Decorative ice cubes

Making decorative ice cubes. A small tip to make your cocktail or any ice drinks look elegant.

These are particularly good for enlivening simple cocktails and mixed soft drinks.

1. Half –fill ice cubes trays with water and freeze until firm.


2. Dip pieces of fruit, olive, citrus rind, edible flowers or mint leaves in cold water, then place in the ice cube trays.



3. Top up the trays with water and freeze until hard.

This will give a nice eye-applying to the drinks. You also can add some food essence in the water before you place in the trays.

Gimlet

The Gimlet, another sexy-easy shaking cocktail was named after the sharp metal utensil that was used to perforate casks and sometimes doubled as a rudimentary corkscrew. The cocktail was the product of two ingredients that came together by geographical and medicinal circumstance. A plymouth gin is preferred but nay other gin can also be used.

The second constituent was Rose’s Lime cordial, a condensed and sweetened lime-juice product. First invented by a Scotsman named Lauchlin Rose in 1867, this cordial like many other beverages of the era had a pharmaceutical inspiration, in this case as prevention for Scurvy.

“GIMLET “

Ingredients------------------------------------Qty
Gin ( Plymouth if available)--------------------20 o.z
Rose’s Lime Cordial (Cordial)-------------------1 oz.
Lime slice----------------------------------------1 nos.

Methods

Shake the ingredients together with a scoop of ice cubes and strain into a chilled 5oz. martini glass. Decorate with slice of lime and served.

Method 2

Put the ice cubes into an old-fashioned glass, pour the lime cordial over the ice cubes and stir. Add the gin , stir and decorate with a slice of lime.

Margarita

Margarita, it sounds like a name of a beautiful girl from far west. May be yes! But this is a cocktail known by the best example of tequila’s mix ability.

Ingredients----------Qty
Tequila-------------2oz.
Cointreau ( Triple sec)----1oz.
Freshly squeezed lemon----1oz.

Methods
Put the tequila , lime juice and Cointreau into a cocktail shaker with the cracked ice. Shake thoroughly and strain into a cocktail glass or Margarita glass rimmed with salt, oppentional. Decorate with lime slice.

A la carte and Table d'hôte

Very often I come across many guests getting confused between “A la carte” and Table d'hôte. So, next time when you visit a restaurant, remember this …A la carte, it’s of French origin means "from the menu”. Here a menu is presented to the guest and he chooses from the menu. All items are priced separately. An example of A la carte menu is given below for your reference.

A la carte menu
Choice of Soup ----- ----- Rs.120

Chicken Tikka ----------- Rs.250/-
Mutton Roghan Josh -----Rs.450/-
Tandoori Roti -----------Rs.50/-
Ice cream of your Choices- Rs 150/-

Table d'hôte denotes ("host's table") indicates menu where multi-course meals with limited choices are charged at a fixed price. Such a menu may also be called pre fixed ("fixed price"). Because the menu is set, the cutlery on the table may also already be set for all of the courses, with the first course cutlery on the outside, working in towards the plate as the courses progress. When a Table d’hote cover has been laid, the steward should remove, after the order has been taken, any unnecessary cutlery and flatware and any extra items that may be required. Where as Table d'hôte comprises.

Table d'hôte denotes Rs. 450/-

Choice of Soup
Paneer Tikka
Mutton Roghan Josh
Tandoori Roti
Ice cream of your choices

Do you know.....?
Concept of ‘Jutha’:’Jutha’ means something that came in contact with your mouth, your saliva or your plate (while eating). It is basically something that directly or indirectly came in contact with your saliva. It is considered very rude and unhygienic to offer someone else your ‘Jutha’ unless you are very close family, couple or close friend. So, avoid doing this if you are not sure how your other Indian diners feel about it. (Unknown sources )

Food quote

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Part 7, “how to make a good cocktail in- house”.

The Classic Cocktails, know how??
“Bloody Mary”

The one of the world famous cocktail ever produced. There is much confusion and contradictory evidence as to when, where and by whom the “ Bloody Mary” was invented ! An opaque idea of it’s’ origin goes to year 1921 at Harry’s New York Bar .

Ingredients----------------------Measure
Vodka-------------------------------3oz
Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice-----½ nos.
Tabasco Sauce-----------------------1-3 dashes
Worcestershire sauce-----------------4-6 dashes
Salt and pepper------------------------To taste
Ice cubes----------------------------------3pcs.

Methods
Put all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake, then pour into a 12 oz high ball glass. Garnished with slice of lemon , sprig of mint or stick of celery .

Say cheese 3

Cheese and wine have a great deal in common, and they have been enjoyed together since time immemorial and appreciated in every season of the year. There should be enough variety to go with, 8-12 oz. of cheese per person for the event and at least 1-2 oz. serving of each different cheese per person. - Many cheeses taste better close to or at room temperature. Pull these cheeses out of the refrigerator an hour or so before serving.

Though, there are no hard and fast rules as to which wines should be served with particular cheeses, the possibilities of pairing cheese and wine are endless. There are so many wines and so many cheeses. Let’s see what the three steps rule telsl us, as follows;

1.Texture - The softer the cheese the more it coats the mouth, blocking many wine sensations... Young, mild, and milky cheeses such as fresh goat cheese with light, fruity delicate wines such as Sauvignon Blanc and Beaujolais.
2. Sweetness - Some mild cheeses taste slightly sweet and make dry wines seem acidic, tart and devoid of fruit. This happens whenever a food is perceived to be sweeter than a wine served with it.
3. Flavors - Assertive, strong-flavored cheeses such as Provolone with young, robust red wines such as and Chianti and Syrah.

Besides, the light, cream cheeses go well with full bodied whites, roses and light reds.The strong, pungent even smelly blue veined varieties cry out for big reds like Bordeaux and Burgundy (Good fill bodied local varieties can also be substituted), or tawny, vintage or vintage-style ports and even luscious sweet whites.

My readers, let’s not trouble your mind with all experts’ jargons. Appreciate the last pieces of cheese with the last drop of wine.

Food quote

"Never work before breakfast; if you have to work before breakfast, eat your breakfast first."— Josh Billings

Say cheese!!, Part 2

I believe that cheese part one edition has given you a basic idea about what are “cheese”, “buying” and “storage” tips. Now, it’s time to include cheese in your dinner-party course. Fromages (Cheese) is served as an individual course in “French classical Menu” after the main course and before dessert or after the dessert and before coffee. When the cheese board is served as a dinner-party course among many there may be just one or two different types. The more usual approach to the basic dinner-party cheese board is to include an example each of hard, blue and semi-soft cheese. Ensure that there is enough of each cheese for every guest to have a modest sample; buy more than one of a small cheese if necessary.

Few guidelines to present cheese!

Wooden or marble boards are traditional but china platters and glass or china cake stands work extremely well.
Remove cheese from the refrigerator several hours before hand and leave it in a cool room. Unwrap any pre-packed cheese and cover them loosely.
Always have separate knives for hard,soft blue and goat’s cheese.

Allow enough space on the board or base for cutting.
Do not clutter a board with grapes if it already contains several cheese; it is better to serve the fruits separately.

Accompaniments
Every food is served with their distinguished accompaniments. Crackers should be plain. Oatcakes, water biscuits and Melba toast are excellent. Do not include salted and flavoured biscuits as accompaniments.

Crusty brad with plenty of substantial, soft crumb should be offered as well as biscuits. When offering cheese as the main food for a meal or buffet, choose a good selection of breads that are light in flavour but substantial in texture.

Serve bowls of watercress or rocket (arugula) springs with the cheese. A light green salad can clear the palate.

Celery sticks and pieces of fennel.
Fresh figs, apples, pears, grapes, fresh dates and apricots go well with all cheeses. Can also include nuts in the shell or shelled.
When serving cheese as a main course , black or green olives , or sweet ripe tomatoes may be offered.
Chutney , pickles , relishes and salsas are delicious with a main-course cheese board. Sweet-sour flavours are particularly successful.
Offer an excellent oil with the cheese-walnut, hazelnut , macadamia or olive oils may be trickled on a plate as a condiment for cheese.

Food quote

"I've been on a diet for two weeks and all I've lost is two weeks." Totie Fields

Part 6, “how to make a good cocktail in- house”.

In our last edition, you have been briefed with all you need to know to commence “Bar at home”.It’s time to drive into cocktail making. Cocktails are alcoholic mixed drinks, which are usually a mix-and-match concoction of a least two different liqueurs or sprits. However, not all mixed drinks are cocktails. A cocktail usually contains one or more types of liquor and flavorings and one or more liqueurs*, fruit juices, sauces, honey, milk, cream or spices, etc. The question of who invented the original cocktail is one that is asked by a great many people , and almost as many are convinced that they know the definitive answer. The problem is , however that no two answers will ever be the same. A great many people will come up with out hesitation with the colorful story of princess “Xoctl” , the Mexican princess who, according to legend , offered a drink to American officers at her father’s court. A classic misunderstanding rooted; the soldier thought that “Xoctl” was in fact the name of the drink rather than the princess’s name. Unfortunately, this story probably owes more to vivid imagination than to the truth.

The popularity of cocktail begun after Prohibition in the United States. During Prohibition the art of mixing drinks became more and more important to mask the taste of bootlegged alcohol. The bartenders at a speakeasy would mix it with other ingredients, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. After the repeal of Prohibition, the skills developed in illegal bars became widespread and heralded the golden era of the cocktail, the 1920's. The 1920s and 1930s were the golden age of cocktail, and some of the ones that were formulated then are still drunk in the bars today.
Do you know? One of the oldest known cocktails, the Cognac-based “Sazerac”, dates from 1850s New Orleans, as many as 70 years prior to the Prohibition era.

Most ever Popular Drinks, classics!

Bloody Mary
Pina Colada
Sidecar
Mojito
Margarita
Daiquiri
White Russian
Gaipirinha
Mint Julep
Fruit Sangria
Long Island Iced Tea

Note:- Liqueur, The Liqueurs are defined as sweetened and flavored sprits. They should not be confused by liquor like rum or other sprits. The term “liqueur”, or “cordial”, refers to an alcoholic beverage produced by combining a distilled spirit with a strong flavoring agent (usually a sweetener). Liqueurs are generally between 30 and 60 proof, though there are many exceptions. They can usually be enjoyed on their own, but many are frequently mixed with other sprits and mixers to create exciting and festive beverages.