With the arrival of May, it feels like Spring may be upon us in earnest. I’ve created this Strawberry Basil Margarita to celebrate the season. This cocktail is made with fresh basil, strawberry syrup, tequila, orange liqueur, lemon, and a splash of mezcal for a touch of smoke. This is a triumph of balanced flavours…
Midcentury Kitchen Makeover
In my last home makeover post, I asked which room reveal you wanted to see next and you said, “the kitchen”. Well friends, ask and you shall receive. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through some of the links in this post, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll get…
Lemon Drop Deluxe Martini
I’m a stand-up comedian now, seriously. For those of you who have been reading along diligently for the past five-and-half-years, you’ve probably seen my sense of humour develop as I became more comfortable sharing self-deprecating anecdotes from my life. Well folks, I’m delighted to share that I crossed a new item off the bucket list…
Home Makeover: Living Room
Well, it’s March 20th and this is my first blog post of 2023. That should be a pretty good indicator of how overburdened/burnt out I’ve been so far this year. Taking on my usual Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar in the midst of renovating a house, juggling my day job, and writing for Ottawa…
Milk Punch & Cookies
2022 Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 24 – Milk Punch & Cookies. Santa loves his milk and cookies, but on this Christmas Eve he takes his glass of milk and turns it into the perfect cocktail, a juicy, rum-based clarified milk punch. I’ve been enamoured with clarified milk punch for a while now. I…
Nutcracker Martini
2022 Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 23 – Nutcracker Martini. The Botanist Islay Dry Gin steals the show in this martini that approaches a 50/50 balance of gin and fortified wines – making it more approachable for those who usually shy away from stiff drinks. In this case, I’ve opted to use a…
Deanston Flip
2022 Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 22 – Deanston Flip. The “flip” dates back to 1695 and was originally made by combining a variety of spirits or wines with a whole egg and plunging a red-hot poker into the cocktail causing it to froth or “flip”. Nowadays, this rich drink is served cold and an aggressive…
Mulled Wine & Cider
2022 Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 21 – Mulled Wine and Cider. This is an easy-drinking, low-ABV mulled wine recipe that combines apple cider and fresh citrus juices with baking spices and red wine. Like hot chocolate, eggnog, and a punch/pitcher cocktail – I ensure there is always some version of mulled…
XO Manhattan
2022 Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 20 – XO Manhattan. Mount Gay XO makes the perfect gift for the rum lover in your life. This rum is aged 8 to 15 years in a combination of American whiskey, bourbon, and cognac casks. Best enjoyed in spirit-forward sippers like this XO Manhattan. This post…
Cranberry Sauce Sour
2022 Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 19 – Cranberry Sauce Sour. The holidays should be spent enjoying time with family and friends, not with your kitchenware. This make-ahead cranberry sauce is equally delicious with your turkey and in your cocktails made with Canadian eggs. This post is sponsored by the Egg Farmers…
