The Year in Books: January with The Craft Cocktail Party by Julie Reiner

The Craft Cocktail Party by Julie Reimer

Tomiko and I found The Craft Cocktail Party by Julie Reiner at our public library and have since been working on collecting a variety of liquors and liqueurs with which to make delicious cocktails. Reiner is co-owner of a couple swanky bars in New York City and one of the few people responsible for the current revival […]

Happy Hour: Tequila Lime Gingerale

Tequila Lime Gingerale

Our aunt made these delicious tequila lime gingerale cocktails for us when we visited her on Toronto Island for the yacht club sail past. She had just returned from Mexico with a bag of juicy Mexican limes, and we used up her whole stash when mixing up these drinks for whoever was passing by. I’m not really […]

Happy Hour: Ponche de Creme

Ponche de Creme

Ponche de Creme, or Ponche Creme, is a Trinidadian Christmas drink that is similar to eggnog. Before last Christmas, Ryan told me about a creamy drink made with sweetened condensed milk and rum – sounds pretty good to me! Then we visited his parents and his dad whipped this up. It is rummy, creamy, spicy, a […]

Happy Hour: Raspberry Shrub

Raspberry Shrub, Kiku Corner

Shrubs, or drinking vinegars (they taste better than they sound!), are acidulated fruit syrups. Back in the day, there were no refrigerators to help preserve fresh fruit for longer than a day or two. Adding the sugar draws out the juices of the fruit via osmosis, and traditionally, the mixture would be left to ferment […]

Happy Hour: Cape Cod Cocktail

Cape Cod Cocktail, Kiku Corner

  Having just come back from road tripping through Cape Cod, I found out that one of my favourite drinks, the vodka cranberry, is also called a Cape Cod, or Cape Codder! The cape is riddled with cranberry bogs, so it is fitting that its namesake cocktail incorporates the juice of this ruby red fruit. […]