Monthly Archives: September 2012

Drink of the Week: Aperol Spritz

Posted on September 28, 2012 | 2 comments

Let’s celebrate! Blake and I have a had a wonderful trip to Africa, complete with an incredible safari. Time to toast 15 years of marriage and a great fundraising effort ($6,895 raised for Renfrew Educational Services so far) with an Aperol Spritz.

It’s a beautiful colour and tastes great.

Aperol is an “it” aperitif, a sweet-bitter orange Italian liqueur popular as the “poor man’s” version of Campari (it tastes similar but contains half the alcohol content, at 11 percent). A great way to drink it is in a spritz, using Prosecco (the poor man’s Champagne) as the base. (Notice a trend here? Yup, Africa is expensive.)

Don’t you just want to dive right in?

This drink certainly feels, well, extravagant, and it tastes good too. It’s a perfect end to an amazing holiday. As they say in Swahili, maisha marefu (cheers)!

Aperol Spritz

  • 1.5 oz Aperol
  • 2 oz Prosecco
  • Ice cubes
  • Splash soda water
  • Orange wheel garnish

Build in a wine glass over ice and garnish with an orange wheel.

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We made it! (Kilimanjaro? Hakuna Matata!)

Posted on September 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

I write this from Arusha, Tanzania with the exciting news that Blake and I made it to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania!

We made it! Woot!

No words can describe the craziness of hiking five hours uphill in the dark, with a small circle of headlamp illuminating the steep, rocky path, nor the excitement of reaching Stella Point and knowing that the summit awaited just a 45 minute walk farther. When we reached the top (6:15 a.m., Sept. 21st) I was  so happy and elated I almost cried (but I think my tears would have frozen from the wind chill!). It was beautiful! And such a hard slog, for a worthy cause (latest tally: $7,070 raised for Renfrew Educational Services!)

I credit our amazing guides from Climb Kili with helping us get acclimatized and make it to the top. Truly an amazing journey. Asante sana!

Jambo, jambo bwana

Habari gani

Nzuri sana

Wageni, mwakari bishwa

Kilimanjaro, hakuna matata!

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Drink of the Week: Pegu Club

Posted on September 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

I was recently researching bitters for an upcoming Calgary Herald column. Keen to try a new drink with bitters that used gin (not vodka; I feel like I’ve been giving vodka too much play recently) I stumbled across the Pegu Club on the Internet.

Never heard of it? Neither had I. The drink is appropriately exotic — it was popular among British soldiers in Rangoon (then Burma) in the 1920s — and it combines ingredients that should go well together: gin, orange liqueur, lime juice and bitters. It’s also strong, so be careful!

A boozy drink with bitters — what’s not to love?

Pegu Club

  • 2 oz London dry gin (I used Bombay Sapphire)
  • 3/4 oz Grand Marnier (I used Cointreau)
  • 3/4 oz lime juice
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters
  • 1 dash orange bitters
  • Orange wheel garnish

Shake everything with cracked ice, then strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with an orange wheel.

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