Drinks Archives - Page 17 of 22 - Retro Food For Modern Times

30
May
2015

Birthday Cocktail – The Rum 007

categories: 1970's recipes, Apricot Brandy, Cocktail, Margaret Fulton Cookbook, Rum

Well, hello there,

So remiss of me, we’ve been celebrating a while now and I haven’t offered you a drink. Well, my parched friends, this is worth the wait. Meet the Rum 007!

This may be my favourite cocktail EVER.

It’s sooooo good.

And to think, because of the apricot brandy, I was a bit scared of making it. A few years ago I needed to buy some cherry brandy for a cocktail and it was disgusting. Like that revolting fake cherry cough syrup you had to drink when you were young. I was a very sickly child and I must have drunk a ton and a half of that stuff and the thought of it still gives me the horrors.

Thankfully, Apricot Brandy is utterly delicious. Almost too good if you know what I mean.

Of course if anything is called 007, you automatically think of Bond. I could find no links to this recipe and JB although a Rum Collins apparently features in Thunderball.

So, when in doubt, make it up…that’s totally a thing isn’t it?

My explanation for the story behind the name has nothing to do with a certain spy. It’s simply that when you take you first sip, thinking the Apricot Brandy will be disgusting and cloying and sickly sweet, you say “Oh”…then the nutty sweet, tangy pineapply, rummy wonderfulness hits you and you say “OH”. Then you want six more. Because it’s THAT good.

I found this recipe in the Margaret Fulton Cookbook which happens to be the selection current selection over at The Cookbook Guru. My edition of this book, which incidentally is STILL in print dates from 1977 which is the same year The Spy Who Loved Me was released.

For those of you not familiar with Margaret she is a complete cooking Australian legend. It says so right on the Margaret Fulton stamp. And Australia Post does not lie. Or make stamps of just anyone. This lady is the grande dame, the mec plus ultra of Australian cooking.

…And, as a heads up, back in the day, she made the most amazing cake, which I will attempt to replicate for my own birthday later in the year. You’ll have to wait til August to see that but, if I can pull it off it will be worth the wait.

There are many reasons to love Margaret Fulton, but in terms of inventing an awesome cocktail, possibly based on James Bond?

Nobody does it better!

And because it’s my favorite Bond song, here it is

‘Kay, I’m done here, I have another ~~six~~ five 007’s to drink….I like to call it quality control. I couldn’t possibly give you a recipe that I hadn’t personally tested multiple times.

Here’s the recipe.

Enjoy and have a fabulous week!

Eight days to Pieathalon 2….I can hardly wait!!!

Two weeks still to go in the win a vintage cookbook comp! Sign up, tell your friends!

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06
Apr
2015

Frosted Tomato Cocktail

categories: 1970's food, 1970's recipes, A-Zof Cooking, Starters, Tequila, Tomatoes, Vegan

The frosted tomato cocktail was my pick from the Adventurous Appetizers section of The A-Z of Cooking.

But first, each section of The A-Z of Cooking comes with a sentence or two to introduce it vis a vis:

A is for… ADVENTUROUS APPETIZERS: start a dinner party or special family supper with a new and exciting idea.

Booooooring.

How much more fun if they’d done them all in verse:

There was a young girl called Eliza

Who wanted to make appetizers

She tried the tomat-er

As an exciting new starter

And the result did really surprise her.

Yeah, I know that was hardly “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” but the A-Z of Cooking is hardly The Larousse Gastronomique either.

You know what they say, water finds its level.

I nearly chose a recipe called Sweetcorn Scallops but the only thing scallopy about them was that they were served in scalloped shaped dishes or shells, neither of which I own.

I feel they were already drawing a slightly long bow in naming it. If I’d made it in a normal dish you guys would have left wondering if I’d lost my mind…

I can hear it now “Errmmmm, that’s bacon, honey, not scallops”

Anyhow, I really liked the picture of the Frosted Tomato Cocktail from The A-Z of Cooking which is why I chose this one to make. I love that glass. And just so you don’t think it’s me, they love a long skinny photo in The A-Z of Cooking.

Frosted Tomato Cocktail - Picture — Frosted Tomato Cocktail – Picture

Here is the original recipe:

Frosted Tomato Cocktail - Recipe — Frosted Tomato Cocktail – Recipe

This was really nice. So refreshing. It would be a gorgeous starter for a hot day in mid summer when tomatoes are at their very best. Or even as a palate cleanser between courses.

However, I felt it was missing something. Because you know what? As far as I’m concerned if you’re going to call something a cocktail, it better damn well have some booze in it. Also, you really needed to ramp up the flavourings in the original. .

My fennelly take on the Frosted Tomato Cocktail was inspired by this Serious Eats recipe. You could put the fennel salt around the rim of the glass as they suggest or just include it in the mix like I did. Celery salt would also be great here, in which case, I would garnish with a celery stalk instead of the mint.

I wanted mine to be vegan so I also omitted the Worcestershire and replaced it with tabasco. It may also be the most delicious thing I have ever made that is zero fat.

We’ll be sticking with the letter A for the next sortie into The A-Z of Cooking where we will be looking at the world of after school snacks. And I might try a haiku.

Have a great week!

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Frosted Tomato Cocktail

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A lovely refreshing start to a meal with a slight kick of heat!

Author: Taryn Fryer
Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Scale

1 kilo tomatoes, skinned and chopped
125 mls tequla
4 tbsp water
2 tsp sugar
juice of 1 lime
dash of Tabasco Sauce
1 tbsp sea salt, I used Maldon
1 tsp fennel seeds
Mint Leaves to garnish
Pepper

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Instructions

Toast the fennel seeds in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Place the salt and toasted fennel seeds in a mortar and grind until they are well combined and the seeds have broken down. Pass through a very fine sieve and set aside.
Place the tomatoes, tequila, lime juice, and sugar into a blender and puree until smooth. Add the fennel salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste.
Pour mixture into large ice cube trays and freeze. Just before serving remove from freezer, take the frozen cubes out of ice tray and place them back in the blender.
Puree until smooth but still frozen.
Spoon into chilled glasses, garnish with mint and serve immediately.

16
Mar
2015

Whiskey in The Jar – The Emerald Presse

categories: Cocktail, Ireland, St Patrick's Day, Whiskey

I was so disappointed with my attempt at an Irish Potato Salad Roll that it drove me to drink.

Quite luckily as it happened because that particular cab on the road to rack and ruin drove me right up to the Emerald Presse. And you know, if there’s one other thing the Irish are famous for outside of potatoes, corned beef and cabbage, it’s drinking. And the Emerald Presse will tickle the tastebuds of even the most fastidious of Fassnidges.

Emerald Presse1

I’m not normally a whiskey drinker so I was not sure how this would taste. I liked the idea of the mint, apple and lime even though they seemed a weirdly light combination for what I always think of as being a heavy drink.

Anyhoo….Put ’em together and have you got? Not bibbidi-bobbidi-boo but…My new favourite drink!!!!

The flavours worked really well together. That little frizzante from the sparkling apple juice also added some lightness to it. In my best Irish accent this was the fooking craic!!!! I can’t even begin to tell you how delicious this is. You need to make it immediately and come back to me.

Go on

I’ll still be here when you get back.

Now, take that first sip and “Ohhhhh…..Yeah, sooooooo good”

Then we’ll have a sneaky second. Just because that sparkling apple juice isn’t going to sparkle forever.

The original recipe for this called for 45 ml of Jameson’s. When I measured this out, it looked like a huge amount of whiskey. I scaled mine back to around 30mls and found it about right for my taste. You can scale up or down according to your preference.

Styling Tip

If you really wanted your whiskey in a jar, this would look really cute served in mason jars – in which case you probably could use the full 45ml of Jameson’s.

[yumprint-recipe id=’27’] Happy St Patrick’s Day, may the road rise to meet you!

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06
Mar
2015

Peachy Keen for Peach Sorbet with Lavender & Rosemary

categories: 1970's food, Cocktail, Desserts, Lavender, Peaches, Rosemary, Sorbet, Sparkling

Summer, and peach season, is pretty much drawing to a close here. So, if like me, you love the stone fruit, how can you prolong the taste of summer through autumn, winter and spring? By making this gorgeous sorbet which combines lovely sweet peaches with (ahem)…homegrown lavender and rosemary. Yes, I have garden produce!!!

This is so simple, just these three ingredients, some sugar and water.

And you get one of the loveliest ice creams ever. This is really refreshing without being too sweet – the lavender and rosemary are not overpowering but add a little depth to the fruit and sugar.

AUTUMN – The Sorbet Ma’am, Just The Sorbet

Autumn in Melbourne is lovely. You get cold crisp mornings, warm days and cool evenings. To prolong the taste of summer as it starts to get darker and cooler, this peach sorbet is perfect just on it’s own in a cone. All alone. Like a rolling stone.

Yes. I think it’s enough now too. Because I heard you moan and groan.

Really stopping…NOW.

Because just look at this peachy goodness!

WINTER – Baked Peaches With Amaretti and Amaretto and Peach Sorbet

Mmmm…hot baked peach, cold peach sorbet , herby, nutty, sweet and boozy….that’s about all my favourite adjectives right there. And I totally forgot to take a picture of it before eating half of it. So I had to borrow a peach off my friend’s plate to take this picture. Thanks for the peach Monica!!!

Peaches Baked with Amaretti and Amaretto2

You may be wondering where you are supposed to find peaches in winter? Well my mum used to make this for us waaaaay back and we only ever used to have it with tinned peaches. And believe me, this is one of the few things where you will ever hear me say that this works as well (maybe even a little better) with tinned as fresh.

SPRING Into A Peach Sorbet Bellini

Spring in Melbourne means the Spring Racing Carnival which means lots of champagne. You can really welcome the warmer days by adding a dollop of the peach sorbet into the bottom of your champagne glass for a fabulous take on a Bellini.

So good even Lulu wants one!

Hope your week is peachy keen, jelly bean.

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Peach Sorbet with Lavender and Rosemary (3 ways)

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This deliciious and easy to make peach sorbet will bring back the flavour of summer all through the year

Author: Taryn Fryer

Ingredients

Scale

For The Sorbet
200g sugar
2 tbsp edible dried lavender
2 springs of rosemary, about as long as your thumb
1 kg of peaches
200g water

To Serve

Ice cream cones

For The Baked Peaches with Amaretto and Amaretti

4 large peaches, or you can used tinned, in which case you will need 10 halves
20 crumbled amaretti biscuits
4 tbsp Amaretto Liqueur
2 tbsp brown sugar
Butter for greasing the pan
4 scoops of sorbet

For The Bellini

Sparkling Wine
Rosemary sprigs and lavender sprigs and peach wedges to garnish (optional)

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Instructions

For the Sorbet

Place the sugar, water, lavender and rosemary into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Then simmer for 5 minutes.
With a paring knife, make a small cross into the bottom of each peach. Place in a bowl and pour boiling water over the peaches. Let them sit for a few minutes then tip into a bowl of iced water. The skin should now be quite easy to peel off. Cut the peaches into wedges and place them in the sugar syrup.
Once this mixture is cool, remove the peaches and place them in your blender, strain the syrup to remove the lavender buds and rosemary and add the liquid to the blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth.
Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a container and chill in freezer for 2 to 3 hours, or until firm.
Serve with ice cream cones or as described below.

For The Baked Peaches with Amaretto and Amaretti

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
Lightly butter a baking tray
If using fresh peaches, cut in half, remove the stones and, using a melon baller or a teaspoon, scoop out a little bit more of the peach flesh and place in a small bowl. If using canned peaches, finely dice 2 peach halves and place in a small bowl.
Place the crushed biscuits, the amaretto and 1 tbsp of sugar in the bowl along with the peach flesh. Stir to combine.
Fill the peach halves with this mixture.
Place the peaches onto a baking tray. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
If using fresh peaches, bake for around 20 minutes until cooked through then place under a hot grill for the last 5 minutes to really caramelise the topping. If using tinned peaches, bake for 5 minutes, really just to warm the peaches through then place under the grill for the last 5 minutes.
Serve immediately, 2 to a plate with a dollop of sorbet.

For The Bellini

Add a dollop of sorbet to your champagne glass.
Top with sparkling wine.
Garnish as desired.
Enjoy!!!

Notes

I like to leave my biscuit crumbs fairly rustic so they vary in size from crumbs to larger chunks.

29
Dec
2014

Nothing But Blue Skies…Happy 2015

categories: Cocktail, Gin, Lemon

Now it’s not often I get all immersive and Heston on you but I really think your experience of this post and the Blue Skies Cocktail would be best achieved if, before you kept on reading, you clicked on the link below and cranked up the volume….

Ok…are we there yet?

You know, it wouldn’t be Retro Foods for Modern Times if we didn’t have a luridly coloured cocktail to end the year so, here ’tis…The Blue Skies…and I defy anyone not to start humming along with The Chairman of The Board….

Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see….

It sure is blue. And…dontcha think the ice cubes look a little bit like clouds?

If you said no to that. Have one. And look at the picture again. Still no? Have another. REALLY crank the Frank up. And have another look. Repeat.

It will happen.

I can’t remember if I ever introduced you all to the third canine in our house. F. Scott Fitzgerald, or Scotty as we like to call him, may be quiet, but much like his namesake, he knows how to sniff out a good cocktail.

And when he sees one he likes? Oh boy, does he light up!

Bluebirds
Singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds
All day long

From all of us at La Maison de la Retro Foods to you and all of yours, all the very best for a fantastic 2015…

Blue days
All of them gone
Nothing but blue skies
From now on…

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[yumprint-recipe id=’15’]&nbsp

Category: Drinks

Frosted Tomato Cocktail

Ingredients

Instructions

Styling Tip

AUTUMN – The Sorbet Ma’am, Just The Sorbet

WINTER – Baked Peaches With Amaretti and Amaretto and Peach Sorbet

SPRING Into A Peach Sorbet Bellini

Peach Sorbet with Lavender and Rosemary (3 ways)

Ingredients

To Serve

For The Baked Peaches with Amaretto and Amaretti

For The Bellini

Instructions

For the Sorbet

For The Baked Peaches with Amaretto and Amaretti

For The Bellini

Notes