Drinks - Retro Food For Modern Times

15
Jan
2025

History Happy Hour: Happy Days

categories: Cocktail, History Happy Hour, TV, Vodka

Good Bye grey skies, hello blue…

Today history lovers, we are celebrating the first airing of the TV show Happy Days, on 15 January 1974, with a lovely cocktail, called appropriately enough, Happy Days.

But before we get to that, just a little explanation. I originally shared this post way back in 2016. However, due to some gremlins in the machine, it ended up back in my drafts file. Over the Christmas break, I started working on an index page for this blog. In doing so, I was horrified to see how much content I had that was unavailable.

Oh, and the index is coming. It is much harder to do than I thought it would be!

One of my aims for 2025 is to bring this content back. So, apologies if this looks and feels familiar (and equally, congrats on your amazing memory!) For everyone else, I thought the 51st anniversary of the first airing of Happy Days would be a great time to bring back this post!

Happy Days – The Show

Happy Days” centers around Richie Cunningham, portrayed by Ron Howard. The sitcom follows the Cunningham family, their upstairs tenant Arthur Fonzarelli (aka The Fonz) – the coolest guy in town – and Richie’s less-cool friends, Ralph Malph and Potsie. The series ran for a decade, concluding in September 1984.

During my childhood, “Happy Days” was a constant presence. As one of my favourite after-school shows, it seemed to be on television endlessly. Set in the 1950s and 1960s, “Happy Days,” along with “Gilligan’s Island,” likely contributed to my enduring fondness for the fashion of those eras. Moreover, the series launched the careers of many actors, including Ron Howard and Henry Winkler, propelling them to stardom.

Happy Days – The Cocktail

The Happy Days Cocktail is a mix of equal parts peach schnapps, vodka, grapefruit juice and pineapple juice. And it’s delicious!!! The grapefruit juice makes it by bringing an almost florally citrus scent and taste. Its bitterness also helps to tamp down the sweetness of the peach and pineapple to stop the Happy Days from being too cloying.

It also smells amazing! Like a summer fruit basket!!!

This is so good! I garnished it with some pineapple and a maraschino cherry – because how could you not be happy with one of them in your drink! I also added a little twist of the grapefruit rind just to ramp up the citrussy bitterness a tad.

And the verdict:

Fonzie

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Happy Days

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A refreshing not too sweet cocktail with some lovely fruity flavours

Author: http://www.cocktailmaking.co.uk

Ingredients

Scale

1 oz vodka
1 oz peach schnapps
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz grapefruit juice
Ice
Pineapple wedge, maraschino cherry, grapefruit rind twist to garnish (all optional)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Chill a cocktail glass.
Stir the vodka, peach schnapps and juices over ice.
Add some ice cubes to the chilled cocktail glass.
Strain the liquid into the glass.
Garnish with the cherry and pineapple, twist a piece of the grapefruit rind over the glass to release some of the essential oils and serve immediately

Have a week full of happy days!

05
Jan
2025

January 2005 – Beachside Dinner

categories: 20 Years Ago Today, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Blueberries, Calamari, Cocktail, Fish, Salad, Seafood, Sorbet, Squid, Summer

Happy New Year, time travellers! Welcome to January 2025 and January 2005! Today we will enjoy a quintessential Australian beachside dinner. Unlike many parts of the globe, the start of the year here is hot, making dining on or near the beach a beloved tradition. Also very Australian is to magpie food and flavours from other cultures so today our “Aussie” meal has roots in the tropics, China, Mexico and Italy!.

I was particularly excited for this month, as seafood and ice cream are among my favourite treats. We’ll soon see how my culinary hopes fared. Today’s menu is inspired by the January 2005 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.

But first, let’s ease ourselves into 2005, not with Pop Culture as per our norm but a look at the news events that defined the year:

YouTube’s first video: “Me at the zoo” was the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube. Can you believe YouTube is only 20 years old? I feel like I’ve been watching it all my life!

Hurricane Katrina: A devastating tropical cyclone that killed 1,392 people and caused $125 billion in damages, particularly in New Orleans
London bombings: 52 people were killed and about 700 were wounded in a terrorist attack on the London Underground
Angela Merkel’s election: Angela Merkel became the first woman chancellor of Germany
Kyoto Protocol: The Kyoto Protocol, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, began to take effect
Same-sex marriage legalization: Spain and Canada legalized same-sex marriage

So a mixed bag news wise! Let’s see if the menu was also a blend of good and bad!

The Menu

Blue Hawaiian

I’ve always harboured a certain prejudice against blue drinks. They somehow screamed “college party” to me, a garish, overly sweet concoction best left to the youthful and the reckless. And creamy cocktails? Don’t even get me started. I’ve always considered them rather…gloopy.

But the Blue Hawaiian was an entirely different beast. The colour, was a glorious, cerulean blue, like a summer sky. But the flavour! It was a symphony of the tropics, a vibrant burst of sunshine in a glass. Honestly, I can’t imagine a more perfect aperitif for a beachside dinner. The mere thought of it now transports me – I can almost taste the salt spray on my lips, hear the gentle rustle of palm fronds overhead… pure joy!

Salt and Pepper Squid

Salt and Pepper Squid is a firm favourite of mine when dining out. But I had never tried to cook it at home before. And the result? A perfect prelude to a seaside feast, I served mine not with rice as per the recipe but with a vibrant fennel salad (though you wouldn’t know this from this photograph). You can find the recipe here. I also had some mayonnaise in which I swirled some chilli crisp just in case the pepperiness of the squid needed a bit more oomph!

Salt and Pepper Squid is as ubiquitous in Australian pubs as… well, as a pot of beer. So you can imagine my surprise to discover while poring over the recipe that it has Cantonese roots. This version, however, pays homage to those origins with the addition of Szechuan peppercorns, a delightful touch of unexpected heat that sets it apart from the standard pub fare.

Snapper Veracruzana

For the main course, we transported ourselves away from the vibrant shores of China to the sun-drenched beaches of Mexico with a delectable Snapper Veracruzana. This dish was simply exquisite! The snapper, cooked to perfection, flaked effortlessly at the touch of a fork, while the Veracruz sauce… well, words can hardly do it justice. A symphony of flavours – ripe tomatoes, briny capers, plump olives, and a tantalising hint of chilli – it was utterly irresistible. Frankly, I could imagine this sauce gracing almost any plate. Chicken, prawns, even grilled halloumi or roasted vegetables – the possibilities are endless. It’s a testament to the magic of great ingredients, a celebration of the vibrant flavours of Mexico.

Blueberry Gelato

Gelato has a certain nostalgia for me. Travelling around Italy with some girlfriends back in the day, “gelati” was our code word for a handsome young man. “Shall we go for gelati at 3 o’clock?” would indicate both the presence of one of them and the direction the others should look to see him! I wanted this blueberry gelato to transport me to the beaches of Amalfi. and the heady summer days we spent there. Sadly, this was not to be. I would have preferred this to be more blueberry-forward, like a sorbet. I feel the milk dulled the blueberry flavour. Pretty colour but for me, this was a fail.

My Nigella Moment – BLT Salad

For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In the context of these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that may not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in because it is too good not to share.

BLT is a classic for a reason and this salad combines those familiar flavours into something new. This was delicious and definitely something to sneak back to for a little bit more after everyone else has gone to bed!

I hope you’ve enjoyed being beside the seaside with me! I also wish you all the very best for 2025! Let’s hope it’s a wonderful year for all of us!

24
Nov
2024

Movie Night – November 2004

categories: 20 Years Ago Today, Cake, Chicken, Delicious, Salad, Savoury Pies and Tarts, Snacks, Whiskey

Hello friends! Welcome to November 2004! This month, we’re going to the movies via the pages of Delicious magazine. Caution – there are puns galore in this post, so if you are not a fan, feel free to skip this one! But before you do, why not hang around and take a trip down memory lane as we look back at what was popular in November 2004!

Given this is movie night, let’s first take a look at what was at the top of the box office in November 2004. The Incredibles was the number 1 movie, with National Treasure and The Polar Express rounding out the top 3. I’ve not seen The Polar Express but I like The Incredibles and I also enjoyed National Treasure. Jumping back to 2024 for a moment, I recently watched Longlegs with Nick Cage and it was so creepy! I really enjoyed it, but it is definitely not for everyone!

Bookwise, I was quite surprised to see that I only recognised one of the books that topped the charts during the month: Northern Lights by Nora Roberts, Hour Game By David Baldacchi (this was the one I had heard of), Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich and London Bridges by James Patterson. I was a huge fan of the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich but Metro Girl completely passed me by!

The top three songs also got a “meh” response from me: My Boo by Usher and Alicia Keys, Dropp It Like It’s Hot by Snoop Dog, and Lose My Breath by Destiny’s Child Iam very glad to tell you that this month’s menu did not get that reaction. So, let’s take a look!

“Sunset” Boulevard

Let’s kick off our movie night with a Boulevard, which is a take on the Boulevadier, a Parisian Cocktail from the 1920s. The Boulevard packs a punch as it contains Bourbon, Grand Marnier and Vermouth! It actually reminds me of the famous quote from Sunset Boulevard. In the scene, Joe Gillis, a young and poor screenwriter, meets Norma Desmond, a former silent movie star dreaming of making her comeback.

“You used to be big,” he says.

She responds “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small”.

Well, like the film I’ve matched it with, the Boulevard is big! Sip slowly while enjoying the brilliance that is the film Sunset Boulevard!

Phantomato of The Opera Tarts

I loved these! They were so delicious! The combination of sweet caramlised onions, the tanginess of the goat’s curd and sweet bite of the cherry tomatoes was Chef’s kiss perfect. I could not find mustard cress so garnished my little tartlets with basil leaves. The phantomato tarts are sure to have you singing an aria of joy when you taste them!

Chinatown Chicken Salad

This was the first recipe I chose for this film night post because it seemed too good to be true that here was a direct reference to a film. (For new readers, I chose the topics for these 20 years ago posts via a random number generator). And yes, the name was incredibly fortuitous, but….I just didn’t love the salad. It wasn’t terrible. It was just a bit bland.

The second day I ate this, I added some baby corn and some crispy chilli oil to liven things up a bit, and that did make it better. I also didn’t have any coriander (cilantro) so I added some Thai Basil which to me is a far superior herb. Not everything is for everyone, though, and I’m sure many other people would find this delicious! Personally, I might have liked it better with the duck, which is given as an option instead of chicken. However, for me, this quote is my view on the Chinatown Chicken Salad!

Passionfruit Roulade of The Christ

Interestingly, both The Phantom of the Opera and The Passion of The Christ were released in 2004! So, technically, a movie buff in November 2004 could have themed a dinner party exactly like this. I added some whipped cream into the roulade along with the passionfruit curd.

And what a way to finish! The passionfruit roulade is as light as air with a little zing coming from the passionfruit so it is also not overly sweet! One might say it is divine!

My Nigella Moment – Polka Dot Popcorn

For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In the context of these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that may not fit with the overall menu theme, but I’m sneaking it in because it is too good not to share.

This month, my Nigella moment is definitely in theme! Because what’s a movie night without some popcorn? When I was growing up, we had a snack food called Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs, which were a combination of caramel popcorn and peanuts. This gave me the same vibes, plus a wave of nostalgia! It’s really yummy, and if you wanted to throw in some peanuts for a really Lolly Goggle Bliss Bomb effect, who could blame you?

I hope you have enjoyed Movie Night from November 2004. For me, the month was a little hit-and-miss.

I am taking a weekend break next week to travel to Queensland to catch up with some family. I will do my best to set up the next post to send out on Sunday morning at the regular time. However, if things go awry and that doesn’t happen, I will be back Sunday evening and will do my best to send it out manually then. Apologies in advance if it is late.

Have a great week!

29
Sep
2024

September 2004 – Feeling Fruity

categories: 20 Years Ago Today, Asparagus, Avocado, Champagne, Delicious, Duck, Grapefruit, Orange, Prawns, Raspberry, Strawberries

Hello friends and welcome to September 2004. Today, we’ll be exploring a fun fruit-forward menu via Delicious Magazine. But as usual, before we dive into the menu, let’s take a look at what we were watching, reading, and listening to in September 20 years ago.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t rushing to the Cinema in September 2004. Resident Evil: Apocalypse was #1 at the box office, followed by Hero with Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow at number 3. However, all of these titles are drawing total blanks for me! On the other hand, I am very well aware of the number one book on the best seller lists – it was The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, which I think has been number one on the charts since I started doing these Twenty Years Ago posts!

While I may not have been greatly enamoured with the books and films of 2004, the music was another matter. 1985 by Bowling for Soup was #7, and American Idiot was #8. Finally, something for me!”

Speaking of other things for me, let’s get it started in here (BTW, that was #2 in September 2004) with our feeling fruity menu!

The Menu – September 2004

I designed my September 2004 menu using AI. It was a hard slog, and there were times when I was ready to throw my laptop against the wall. However, in the end, it was worth the effort. Even if I do say so myself!

Wicked Champagne Cocktail

This Jamie Oliver recipe was very simple – pomegranate juice with sparkling wine. But it was also a great way to start our fruity theme for September 2004!

Wicked Champagne Cocktail Recipe

Prawn, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

This was divine!!! All my favourite flavours!

Prawn, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad Recipe

Duck Breast with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Another winner! I had some pink pickled onions from something else I had made in the fridge and I added them to this recipe. I think they worked well with the rest of the ingredients but, they could easily be left out.

Duck Breast with Raspberry Vinaigrette Recipe

Raspberry and Strawberry Mousse Cake

Oh. My. Lord. This was heaven!!!! And for something that looks so gorgeous was very easy to make!

Raspberry and Strawberry Mousse Cake Recipe

Orange and Rosemary Tisane

Drinking this made me feel very Poirot! The blend of orange and rosemary was very pleasant and refreshing.

My Nigella Moment – Asparagus Maltaise

For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In the context of these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that may not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in because it is too good not to share.

This month’s Nigella dish actually fits the theme. It is an Asparagus Maltaise. Now I only learned recently that Hollandaise was the OG way of saying that the sauce came from / was isnpired by Holland! It’s kind of in the name when you think about about it, but I had never put the two together before. So…Maltaise is a Hollandaise with Orange.. inspired by…Malta?

If you’re wondering why my sauce is pink…well the recipe called for Blood Orange and the Blood orange I bought (not on purpose, I literally grabbed the first blood orange I saw at the supermarket) were the darkest I have ever seen!

The juice looked like red wine!

It was that depth of colour that turned my sauce pink! I thought this looked spectacular! Pink and green are one of my favorite color combinations. And the flavour of that blood orange was spectacular!

This was delicious!!!! One of the dishes that makes me so glad I am going back and exploring these magazines!

Asparagus Maltaise Recipe

What a month!!!! I loved cooking these recipes! They were all amazing!!! And helped me to get my seven a day! Have a great week!

22
Sep
2024

Caliph of Baghdad

categories: Celebrity Cookbooks, Celebrity Recipes, Drinks, Rum

Hello friends! Today, I’m sharing a “twofer” post. First up, a cocktail called the Caliph of Baghdad. This recipe is from a 1933 book, Del Monte – Cocktail Recipes Mixed by Famous People for a Famous Hotel. I chose it because of its connection to this month’s Dining with The Dame book, They Came To Baghdad. This book was originally published in 1933 for the Del Monte Hotel but has been brought back into circulation by my old pal, Jenny of Silver Screen Suppers and Dinner and A Movie.

The Book

The book was inspired in 1933 around the same time as the the repeal of Prohibition.

“John Caitlin, the eccentric Mayor of Carmel-By-The-Sea in California, established the Association for the Advancement of the Fine Art of Drinking and invited the great and good of the stage, screen and typewriter to submit their concoctions for consideration”

Submissions were evaluated at the Del Monte Hotel in Monterey in December 1933, leading to the creation of the book.

Ernest Hemingway, Marlene Dietrich, W.C. Fields, and the Marx Brothers were but a few of the great and the good to submit recipes. I will definitely be featuring the Marlene Dietrich cocktail down the track, it sounds amazing!

The Hotel

The Hotel Del Monte still exists and it looks beautiful!!!! And, the rates are not exorbitant. I have never been to America, but my best friend lives in California so it is high on my list of places to go! I wonder if we could have a night or two in the Del Monte when I am there so we can pay homage to the Association for the Advancement of the Fine Art of Drinking!

The Caliph of Baghdad – The Drink

There is a warning that this drink packs a punch. And it certainly does! This is one that you want to sip slowly all night and / or add a lot of ice! Having said that, savouring one of these over a evening is quite pleasant because the sweet / sour of the brown sugar and the lime combined with the rum is delicious!

I can absolutely recommend the Del Monte Cocktail book! There are many delicious sounding cocktails from so many famous names! It is truly a little piece of history!