Quick cocktails for Christmas morning guests

One thing about Christmas morning-it’s going to be busy. Those crucial hours between eleven o’clock and one o’clock when half the street drops in, yet you dare not forget the relatives who are staying, or the steadily building drumbeat of the Christmas Dinner preps, can be frantic. You need to entertain them, you need to shut them all up. Above all you need to do it quickly and painlessly so you can concentrate on higher matters like Yorkshire Puddings and Brandy butter.

As there will be no miracle worker present who will to turn your water in wine, here is our guide to three boozy, plus one virtuous, easy-make cocktails.. Above all they’re simple: Each requires but one or two ingredients: a little ice , the right glasses and a few eco friendly straws, and you become the perfect hostess/host. And just to make it even easier, we have stripped out all those pesky shakers, strainers and other complicated mixing equipment which will only complicate matters and generate further washing up, Our making times assume you have all the ingredients ready to go: a safe assumption, as LSS readers are known for their wise foresight.

Gin Sling (see left above) Put 4-5 ice cubes into a hurricane glass , add one measure of cherry brandy and three of gin. Stir and top up with cold sparkling water .Decorate with one cherry, add 1 straw. Estimated preparation time : 25 seconds

Champagne cocktail (see centre) To a classic champagne flute add 1 brown sugar cube and cover with one measure brandy. Add a tiny dash of angostura, and top up with champagne. Decorate with a cherry and serve. Tip: Have a tissue nearby in case the wine bubbles over Estimated preparation time : 40 seconds

Harvey Wallbanger (see right above) Put plenty of ice in a tall glass and add 1 measure of vodka. and a half measure of Galliano. Top up with fresh orange juice and stir. A slice of orange will decorate, You will need a two straws. Estimated preparation time : one minute

And our Non alcoholic for the drivers: A delicious fruit punch. We are nothing here if not responsible, and know that good people never drive with alcohol in their system. What’s more there’s almost no preparation time with this one, as you can buy/prepare most of the ingredients the day before. All you do is add 750 ml of fresh orange juice, 750 ml cranberry juice, 400 ml of pineapple juice to a large punchbowl. Keep it in the fridge for an hour or two before serving. When ready to go, add lots of ice sparkling water and slices of colourful fruits like oranges. lemons and pineapples. You can adjust the amounts to serve as many or few people as you like. We know it’s tasty, because we have experienced more than one non sober guest ask for their own serving of this stuff, just adding a little gin or vodka to get the right Christmas spirit.

We hope the day goes well.

#christmas day #holidays #parties #cocktails

Our recipes inspired by one of our most treasured possessions: The Ultimate Cocktail Book, published by Paul Hamlyn in 2003, and which we still use today!

Friday Night Danger: The Long Island Iced Tea

And so, gentle readers, after five years of writing about cocktails we come to the one we have always tried to avoid. The Long Island Iced Tea. Why? Because it is so seditiously powerful, the one after which you will be incapable of anything else. Tasting your food . Engaging in serious conversation about Natural Philosophy or the Liberal Arts. Or even asking the waiter the way to the John. And believe us, once you have scanned the recipe(see below, see link) you will see why.

According to that excellent website The Cocktail Society, the Long Island Iced Tea evolved in te United States as a way to conceal the drinking of illicit hootch during Prohibition. “Make it look like Iced Tea,” was the rationale, “the Feds will never spot it for a ringer”. The Society gives a recipe, so we won’t cut across their know-how. But merely to list the ingredients from our own favourite recipe will demonstrate the potential head splitting power of this famous drink. They include 5 alcoholic ingredients; gin, vodka, white rum, tequila and Cointreau. Toppers up include ice, lemon juice and sugar syrup and above all cola, which gives it that iced tea look. And as sharper eyed readers will have already noted, there is no tea in it. Because that’s the whole point

As the Society observes , some smaller cocktails such as martinis may come with a higher alcohol content. But its the sheer volume of the LIIT which enables it to deliver such an enormous punch. And so we say: enjoy, but with caution. Do not attempt to i operate heavy machinery, drive nor attempt to make love any time after, as the results will be inevitably tragic. We had one at lunch yesterday and we are still recovering. Be glad we got this far.

[1]https://cocktail-society.com/recipes/long-island-iced-tea/

Friday Night Feast: Sangria

“We’ve just got back from Spain” To those growing up as a child in 1960s London, especially in poorer working class districts, those words rang with magical prestige. Few of us had even been on an aeroplane, let alone to somewhere as warm, as sunnily sandy, and as downright distant as Spain. If you were lucky enough to have a holiday at all it would be a week in a Victorian boarding house in some windswept grey town like Blackpool or Bognor Regis. But these lucky people brought back tales of modern hotels with receptions, swimming pools ,and bars, just like the ones in James Bond films. And the artefacts! Curious little black bulls in hollow plastic. Dolls in exotic flamenco costumes, arms frozen in some eternal paso doble. And funny china jars with a picture of Minorca on them, drinking cups to match. Which, they proudly informed us, were all for the drinking of Sangria. A taste for it was born; and we think it still remains one of the best parts of an Iberian holiday today (you can get it in Portugal too)

The aim is to make it with lots of ice, so that beads of dew form on the outside and trickle down in the hot Spanish night to the sounds of a flamenco guitar(these days it’s more likely to be Rosalia or Aitana; but no somos nadie as they say in that country) After all the ice, there as many variations on the theme as there are bars in Benidorm. This BBC recipe produces an out come as good as any which we have tried down the years. [1] 3 parts of a good full red wine such as one from the Duero or Rioja, one part of orange juice and two of lemonade will get you over the line. After which you can add the sorts of fruits you want, though it being Spain and all that, oranges and lemons seem almost statutory. A little twiglet of mint will give the whole things a most Pimms like ambience, and the scaling up possibilities for two to fifty drinkers are manifest.

The word sangria of course comes from the Spanish word sangre, or blood, as anyone who has holidayed in somewhere like Magaluf or Torremolinos will recognise at once: a reference to the deep red colour of the wine. There are records of something like it in eighteenth century Spain and Portugal. Though the Romans had been experimenting with similar wine punches long before. Don’t accept ones made with rose or white. they are poor imitations , avoided by locals and experienced costa hands alike And so, even though the nights are drawing in we raise a metaphorical copa of the stuff to you all gentle readers, and hope it evokes memories of happy sunny holidays. Thanks again for all your comments, ideas and other general feedback.

[1]https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/sangria_93847

#Spain #Portugal #sangria #wine #holiday #costa

Friday Night Feast of Fun: Strawberries, cream and what to drink

As May rolls into June, England hits peak summer. All those muddy football players yield to natty cricketers and immaculately coiffured green wickets . Gardens fill with flowers. At Wimbledon and a thousand other places, the air is filled with the thwack of racket on balls. Nothing captures the ambience like a well-turned bowl of strawberries and cream, that near quintessential accompaniment to a day out at the tennis or the Derby. Ok there’s one rival, but we’ll be doing that next week

People have been eating strawberries as a summer dessert since at least the sixteenth century. However the big ones we take for granted today didn’t really come about until the middle of the eighteenth, [1] as a result of a wheeze by an enterprising Frenchman called Amédée-François Frézier . Frankly we found all the botany and genetics in the Wiki article a little cognitively challenging: suffice to say he crossed a North American version with one from the southern continent to produce that plump juicy berry which not only tastes good, but is admirable to look at. And our recommendation to go with them? Cream, single or maybe double. Not ice cream, not clotted, not that funny squirty stuff that comes out of tins from some of our cheaper supermarkets. And certainly no sugar. Just good, old fashioned cowsmilk cream. Gottit?

Now for the really important question: what to drink? Our Intelligent researchers came up with the following list, each perfectly tailored to a different aspect of your dish. Bowl. Whatever.

 Sauternes – A classic French dessert wine with honeyed sweetness that complements the creaminess.

Coteaux du Layon – A Loire Valley wine with citrus and honey notes, perfect for the richness of cream.

Pinot Noir Rosé – Light and fruity, with strawberry and peach notes that enhance the fresh berries.

Demi-Sec Champagne – The bubbles and brioche flavors contrast beautifully with the sweetness of strawberries.

Riesling (Spätlese) – A German Riesling with floral and orchard fruit notes that highlight the strawberries.

Prosecco – Slightly sweeter than Champagne, making it a great match for ripe strawberries and cream.And much, much cheaper!

Gewürztraminer – Aromatic and floral, with lychee and ginger notes that pair well with strawberries.

And with the end of that list, may we wish you another happy Friday night feast.

[1] Strawberry – Wikipedia

#strawberries #cream #summer #wine #garden #tennis #cricket #wimbledon

Friday Night Feast Of Fun: the summer Barbecue

Since about 1985, nothing has evoked the sense of the days getting warmer more than the aroma of a thousand sizzling barbecues drifting down the suburban breeze. People didn’t seem to do them much back in the nineteen seventies: but now the custom of inviting friends and family round to the garden for a delicious open air feast of roasted meat is a national custom. So with the aid of a couple of our regular contributors, whose knowledge of these matters is profound, we thought we’d riff a little on the matter ourselves.

How to cook it? In these isles, Opinion is divided. Some swear by gas, which is fast and efficient. But the real purists swear by charcoal, which seem, at least to anthropology buffs like ourselves, to be sort of more authentic somehow. Either way, you still have to clean up a tad, they tell us. But half the problem of cooking, i.e, the smell hanging around the house, has gone. Because it’s drifted downwind into the neighbours’!

What to serve? Make no bones about it, a true barbecue means meat. The word “barbecue” comes from the Spanish word barbacoa, which they evolved by watching the mass meat roasts of the native peoples of the Caribbean. Meat, lots of it. Which for us carnivores can mean a delicious range pf possibilities, including steaks, chops, burgers, loins and sausages. Fish fans are well catered for too, with brill , salmon, trout and turbot high on the list. There is a debate about whether to put these in foil or not; ultimately this choice will be informed by experience, we suspect. Foil also does wonders for vegetables. Peppers, potatoes, onions, even carrots and parsnips can come up well. Whereas things like peas do tend to fall down the gaps in those funny grid things, as you will soon discover. Bread buns or rolls should be on hand to aid the consumption of items like burgers, it goes without saying.

What to Drink? Our correspondents soon opened the door to anything and everything. Everything that is cold and refreshing of course. Beer, cooled white and rose wines and cocktails big on ice like Pimms or Gin Slings are always good. For the drivers, have plenty of fizzy drinks, fruit juices and iced water on standby. Remember: ice is the key to everything, or so they say.

And what to wear? The days of your best Brooks Brothers blazer, MCC tie and Chino slacks are long gone. For one thing they’re all naff and nineties. Secondly, one spot of greasy lamb will send that prized jacket straight round the dry cleaners, who may never get it all out. Panama hats are still OK, partnered with roomy shorts, tee shirts and those funny hoodie tops that were once favoured by persons of a certain socio-economic class, but have since spread throughout the population in general. We suppose baseball caps are still OK, but try to avoid red ones with letters like “M” , “A” and “G” upon them.

That’s our take; we know it’s a bit exiguous, so to help you more, here’s a link to the ever helpful BBC Food website, which is crammed with admirable tropes. Have a good weekend and happy eating.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=bbc+food+barbecue&form=ANNTH1&refig=8B31CAE98E3F40ADA31592299A6DD45D&pc=HCTS

#barbecue #food #drink #summer #garden party

Feast of Fun: The classic Easter Sunday Roast

Instead if a Friday Feast of Fun, the opportunity to cover an Easter Sunday Lunch was just too mouth-wateringly good to pass up. Frankly, we prefer it to Christmas. It’s less boozy, the food’s lighter with less compulsory extras like puddings and unwanted family members, to name but two, and of course the weather’s better. There’ll be more about why we like Easter in the next blog. In the meantime here are our tips for a very special easter lunch, absolutely in the English style.

Pre dinner drinks: Easter is the time at which it is at last legal and permitted to break out the Pimms, that quintessential English cocktail mixer. Here is our recipe (for one person)from an old blog in 2021, but it works just as well today

Take one measure of Pimm’s No.1 Cup and and add to a highball glass. (Ours have real Pimms logos!) Add 3-4 ice cubes, then 2 slices of lemon, two slices of orange and one chopped strawberry and one slice of cucumber. Top up with lemonade and decorate with a sprig of mint or borage, if you can find the latter.

Entreé We always recommend going light and simple. Salmon or trout, cold with a few olives are good options. For the fish allergic, a nice cold cured meat, perhaps an Iberian Ham or French Saucisson go down well and can sit alongside the Pimms, if you don’t want to sozzle your guests with an early white wine.

Main Course We have been known to serve chicken, and to have served it well. But in these islands Lamb is the traditional centre piece for Easter Sunday. Roast that is, and served up with potatoes and the best spring vegetables. For years we swore by leg. It’s a great joint, and can be made to work more if you have a large number of guests. But once, a little financially embarrassed in Waitrose in Kingston Upon Thames we took the advice of their Meat Man, and tried shoulder, which in theory is the cheaper cut. Frankly, we have never looked back-there are extra levels of flavour and texture which even the best shoulders struggle to match. So to be fair, here are two recipes, both from the BBC which will give you more than a fighting chance of turning out a really memorable experience for your guests

Leg: Mike Robinson https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/roastlegoflambwithga_90252

Shoulder: Mary Berry https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/slow_roast_shoulder_lamb_92930

Dessert We could write three blogs here, and that’s only on what’s available from the supermarket. If you’ve treated them well with the first courses, your guests may not want too much. Something to do with strawberries, raspberries and cream might suffice, backed with a range of strong, simple cheeses. Dare we put in a word for some of our rarer British specials like Lancashire, Caerphilly, Wensleydale and Double Gloucester?

Wine At least, on to the serious part of the blog. So-Red, or White? Fortunately we have found a great site called Unravelling Wine, where you can weigh a range of possibilities-Rioja, Chianti, Bordeaux, they seem to have thought of every possible pairing, with all the tasting notes you’ll need. https://unravelingwine.com/lamb-wine-pairing/

Post Prandial Liqueurs The usual. Brandy. Port. Madeira. Strong Coffee. You know the sort of thing. If you have done your work well, your guests should not be too fussy by this stage.

Well, gentle readers we hope that is enough, and more than enough, to ensure that you, your family, your guests and your servants enjoy a real easter blow-out. It was fun writing it, because being on the most savage diet, we are unable to sample any of the delicacies above, even cursorily. But we used to; and that was fun too, while it lasted.

#roast dinner #easter #food #wine

Friday Night Feast of Fun: The Joy of Charcuterie

We can’t think of a better suggestion for you tonight, dear friends, than Charcuterie. It’s a French word, but the cuisines of many countries now feed in, as we shall see. Its such a simple way to up a range of flavours for guests. There’s usually always something in the mix that anyone and everyone can eat. Above all, sharing and comparing are such good conversation starters that the busy hostess or host will find that half of their task has already been completed. How’s that for ergonomics?

Without further ado, lets start with the food. We’ve put up Laura Wingrove‘s post for BBC Food [1] Ostensibly designed for Christmas, Laura’s run-through will give you all you need to serve up a mouth-watering board at any time of year. There’s no law against using this for Easter, you know. The hams include piquant Parma, and mouth watering Mortadella, all the usual suspects in fact. We confess that our favourite is the famous Spanish Jamon Serrano. As for spiced meats, French Saucisson moved to the top of our culinary Hit Parade some years ago, and has stayed there ever since. She also waxes lyrical on the best accompaniments like cheeses, olives and so on, as well as handy ways you can serve it all up to transport your guests to a rough stone Provencal kitchen diner, where we understand such meals are served all the time. Well, according to certain lifestyle magazines they are,

And to drink? The Wine O Mark website puts up its 7 best parings. [2] What we like about this is the selection of old Mr Reliables, like Reislings, Merlots and Sauvignon Blanc. Remember the trick is to serve to the lowest common denominator, but to do it well , which is exactly what they achieve. Our researchers suggest a good range of cold beers might not hurt as well- Eurolagers like San Miguel or Kronenbourg might add to the ambience here.

All of this can be picked up at good supermarkets: we might suggest Marks or Waitrose as the few extra pounds spent will more or less underwrite you against disaster.

Good luck and Happy Eating!

[1]https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/charcuterie_board

[2]https://www.wineomark.com/best-wine-for-charcuterie/

#charcuterie #food #wine #beer #cheese #jamon #saucisson

Friday Night Feast of Fun: The Toby Carvery for us

Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford (1701u20131751) by Jacques-Antoine Dassier is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

For us, one of the most delicious moments in television ever came in Simon Schama‘s 2000 series The History of Britain. It recreated a moment in the working day of out first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole as he attempted to bend the will of his latest Whig MP to the correct ends for Party and Country.1] And how did he do it? With a tasty dinner of English food at its best.of course! Roast meat. Roast potatoes. Yorkshire puddings. Vegetables like peas, carrots, parsnips- the best products of our deep and fertile soils, then beginning a new Agricultural Revolution. All washed down with the finest claret, glasses uncounted. It was until quite recently our main food, our only food really, topped off with various puddings made from quintessentially English things like apples, plums and creams. It’s still served today , from very expensive restaurants and snooty Fulham pubs all the way down to humble local ale houses. And deep, deep, down, in the very heart of our English souls. it’s still our very favourite best.

But where to get it? Any day of the week, served impeccably and with the best of good cheer? Well, at the risk of ostracism from some members of our social circle, we are going to recommend a Toby Carvery. [2] It’s cheap. It’s unpretentious. Some of your fellow diners may be a tad rough around the edges. You have to go up to the carvery counter to get your dinner But there are advantages. One: there is always a bar in a Toby, to get that authentic Whig-Tory Parliamentarian style experience going. Two You still have a server at your table, who in our experience are always among the most cheerful down to earth type you will encounter Three: going up to get your grub conveys several advantages: you can grab as much as you want, you can choose from the joints (there will always be beef, pork, gammon and a turkey). If you know the chef, you can always wheedle and creep your way to toothsome extra bits. and if you are on a health gig you can always cut out the potatoes and yorkshires, and cleave to lean meats and all the vegetables you need, Four, back at the table the server will still attend with all the wine refills that you, your companion or Sir Robert himself could wish for. Five we find some of the dessert items such as the ice creams and crumbles almost dangerously addictive. And at the end of the day you will pay a price, including tip which would buy you barely a starter and a glass of water in certain establishments which those who claim to have more refined tastes have forced us to attend from time to time.

And to all of those who clutch their pearls at our brazenly proletarian choice-:”you find somewhere better, mate!”

Editorial note: the writer of this piece was some time ago placed on a strict diet, and his penned this largely from memories. Happy memories.

[1]https://watchdocumentaries.com/a-history-of-britain/?video_index=9 see especailly 20-25

[2]https://www.tobycarvery.co.uk/menus/carverymenu#/

#roast dinner #sir robert walpole #english cooking

Cocktails for all those Christmas parties

Christmas is nearly upon us, and with it, all those parties, get-togethers, at-home drinks mornings and soirées which crowd in on us like….er,…..um……. several crowding things in a narrow place. Good. Which can lead to problems for the busy host or hostess-how to keep all those thirsty punters happy, because they’ll keep coming back at you for more, as sure as Santa’s got a sleigh. So may we, humbly suggest a couple of ideas to get you through?

Themes: First and foremost, keep ’em simple. You don’t want to spend all your party hours running up complicated concoctions like a Singapore Sling or Long Island Iced Tea (LSS Passim) Pick ones with three or four ingredients at most, which you can knock out faster than it takes for the Three Wise Men to hand over the presents. There you, go mate: bish, bash, bosh and a Merry Christmas to you all! Next?

Second: Bright and bubbly, lots of colours and sparkle to bring out all your trees, baubles nad holly, so the filled glasses look like more decorations. Bubbly wines and ice (the latter will always be in there somewhere), will always help add to trompe l’oeuil. That said, ready?

French 75 gin, lemon juice and chilled fizzy over a tad of sugar in a champagne flute. Looks good and goes down with a recoil to get anyone in the festive mood.

Classic Champagne Cocktail Once more unto the flute dear friends! l Champagne, brandy and a tiny dash of angostura, over a sugar lump. Don’t worry about the cost of this one, because after the first two or three they won’t notice you’re slipping in prosecco. Nor will they care.

Harvey Wallbanger Vodka, Orange, juice and Galliano over plentiful ice This tall elegant classic makes a colour statement on any Christmas table.

Bellini Peach juice, champagne and a dash of grenadine For those who like their slurping sweet, the old Bellini’s hard to beat! Will partner mince pies tastily.

East India Curacao, pineapple juice brandy and angosturas, we threw this one in to match the blue lights on your Christmas tree.

Benedict Benedictine, whisky and dry ginger ale over ice. A classic chest warmer for the season, though we couldn’t find out which of the two eponymous saints, Nursia or Aniane, first invented this one.

All these and many more can be found in The Ultimate Cocktail Book by Hamlyn, our ever go-to stand-by for the Festive season. Happy Christmas

#cocktails #christmas #xmas #drinks