, sunshine, warm afternoons and cool evenings. Here’s to longer days and the perfect cocktail to get us through the rest of winter! Continue reading “Blueberry Martini” →
Let’s play a little game. Imagine, for a second, that it’s a few days before Christmas. Your significant other has surprised you with tickets to the symphony (or Opera… or John Legend’s Legendary Christmas Tour… you choose!). It’s a bitter cold evening; snow is in the forecast. The wind cuts through your jacket with its icy fingers as you walk with your lover, arm-in-arm, toward the warm lights of the theatre doors. Your partner feels you shiver and presses closer as the doorman throws wide the massive glass doors and you step into a whirlwind of theater-goers; the room is a dizzying and disorienting blur of tuxedo blacks and showy holiday evening gowns. You arrive a little early so your partner takes you by the hand and whisks you through the swirling crowd to the bar at the far end of the lobby where the smell of tobacco and Dior J’adore hangs in the air like the London fog. You are handed a beautifully crafted cocktail menu, curated, you’re told, by none other than the theatre manager himself, who dabbles in the art of mixology on the side. Each drink is designed to chase away winter’s cold and lull you into a state of ultimate contentedness against the symphonic backdrop of the evening’s performance. The only question now is, which one will you choose? Continue reading “7 Winter Cocktails to Drink Now” →
In the world of martinis I like to think of a vodka martini as sort of an entry-level martini. A martini with training wheels. It can be jazzed up or dressed down. Shaken or stirred. It’s easy and fun and fairly forgiving. Then there’s the gin martini. This is the grown-up martini. It’s like a family sedan. Safe and reliable, and you can run it through the car wash when it gets a little “dirty”… Then there is this. The Vesper. This is not for the casual martini drinker. This is a midlife crisis Aston Martin bought on a whim and driven backwards down a hill in Monaco while trying to escape your lover’s enraged husband. It’s not for the faint of heart. Continue reading “The Vesper Martini” →
Today, I sat down to finalize the Christmas menu before going to the market. “Simplicity” is the name of the game this year, so the menu looks something like this: The star of the dinner table will be a very traditional American baked ham with a maple glaze and spiced orchard fruits like apples and pears. The ham will be accompanied by a few of my French favorites like potato gratin with hickory-smoked gruyere, Brussels sprouts lardons (Ina Garten’s recipe, and my kids’ favourite way to eat them!) and, of course, crispy sourdough bread. For dessert, I will make the Bûche de Noël from my last blog post. Continue reading “White Christmas” →
Cerise Chérie