The Love of Antipasti

Michelangelo’s, “The Creation of Adam”, inside the Sistine Chapel.

Next on our list of famous sights to see in Rome, was the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. We followed the masses of tourists who were also heading toward the Vatican and once we were there it was truly amazing. The Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is probably the only thing we’ve seen that compares to the sight of the Vatican City. As we made our way inside the chapel, we decided to tackle the 551 steps to the top of the dome which over looks the square and Rome. When we reached the top, the sight was everything that we had hoped for. A 360 degree view over all of Rome. After taking many photos, we made our way back down and took a short walk around the Vatican City to the Sistine Chapel. We were excited about seeing the famous paintings by Michelangelo, and by far the most famous, “The Creation of Adam”. As we made our way through to the Sistine Chapel we were amazed at the size and volume of all the paintings, every inch of the chapel was painted to depict many famous moments in time. As we made our way through the crowd, we got to the centre of the chapel and looked straight up, and there, in the centre of the ceiling was the painting we’d all come to see. So after a busy afternoon, it was that time again, time to eat and have a cocktail. After having lots of pizza and pasta on our first day, we were keen to explore some other Italian food, particularly antipasti.

Aside from the amazing pizza and pasta that there is to eat in Italy, it’s important not to forget about the other classic Italian dish, Antipasti. Usually before any meal, it’s normal to order a selection of cold meats, olives and cheese. When Cara and I went out to eat, we were sometimes served these dishes without even ordering them, free of charge. Prosciutto is by far the most popular of the cold meats featured on a standard antipasti dish. Prosciutto is the ham of either a pig or wild boar. It usually comes from the thigh or the hind leg of the animal. The meat is finely cut, cleaned and well salted, then left to age for a time ranging from 9 months to 2 years. The result is a delicious, soft, salty and chewy meat which falls apart and melts in your mouth.  Along with the cold meats, often come a selection of olives, cheeses and lots of bread. Every meal we ate we nearly lost our appetites due to the amount of antipasti dishes served before the main meal.  After our busy day, I was keen for a nice refreshing beer to go with our antipasti. I decided to order one of the beer cocktails that were on offer. The “Peach Lager” was a beer cocktail which consisted of fresh peach puree, peach schnapps and cointreau and topped up with Peroni. Peroni lager is by far the most popular beer in Italy. This beer concoction was sweet and refreshing. The puree made the drink quite heavy in texture, but it was still a definite thirst quencher after another long day exploring Rome.

“Peach Lager Beer Cocktail”
In a pint glass:
30ml Peach Schnapps
15ml Cointreau
45ml Peach puree
Topped with Lager

The Japan Experience

All I can say at the moment is WOW!!!.... We could not have asked for a better start to our adventure than in Japan. For simple Adelaide folk, like me and Cara, we could not have had a bigger culture shock. Our travels take us to the city of Osaka. The main thing you notice when walking the streets of Osaka, is the people there love to eat. It seems like every place we pass, they were offering some kind of food. Being a foreigner you can't help but try everything. So far I've had things like pork tongue, fish eggs, fried octopus balls, chicken heart, plenty of sushi and there is sure to be much more. But the traditional meal of Osaka is Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is like a big pancake but filled with cabbage, shrimp, pork and almost anything else you can think of. It's smothered in BBQ sauce and topped off with shaved fish. Sounds interesting but we both loved it. We are always keen to get into the spirit of Japan and try all the exciting things they have to offer.

While we explore the city and eat the food, we need to wash it all down with some Japanese beers. Asahi is the local beer of Japan, but i also had the pleasure of trying Yebisu Beer, Kirin, Sapporo and the Suntory range of beers. All of these beers were nice and refreshing and definitely quenched the thirst, but i must admit they all possessed similar qualities. We are lucky in Australia to have such a wide variety of local and boutique beers. Most of the popular beers I've tried before but the Yebisu Beer was a new one for me, it was little different, not so much in flavour, but more in it's texture. It had a soft creamy head, similar to a Kilkenny. One beer that did take my fancy was one from the Sapporo range. It was a chocolate flavoured beer. I've heard of stout and chocolate working well together, but that is more when making a beer cocktail. This was a can of beer infused with Creme de Cacao. It was really nice but certainly the type of beer you couldn't drink for an entire night. Very sweet and a little heavy, like an ale. Definitely worth trying though.

Of course everyplace that we go we have to check out the local cocktail bars. My parents had done some research before our arrival and told us about a great little cocktail bar called "Absinthe Solaar" (I liked the name straight away). One thing I must add about Japan, is the service is exceptional and the people are so welcoming to foreigners. So when we arrived at 'Absinthe Solaar" we were welcomed with a smile and were seated in a prime position at the bar. After looking at the cocktail menu for several minutes, Cara was the most adventurous an ordered a tropical absinthe margarita.  This blended cocktail consisted of 30ml tequila, 30ml cointreau, a dash of absinthe, fresh mango, orange juice, pineapple juice and a dash of sugar syrup. Add ice to the blender and blend until smooth. Another dash of absinthe was washed around the glass before serving. When we took a sip of this, it was just the right combination of tequila and absinthe. The hint of absinthe was not to over powering but just enough to know that it's there.

So it's been a busy first few days in Japan, and we have not even begun to scratch the surface yet. There is still so much more to discover.

Absinthe's Solaar's
"Tropical Absinthe Margarita"
In a Blender add:
30ml Tequila
30ml Cointreau
Dash of Absinthe
Fresh Mango
Dash of Orange Juice
Dash of Pineapple Juice
Dash of Sugar Syrup
Add ice and Blend.
Rinse your glass with another dash of Absinthe
Serve and garnish with a sprig of mint

The Classic Sidecar

Aside from being a big lover of rum, i also don't mind a nice cognac or brandy from time to time. I've featured many rum cocktails so far so it's about time i picked out one of my favourite cognac cocktails, The Sidecar.

The Sidecar was invented towards the end of World War I.  It was said to be invented in either London or Paris. No one knows or has any proof but both cities claim to be the Sidecars original home. The Ritz Hotel in Paris claim to have been featuring the drink on their cocktail menu since 1922. Another bar in Paris called Harry's New York Bar say they served this drink to a captain who spent the war being driven around in the sidecar of a motorcycle, hence the name. Then there is 'The Bucks Club' in London who say that popular bartender Pat MacGarry came up with this drink around the same time and it was published in cocktail books not long after.  So many theories and stories. I always enjoy reading the different myths about these classic drinks.

The drink is as follows... 45ml Cognac, 15ml Cointreau and a squeeze of lemon juice. Stir together over ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled martini glass. That's it!!! Like all great classics, simple is always the best.  In the early 1930's the idea of serving the sidecar with a sugar rim became popular. Over time many variations have been inspired by the traditional Sidecar:
Rum Sidecar = replacing the cognac with dark rum
Boston Sidecar = adding gold or dark rum along with the cognac
Tuaca Sidecar = replacing the cognac with Tuaca (Tuaca is an Italian brandy based liqueur, which contains the essence of orange and vanilla)
... you get the idea,

I personally am not a fan of to much lemon juice. So in a "Dave Sidecar" i replace the lemon juice with lime juice and a dash of orange juice. This gives the drink a sweeter and tropical finish, and therefore it makes it easier to drink for those people who don't like tons of straight spirits.  Another tip for a "Dave Sidecar" is garnish with a Cinnamon stick, it just gives the drink a little spice and a little more explosion of flavour while you drink.

When making your Sidecar, the main decision you need to make is what type of cognac to use, there are many types going around. but before that it's important to understand 'what is cognac?' and what is brandy?'.  Simply... Cognac and brandy are much the same, however cognac can only be called cognac if it is produced in the town of Cognac in France. Much like real champagne can only be produced in France. So when making my Sidecar's, I personally like to use Remy Martin Cognac's. Remy Martin have been cognac and champagne specialists since 1724, so you know that their quality of spirit is of a high standard. There are up to 13 different types in the Remy Martin range, so depending on your budget will depend on which one you choose to use in your Sidecar. A bottle of the famous Remy Martin Louis XIII will set you back something around $2,500 (750ml bottle). But you don't need to spend an arm or a leg to make yourself a great Sidecar. Using the basic Remy Martin range will still give you a great result.

This cocktail certainly conveys great style and class, but it also will give you an amazing drinking experience. The flavours of the cognac are worth appreciating. Hope you have as much fun making and drinking the Sidecar as i did. Enjoy!

Traditional Sidecar:
In a Shaker:
45ml Cognac (or brandy)
15ml Cointreau
Squeeze of lemon juice
stir over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass

Dave's Sidecar:
In a Shaker:
45ml Remy Martin Cognac
15ml Cointreau
15ml Lime Juice
30ml Orange Juice
Stir over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass
Garnish with a cinnamon stick

The Sangria

If you asked me to name one cocktail or drink that sums up creativity, fun, socialising with friends and partying, I'd have to say that not many would rival the sangria. The great thing about this drink is that there is no official recipe for it. It's completely up to you. Every bartender who i know who makes this drink has there own slight twist, and there is nothing wrong with any of them. The other great thing is, you don't need to be a master 'mixologist' or a cocktail guru to know how to put one  of these together. Any combination of red wine (or white wine for a sangria blanco), juices and fresh fruit does the job and it's always a hit at parties or when your out with a big group of people.

The Sangria was first invented in Spain. The word sangria is actually the Spanish word for bleeding, which refers to the look of the red wine which is used in a traditional sangria recipe. It is always served in big pitchers or jugs like a punch. The people of Spain and later Portugal, have been drinking this cocktail for hundreds of years. Some say as far back as the 1700s. There is no proof of this though. However, the story goes, back in the 1700's, the water in Spain was to dirty and not safe to drink. Water back then was only used for bathing and washing their horses. People's alternative was to drink milk, but milk was seen as being a babies drink. So the other safe alternative was wine. So to make the wine less alcoholic and therefore suitable for children, people added freshly squeezed juices and fruits, and the very first sangria's were born. In modern times, spirits have been added to the recipe to give the cocktail more kick.  This party drink exploded on to the world stage at the 1964 worlds fair in New York.

As mentioned earlier, everyone makes sangria different. I suppose there is no right or wrong way of serving it. I personally like to make it as tropical as possible. Start with chopped oranges, some strawberries and some pineapple pieces. I like to also add mango puree' and passion fruit pulp, but this is not essential. One ingredient that i do recommend you use is cinnamon. By throwing in a  couple of cinnamon sticks with your mixture, it can give the drink a nice little spice as you sip on your sangria. It also works well with the flavours of the red wine. Now add 15ml white rum, 15ml dark rum, 15ml brandy and 15ml Cointreau (or any type of triple sec). Next, add about 90ml of any type of red wine and top it up with orange juice, pineapple juice and apple juice. If you want, you can also add a little bit of soda water or lemonade.

As I'm sure you've gathered, the sangria is a drink with hundreds of different variations. So it's important when making your sangria that you put you own little personal touch on your drink.  I hope I've given you some ideas. Have fun!!!

In a Jug or Pitcher Add:
Chopped Oranges, Pineapples and strawberries
Dash of Mango puree and Passion fruit pulp (Optional)
2 - 3 Cinnamon Sticks
15ml White Rum
15ml Dark Rum
15ml Cointreau
15ml Brandy
90ml Red Wine
Top up with Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice and Apple Juice
(Soda Water or Lemonade Optional)

Two 'Tiki' Classics: The Mai Tai & The Zombie

I love my rum, and in particular, rum based cocktails. The Daiquiri, Mojito and rum Old Fashioned are some of my all time favourites.  But as all rum drinkers will tell you, you can't go past 2 of arguably the most famous 'Tiki' cocktails of all time, the Mai Tai and the Zombie.

For those who don't know what i mean when i say 'tiki', I'm referring to a style of bar which became huge in the US during the 1930s. Tiki bars were themed bars which were based around a tropical style. These bars usually contained palm trees, torches and were commonly located near beaches. The very first tiki bar was opened in Los Angeles in 1933 named, Don the Beachcomber. It's owner was a man who today is known as the 'father of tiki', Donn Beach (a.k.a Ernestt Gantt, who changed his name to Donn Beach in 1937). Tiki bars were also famous for tiki cocktails, which were rum based, tropical and fruity cocktails which were often served in things like coconut shells. Tiki bars were huge mainly throughout America, but also all over the world for the next 30 years, but then fell out of style. However the tiki theme has been revived in the last 15 years with popular tiki cocktails finding there way back on to drinks menus.

As the success of Donn Beach's bars grew, so did the number of other bar owners trying to take the reigns as one of the top bars in America. One of Beach's main rivals was bar owner, Victor J Bergeron. Bergeron was the founder of the bar and restaurant chain, Trader Vic's (which started in Oakland, California). Bergeron claimed to create the first Mai Tai at his bar in 1944, however Donn Beach claims to have invented the first Mai Tai at his establishment in 1934. There is no proof who was first, but Beach's version of the cocktail is a little different to Bergeron's.  As I'm writing this blog, i decided to google the Mai Tai just to see how many different variations there are, and without searching around for to long, i came across at least 20 different ways of serving this drink and I'm sure there are more out there. So I'll go over the way i personally like to serve my Mai Tai's.
Start with a shaker an add 15ml white rum (Bacardi superior is usually my white rum of choice), 15ml Amaretto (almond liqueur), 15ml Cointreau, 15ml dark rum (again, Bacardi 8yo is my dark rum) the juice of half a lime and a dash of sugar syrup and about 30ml - 45ml of pineapple juice. Add ice and shake. Now... you don't need to shake your Mai Tai's, you can quite easily build them over ice. However, shaking this mixture with the pineapple juice gives the cocktail a nice creamy foam when you pour it into your glass. Once your done shaking, simple pour it into your glass. One of the rules with tiki cocktails is that you need to garnish your drinks with as much fruit and decoration as you can, so go nuts with you garnish, don't hold back!

Donn Beach may have 'claimed' to create the Mai Tai in 1934, but we know he definitely did create the Zombie. The Zombie is very similar to the Mai Tai. This cocktail contains white rum, gold rum, dark rum, apricot brandy, pineapple juice and papaya juice (or orange juice if papaya is hard to source). Donn Beach created this drink in 1939 and launched and served it at the New York world fair. Since then, many variations have also been created for the Zombie. When serving a zombie i prefer to build the cocktail in a tall glass. Start with 15ml Bacardi Superior, 15ml Bacardi gold, 15ml Bacardi 8yo and 15ml apricot brandy. I find a dash of mango puree' and passion fruit pulp works great with this drink too. Next, add ice and top up with pineapple juice and orange juice. Give it a bit of a stir then finally pour a dash of grenadine down the centre of the drink and watch it sink to the bottom.  Like the Mai Tai, don't hold back on you garnishes.

These are top drinks to serve up at parties. Especially poolside in the summer. Very tropical and are designed to be lots of fun. If your a rum drinker like i am, you'll have a lot of fun making your own versions of the Mai Tai and the Zombie. Enjoy!!!

The Mai Tai:
In a shaker,
15ml White Rum
15ml Dark Rum
15ml Cointreau
15ml Amaretto
Dash of Lime Juice
Dash of Sugar Syrup
30ml - 45ml Pineapple Juice
Add Ice
Shake and Pour into glass

The Zombie:
In a Tall glass,
15ml Bacardi Superior
15ml Bacardi Gold
15ml Bacardi 8yo
15ml Apricot Brandy
Dash of Mango Puree
Dash of Passion fruit Pulp
Add ice and stir together
Top up with Pineapple juice and Orange Juice
Sink a dash of Grenadine

The Long Island Iced Tea

I personally am not a big fan of the Long island iced tea. I believe that it's a cocktail that people have with the aim to get drunk. People don't order this drink to appreciate the fine qualities of the spirits used in this drink, they order it to get "smashed". Despite my own personal dislike for this cocktail, it's hard to turn my back on it. It is one of the most frequently ordered cocktails in the world. It has played a massive role in bar culture today. So it would be wrong of me to not feature it in one of my blog postings.

The long island iced tea is a simple built cocktail which consists of 15ml vodka, gin, white rum, tequila and cointreau (or triple sec), a dash of lemon juice, served over ice and topped up with coke.  As i mentioned earlier, even though i'm not a big lover of this classic cocktail, as a bartender, I feel it is important to appreciate it's origins. The first long island iced tea was said to be served by Robert Butts in the mid 1970s. Butts was a bartender who worked at the Oak Beach Inn in the town of Babylon, Long Island, New York. He came up with the idea of mixing 5 different white spirits with coke. The cocktail had instant success and the not long after the variations began such as, a Tokyo iced tea made with Midori in place of the vodka, or a Cuban iced tea, made with dark rum, as well as white rum.

To make this cocktail, it is extremely simple. Get yourself a tall glass, and pour 15ml vodka, gin, tequila, white rum and cointreau and lemon juice. Lastly add ice and top with coke. And thats it!

Have fun with this drink and have a go at creating your own "Iced tea" variation.

In a Tall Glass:
15ml Vodka
15ml Gin
15ml Tequila
15ml Cointreau
15ml White Rum
15ml Lemon Juice
Add Ice and top up with Coke

Get "Carried" Away... The Cosmopolitan

I've just received an email from my Mum telling me that she had the pleasure of drinking  a Cosmopolitan in Thailand for only $3.50, and it got me thinking about this cocktail. It's now considered as a classic. You can order it so easily, anywhere in the world. In my previous posts I've talked about the historical significances of cocktails which were created hundreds of years ago and how they have stood the test of time and are still served the same way today. In the history of cocktails, the cosmopolitan is a baby, a rookie, but I can't think of a cocktail that is more popular in modern times than the "Cosmo". This drink has reached such a status, by where, you don't even need to feature this drink on your cocktail menu, the ladies will still order it time and time again.  So why is this drink so well known?  How come it is ordered by hundreds of women all over the world every single day?  The answer is simple.... 4 words... "Sex and the City". Not since James Bond ordering a martini "Shaken not stirred" has another TV show or movie had such an influence over the popularity of 1 drink. But the Cosmopolitan had been around for decades before "Sex and the city" ever went to air. So how did it come about?

 Like most cocktails, there are many different stories but the one that I've heard most often is that the "Cosmo" was created some time in the 1970s in San Francisco. It was considered an icon amongst the gay community at the time. A bar owner in San Francisco called John Caine was said to be the inventor. Although there is no proof that Caine was the creator of the cosmopolitan, he is said to be the first owner to feature the cocktail on his menu's. Due to the enormous popularity of the "Cosmo" in San Francisco, the word spread throughout America and in particular New york city in the early 1990s.  The drink kept on gaining popularity and was featured in almost every New York Bar. It exploded on to the world stage in 1998, when the hit TV show "Sex and the City" hit screens. I don't even think Carrie Bradshaw and her friends would know how much influence that they were about to have on the bar industry.  Just like the TV show, the cosmopolitan became a world wide sensation. Sometimes no matter how many fancy cocktails you may present to a group of ladies, they always come back to the modern classic, "The Cosmopolitan"

OK... I've gone over It's origins, now lets make one.  This drink is so simple, start with a cocktail shaker. Add 30ml of lime juice, 30ml of Cointreau (or triple sec), 30ml of Vodka (If you can get your hands on a citrus flavoured vodka, even better) and lastly top up with 30ml of Cranberry juice (Add more juice if you don't want it too strong) and that's it! Add ice to your shaker and shake well. Strain this mixture into a chilled martini glass and you got yourself a "Cosmo". It should turn out glowing pink.

As you can see, this drink only has 4 ingredients, all equal parts. If your having a bunch of girls over for a drink, i suggest make a cosmopolitan punch. Just make the same mixture but in bulk. It's sure to be a crowd pleaser. So get "Carried" away with the Cosmopolitan. Have Fun!

In a shaker:
30ml Vodka
30ml Cointreau
30ml Lime Juice
30ml Cranberry juice
Add ice and shake
Strain into a Martini glass

The Margarita: Tequila is so misunderstood

Tequila glorious tequila!!!  This Mexican icon is sometimes so misunderstood.  People all the time tell me how disgusting they think it is, yet they still get peer pressured into licking some salt, taking a shot then sucking on some lemon. I think almost everyone out there has a tragic tequila story.  No doubt there is some cheap shonky tequila out there, which i would not wish upon anyone, but there also some a lot of great ones, which are used in many amazing cocktails. The greatest tequila cocktail of them all, the margarita.

Now i know what your going to ask, "What makes a great tequila?", "Which tequila's are good and which are bad?. To be honest, that's completely up to you. You're the best judge. I have my personal favourites (Patron, Herradura, 1800) but everyones taste buds are different.  The argument of which tequila should be used in a margarita could go on for hours,  but for this exercise, I'm going for the 1800 Anejo. Anejo refers to how long the tequila has been aged for. Anejo means the tequila has been aged for over 12 months. Which i think works well in a margarita. It's give the drink a nice smokey flavour. You can also get 'extra anejo', which is tequila that is aged longer than 3 years. You may also hear the terms "blanco" and "reposado" which means aged less than 2 months for blanco, and between 2 - 12 months for reposado.

Getting back to the margarita... There are so many different stories on how this cocktail came about. We know that it was some time during the 1930s. One tale about the margarita is that it was invented by bartender, Pancho Morales at Tommy's Bar in Juarez, Mexico. A customer asked Pancho for a "Magnolia". He couldn't remember the ingredients for a magnolia except cointreau. So he improvised by adding tequila and lime juice along with the cointreau.

So in a shaker, we begin with 45ml 1800 anejo tequila. Followed by 15ml of Cointreau and lastly 30ml of lime juice. Add ice and shake. There are 2 common ways of serving. Strained into an margarita glass (which is similar to a martini glass) or serve over ice in a short glass. How ever you decide to serve the margarita, before you do, it's tradition to serve it with a salted rim around the glass. Salt is often associated with tequila because it is said to mask the bitterness of the tequila. I believe that the salt can sometimes enhance the drink. It brings together the 3 ingredients nicely. Now days the salt rim is optional. Pour or strain the contents of your shaker in to your glass and enjoy.

Tequila is not as bad as many people make out, and a great margarita can prove that. Have fun!!!

In a shaker:
45ml Tequila
15ml Cointreau
30ml Lime juice
Add ice and shake,
rim glass with salt and strain contents of your shaker.

The Japanese Slipper

This modern classic cocktail is one of my personal favourites.  It was invented by Melbourne bartender Jean-Paul Bourguignon at Mietta's Restaurant in 1984.

What makes this drink so good is it's simplicity. Only 3 ingredients working in perfect harmony with each other. Firstly, 30ml of Midori, a melon flavoured liqueur which exploded onto the world stage in 1978 at the worlds most famous nightclub, Studio 54. Although it was produced in Japan, it only was launched in japan in 1984.  Along with Midori, add 30ml of Cointreau (or Triple sec). The story of Cointreau is quite amazing. In 1849, the Cointreau family, started by Adolphe and Edouard Cointreau, who were master confectioners, established a distillery in Angers (France). There they made spirits using fruits from the local area. Their most successful spirit created, was an orange flavoured liqueur, made from orange peels. This recipe was handed down through the generations in the Cointreau family to become their signature product, still sold in the square shaped bottle as it is today.

So after a short history lesson, let's get back to the "Japanese Slipper".  We'll bring these 2 liqueurs together with 30ml of lemon juice. Add ice to our shaker, shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Now I suppose you can garnish this cocktail with anything, but only a true Japanese slipper will be garnished with a maraschino cherry, dropped in, so it sinks to the bottom of the glass.

This is such a refreshing summer cocktail. You are basically drinking straight spirits (aside from the 30ml of lemon juice), but you wouldn't know it.  One is never enough.... for me anyway. Enjoy!!!

In a shaker:
30ml Midori
30ml Cointreau
30ml Lemon Juice
Add ice, shake and strain into a martini glass
Garnish with a maraschino cherry