Tag: drink

The Urban Modernist Cocktail

Shawn Leave a comment

UM CocktailI’ve been listening to an online radio show from Hamilton, Ontario called Urban Modernists for the last seven years. Hosted by Greg (aka Afternoons In Stereo, who I’ve plugged many times alongside many meals) each episode is a journey into the deeply obscure and funky world of nu-jazz, funk, breaks, latin and afrobeat that has had a serious impact on both my ever-evolving musical tastes and I dare say my life in general. I’ve found a majority of my favourite artists (Shawn Lee, Jimi Tenor, Pitch ‘n Scratch, The Bamboos, The Haggis Horns, Quantic and his Combo Barbaro and soooooo many more) listening to this proto-podcast and obsessing over setlists intoned by the velvety-voiced host/DJ.

But, I’m sad to report that Greg’s days of putting needles to wax and expanding the minds of us morlocks over the airwaves and interwebs has come to an end. A couple weeks back he dropped the final episode after a decade-long run and I’ll admit to getting a little emotional. Read More

Watermelon Mint Refresher

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Watermelon Mint RefresherWatermelon, Lemon and mint are a classic combination of summer flavours. They kick it in salads, smoothies, sorbets, a legion of various desserts and cocktails… So many cocktails.

This is one such cocktail! Elevated miles above the obsessively photographed, overly-sticky mass of vodka/watermelon rabble out there on the interwebs thanks to its high quality ingredients and the careful blending (yeah it’s one of those, dust off ye olde margarita-o-matic) of flavours by my talented mixologist wife. Read More

Halloween “Severed Hand” Punch

Shawn 2 Comments

Halloween Punch 1Two Halloween memories from my formative years:

First – Walking into my elementary school dressed in a full-body black cloak, gloves, and intricately painted skull mask (seriously, it took days. Do you have any idea how many pits and cracks line the surface of a skull?) and a demon-topped walking stick that lit up when I tapped it against the ground. I stalked the halls like a boss, scattering kindergarteners and even freaking out some of the teachers. Won first place at the costume competition and the principal had to ask who I was under all that freakish awesomeness before handing me the award.

Second – Every year my mom made a Halloween treat for my class. Or wait, maybe it was just elementary school, or maybe she skipped a year or two. My memories are all messed up… For sure, she made a couple of Halloweens extra special by either baking a large, domed sponge cake with black icing and licorice sticks shaped like a spider, or serving a severed hand punch to my mostly horrified classmates.

My mom, by the way is awesome. Read More

Cucumber-Green Tea Cocktails

Shawn 4 Comments

Cuke1It’s going to be about a week until I can properly cook something again. Our kitchen is currently being torn apart and re-configured in new and exciting ways! I’ll post about that once it’s finished, but yeah… No sink, no counter space, no stove, no problem.

There are always other projects…

For instance, Crystal is madly in love with Italian sodas and had been mulling over how to flavour them in a way that avoids store-bought syrups. Pureeing fruits and herbs seemed like the simplest way to impart a fresh, honest taste, but the syrups she made didn’t last very long in the fridge. So, why not skip the sugar and just freeze ‘em as is? Read More