Okay, so, like, are we done with snow? I’m feeling emotionally battered from seven months of winter and am desperate for even the faintest hint of sunshine and warmth.
I am looking forward to outdoor farmer’s markets and buying fruit and produce from local farms. There’s nothing more disappointing than buying tomatoes or strawberries from the grocery store, imported from halfway across the world, that taste like little more than water.
There are plenty of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes you can sign up for in Ottawa. If you haven’t heard of them before, in essence, you register with a local farm or farmers’ to receive weekly or biweekly deliveries of seasonal, locally-grown fruits and veggies. I would give you a round-up of all your local options but luckily, Savvy Mom has already done so in this post.
Personally, I’ve never tried one but have heard great things from friends who have. I live alone and there’s only so much kohlrabi I can get through in a week. Also, food waste is my nemesis so I would hate to see any of this local bounty end up in the compost bin as a result of my inability to plan accordingly.
I will support our local growers at the farmers’ markets, as soon as the weather permits though. There are fewer greater pleasures than puttering through the stalls and chatting with vendors, sipping on a mango lassi or sampling exciting new cheeses.
The whole experience is so much more enjoyable than racing through an overly air-conditioned superstore trying not to mow anyone down by taking a blind corner at speed with a shopping cart bigger than a Smart Car.
This cocktail is the mixology equivalent of shopping local. The Strawberry Gin is by Ontario craft distiller, Dillon’s, and the strawberry and sichuan syrup is from Montreal-based syrup company, Les Charlatans.
Unfortunately, the strawberry itself is imported from California because it’s not quite strawberry season yet, if you hadn’t noticed. I studied up on how to carve this strawberry into a lovely rose from this YouTube video – it’s stunningly simple.
I did attempt a different kind of strawberry rose first, which you may have caught on my Instagram Stories over the weekend. The first iteration involved cutting three strawberries into paper-thin slices and aligning all of them into a wall of overlapping slices. From there, the YouTube video made it look easy peasy lemon squeeze to roll all the wall into a blossoming rose.
In my experience, it was impossible and was yet another proof point as to why I should never take up crafting. If you’d like to catch some of my most candid behind-the-scenes content or candid tipsy talks, head over to my Instagram page and throw me a follow.
If you’re not on the ‘gram, just sit back and sip on this Strawberry Fields cocktail and know that I suffer for you. 😉
Strawberry Fields Cocktail
Spring is in the air. Toast to the season with this Strawberry Fields Cocktail using Strawberry Gin and garnished with a strawberry rose.
- 1½ oz Dillon’s Strawberry Gin
- 1 oz Amaro Montenegro
- 1 oz lemon juice
- ¼ oz Les Charlatans Strawberry & Sichuan Syrup
- 2 oz club soda
- 1 strawberry, cut into a rose, for garnish
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Combine Dillon’s strawberry gin, Amaro Montenegro, lemon juice, and strawberry & sichuan syrup in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
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Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass and top with 2 oz of club soda. Garnish with a strawberry rose.
Strawberry anything anytime sounds perfect, and your cocktail is beautiful. Though I have reservations about my ability to carve a rose! Maybe just serve strawberries on the side.
That’s a great swap – the garnish is a bit finicky. As I always say, it’s about participation, not perfection!