…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? I was looking for a special cocktail for Mother’s Day and found the best one from my Customs House cocktail library. My Pomegranate Spritz is an excellent holiday and Mother’s Day libation. Perfect for parties and family brunches and dinners. It’s fruity, slightly sweet, and very refreshing. A great way to spruce up Prosecco.
Pomegranate may sound like a tart fruit with strong flavors, but it really depends on the type of pomegranate you get. Fortunately, the ones I got were sweet and delicious. This is such an easy recipe to bring together and it comes out so vibrant and gorgeous. Just mix the pomegranate, vodka, and sparkling wine in a glass with ice and enjoy! Your mom will love it! Pictured: middle: Ed's Mom, Claire; right: Joan's Mom, Rita Yield: About 6-8 servings Ingredients 1 cup vodka 3/4 cup fresh orange juice 1/2 cup Pomegranate-Thyme syrup (recipe below) 1 750-ml bottle Prosecco, cava, or other dry sparkling wine, chilled Garnish with pomegranate seeds, thyme sprigs, and orange twists, for serving Directions
ChefSecret: It is so easy to make Pomegranate-Thyme Syrup:
Quip of the Day: Q. What did the baby sloth say to his mom on Mother’s Day? A. “Thanks for always hanging in there for me!” ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #PomegranateThymeSpritz #MothersDay #Mom #Vodka #Pomegranate #Thyme #Prosecco #Cheers #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024
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…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? The New York Sour is a well-known variation on a whiskey sour that floats a layer of red wine on top. It’s thought to have been invented by a bartender in the 1880’s in Chicago, earning the name The Continental Sour. It was later picked up and made popular by a bartender in New York City, hence its modern name. The first print mention of the drink with the name “New York Sour” was in the 1934 book, Mr. Boston’s Bartender Guide. The whiskey sour is a classic cocktail that’s on the list of International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails. Add a layer of wine and you’ve got this classic red wine cocktail! Though it looks showy, the New York Sour is actually very easy to make! You just need to know a little trick about making that beautiful red wine layer Ingredients Ice 2 ounces bourbon whiskey 1 ounce lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best) 3/4 to 1 ounce simple syrup or real maple syrup 1 ounce red wine (use a dry red wine like Malbec, Pinot Noir, Grenache or Rioja Tempranillo) 1 large egg white (optional) (The classic whiskey sour is sometimes served with an egg white foam topping. We usually leave it off our New York Sour, but it can add another beautiful layer and creamy body to the drink.) 1 lemon sliced peel for garnish Directions
ChefSecret: You can also add a classic egg white foam to the New York Sour. Add the bourbon, lemon juice, syrup and egg white to a cocktail shaker and shake without ice for 15 seconds. Then add ice and shake again until very cold. Proceed to Step 2. The sweetener for a whiskey sour is traditionally simple syrup. But you can also use maple syrup in this New York Sour! Here’s why we love the maple variation: Maple syrup gives a nuanced sweetness. Simple syrup gives a drink a straightforward, piercing sweetness. In contrast, the sweetness with maple is more nuanced and adds complexity to the drink. It doesn’t taste like maple; it simply adds sweetness. Or try a Gold Rush! It’s like a whiskey sour but uses honey syrup instead of simple syrup as the sweetener. You can make a New York Sour with either rye or bourbon whiskey! I generally prefer the sweeter flavor of bourbon in cocktails to the spicy flavor of rye. In my classic whiskey sour, I typically use bourbon when I serve it (also called a Boston Sour). You can also make a whiskey sour with Irish whiskey (the Irish Sour) or Scotch (the Buchanan Sour). Quip of the Day: A Priest working in a remote parish in Greenland gets his yearly visit from his Bishop. The Bishop asks him, "How are you managing with the loneliness?" The Priest responds, " If it wasn't for my Rosary and my whiskey, I couldn't make it. Would you like a shot of whiskey?" The Bishop nods his head yes. The Priest yells out, "Hey Rosary, bring us two shots of whisky " ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #NewYorkSourCocktail #Bourbon #IBACocktails #MrBoston #Rye #IrishWhiskey #Cheers #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour BarHow you doin”? The Harvey Wallbanger Cocktail was a nice, simple way to dress up the basic screwdriver, a classic entry-level cocktail. This became a house special drink at my waterfront Customs House Restaurant in Foster City, California. If you want to make it at home, you do need to purchase a tall bottle of Galliano, but once it's on the liquor shelf, you'll have enough Galliano for 50 or so Harvey Wallbangers, so you'll be in good shape. "As with many cocktails, there are a couple of claims to the creation of the Harvey Wallbanger. One is that it may have been created as an "all I got left in the bar" drink. Supposedly, the host of a party in the mid-60s had only vodka, orange juice, and Galliano available. After a couple of these drinks, a guest named Harvey was found to be banging his head against the wall and cursing the drink that caused him so much misery. That's a fun story, but it's not all that believable. The accepted truth attributes the Harvey Wallbanger's creation to Donato "Duke" Antone who owned Duke's Blackwatch Bar in Hollywood. It was at this Sunset Boulevard joint in 1952 that Antone created the cocktail. He named it after a local surfer and bar regular named Tom Harvey. That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? It was not until the late 1960s that a marketing director for the company importing Galliano "discovered" the drink. He created a surfer-themed ad campaign with the tagline "Harvey Wallbanger is the name, and I can be made!" By the time the disco era began, the drink was on everyone's lips. The 70s may have been the cocktail's glory days, but little gems like the Harvey Wallbanger are still around and are unforgettable. You can make a few adjustments to the recipe and pour more vodka or less orange juice if you like, though there's a balance to the recipe as written. Ingredients 1-1/2 ounces vodka 4 ounces orange juice (freshly squeezed is best) 1/2 ounce Galliano L'Autentico Liqueur (the one and only / there is no substitute) 1 orange wheel, for garnish 1 Maraschino cherry, for garnish Directions
ChefSecret: Do a switch-a-roo by using tequila instead of vodka and, you'll have a Freddie Fuddpucker. Quip of the Day: Harvey's grandfather clock suddenly stops working right one day. He loads it into his van and takes it to a clock repair shop. In the shop is a little old man who insists he is Swiss but has a heavy German accent. He asks Harvey, "Vat sims to be ze problem?" Harvey says, "I'm not sure, but it doesn't go 'tick-tock-tick-tock' anymore. Now it just goes 'tick...tick...tick.'" The old man says, "Mmm-Hm!" and steps behind the counter, where he rummages around a bit. He emerges with a huge flashlight and walks over to the grandfather clock. He turns the flashlight on and shines it directly into the clock’s face. Then he says in a menacing voice, "Ve haf vays of making you tock!" ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #HarveyWallbanger #Vodka #Galliano #OJ #DukeAntone #Cheers #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar How you doin’? I first learned how to fly when I was 16 years old and soloed a year later. I met a guy at Santa Monica Airport who saw me one afternoon dreaming at the planes. He asked if I wanted to go for a test flight. He took me and I fell in love. If my mother ever found out about it, she would have killed both of us. Flying a plane can be something special—hours and hours of tedious boredom, punctuated by moments of sheer terror. Chuck, my father-in-law and I bought an old World War I Jenny—a P-47D Thunderbolt made by Aircorps Aviation for $565. It was in pretty bad condition, and we lovingly built it back to flight condition. By today standards it was pretty crazy being made out of just balsa wood and dopped duck cloth. I had an altimeter, a compass and a gas gauge bubble. Wearing our leather coats and hats, we loved pulling signs and flying over the Queen Mary dropping water balloons on the ship below—just like the Red Barron. Chuck was a hero! He flew over 30 combat missions over Germany in a Consolidated B-24 Liberator during the big one—WWII. At that time, you only had to fly 23 missions before being sent back to the US to train new pilots. He never lost a member of his brave, well-decorated crew. What a plane! What a great guy! When we got back to mother earth we celebrated with my retro party drink, pretty-in-pink Aviator Cocktail—just for fun. This easy gin-based drink is one to get the party started, celebrating our successful bombing runs. My easy Aviator Cocktail is ready in just 5 minutes. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 2 cocktails Ingredients 3-1/2 ounces gin 1-1/2 ounces lemon juice 1-1/2 ounces maraschino liqueur 3/4 ounces crème de violette Blueberries and lemon zest, to garnish Directions
ChefSecret: Crème de Violette is a floral liqueur first created in the 19th century by steeping violet petals in brandy and adding sugar. The coloring and flavoring are often natural but also can be artificial. That depends on the brand, as there is no legal requirement. Quip of the Day: Q. Why did the pilot go to the psychologist? A. He needed help dealing with his emotional baggage. ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #AviatorsCocktail #Gin #LemonJuice #MaraschinoLiqueur #CremeDeViolette #Cheers #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? I’m not doing all that well today. I need a drink! I hate April 15th—Income Tax Day—when all becomes due. At least I don’t need to pay California Income taxes anymore. Sometimes, in order to create a new cocktail, all you need to do is to add bitters to an old cocktail. Seems like that’s in order today… and April 15th is the bitterest day of the year. The Income Tax Cocktail is a Bronx with bitters. But that's okay… the bitters add such depth of flavor with the Hendricks that the cocktail earns a new moniker. The origins of this drink are obscure; it dates to no later than the 1920s, but otherwise, no one seems to know where or when it came from, or how it was invented or named. Nevertheless, it's a tasty drink for a “bitter” day. It's worth it for this drink to buy and squeeze an actual fresh orange. The flavor's so much better than the stuff from a carton or jug. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 1-1/2 ounces gin (I prefer Hendricks gin) 3/4 ounce dry vermouth 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice from 1 orange 3 dashes Angostura bitters Thin orange wheel for garnish Directions
ChefSecret: Hendricks is my favorite gin. I love it’s unique and distinctive flavor. Hendrick's Gin is produced by William Grant & Sons at the Girvan distillery, Scotland and launched in 1999—a fairly new product. The brand was created by spirits marketer Steven Grasse, while the gin itself was conceived by Lesley Gracie, a Yorkshire native, who was hired by William Grant & Sons to work in new liquid development for some of their products. A decade later she was tasked with creating a new super-premium gin. Quip of the Day: I tried to pay my taxes to the IRS with a smile. Turns out those greedy bastards prefer cash. Do you have a question or comment? Send your favorite recipes, pictures or thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. Recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #IncomeTaxCocktail #Gin #Vermouth #Hendrics #Cheers #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 |
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