orange milk liqueur a.k.a. baby jesus wee!

Christmas orange milk liqueur (a.k.a. Baby Jesus Wee!)

I should have posted this much earlier, because in theory you should be drinking this to toast the Baby Jesus. But if you get in quick, you'll have time to raise a glass or two on New Year's Eve. But if I'm honest, it actually a rather lovely drink all year around, with just four main ingredients; vodka, milk. oranges and sugar.
I made this last year and it was so good, so that I've made an even bigger batch of "Baby Jesus Wee" for this Christmas. My neighbour commented that perhaps she wouldn't be serving it to her vicar, although apparently he has a great sense of humour, so perhaps he'll be lucky enough to get some. It is divine mixed with Prosecco as a Christmas cocktail.

blood orange and lime zinger

blood orange and lime zinger

Now seems to be the season for healthy smoothies and fruit drinks, as well as pledges of alcohol abstinence. I have to admit that I am not much of a fan of smoothies, largely because most of the commercially available ones have bananas in them; I am guessing because they are low in fat and give some bulk, as well as being jam packed full of vitamins.

smoking bishop

smoking bishop

There are three constants in all my life – food, literature and history. So if I can cook or drink a thing that combines my other loves, I count myself as very happy indeed. Although after drinking a Smoking Bishop or two, I may be happy but not entirely sober!

curry mary: a curry-spiced twist on the classic hangover cure

spicy curry mary

Many of us have firmly-held beliefs that, despite evidence to the contrary, we are most reluctant to relinquish. So when scientists or nutritionists say that there is no evidence that hair-of-dog-that-killed-you can help soothe a booze-induced hangover; that more alcohol can actually make you feel worse, we smugly tend to think that we know something that scientists and nutritionists don't. From a tall glass of ice-cold Coca-Cola and last night's leftover curry, to tripe soup, a Full English Breakfast or Marmite-on-toast, most of us prefer to believe in our tried-and-tested home-remedies.

mulled damson gin (brings a little festive cheer!)

mulled damson gin

If you read my post about making damson gin last year, you will know that as much as I love gin, I don't drink it very often as it brings out the miserablist in me; we are talking weeping, wailing, and teeth-gnashing. I end up looking like a demented panda caught in a rain storm.

damson gin and a tale of unrequited love!

early days in damson gin
preparation

Having a Mogwai comes with rules and responsibilities. "But the most important rule, the rule you can never forget no matter how much he cries or how much he begs never, never feed him after midnight." The adorable furry Mogwai becomes a demented gremlin. 

Sadly, gin has the same effect on me. While I am not maniacally leering as I swing from the chandeliers chain-smoking Lucky Strikes, the change from happy Rachel to wailing Rachel is disconcerting to anyone who has ever had the misfortune to witness it.

elderberry cordial - great tasting anti-flu in a mug

My guest blogger, Heathcliffe's second blog post.

elderberry cordial

So. It's Elderberry season. And Flu season. Luckily, in a game of rock-scissors-paper-elderberry-flu; Elderberry beats flu.  
 
In essence: when you get flu, the viruses invade your cells, hijack the mechanics and turn the cells in to virus making machines . . . cranking out copies of the virus faster than your body can deal with them. The neuraminidase inhibiting chemicals in elderberries are one of the few things clinically proven to slow down their spread.

when life gives you lemons . . . make lemons awesome!

heathcliffe's mead

Let me introduce my guest blogger, Heathcliffe's, first post. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. (Yay, Heath!)

This week I've made mead and a fridge.

See, the big problem here is that I've just moved into a new flat and, right now, I have no appliances and no money left. I have an Argos catalogue shining out from my lone bookshelf like a beacon of all my life could be, but my bank account says no. So I figure a plan is in order.

So when life gives you lemons . . . let's make lemons awesome.

this being a tale of serendipity and liquid enchantment: the velvet slipper cocktail

velvet slipper cocktail

It sounds like such a small thing but I am feeling a little serendipitous; ("serendipity" is one of my favourite words, if you're interested and my only claim to fame is that I got it mentioned as "The Word of the Day" on the Words for Life website).

So why serendipity? Well a few days ago, I had restored an old CD full of ancient files I haven't looked at in years, because I had thought that the CD was damaged beyond repair. On it I rediscovered this fabulous cocktail, the recipe for which I had also assumed lost for good.

my cherry amour! sparkling cherry crush

sparkling cherry crush

To support the great British Cherry and Foodlovers Britain's Cherry Aid Campaign, I decided to make a refreshing summery drink, which was very pretty too. A lovely vibrant pink colour - it is very simple to make, although you will need to prepare well in advance since the cherry syrup needs to cool down before using.

If you were to add a splash of almond syrup and some fresh lemon juice, you have a cherry bakewell tart . . . in a glass!

buckle your swashes; here comes the mojito!

Emma's birthday mojito! (photo by Marja FB)

Who’d have thought that a cocktail that may have been inspired by the notorious pirate, Sir Francis Drake in 16th century and a pick-me up for Cuban slaves on the sugar plantations in the 18th and 19th centuries (and god knows they would have needed one) could become such an iconic symbol of civilised drinking in the 21st century. 

rhubarb & ginger bombay sapphire cocktail

As you can probably tell, I do like fruit flavoured cocktails. Let's face it, it is one of the few ways that I will actually eat fruit . . . with copious amounts of alcohol.

I am planning on celebrating the spring season by making some rhubarb liqueur, but while it is waiting to mature, I am giving you this fabulous cocktail for rhubarb lovers everywhere. It was originally created by mixologist Flavio Lorenzo, (from Nobu Berkeley), for the Bombay Sapphire pop-up bar at Somerset House, in the glorious summer of 2009. Hic!

bloody marvellous bloody mary!

Oh how I like a well-made Bloody Mary and this version is my favourite. It is quite simple (why gild the lily?) and I am convinced of it's life-affirming properties; it is known to cure most ills.

a bloody marvellous bloody mary!

This popular cocktail typically contains vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, lemon or lime juice, celery salt and black pepper. Some versions also contain beef consommé, horseradish, cayenne pepper, port or sherry. (Although probably not all together). One of my favourites had a secret ingredient that the bartender later confessed to being Absolut Mandarin, a vodka infused with natural orange oils, which blend beautifully with the the spicy tomato base.