Tag Archives: cocktails & drinks

Drink of the Week: Shred Daddy

Posted on August 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

A Shred Daddy isn’t the cocktail that comes to mind after canoeing around Island Lake on a hot summer’s day, but when I saw it on the Bear Lodge Patio menu at Island Lake Lodge, I couldn’t resist.

We canoe mamas (and tots) worked up a thirst paddling around Island Lake on a 30C day. The antidote? A Shred Daddy.

First, it contains Knob Creek bourbon and I’ve been having a little love-in with this dark spirit all summer. Second, there are muddled blackberries in it. Yum. Finally, it’s topped with iced tea, rendering it awesomely refreshing. I have no idea how it came by its mid-winter cat-skiing moniker (Island Lake Lodge ditches the canoes and day hikes in favour of cats and deep powder come winter), but I’m not complaining. This mama loved the Shred Daddy.

Muddled blackberries, bourbon and iced tea. Nice!

Shred Daddy

  • Handful fresh blackberries
  • 1 oz Knob Creek bourbon
  • 1/2 oz mint simple syrup
  • Top sweet iced tea
  • Lemon twist and mint leaf garnish

In the base of a rocks glass, muddle the blackberries with the simple syrup. Fill the glass with ice then add the bourbon and top with iced tea (about 3 oz). Stir to lift blackberries from the bottom of the glass, then garnish with a lemon twist and mint leaves.

— Recipe courtesy Island Lake Lodge

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Drink of the Week: Sangria (large batch)

Posted on August 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

If you’re hosting a summer barbecue and want to serve a signature cocktail that pairs well with burgers but won’t get your friends stinking drunk, opt for sangria.

I learned my lesson after mixing up a truly lethal (however delicious) rum punch for a fundraiser last spring. I decided since I was hosting this party at my house (instead of the community hall) and I was parenting-while-entertaining, it served my interests (and those of my friends, neighbours and of course, the children) to scale back on the booze. The result: a delicious red wine sangria.

Does the dispenser look familiar? In a former life it served rum punch.

This sangria is refreshing and fruity, but not too sweet. The brandy adds oomph and the juices just the right combo of tart (cranberry and lemon) and sweet (pineapple). The great thing about sangria is you can play around with it to your liking and add fruit chunks that fit your fancy. If you’re brave you can even enjoy the fruit the following day as a sort of “hair of the dog” yukaflux fruit salad.

I am happy to report the sangria went over swimmingly. The only “sangricident” happened when a nine-year-old neighbour poured himself a nice big cup of the concoction (he thought it was punch). Thank goodness it wasn’t rum punch!

Sangria (to mix in an 11-litre dispenser or extra-large punch bowl)

  • 4 bottles (750 mL x 4) red or white wine (always use a wine that you would drink on your own — we used a Peter Lehmann Layers blend, red, 2009)
  • 1 bottle (750 mL) St. Remy VSOP brandy
  • 16 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 12 cups chopped fresh fruit, divided (see cook’s note)
  • 64 oz fruit juice: cranberry and pineapple for red sangria; pineapple and grapefruit for white sangria
  • Soda water topper

Set aside 2 cups of the chopped fresh fruit to add to cups as a garnish. Mix all remaining ingredients in the dispenser and top with soda water to add a light spritz. Pour over ice in a cup then dollop in some of the reserved chopped fruit.

Cook’s note: Use fruit that will absorb and impart flavours, such as apples, oranges, lemons, limes, strawberries and even cucumbers.

— Recipe adapted from a Vin Room Sangria recipe

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Drink of the Week: Coconut Mule

Posted on August 10, 2012 | 1 comment

I will start out by saying that I am not a big fan of flavoured vodkas, or any of those pre-made vodka-in-a-bottle-cooler-type drinks. But coconut is kind of a big deal lately, with folks drinking coconut water for its purported health benefits (as a hangover cure and a natural energy drink). So when a bottle of Skyy Infusions Coconut vodka arrived, I decided I needed to see if it could simultaneously induce a buzz and ward off a hangover. I poured a wee sample into a shot glass and sipped. On its own it smells and tastes like coconut (well, boozy coconut) — you could probably drink it plain over ice.

Coconut is all the rage. So why not bottle it and add booze?

The press handout directed me to a Skyy Infusions recipe page, where I perused my options. Since I am not the kind of person who has ingredients such as fresh basil and cranberry juice on hand, I opted for the Coconut Mule (I do have fresh mint growing in a container).

A classic mule with a twist: coconut.

At first sip it tasted not unlike the Zujito from a couple weeks ago, with ginger ale instead of club soda. But the coconut vodka soon prevailed and reminded me again why I don’t love flavoured vodkas: they always taste somewhat artificial to me. I wonder if a better option would be to use regular vodka and add coconut water? Just a thought.

Even though this twist on a classic mule is not to my taste, I think it has definite chick appeal. And while it will get you buzzed, I can’t guarantee you’ll be hangover-free.

Coconut Mule

  • 2 oz Skyy Infusions Coconut
  • 2 oz ginger ale
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup
  • 5-8 mint leaves

Muddle the mint leaves with the lime juice, then add the vodka and simple syrup and shake. Pour into a highball glass filled with crushed ice, then top with ginger ale. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

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