Absinthe rocked the world of Paris a century or so ago, with such pervasive and controversial force that it was called the "green fairy." You can see a famous 1890s painting of said fairy, and much else about the liquor that's been enjoying a reconstituted revival, via this link.
I have a thing for ice cube trays that don't produce, shall we say, cubes. The advent of silicone molds has made it possible for all manner of novelty ice products to be produced, and I've bought a few (I'll probably share some in a later post) over the years.
Here's one I don't own .. yet, anyway. It's based on Edvard Munch's The Scream, which has been the inspiration for a whole industry of products we've seen over the years, from a inflatable punching clown (think Bozo) to jigsaw puzzles to ties to paperweights.
Add ice cubes to the tray, to a little existential horror to the cocktail hour.
One of the things Martha and I like to do around this time of the year is splurge on magazines. We buy them year-round, of course, but coming up to Christmas, we'll do a splurge and buy titles we wouldn't buy otherwise ... and a whole bunch. It's a bit decadent, and then, when we actually get some downtime during the holidays, we enjoy them.
One of them is a BBC magazine called Good Food, which is one of those magazines with impeccable presentation ... and meals you'd never have the time to create.
Well, most of the time. Some of the recipes seem easy enough, and here's one of them, which is not only easy but delicious. I made this cocktail twice last year for family gatherings, and plan to make it again in the days ahead. It calls for orange juice, cava (you can use Champagne or prosecco or any sparkling wine) and a healthy dose of Amaretto. It is, to quote one of the drinkers, wicked.
The recurring Paderno factory sale has been on the last week at the curling club (aka the Re/Max Centre) here in St. John's. It'd be easier for a Popsicle to survive a sauna than for Martha to resist the call of this sale, and I'll confess to not complaining when I go along. I after all have bought my share of kitchen implements over the years (albeit often as gifts for MM), and even know how to use many of them.
Some gadgets, though, always make me wonder. This one, for instance, is the automatic martini mixer, which I just don't get. Shaking a martini, or any mixed drink, is not that hard; moreover, some real care has to go into making sure everything is cold. (My tip for a perfect martini? The secret ingredient is freezing.) A machine seems ... well, unnecessary.
But that's me. Ever tried one? Let me know.
It's been one of those days ... you know the kind ... and I just poured a healthy rum and coke. I'm thankful to the person who put the two together.
I chuckle when I reach for the ice tray, as each cube is not a cube at all, but a cylinder with two smaller ones attached, precisely in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head. I've got a couple of other novelty ice cube trays, my favourite being a skull and crossbones set.
Anyway, Mickey Mouse and a rum and coke. Could definitely be worse.
Apologies to anyone out there who actually prefers spiced rum over, well, the basic stuff. And apologies to those, if anyone, who feel that fictional bounty hunters belong on alcoholic products.
Pretty helpful, actually! Spotted here. Spotted here.
This Christmas, my wife's beloved aunt Luci came to spend some time in St. John's, far away from her home in Madrid. On Christmas Day, Martha and each of her siblings received a gift - a bottle of coquita, hand-mixed by Luci. It's a type of coconut liqueur, and something like eggnog (and definitely the spiked kind). Luci noted that she couldn't find her usual ingredients, but we all loved the results. I'll have to follow up to get a proper recipe; here's one version I found, although I think I'll wait for for the real deal.
This is Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She's on a list over at Lapham's Quarterly, which lists some well-known writers with the uppers, downers, alcohol choices and psychedlics, as appropriate, that they took to compose. To find out, check the list.
Last weekend, my mother-in-law and her sister came for supper. The funniest part of the evening came as Julita recalled an incident when she spotted a type of gin on a visit to Madrid (the city from which she emigrated to Canada 50 years ago), and couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't remember the exact name, and without saying any naughty words aloud, I found this picture online.
Wynand Fockink turns out to be a very old Dutch company, with an Amsterdam bar that dates back to the 17th century, and a distillery that's been getting people buzzed for three centuries. As the label above shows, the type of gin seen above is manufactured in Spain.
We make a point of going to the wIne show the NLC sponsors in downtown St. John's each October. We'll never again go on a Friday night, thanks; too crowded, too loud, and way too many way-too-drunk young folks stumbling around. (I do want to be clear on one thing: I'm glad there are not only young adults interested in wine, but that there are enough young adults, period, in the city to gather in one spot. My generation? Many of us weren't in Newfoundand when we were their age, and a lot of us never moved back.)
Anyhoo, we've taken to shelling out a few more bucks for what's called the special selections night, which is worth the cash. Apart from getting the full wine show experience, you get to sample some supremely wonderful (and sometimes supremely pricey) wines. Best, you can walk around the hall with relative ease, and avoid lineups just to get a few millilitres of what's on offer.
This week, I learned the NLC is sponsoring a new event in February, called A Taste of Australia. I imagine that the local distributors with contracts with Australian producers are trying to drum up business, which seems like a surprise, because there certainly is no shortage of Australian wine in the marketplace.
All the same, with more than 150 wines expected to be on offer, I think we're going to go. The event is Feb. 20, at the Sheraton (formerly known as Hotel Newfoundland). Tickets go on sale Friday.
I have a few, final tips for Christmas surfing, but feel free to clip this column for the moments when you’re about to enjoy some lazy, well-earned downtime in the days ahead. They’ll definitely work well past Christmas Day. (And have a good one, by the way.)
First, though, some advice on how to deal with those who’ve indulged too much during the season of high spirits.
Deflate The Elephant
Have you noticed the ads from the LCBO – the Liquor Control Board of Ontario – on TV this month? The board has been buying lots of national airtime with spots based around the premise of the “elephant in the room” at this time of year, when a drunk friend or loved one decides to reach for the keys and head home. This is the companion site, which is worth reading before you have anyone over and the drinks start getting poured; you’ll find strategies for preventing drinking and driving, and possibly saving some lives.
Curtis Andrews
The hirsute percussionist and all-round groovy guy has been on a roll lately, and not just because he seems to play with every cool outfit in St. John’s. Last week, he won the Atlantis Music Prize, sponsored by the St. John’s alternative paper the Scope, for album of the year, for his jazzy, worldbeat-inflected record The Offering of Curtis Andrews. Last month, he also picked up two major awards from MusicNL. You can learn about his music here (and sample the entire album, or, even better, buy it), and learn about his passions, including a plan to build a school in 2010 in Ghana.
Holiday Photo Maker
From JibJab, the makers of funny videos and the perennial Elf Yourself app, comes this feature that allows you to plop headshots of you and yours into all kinds of seasonal settings. A head’s up: some of these are definitely not kid-appropriate, so look through the many options first if you’re looking for an activity with small kids! If there’s a new camera under the tree, knock yourself out here afterwards.
Mashup Arts
In a similar vein, here’s an entire site that allows you to craft cards, messages, etc., for holidays, birthdays or practically any occasion. Upload some pics (it connects with Facebook and Flickr), drag and drop some materials, including comic-style balloons, and zap, you’re done. A nice way to add some pizzazz to your next message.
Canadian emergency code alerts
I’m sure you’ll recall the colour-coded terror alert system the U.S. government unveiled in 2002 (you know, red means “severe”, green means “low”). This tongue-in-cheek feature adapts the system to the Canadian environment. Hence, green – the lowest threat level – means “Stanley Cup playoffs on, majority government, roll-up-the-rim contest in progress.” You can imagine what happens as things get worse.
Christmas in the Sixties
My buddies at the CBC’s digital archives put this collection of TV and clips together. If you’re about my vintage, you may find it fascinating or striking to see and hear how Christmas was celebrated, and described, during the era of aluminum trees (the Charlie Brown Christmas special didn’t make that up).
John Gushue is a writer in St. John's, and is currently on leave from his job with CBC News in St. John's. John is on Twitter right here.
"Coleridge
was a drug addict. Poe was an alcoholic. Marlowe was killed by a man whom
he was treacherously trying to stab. Pope took money to keep a woman's
name out of a satire then wrote a piece so that she could still be recognized
anyhow. Chatterton killed himself. Byron was accused of incest. Do you
still want to a writer - and if so, why?"
- Bennett Cerf
When I was a university student, Extra Old Stock was the beer of choice for a lot of us - perhaps for the flavour, but more likely for the stupor. Extra Old Stock had six per cent alcoholic content, which gave you more blotto for the buck, as it were. (Hey, when you're on a budget, a 20 per cent alcohol advantage is nothing to sniff at.)
Admitting that, I was astonished to read of the launch in Scotland of a special edition beer called Tactical Nuclear Penguin, which is - seriously - 32 per cent proof. It gets bragging rights, if that's what they are, for the world's strongest beer.
Britain has a notorious record with binge drinking (closing hours at the pubs don't help; neither do pubs offering dirt-cheap promotions to get people in and quickly tanked). A brewery going out of its way to be obnoxiously provocative - the managing director told the BBC, "This beer is about pushing the boundaries, it is about taking innovation in beer to a whole new level" - almost seems like satire from within.
I am a journalist with CBC News in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. I'm taller than I look. This blog has been running quietly since 2004.
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