MONDAY MIXER

COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK!

HIBISCUS FLOWER MARTINI

Vodka shaken with fresh lemon, hibiscus and orange blossom infused

cordial and Ocean Spray white cranberry juice, garnished with an edible flower petal

"Nothing says Monday like this tasty tipple! Make tea cordials by infusing your favorite tea bags into simple syrup (equal parts sugar/boiling water)"

RECIPE:

1 ½ oz. your favorite vodka (The vanilla notes in Absolut Elyx add delicious complexity)

½ oz. fresh lemon juice

½ oz. hibiscus and orange blossom tea cordial -(recipe above) sub out for your favorite tea

2 oz. Ocean Spray white cranberry juice -MMMMMM need I say more

Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice, shake and strain into cosmo glass and garnish with edible flower petals.

I must say..... I LOVE CRANBERRIES! After a whirlwind couple of weeks, first to the bogs Massachusetts and then Vancouver I have been converted from all other fruit (except maybe grapes ;) 

Let me start from the beginning with our trip to head office in Lakeville MA.  We had a gorgeous 5 course cranberry infused meal, prepared by the one and only Chef Chris Brown!   

Bright and early the next day – we took our friends from Buffalo Wild Wings out to the bogs with a delicious Ocean Spray Bloody Mary garnished with nothing but…. A Buffalo Wild Wing!!!

 

With only a couple days in between TMC is off to Vancouver to visit its northwestern Bogs.  I had the privilege after the GFS show and some client meetings to visit the bog, not once, or twice but FOUR times in one day.  I was like a kid at Christmas eating all the cranberries I could.  What an incredible experience!  After each tour we went back to the golf club for some warm cranberry cider…  I highly recommend for the cold Canadian nights to come!  This is a real treat that would be PERFECT for holiday entertaining!

CRANBERRY COBBLER
1 cups Lambs Black Sheep Spiced Rum
½ cups  Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail
2 cups apple cider
Garnished with a cinnamon stick and Ocean Spray cranberries (straight from the bog)

2012 tiff - Artists for Justice and Peace Event

The Artists for Justice and Peace is a non-profit organization that uses education, health and dignity to support Haiti – AJP hosted the 2012 Festival Lunch on Saturday, September 8 at a private residence in Toronto owned by the president of U of T. 

The fundraiser was co-hosted by Jude Law, English actress and producer Trudie Styler, the founder of APJ, Ontario's Gemini, Emmy and Oscar winner Paul Haggis and CBC's very own George Stroumboulopoulos, in support of the Academy for Peace and Justice and the Artists Institute in Haiti. 

The rain did not bring anyone down and how could it with musical performances by Raine Maida (OLP), and wife Chantal Kreviazuk, K'Naan and members of Arcade Fire.  Delicious food by Oliver & Bononcini, Mildred’s Temple Kitchen and chef Brad Long to name a few and mouth-watering Skyy vodka cocktails and Rosemount Diamond Estate wines.   

  

The star of the show (celebrities aside) however was The Cinema Sangria – a combination of apricot cordial, Ocean Spray white cranberry juice, spiced lemonade and Rosemount Diamond Estate Pinot Grigio, garnished with lemons, grapes and peaches.  MMMM yes please!  Actress Claire Forlani agreed with me as she sipped away at her Cinema Sangria.

With tickets at the modest price of $1250 in combination with the live auction, the foundation raised over $550 000 for Haiti! 

Jamaica in Toronto

What a night as Jamaica celebrated 50 years of independence The Martini Club team joined forces with Canada's leading Mixologists to assist in making their winning cocktails for a one and a half hour "People's Choice Competition" at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. 
It was a close call for the top 5...

From left to right we have Toronto's own Robin Goodfellow and Meghan Jones, Jenner Cromier (Halifax NS), Jonathan Homier (Montreal QC) and Jason Brown (Vancouver BC).

The five teams battled for the votes of the 800 person crowd... Stay tuned for the national winner.... Who will be going to Jamaica with me in their suitcase?

POP UP - Ocean Spray Dinner

What a fantastic night!  Started with some delicious Ocean Spray cocktails

GINGER-BERRY BUZZ

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 3 frozen (thawed) strawberries, 1 oz. lime juice and ½ oz. ginger syrup.  Add 1 oz. bourbon and 2 oz. Ocean Spray Ruby Red Grapefruit juice. Shake and strain into a tall glass with ice. Add 3 oz. Corona and garnish with a lime wedge dipped in salt.

WHITE WALL

To a highball glass filled with ice, add 1 oz. vodka, ½ oz.Maraschino liqueur, 1 oz. lemon sour, 3 oz. Ocean Spray® White Cranberry juice and 1-2 oz. 7-up or Sprite. Garnish with a cherry.

Followed by an incredible meal prepared by our beloved Chef Chris Brown...

FIRST COURSE

Smoked trout and watercress salad with crasins, cucumbers and a dill creamy vinaigrette 

SUMMER RUM SMASH

Muddled sugar and lemon stirred with rum and a splash of Ocean Spray White Cranberry juice.

To a rocks glass, add 3 lemon wedges and 1 oz. simple syrup. Muddle. Fill the glass with ice and add 2 oz. amber rum and 2 oz. Ocean Spray White Cranberry Juice Cocktail. Add a dash of orange bitters.

MAIN COURSE

Roasted ribeye with cranberry jus, new potatoes, baby carrots crispy onion rings and a kohlrabi purée

CRANBERRY SANGRIA

Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice with brandy, lime, pineapple, orange, red wine and citrus fruits

To a pitcher, add 2 oz. brandy, 2 oz. brown sugar simple syrup, 2 oz. lime juice, 1 cup pineapple juice, ½ cup orange juice, 1 bottle of red wine. Add chopped lemons, limes, oranges, grapes, (and any other fruits) Before serving, add 2 cans ginger ale.. Stir and werve in glasses with ice, distributing fruit.

CANADIAN PALATE CLEANSER

Ocean Spray Blueberry Juice shaken with Spiced Rum, served with a perfect maple pop.

½ oz. Spiced Rum to 1 oz. blueberry juice. Shake and strain into shotglasses. Garnish with a maple pop

DESSERT

Cranberry scone with lemon curd, strawberries and basil ice cream

Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail and Limoncello Granita

Pre-mix ½ cup Limoncello with 3 cups OS cranberry. Pour into soup cups and freeze. Serve with spoon and maple syrup ball

Restobar Peru

Wow what a weekend!  The TMC team made delicious Pisco Sours and Pisco Mojitos at Restobar Peru, a pop-up Peruvian restaurant that took place at 99 Sudbury Street this weekend past. The star of the show was the classic Pisco Sour...

Classic Pisco Sour
2 oz. Soldelica Pisco
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
1/2 oz egg whites
shake sharply and strain into a cosmo glass, garnish with 2 dashes Angostura bitters!


Another popular choice of the guests was the:
Pisco Mojito Maracuya -A delicious combination of mint, lime, syrup, fresh passionfruit juice and Pisco.

Soldelica made the perfect base for the hundreds of Pisco cocktails made by the crew over the course of 4 days!

SMUT!

Way to go team for making some of the most delicious Mojitos around on this scorching hot Monday night at the annual Smut Soiree!  This evening of cocktails and gossip took place at the fabulous Brickworks.  The most preferred drink of the ladies was The Strawberry Smut Mojito, which was...

THE STRAWBERRY SMUT MOJITO

1 ½ oz. Bacardi Superior
2 oz. fresh strawberry-passionfruit sour mix
5 mint leaves
top with soda
garnish with a mint sprig



Another year down team! Way to go!  I will be making the Strawberry Smut Mojito from the dock this weekend!