Pomegranate Sour...

I've been a little obsessed with sours lately.  That frothy foam can transform a basic drink into something pretty special.  I also love pomegranates for the warmer months so I thought I would try my hand at a pomegranate sour!

Ingredients:

240 oz pomegranate juice (such as POM)

180 oz of Belvedere vodka

60 oz of lemon juice

30 oz of simple syrup

30 oz of egg white (about the egg white of one egg)

ice

Like any sour, add all the ingredients with ice into a cocktail shaker.  Shake! Why do we shake?  Well we need to combine and froth the egg white and chill the liquid.

Pour into chilled martini glasses or a short glass.  This recipe makes 2 cocktails.

Enjoy!!

Cocktail Hour: Aperol Sours...

Sometimes when the weather is warmer you feel like a sophisticated cocktail that is pink and frothy.  For me, the Aperol Sour hits the spot in all of these elements.

What is Aperol?  Well it's an Italian Aperitif, a little like Campari but lower in alcohol and much less bitter.  It has an amazing pink glow too in a glass.

 

 What you will need to create your Aperol Sour:

• 2 oz. Aperol
• 1 oz. egg white (the egg white of one egg should make 2 cocktails)
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• ice
• cocktail shaker
• stemmed martini/cocktail glasses

(these measurements are for one cocktail, double if you are making for a friend as well!)

What do you do?

• chill your glasses with ice and water while continuing the next steps
• put a generous amount of ice into your cocktail shaker
• add aperol, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white
• shake in cocktail shaker until well combined and chilled (about 20 to 30 seconds)
• strain into your pre-chilled glasses
• garnish with a grapefruit twist (optional)

 

 Now pop on some fabulous sunglasses and go relax outside, listen to some great tunes and enjoy!

Vodka Spritz with Cucumber...

When the weather is warmer and you are lazing in the sun, you want to keep your cocktails light and refreshing.  For me, it's about using lovely bubbly mineral waters and refreshing garnishes.

Something as quick and simple as this Vodka Spritz with Cucumber is perfect in warm weather and looks like Summer in a glass to me.  It's about using a good quality vodka to make this mix perfect.

I use...

shot of Belvedere vodka

several slices of cucumber

mineral water

ice

Pop all ingredients in a tall glass, combine well with a stirrer (this will bring out the cucumber intensity) and enjoy!  

Things don't need to be complicated, keep the pace slow and easy!

Re-organized Bar...

My husband went on a bizarre cleaning frenzy the other day and re-organized our bar.  It looks so beautiful now.  We organized everything into groups, spirits, vermouths etc so we are all ready to go and make some cocktails.

We stashed away doubles of bottles that we already had to ensure that one bottle would be finished before opening another.  We did also joke that we could almost do a 'Summer' and a 'Winter' bar by stashing away different elements that we only really use in particular seasons... maybe that is getting a little bit excessive though?!

I love our bar, it is quite the feature in our living space and visitors always comment on it.  So now it is dusted, organized and ready for Summer!

Yelping and eating hot dogs...

My Yelp name badge.

Last night we hit up the most awesome gallery Outre for one of Yelp Melbourne's events.  Even though the weather was pretty miserable in good old Melbourne town, the great art and other Yelpers made it a lovely evening.

My Sailor Jerry cup, in front of some gorgeous work at Outre Gallery.

Drinks for the night were from Sailor Jerry Rum.  We had some gorgeous Dark and Stormy cocktails (like a Moscow Mule but with rum!) that were in very cute Sailor Jerry cups.

Beef hotdog courtesy of Phat Brats.

We also were treated to some amazing little hotdogs by Phat Brats Hot Dogs.  Mark managed to eat about 4 of them but I was happy with my beef, cabbage and horseradish cream dog, super delicious!  I would suggest checking them out if you are in Melbourne, I think they also do a pretty impressive veggie dog for our non-meat eating friends.

I've been pretty active on Yelp, especially when I am in the USA and have found it incredibly useful over there to bookmark places that I want to check out and also read others reviews.  If you would like to see where I've been visiting and read my reviews you can find me at www.missmardi.yelp.com.au

Like a Whiskey Stone...

Whiskey Stones

I'm an occassional whiskey drinker and when I do drink it, I like it straight up! If you have been reading along at home, you will know my love for a good vodka, again, straight up and chilled.

When I saw these Whiskey Stones in a little shop in San Francisco, my immediate thought was, "well I could use them for my vodka!"  The beauty of these 'stones' that you keep in the freezer, is that they don't dilute your spirits like an ice block would. Genius huh? They also look pretty darn cool in your glass as well.  The chill that they produce is a slow and subtle one.  After reading some research about why you would use a whiskey stone, many people have said that this slow 'chill' allows the spirit to be at a cool temperature but not a cold one, meaning that the oils in the spirit don't get too cold which can lead to a loss of taste and also a harshness in the spirit.  I mean, that makes sense to me.  When you are drinking very expensive and premium spirits that have been lovingly created, you don't want to go and shock it to death with ice!

Belvedere Intense with Whiskey Stone.

They come in two sizes, small and large.  I got the large ones. You just rinse them off after use, let them dry and I keep them in a lock seal bag in the freezer so they don't become contaminated with other smells or food.  I'm not sure if anyone in Australia is selling them but if you get a chance to try them - do!  I'm quite the fan!

The Cure Cocktail...

The amazing healing powers of The Cure...

I posted this little cocktail recipe over at www.fringeclub.com.au and thought I would share it with my Dine Wine and Martini readers too!  It's a super refreshing cocktail, however if you don't had any vodka or gin to it, it is also a great non-alcoholic drink to rehydrate you in the Summer.


The Cure Ingredients:

• 1 large cucumber
• 1 bottle of sparkling mineral water
• a knob of fresh ginger
• vodka
• ice

You will also need:

• a tall glass
• drinking straw
• muddler

How to!

1. Slice up about 2 cm of fresh ginger into large slices and pop into your glass.
2. Slice the cucumber down the length to get a long, yet thin slice of it - this is to garnish and for extra flavour.
3. Slice some of the remainder cucumber into chunky cubes and add with the ginger into the glass.
4. Using the muddler, gently mush/muddle the ginger and cucumber to break it up and also to release the ginger aromas and flavours!
5. Add some ice to glass and fill with the sparkling mineral water.
6. Add your long sliced cucumber, drinking straw and enjoy!
7. You can add some vodka to this cocktail for a 'hair of the dog' or for a refreshing Summer cocktail too!

Enjoy!

It would be quite easy to make this up in a pitcher to serve for guests as well.  Just modify the quantities to taste.


Enjoy!

Who Doesn't Love a Bunny Shot Glass?

Rabbit shot glass.

I'm a bit of a sucker for unusual and beautiful shot glasses.  When I was in Sydney recently I spied these totally adorable shot glasses which feature a cast pewter rabbit head!  They do stand up beautifully when they have vodka in them (they perch on their ears) but are also very handsome with their little heads up, on display on the bar.

So, who doesn't love a bunny shot glass?  I wonder how a drunk bunny would act!

Miss Mardi's Home-style, strong Lemonade!

Like the saying goes:  "What do you do when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade!".  That's pretty much what I did last weekend!  I had a tough week last week.  I went to visit my mum and her lemon tree was bursting with fruit.  I came home with several large bags of the yellow beauties.  The sun was shinning on Sunday and when my friend turned up on my door step with a bottle of Belvedere vodka, I knew it was time to make a big jug of Miss Mardi's home-style, strong lemonade!

What you will need:

• plenty of lemons, I think I used about 8 to 10 per jug.
• good quality plain mineral water
• ice
• large jug
• a batch of my lemon simple syrup.
• good quality, Polish vodka

Miss Mardi's Lemon Simple Syrup
Using a 2 parts water to 1 part sugar theory, I put 2/3 cup of caster sugar into a small saucepan with 2 x 2/3 cups of cold water. Put about 4 to 5 large pieces of lemon zest/rind (use a vegetable peeler to get these peelings off!) in the saucepan too.  Stir mixture over heat until the sugar dissolves and then bring to a boil until the mixture is slightly syrupy and thick.  You want this to still be an easy pouring consistency, lighter than maple syrup.  This can take about 7 to 10 minutes depending on your mixture.

Remove the lemon rind and discard, pour mixture into a small glass container and allow to cool.



How to make Miss Mardi's Home-style, strong Lemonade!

1. In a large jug, add a good dose of ice cubes (fill about 1/4 of your jug)
2. Add a few shots of vodka
3. Add the juice of about 8 to 10 lemons, this is to taste, you can add more or less if you like and it depends on the size of your jug.
4. Add a good dose of the lemon simple syrup.
5. fill remainder of jug with plain mineral water.
6. garnish with freshly cut circles of lemon and give a good stir!

Now, remember all of this is to taste!  You can add more of the simple syrup for a sweeter lemonade, more lemons and naturally more vodka.  I find when I pour out the individual drinks into small glasses to add a dash more vodka per glass just for good measure!


Enjoy! Miss Mardi xxx

Vintage Cocktail Stuff...

During a trip to regional Victoria a couple of weeks ago, I managed to find these vintage cocktail tray and coasters from a second hand store.

I adore vintage cocktail paraphernalia and am often buying old cocktail books and glasses as the look and also the size of them has changed significantly during the years.

This cute tray and coasters is metal and plastic and I would say that it is late 1950s, early 1960s.  The tray includes recipes for some classic cocktails such as a Tom Collins and a Manhattan.

I adore the graphics and humour of these pieces and they compliment the series of 1950s hand painted shot glasses that we bought in New York during our last trip.

I wonder where the current cocktail paraphernalia fashion is at?  To me, it either seems to be quite over the top with large ballooning wine glasses or a bit kitschy with black martini glasses or grotesque prints on them.  I guess I dream of a time when martini glasses were smaller (so you could drink it without it getting warm!) and there was a cocktail hour every night in every household.  Ah, reminiscing of the old days...

Chester White... really! It's not only a pig!

A take home pizza menu featuring the cutest pig bums!

After checking out some exhibition launches last night, my arty posse decided to stop in at Chester White for a beverage and snack.  I had been meaning to check this place out since it had changed from the restaurant Canvas to Chester White.  It is also very close to work too.

After reading a review of the restaurant online, I had discovered that the name Chester White is a reference to a pig breed!  Hence the very cute piggy bottoms on their promotional material.

I'm not the kind of person who religiously photographs everything they have eaten as I'm more about enjoying my experience than documenting it.  (This is also another reason why I'm so slack at vacation photos!)  In saying that, I do have some rules of trying out a new restaurant/bar.

Rule number 1:  order a martini, describe how I want it and drink. 
You all know how fussy I am about my martinis and I can say that the crew at Chester White didn't bat an eyelid when I described in full how I wanted my martini.  It came back well balanced and delicious.  It was a little bit more than I usually would pay (at $20 it's at the higher end for a martini) but I had no complaints at how good it was.

Rule number 2:  if a place makes pizza, order a plain old margherita.
This is one of my husbands rules too!  I think that you can judge how well a pizza is made by going back to the basics and really tasting the quality of ingredients and the process.  Our pizza was crispy, simple and pretty darn delicious.  I was very excited to see that they also do pizzas take away!  Yippee!

We did also order a potato and rosemary pizza which was nice but didn't quite hit the spot like the margherita and some salmon cakes, which were ok but I'd probably not order them again.

All in all, great service at Chester White, a pretty darn good cocktail list and some yummy food!  Looking forward to checking out their weekday $19 express lunches and their Wednesday evening BYO a bottle from your cellar!  Certainly one way of ensuring you get a wine you love!

Thanks Chester White folk!

Cocktail Napkins...

Lounge Lizard cocktail napkin, bought at Crate & Barrel in San Francisco.

I'm not sure what the history is of the 'cocktail napkin' but I can say that I have become quite addicted to them in recent years.  There is something very appealing about their 'smaller' size and you can have some very cute and playful graphics on them seeing they are just going under a cocktail glass!

Marimekko Cocktail Napkin, purchased at Marimekko NYC.

I guess I like using them as I never really have 'coasters' at home.  The thought of constantly wiping sticky coasters drives me crazy.  At least with a paper napkin as a coaster, you can throw it out at the end of the night, meaning that you can buy new cute ones to use.  I sometimes theme my cocktail napkins too, depending on the evening.  Something that is a bit cheeky and funny is used for friends over a few drinks.  Something more elegant is used during a dinner party - you get the drift!

Marimekko cocktail napkin, purchased in Melbourne.

I think I started to love the idea of cocktail napkins after my initial trips to the USA.  I saw that bartenders didn't seem to hand out the thick cardboard coasters that we are used to in pubs here in Australia, but rather a simple paper napkin to mop up the condensation from a drink.  If you had to leave your drink for a minute or two but didn't want the bus boy to take it, you would drape the cocktail napkin on top as a sign of "don't take my drink!"  It seems quite civilized really.

Oh for the love of vodka...

If you've been reading along at home, then you know how much I love my vodka.  It is such a versatile spirit and if you drink the good stuff, you will start to notice the subtle complexities of the spirit and that it isn't just a clear and tasteless drink!

I have different vodkas that I drink regularly and cocktails that I make and it really depends on the seasons and the mood that I'm in as to what I drink.  I thought that I would share some that I have been enjoying during the cooler months.

Vodka Gibson made with Belvedere vodka by Miss Mardi!

I've always been a slightly dirty Belvedere vodka martini girl, however in the cooler weather I often switch to a Vodka Gibson, which is a little bit like a martini but is garnished with pearl cocktail onions.  I think that it is the onions that make it more of a wintery cocktail and it definitely goes with more hearty casseroles and heavy meals.

I always think that a Vodka Gibson should be shaken, not stirred.  This way it creates a creamy effect for the little onions to hide in.  Most bars in the USA will make it this way when you order a Gibson, however in Australia I believe that they are made in more of a martini style.  I guess it is personal preference really however you can't really bruise a vodka like you can a gin.

Krupnik in a lovely Scandinavian vintage shot glasses.

Another Winter Vodka must have is the honey vodka.  Most eastern European countries make some form of this but naturally I drink the Polish versions.  To me, there are three main honey vodkas of varying quality (and cost!).  The first is Medos, which is easily accessible at bottle shops such as Dan Murphys.  I rarely buy this one, especially not to drink straight up, however it is a good and cheap alternative to mix into cocktails such as a Polish Martini.  What I don't like about it is that it doesn't have the depth and complexities of taste in comparison to other honey vodkas.  It is also a little sweet too.

Krupnik is the next one up and is what I believe to be the 'middle of the range' honey vodka.  It is reasonably easy to access and is a good quality vodka at a good price.  We usually have this one on our bar and often drink it straight up in lovely little vintage shot glasses during the cooler months as a way of warding off colds and flus.  It is also a great remedy for a sore throat too.  What makes this one different to the Medos is it has a thicker consistency and hints of herbs in the taste.  It also isn't too sweet, making it easier to sip through and the texture definitely coats the throat.

Krupnik in a vintage 1950s shot glass, hand painted and bought in NYC.

The final honey vodka is what I believe to be top of the range and is near impossible to source in Australia.  You used to be able to buy it a few years ago but it doesn't appear to be distributed into Australia from Poland anymore.  The English name for it is Wild Bee and out of all three of them, seems to have the most complex flavour of herbs and honey.  Unfortunately, other than going to Poland, it is impossible to buy!

Honey Vodka is an ancient Polish beverage. Honey and spices shape its taste and aroma, made according to an authentic old recipe from southeast Poland, with carefully selected varieties of honey. The vodka base allows the honey to come through, with a good herby bite. (courtesy of the www.polandforall.com website)

Hopefully you have been inspired to try either the Gibson or a lovely shot of Honey Vodka (naturally both the Polish versions of the vodka!) sometime soon.  Let me know what you think!

North Beach Bloody Marys...

Ah, the joys of a well made Bloody Mary... the spiceyness, the tang of the lemon, the kick of the vodka.... My pal Jess and I are always talking about the perfect Bloody Mary and I have to say that Bloody Marys in the USA are generally better than ones in Australia, unless they have been made at my house!  After a morning of shopping, Mark and I had a Bloody Mary craving so we decided to hit North Beach to eat some Italian food and have some afternoon Bloody Marys!

Jess described these Bloody Mary's best, "not stingy on the olives and a chunky straw - win!"  They also had a good amount of spice and were served in a big glass - also they were $8!  Bargain!

Although North Beach can get a little bit touristy, you hear loads of people speaking Italian and the food is definitely some of the better Italian food you will get in San Francisco.  We love Calzone's and have gone there several times.  I love the quirky red shelves inside with pasta and olive oil displays.  I remember the first time we went there I had Bloody Marys and garlic bread.  Simple but delicious!

 

Their simple dishes are awesome!  The lasagna, the bolognase sauce and their wood fired pizzas with proscuitto make you feel like you're having some delicious home cooked meal.  Calzone's we love you!

Making a bucket o'margerita....

Following my lovely sista Miss Shannon O'Shea's recipe, you too can make a bucket o'margarita for tonight's New Year's Eve festivities! Enjoy!

New York City Cocktails!

As I was in New York City recently during the much warmer weather, I thought that I would be a little more daring than my usual dirty martini and give the above cocktail a try!

It's a Raspberry Vodka Lemondrop martini! It was super delicious. I'm not really sure how it was made but it did include raspberry infused vodka and a homestyle lemonade and had a lovely raw sugar crust! I had it at Eatery in NYC and loved it so much that I had two!

I will be giving it a go myself so stay tuned for the outcomes!

I want a Japanese Iceball Maker!

(image from here - thank you!)

While researching our Pimm's winter cup recipes, we stumbled upon this Japanese iceball maker. They create a perfectly spherical ball of ice in this machine without using electricity. The only downer is that you need to have a supply of chunks of ice but I think that the outcome is pretty spectacular! I can just imagine myself sipping a Belvedere vodka on 'the rocks' but rather it would be a Belvedere on the iceball or just a Belvedere on the rock (singular!)

The amazing thing is that apparently there were guys who used to make these balls of ice using knives! It was a very dangerous practice and obviously required much skill. This machine means that you won't lose any fingers in the process.

Yep, I definitely want one of these gadgets for my bar!

(thanks to Drinksology for the awesome Youtube clip on how it works!)

Pimm's Winter Cup

Mark and I went on a little adventure last weekend to restock our bar. It was starting to look a little low so we popped by our favourite little European style bottle shop and picked up some goodies. We then ventured to Acland Street Cellars in St.Kilda, who are apparently opening up an on-line store soon, very exciting! Anyway while we were in Acland Street Cellars, we discovered that they had not just normal Pimm's Cup #1 but also Pimm's Cup #3!!!

A little educational lesson here... Pimm's #1 is made from a gin base, Pimm's #3 is a brandy base, lending itself to a variety of other drinks; including the Pimm's #3 Winter Cup!

To make yourself a Pimm's #3 Winter Cup you will need:

• 150ml / 5oz Pimms No. 3 Winter Cup
• 400ml / 14oz apple juice
• 1 apple, sliced in to small chunks
• ½ an orange, sliced in to chunks
• 1 cinnamon stick

Add all ingredients to a pan and gently heat until just simmering. Remove cinnamon stick and pour mixture in to a large jug. Serve in heat-proof glasses or mugs.

(Thanks to the amazing Oh Gosh website for the above recipe, I recommend you check them out!)

While researching more above the spiced and warming Pimm's #3 Winter Cup, we discovered the lovely Pimm's teapot cosy as seen above! They were promotional gifts in the U.K but I may have to pull my knitting needles out and make my own!

So if you are looking for a lovely winter drink to warm you in the cooler months, give this one a go!

The Bloody Mary Martini..

One thing that I enjoy most is a good martini made from good quality Polish vodka. Though on the weekends I love a good Bloody Mary with brunch. My partner Mark is pretty amazing at making both and I have been completely spoilt with many fabulous cocktails.

While trying to come up with our final list of cocktails for our wedding next weekend, we decided that we really wanted a Bloody Mary on the list. Some say that the Bloody Mary was invented in 1921 at Harry's Bar in Paris and as our wedding party is based on the roaring 20s, it seems appropriate to have a Bloody Mary. Problem; our bartenders don't love making Bloody Mary's and they aren't the most sophisticated looking of drinks. Solution; a Bloody Mary Martini! I have to give kudos to the Belvedere website for the inspiration on this!

Ingrediants:

50ml Belvedere Citrus (we used normal Belvedere and added a dash of fresh lemon)

6 Cherry Tomatoes

10ml Simple syrup (you will need to make this - it's a basic bar sugar syrup)

4 Dashes Tabasco

Muddle tomatoes with simple syrup. Add rest of ingredients and shake with cubed ice. Fine strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a small piece of basil.

Our verdict... beautiful, fresh and sophisticated. Will go amazingly with entrees and you could team it up with a serve of saganaki or even a gourmet mac and cheese (think with pancetta and truffle oil!). We think that it probably is best with the Belvedere Citrus as it has a subtle flavouring and when you first make this, go easy on the Tabasco for tasting. Next time, we will serve with a skewer of fresh cucumber to really lift the freshness and give it the Bloody Mary look. Definitely worth a try!