Tag Archives: Drink of the Week

Drink of the Week: Dark and Stormy

Who knew Bermuda had its own national cocktail? Its name, Dark and Stormy, implies the weather due east of Georgia can leave a lot to be desired, which is probably why the locals are hunkering down and tipping back a drink light on the ginger beer but heavy on the rum.

Please excuse the Gurgle Pot -- I promise it doesn't make me drink like a fish.

Please excuse the Gurgle Pot. I promise it doesn’t make me drink like a fish.

To even things up in the beer’s favour I poured in some more beer, mostly because I just really love tasting the ginger in this drink and Crabbie’s Ginger Beer, an alcoholic version out of the U.K., is so good I could almost do without the rum. I could also almost do without the lime (as could most “Bermudians,” according to Esquire), so I cut down its amount. The result: a spicy, rummy drink that tastes great no matter the weather.

I promise you can weather this storm!

I promise you can weather this storm!

Dark and Stormy

  • 2 oz dark rum (I used Appleton Estate Reserve)
  • 3 oz ginger beer (I upped the amount to 4 oz so its taste wouldn’t be overpowered by the rum)
  • 1/2 oz lime juice, or to taste (I used 1/4 oz)

Build the drink in a Collins glass filled with ice cubes. Stir and serve.

Drink of the Week: Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2009

It is indeed a departure for me to blog about wine, but here’s a confession: I really, really love red wine. I love sipping it with my husband or friends over nibblies and great conversation. I am typically an Aussie big-red kind of gal — I have even gone so far as to mock serious Pinot-lovers in a Swerve story — but I recently tried a Pinot Noir from New Zealand that I loved.

This Pinot Noir from New Zealand is yummy.

This Pinot Noir from New Zealand is yummy.

I could now try and BS about the wine’s nose, palate and finish, but I would just be making stuff up. The tasting notes mention things like strawberry aromas and fresh mushrooms. Seriously. To me, the Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir has a Pinot’s trademark  “spicy kick,” and what I really like is how it feels and tastes more robust rather than “thin.” In fact, we liked it so much we drank the entire bottle in one sitting. Classy, I know.

The 2009 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir has just been released into the Alberta market, so get thee to a liquor store.

Drink of the Week: Frangelico Nutty Irishman

I know the holidays are technically over but I couldn’t resist breaking out the sweet stuff for one more frothy winter cocktail. As occasionally happens in my line of work, a bottle shaped like a monk’s habit appeared on my doorstep late last summer. I took it as a sign I needed to try the Frangelico captured within, and squirreled it away until tonight.

When this monk comes knocking, let him in.

When this monk comes knocking, let him in.

Frangelico is an Italian hazelnut liqueur made from wild hazelnuts found in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It was evidently created by a group of minks monkeys (I’m drunk) monks some 300 years ago and then named after a monk of their order with hermit-like tendencies, brother Angelico. Or, abbreviated in Euro-speak, Fra. Angelico. Get it? Frangelico has a sweet and nutty taste, with cocoa and vanilla notes that further endear it to sipping this time of year.

No one is sure when the order got its party on with a bunch of flying Dutchmen wild Irishmen, but the end result of that crazy rendezvous is what I’ve been sipping on all night the past little while: a Frangelico Nutty Irishman.

It tastes kind of like a boozy chocolate-vanilla milkshake. I recommend it in the morning for breakfast as an after-dinner dessert drink. Best tipped back next to an open fireplace, snuggled under a blanket. Enjoy!

Mmmm... boozy milkshake.

Mmmm… boozy milkshake.

Frangelico Nutty Irishman

  • 1-1/2 oz Frangelico
  • 1-1/2 oz Carolans Irish Cream (I used Baileys)
  • Ice cubes

Blend ingredients with 3-4 ice cubes. Serve on the rocks.

— Recipe courtesy Frangelico