"He stared at his hot chocolate like it held the secret to the universe."  WHY IS IT CALLED CHIC CHOC SPICED RUM?
It’s made with six indigenous plants that grow in Quebec’s Chic Choc mountains on the Gaspé peninsula. They include Peppery Green Alder, Pine Forest Spikenard, Witherod Berries, Lovage Root, Wild Angelica and Sweet Gale (also called Bog Myrtle). Chic Choc Spiced Rum is the latest creation from the award winning Domaine Pinnacle company that also created Ungava Premium Dry Gin.

OFFICIAL TASTING NOTES;
Bright deep amber colour; enticing aromas include notes of cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, angelica root, pepper and dried fruits; on the palate it is full bodied and warm, with a rich and round texture and flavours of sweet and savoury Nordic spices.

"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cozy, doesn't try it on"
As a nation the British drink 165 million cups per day or 62 billion cups per year; 70 per cent of the population (over the age of 10) drank tea yesterday and over 25 per cent of all the milk consumed in the UK goes in cups of tea.  Tea is the answer to every problem in Britain.  We joke that if they announced that we all had 1 hour to live (giant meteorite or something like that!), the first thing everyone in Britain would do is pop the kettle on!  So really, what could be better than a cocktail with both tea and gin in it!

"Don't be silly, there is always time for a cocktail, darling"

Our last trip to Las Vegas seemed to focus on cocktails! We were lucky enough to visit The Laundry Room.  One of the rules of The Laundry Room is no talking about The Laundry Room, so I cant give too much away!  There are also no photographs allowed but you may sketch if you like.  What I can tell you is that through a secret door is a dark and alluring speakeasy with the most fabulous cocktails.  If you are planning a trip to Vegas do some research and get yourself a reservation, you wont be disappointed.

The Laundry Room inspired me to up my cocktail game. Cocktails are what summer needs.

A Southside is a simple yet elegant cocktail and it tastes like summer in a glass. It’s bright and zingy and so simple to make. A lot of cocktails call for a simple syrup to sweeten things up. Whilst it is very easy to make a batch, you still need to do it in advance so it has time to cool. I recently bought some Ginger People: Ginger Syrup and it’s like liquid gold! I have been sneaking it into everything because I flipping love ginger! What better that a cocktail spiked with sweet yet fiery ginger! In case you don’t have a bottle of ginger syrup on hand (you really should you know) you can always make a batch of your own ginger syrup;

GINGER SIMPLE SYRUP

WHAT YOU NEED
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 thumb sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small pieces

WHAT YOU DO
Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add ginger; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, and let steep 30 minutes. Pour syrup through a fine sieve into an airtight container; discard ginger. Refrigerate for up to 1 month.

GINGER AND MINT SOUTHSIDE

Valentine's Day is coming.  Did you know already?  Have you been bombarded with hearts, glitter and overpriced roses yet? 

Lets talk smoothies and using up leftovers all at the same time shall we?  It will be fun, trust me...

Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on a cooked mixture of milk or cream and egg yolk.  Depending on how much egg or thickener is used, custard may vary in consistency from a thin pouring sauce (crème anglaise) to a thick pastry cream (crème pâtissière) used to fill éclairs. Most common custards are used as desserts or dessert sauces and typically include sugar and vanilla. 
The Bird’s brand is best known for its original homemade custard powder, invented by Alfred Bird in 1837 and still loved by generations today. Yet the range of instant desserts stretches wider, with semolina, Dream Topping and a seasonal range of trifles and Christmas sauces too.
The Peach Melba is a dessert of peaches and raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream. The dish was invented in 1892 or 1893 by the French chef Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy Hotel, London, to honour the Australian soprano, Nellie Melba.

THE PEACH MELBA SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS

MULLED WINE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bottle red wine
• 60g brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• grated nutmeg
• 1 orange, halved
• 60ml Cointreau 

METHOD

1. Heat everything except the Cointreau gently until the sugar has dissolved. Taste to see if you want the wine sweeter, and add more sugar to taste.
2. Off the heat, stir in the Cointreau.
3. Strain into heatproof glasses and enjoy immediately!  

The white stuff arrived.
There are certain things that are a must for me when the white stuff arrives and one of those is hot chocolate.  A steaming bowl of chocolate comfort with a fluffy white marshmallow melting gentle on its surface- yes please!

 Now while I can often be found just dipping my teaspoon into a shop bought hot chocolate powder, just as most things in the kitchen, a homemade version is supremely better and a little work now and you have instant hot chocolate powder for those cold weather emergencies.

THE VERY BEST INSTANT HOT CHOCOLATE

100g chocolate of your choice
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup coconut sugar (or demerara sugar)
3 tablespoons powdered milk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

METHOD

1. Grate the chocolate with a micro-plane grater and mix everything together in a bowl.  Using a whisk, mix everything to get rid of any lumps in the cocoa powder.  You could sieve the cocoa powder but life is just too short to sieve anything. 
2. Store in an airtight jar.  
3. To make the cocoa: Get out a heavy-bottomed pan. Measure out 3 tablespoons of your mix and add it to 1/2 cup of milk (any milk will work) and 1/2 cup of water (you could go all milk or all water if you like, but half and half is my preference). Gently warm over medium heat and whisk to incorporate the mix.  When it is just under boiling its ready to go with a few finishing touches;

Happy Halloween!


Lets finish this off right with one last creepy cocktail.  It would be wrong of me not to include this Canadian classic in some form or another and what better to compliment the delicious Crystal Head Vodka than a Caesar!




THE BLOODY HEAD COCKTAIL

2oz Crystal Head Vodka
5oz Clamato
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
Dash (or 2 or 3, maybe even 4) hot sauce

Now I should point out that the recipe I was given to try included a dash of liquid smoke too but I don't have any of that so I sprinkled a little smoked paprika into the drink to give it a little smokey edge.

METHOD:  Add everything into a shaker filled with a handful of ice and shake till cold.  Strain into the pre rimmed glass (see below).

GARNISH:  Up to you, but we went for an eye ball and some delicious smoked, crispy bacon.

GLASS RIM: 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp black pepper
Mix the ingredients on a small plate.  Rub the glass rim with a lemon/lime wedge and dip the glass into the mix.  Fill the glass with ice and pour over your drink.

The name grenadine originated from the French word grenade which means pomegranate, with pomme meaning apple and granate derived from the Italian word for seeds.

I don't need much of an excuse to make a cocktail, but cocktails in little skull glasses, now we are taking!



I have teamed up with Crystal Head Vodka to get some scare into your glass this Halloween.  Over the next three days I will be featuring some of their fabulously creepy but ridiculously tasty cocktails, just in time for your Halloween parties.

Today we head straight in with a delicious Crystal Spirit.  Channel your inner James Bond for this one and of course, shaken not stirred if you please!

CRYSTAL SPIRIT

2oz Crystal Head Vodka
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz olive brine

Decoration: 2 fresh green olives and a cocktail stick

Place the ingredients in a cocktail shaker (or mason jar, like me, who does not yet own a cocktail shaker!) with plenty of ice.  Secure the lid and shake until everything is cold.  Strain into a glass and skewer the olives with the stick to decorate your drink.


This is a seriously drinkable cocktail and I love that it isn't sweet and over the top.  I like my cocktails  to taste grown up and this fits the bill perfectly.

Diamond Estates Launches 1914 Honour and 1914 Valour Wines Donating a Portion of Proceeds to the True Patriot Love Foundation

Niagara on the Lake, Ont. - Diamond Estates Winery is pleased to announce the release of a new series of wines, 1914 Honour and 1914 Valour. These wines recognize and celebrate the achievements of the generations who served and continue to serve in Canada’s military.

1914 Honour and 1914 Valour wines will salute the 100th anniversary of the Great War (1914 – 1918) and the 150th Anniversary of Confederation, all of which contributed to Canada achieving nationhood and recognition as an equal amongst the leading nations of the world. The wines are positioned to support the efforts of the Federal Government, various Provincial Governments, Canadian Museum Association and Royal Canadian Legion in honouring these heritage events that continue to generate awareness about Canadian history.

Diamond Estates will be donating 50¢ from every bottle of 1914 Honour and 1914 Valour sold through the LCBO and other provincial liquor boards as well as Diamond’s Winery Boutique, to the True Patriot Love Foundation. Diamond Estates goal is to raise $50,000 with this project.
For more information check out www.diamondestates.ca



1914 Honour and Valour wines are crafted at Diamond Estates Winery in Niagara on the Lake to be approachable wines that can be enjoyed at any occasion. Tom Green, V.P. Winemaking at Diamond Estates adds, “Honour is a refreshingly crisp white wine and Valour is a bold and mouth filling red. Either wine can be enjoyed on their own or with food.”

True Patriot Love Foundation

Vision: That all Canadians appreciate that the freedom we enjoy is protected by today’s military and often comes at cost to the men and women who serve us, as well as to their families.

Mission: True Patriot Love honours the sacrifices of members of the Canadian Forces, Veterans and their families in both time of peace and conflict by funding programs in mental health, physical rehabilitation, family supports and veteran transition that address the unique challenges related to the impact of service.

For more information on the True Patriot Love Foundation and how to donate please visit www.truepatriotlove.com








I was sent a free sample of the 1914 Honour and 1914 Valour wines to test for this blog post.  All views, opinions, spelling mistakes and photographs are, as always my own.