Tag Archives: Drink of the Week

Drink of the Week: Moscow Mule

Posted on March 15, 2013 | 3 comments

I know that St. Patrick’s Day is this weekend, but I’m not going to insult you by blogging about some kind of green cocktail or — worse — green beer. Instead I will wow you with a Moscow Mule and, if colour is really a consideration for your Sunday night festivities, I suppose a couple drops of Green No. 3 would do the trick.

Last weekend my husband and I and another couple attended Crowbar, a pop-up cocktail lounge. Crowbar is the brainchild of local foodie Wade Sirois, of Forage and Infuse Catering; every couple months he organizes an evening of craft and classic cocktails, plus some appetizers and small plates, in a different location. The pop-up lounge is a spin-off of the pop-up trend that has seen everything from restaurants to ice skating rinks appear overnight in surprising venues in cities around North America and abroad.

Blake and I attended our first Crowbar at the Art Gallery of Calgary last spring. I wrote about it for the Calgary Herald. Photo by Christina Ryan.

Blake and I attended our first Crowbar at the Art Gallery of Calgary last spring. I wrote about it for the Calgary Herald. Photo by Christina Ryan.

This Crowbar took place inside Calgary’s National Music Centre and so, fittingly, featured live jazz by Johnny Summers. We had a great night listening to music and sampling diverse drinks. The men loved Remember the Maine, a barrel-aged cocktail not unlike a Manhattan, made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, cherry mariner and absinthe. The Planter’s Punch was delish; the exotic Pegu Club Cocktail (gin, Cointreau, lime juice, bitters) was too, but if I’m drinking cocktails all night, give me a Moscow Mule. Its mix of vodka, ginger beer and lime is refreshing, balanced and not too boozy. Happy St. Parick’s Day!

While I liked most of the drinks on the menu, the Moscow Mule is one you could drink all night (an important consideration for St. Pattie's Day).

I liked most of the drinks on the menu, but the Moscow Mule is one I could drink all night (an important consideration for St. Pattie’s Day).

Moscow Mule

  • 2 oz Square One vodka
  • Lime wedge (1/8 of lime)
  • Top with Fentiman’s ginger beer

Pour vodka over ice in a copper mug. Squeeze lime wedge in and drop the wedge into the mug. Top with ginger beer. Replica mugs available from The Crafty Bartender out of Toronto.

— Recipe courtesy Wade Sirois

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Drink of the Week: Dan Aykroyd

Posted on February 15, 2013 | 1 comment
Dive right in to this margarita with a twist.

Dive right in to this margarita with a twist.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dan Aykroyd at the Oak Room bar inside the Fairmont Palliser hotel a couple of years ago when he was in town promoting Crystal Head vodka, which I wrote about in a column for the Calgary Herald. Interestingly, Aykroyd spent part of the interview telling me all about Patron tequila (which he also promotes) and his return to the made-in-Mexico spirit even though he’d sworn it off as a teenager after a wild night in Tijuana.

So I suppose it’s fitting that the Oak Room has named one of its tequila cocktails after the Canadian actor and comedian. The Dan Aykroyd is like a margarita, but with orange juice in addition to lime juice. This both sweetens the drink and softens the lime’s tartness. It’s very smooth. Add in a sugar-cinnamon rim in place of a salty one and you’ve got a very approachable cocktail. Incidentally, Aykroyd was very pleased when he learned the bar had named a drink after him.

It's like a margarita with orange juice. I like it.

It’s like a margarita with orange juice. I like it.

Dan Aykroyd

  • 1 oz Patron Silver
  • 1/2 oz Cointreau
  • 1 oz fresh lime juice
  • 1 oz fresh orange juice
  • Sugar/cinnamon mix to rim glass

Rim a martini glass with a sugar/cinnamon mixture, then fill the glass with ice. In a cocktail shaker combine the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and orange juice and shake. Strain into the martini glass and garnish with an orange slice.

— Recipe courtesy Patrick Appave, bartender, Oak Room at the Fairmont Palliser

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Drink of the Week: The Privileged Peacock

Posted on January 25, 2013 | Leave a comment

Trendy Phoenix/Scottsdale boasts an emerging cocktail scene and we were fortunate to have dinner at one of the city’s premier cocktail spots, Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails. Located right in the trendy CityScape complex and part of the new boutique Hotel Palomar, the Blue Hound is in a modern, funky purpose-built space and features an eclectic menu with southern-inspired dishes, such as my Kentucky Fried Quail with Fois Gras Cornbread (not a diet dinner). It also has one of the best cocktail menus in Phoenix, thanks to star mixologist Shel Bourdon.

The delicious drink can best be described as a "winter daiquiri."

The delicious drink can best be described as a “winter daiquiri.”

Our friendly waiter Zack recommended the Chartreuse Fizz for my mom, a mojito-like tall sip with green chartreuse, lime, mint and soda. Since I love rum, The Privileged Peacock was the obvious pick for me. It came with a beautiful pattern decorating the egg white foam top, which manager Cheyenne Palm explained was from several dashes of Angostura bitters.

Rather like a peacock's feathers, this pretty design enticed me to drink it. Privileged, indeed!

Rather like a peacock’s feathers, this pretty design enticed me to drink it. Privileged, indeed!

The frothy drink tasted of rum and a tart-sweet combination of pineapple and lime juice.  Zack described it as a “winter daiquiri” and, with the bitters and almond syrup, that descriptor fits the bill. If you’re in Phoenix try it; if not, you can make it at home:

The Privileged Peacock

  • 1.5 oz Zaya rum
  • 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
  • 3/4 oz pineapple falernum (an almond syrup infused with pineapple)
  • 1/4 oz demerara simple syrup (made with equal parts sugar and water)
  • 1 egg white
  • 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients except bitters in a shaker. Dry shake to emulsify egg white, then add ice and shake to chill. Strain into a coupette, dash bitters on top, then use a toothpick to make a pretty design in the egg white foam.

— Recipe courtesy Cheyenne Palm, Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails

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