Distinguished Taste

It is said that the average customer or guest at a restaurant will order the same ten cocktails. I refuse to believe that this is due to lack of interest or desire for something different. I know that your favorite 'usuals' are great and as I said it my last blog everyone enjoys a good classic. However, the top ten drinks most requested, ordered and made by bartenders are as follows: the Caesar, Cosmopolitan, White Russian, Vodka Martini, Singapore Sling, Margarita, Manhattan, Long Island Ice Tea, Blue Lagoon and Pina Colada. Daring to be different can go a long way. What you can gain from not trying something ordinary could pleasantly surprised you. The worst case scenario would be going back to the safe ceaser if you are not pleasantly surprised.

I know that my best experiences with innovative cocktails is when I have been brave enough to take a leap of faith and be carried away by the moment, the summer air and great company.

With the summer approaching and patio weather coming remember to indulge and forget everything you know. get creative try things you think you hate, sometimes they can be just the thing you need.

I will leave you with a summer drink that will have you salivating and anticipating the patios and summers eves to come.

Mexican without a cause

5 small chunks of watermelon

1 chopped lime

1/2 oz. Simple Syrup

1 1/2 oz. Tequila

1/2 oz. Tripple Sec

splash of apple juice

Crushed Ice

Back to the Classics

Currently there is a trend happening within the alcoholic beverage industry. People are now committing campaigns to the classic cocktails of the past. Now this may seem rather unoriginal but in fact it is really clever. This trend is sticking to what we know is good while making it even better. this week I am taking you for a walk down memory lane; from the past to the present, simply refined. I know if you are at all like me I am always seeking out points of difference and innovative ideas. So this week I am going to give you five recipes you can make in the comfort of your own home. Two tips when making classic cocktails, one is learning the importance of muddling(to muddle combined all ingredients in a glass this helps to get all the flavours out of the ingredients before adding the majority of the liquid) and two is learning to love Scotch.

Join me in revisiting the Classics!

The Rusty Nail

1 1/2 oz of Scotch
1/2 oz. Drambuie

1 lemon twist to garnish

The Old Fashioned

1 sugar cube

2 dashes of bitter

2 orange slices

2 cherries

Muddle these ingredients and fill the glass with ice then add:

Either Scotch or Bourbon, it's really your choice!

The Mojito

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

1/2 Lime

10 fresh Mint leaves

Then Muddle...

Then add

2 oz. Rum

4 oz. Carbonated water (soda)

and an abundance of crushed ice

The Gimlet

2 oz. Gin

2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

1 teaspoon of sugar

and ice

...

Simply Irresistible

The Manhattan (the classic way)

2 oz. of Rye

1/ oz. Sweet vermouth

1 dash of bitters

Garnish with a cherry

The Manhattan (the classic with a twist)

2 oz. Rye

1 oz. Navan (Vanilla Cognac)

1 dash of bitters

Garnish with 3 Cherries

Happy Hour

It's Friday, the end of every ones hectic week, a time to put up your feet and just relax. Perhaps a time to forget the stresses of the office and laugh a little. For most people the weekend is a time off to just be, but not me. Friday and Saturdays are my work week. The craziest part about my job is that I get paid to help all of you de-stress, put your feet up and hopefully laugh a lot. I get to be in a busy atmosphere with people just looking to have fun. Every Friday my goal is to ensure that everyone I come into contact with is indulging, that I feel is really my job after all. In order to do this I create a cocktail that can be uniquely theirs. Mixing all there most desired tastes into a creation. I don't know if it is just me but I have had this experience at a lounge before when someone created a cocktail just for me, it made me feel special, important and satisfied. So next time you go out engage your bartender, ask them what they make that is different from the rest.

My recent experience like this was with a bar owner who had me sit down and have a cocktail. I make it sound like it was against my will, but it was a busy day and I had hardly any time to indulge without guilt. He finally asked if I had desert yet, I said that I hadn't. within a few short minutes I had a frosted martini glass filled with decadence and garnished with a strawberry. I am not a desert girl very often but this I could never say no to. There are so many different ways to indulge with cocktails its all about finding one that is uniquely yours. Try not to keep all the secret treasures to yourself.

So whether its your Friday Happy hour or desert, just indulge.

Desert Martini

A Mexican Apple Pie

1 oz Tequila

1/2 oz Butterscotch schnapps

1 oz Apple Cider

1 tsp of fresh lemon juice

A apple wheel to garnish

Sunday Social

This past Sunday, March 14 th, I got the pleasure of Simple Indulgence with some of my close friends and classmates. This event was a last minute event that was put together with perfection. When I arrived the ambiance was stimulating, everyone was in great spirits and looked fantastic.

The highlight of the night for me was the cocktail list complete with six unique cocktails for which I was not privileged enough to have the ingredients. All I know is that these cocktails were the definition of innovation, made with love and executed with excellence. To put it quite simply they were decadent.

Although I don't usually hesitate ordering a cocktail there was one made with sage that made me hesitate. Fir this very reason I made sure I had this cocktail to see how it was inspired and what it was all about. Let me tell you some of the things were hesitate to indulge in the most just might pay off in the end. It broadened my spectrum to the world of cocktails and taught me to simply indulge without hesitation. I mean if you are going to let your hair down you may as well feel the breeze.

I must give a shout out to Whitehaut...If you have not got the opportunity to be pleasantly surprised and want to truly indulge this is one hot spot I would not miss out on.

So this week try new things, get creative and don't hesitate, just say yes.