Cocktail Archives - Retro Food For Modern Times

Tag: Cocktail

15
Jun
2024

Negroni Sbagliato: Witness for The Prosecco

categories: Dining With The Dame, Drinks, Movies, Personal, Stand Alone, Sweet Vermouth

Hello friends, apologies for the long break between posts. My father passed away at the end of last month and getting regular posts out suddenly didn’t seem so important. However, I wanted to close out Witness for The Prosecution as planned. There is also a link, albeit tenuous between Witness for the Prosecution and my dad. So if there was ever going to be a right time to honour him, this was it. We’ll get there but for the moment, let’s focus on the Negroni Sbagliato.

Sbagliato…Say What?

In 1972, Milanese bartender Mauritio Stocchetto accidentally reached for prosecco instead of gin while creating a negroni, thus inventing the “sbagliato”. The word means “mistaken” in Italian – pronounced Spah-li-art-toe.. Bar Basso, the scene of this mishap is still open and of course, Negroni Sbagliato’s are still on the menu!

The main flavours in the drink are bitter from the Campari and sweet from the Vermouth. I think this fits well with the tone of the story.

Negroni Sbagliato – The Recipe

Negroni Sbagliato

Print Recipe

A bittersweet cocktail, perfect to accompany watching Witness for the Prosecution

Author: Taryn Nicole

Ingredients

Scale

25ml Campari
25ml sweet vermouth
Prosecco to fill glass
Orange twist to garnish

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Add the campari and vermouth to a mixing glass full of ice. Stir to chill.
Strain into your drinking glass.
Top with Prosecco.
Garnish with an orange twist

Witness for The Proscecution – The Film (Spoilers Galore)

ilmed in 1957, Witness for the Prosecution starred Tyrone Power as Leonard, Marlene Dietrich as his wife, and Charles Laughton as his lawyer.

The film’s ending dramatically differs from the book. In the book, Christine confesses she knew about the murder and lied to protect Leonard. The filmmakers, however, thought audiences in the 1950s wouldn’t accept a murderer going free. So, the film takes a darker turn: Christine kills Leonard upon learning he’ll leave her for another woman despite her sacrifice.

Some great advertising and images from the film, above. They certainly play up the suspense and the glamour couple of Power and Dietrich!

My Personal Link to Witness for the Prosecution

My father was named Tyrone, after Tyrone Power. We all think my nana must have had quite the crush on Tyrone Power! And, as you will see from the posters above, Tyrone Power was one of the stars of the 1957 version of Witness for the Prosecution.

Today would have been my dad’s 83rd birthday so it seemed like the right time to honour his passing. I don’t know when I will feel up to getting back to a regular posting schedule. I’m still finding it hard to wake up and not spend the first hour of my day crying. So my posts may be a bit erratic in the coming weeks. I’ll do what I can when I can. Starting with this one.

These are my two favourite photos of my dad, and, I know I am biased but I think, maybe my nana named him right because he was kind of movie star handsome when he was a young man! The first is him, maybe in his late teens or very early twenties. He was so proud to have been an excellent rugby player and even played for Sri Lanka, (then Ceylon) in a match against India. In this picture he is wearing one of his beloved team jerseys.

This next one is me and him on holiday. I can’t remember even remember where but it looks pretty cold! Incidentally, my name, Taryn is the feminine version of Tyrone and is also the name of one of Tyrone Power’s daughters.

My ask of you? If you decide to watch Witness for the Prosecution with a Negroni Sbagliatio in hand (and I really think you should do this) maybe raise a little toast to the lesser known Tyrone as well as the more famous.

Have a great week, I’ll be back when I can.

11
Mar
2024

Malice In The Hollow

categories: Apricot Brandy, Bourbon, Drinks

Hello, cocktail lovers and Agatha Christie readers. While this post might not be our usual “Dining With The Dame” feature for March, fret not! Instead, consider it a literary aperitif, a tasty prelude to the main course. Today’s recipe is a cocktail called “Malice in The Hollow.” This concoction is a playful riff on Hedda Hopper’s recipe titled “Malice in Hollywood,” which I found in the fantastic book “Recipes for Rebels” by a friend of the blog, Greg Swenson. Greg, being the good sport he is, I’m sure won’t mind a little tampering with Hedda’s, original recipe! The Hollow, a 1946 novel by Agatha Christie is our current Dining With The Dame read.

Hedda Hopper and Agatha Christie

Hedda Hopper, an American gossip columnist and actress, was born in 1885. This makes her a contemporary of Agatha Christie, who was five years younger. Intrigued by a possible connection between the two, I began to research. Perhaps, I thought, Hedda had starred in a film adaptation of one of Christie’s acclaimed novels. Sadly, this was not the case.

However, the Wikipedia article for the 1965 version of “Ten Little Indians” (also known as “And Then There Were None”) cites an article by Hedda Hopper. This tantalizing detail sparked my curiosity. Did their paths ever cross beyond this single reference? Calling all Agatha Christie and Hedda Hopper superfans! If you have any information about a deeper connection between these two ladies, please share it!

Now, let’s shift gears. “Malice in Hollywood” is a fitting description for Hedda Hopper’s career. She wielded her pen with a vitriolic touch, becoming one of the most feared figures in Hollywood. Furthermore, her staunch conservative views fueled her column during the McCarthy era, where she relentlessly denounced those with leftist leanings.

The Malice In Hollywood Cocktail

In Recipes for Rebels, Greg says that Hedda was said to have created the Malice in Hollywood Cocktail in the 1940’s. The OG recipe is below.

The Malice In The Hollow Cocktail

I am not fond of Bourbon so I have changed the ratios and added some lemon juice to balance out the sweetness of the Apricot Brandy.

Malice In The Hollow

Print Recipe

A bourbon sour, based on Hedda Hopper’s Malice in Hollywood

Author: Taryn Nicole

Ingredients

Scale

2 parts Bourbon (ideally Jim Beam black)

2 parts Apricot Brandy

1 part lemon juice

Dried Apricot and Lemon peel to garnish

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Combine the bourbon, apricot brandy and lemon juice in a shaker

Shake over ice then strain into a cocktail glass.

Garnish with dried apricots and a twist of lemon

Next week’s post will be our Dining with The Dame for The Hollow, so there is still plenty of time to read it if you so desire!

Also, why not pop over to Amazon and buy a copy of Recipes For Rebels? It is a beautifully curated book of celebrity recipes which I am sure you will love!

Have a great week!

21
Aug
2023

N or M – Aperol Betty

categories: Aperol, Dining With The Dame, Drinks

Hello crime readers and food lovers. Or in this case, cocktail lovers because we are celebrating Agatha Christie’s wartime thriller N or M with an Aperol Betty. N or M has few references to food. I wonder if Agatha Christie did this intentionally as food was rationed during the war. Reading about lots of food may have led to readers becoming disgruntled with their Mock Crab and other wartime foods. I found my inspiration from one of the characters in the novel Betty Sprott, who despite only being a little girl is key to two pivotal parts of the novel!

N or M -The Plot

It is 1940 and Tommy and Tuppence Beresford are disheartened because no one wants them for war work. Tommy is then approached by Mr Grant, the head of the secret service to hunt out some fifth columnists. Tommy is sent on a top-secret mission to Leahampton, to search out two Nazi agents, a male and a female, known only by their code names, N and M. Imagine his surprise then on his arrival at the Sans Souci guesthouse to see Tuppence there!

We have quite the cast of shady characters including

A landlady who may or may not be Irish
A German refugee chemist
A female resident of the Sans Souci who is watching Tuppence very closely
A mysterious Polish woman hanging about the Sanc Souci
Little Betty kidnapped
The kidnapper killed by a crack shot from Mrs Sprott
Someone hitting Tommy over the head with a hammer
Someone holding Tommy captive in their basement

Luckily we have Tommy and Tuppence on hand to figure out who is N and M and save Britain from the evils of Nazism via enemies from within. .

This is a thrilling tale that I feel really captures what life might have been like in England during 1940. I really enjoyed the depiction of “ordinary” life at this time – the talk of the war, everyone having their own theories or having heard “on good authority” what was happening at the front. The setting for this tale of espionage is perfect and Tommy and Tuppence are as adorable as ever!

N or M – The Covers

There are some fabulous covers here, lots of French ones, a Danish one and one that I think might be from Hungary.

The Recipe – Aperol Betty

The Aperol Betty is a very simple but very tasty cocktail with a strong citrussy taste. It was even easier for me because I didn’t even have to bother to combine the grapefruit and orange juices in the recipe. We have a tangelo tree (tangelo = tangerine x grapefruit) in our garden which is currently laden! (Also look how pretty that bright orange looks on a grey Melbourne winter day!!!!

But anyway, when life gives you this many tangelos, you don’t go buying grapefruit or orange juice! I walked to the garden and chose some lovely fresh fruit for my drink!

Here’s the recipe with the OG ingredients!

Betty had changed her mind and demanded instead:

“Wead me story.”

Tuppence pulled out a rather tattered book from one end of the cupboard – to be interrupted by a squeal from Betty.

“No, no. Narsty…Bad…”

Agatha Christie – N or M

As an alternative, for anyone who does not drink, the close runner up for this was a Pasta all N or Ma. I didn’t make this because I am somewhat allergic to aubergines / eggplants but if you were having an N or M themed dinner, for me, the pasta would be a good choice!

What does Agatha Christie have in with Leonard Dawe?

First, I hear you ask, who is Leonard Dawe?

Well. he was a crossword compiler for the Daily Telegraph who was investigated by MI5 in 1944 because he published the names of several of the D-Day Landing sites in his crosswords.

A few years earlier, Agatha Christie got into trouble over the name of one of the characters in N or M. One of the residents at Sans Souci is Major Bletchley. In the 1940s, Bletchley Park was the place where code breakers ultimately cracked the German enigma machine. Of course, neither Dame Agatha nor Leonard Dawe were acting in an untoward manner but they were both investigated by MI5 for their unfortunate choices! (I really hope that after they questioned her, Dame Agatha then grilled MI5 on their techniques for her next novel)

Links to The Christieverse

There are a few references to the earlier Tommy and Tuppence novel, The Secret Adversary.

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in N or M

Whiskey
Tea
Bread and Cheese

As mentioned, last week, I am currently on holiday in beautiful Port Douglas. Part of my reading material for the trip is The Body In The Library which will be our September Dining with The Dame read. Marple fans, this one’s for you!

Have a great week!

20
Feb
2023

Admiral Highball – Appointment with Death

categories: Bourbon, Cocktail, Dining With The Dame, Pineapple, Poirot

Hello food lovers and crime readers! Today we have not only an Appointment with Death but also a meeting with an Admiral! An Admiral Highball that is! As mentioned in my previous post on Manakish, there is no food mentioned in Agatha’s Appointment with Death. There is however a mention of the cocktail called a Highball. I searched through my cocktail recipes and decided that an Admiral Highball would be my drink of choice for this book.

Why you ask? Well…Admiral Highball sounds like he might be a character in a Golden Age murder mystery. Or one of the potential murderers in a game of Cluedo. “It was Admiral Highball in the boatshed with a fishing rod” sounds almost too good to be made up! More importantly, though, the Admiral Highball contains bourbon and I thought that was a nice nod to the American Boynton family who feature in this story!

Also, welcome to the RFFMT family, the gorgeous Carmen Vaseranda! She’ll be popping in now and again to give her verdict on fruity concoctions. She is an absolute beauty isn’t she?

Appointment with Death – The Plot

You know how sometimes you may feel your mother is a little overbearing and/or demanding? I hear you. But believe me. None of our collective issues prepares us for Mrs. Boynton. She’s Flowers in the Attic level mad in her control over her family! Formerly a prison warden, Mrs. B treats her adult children like her former prisoners! Their touring party consists of her adopted adult children Raymond, Carol, Lennox, her own daughter Ginevra, and Raymond’s wife Nadine.

They are all somewhat psychologically scarred by their years under their mother’s control – some more than others. Then Mrs Boyton is found dead. She was taking medication for a heart condition so was her passing from natural causes? Or something more sinister?

We have

Poirot overhearing the following words through an open window on his first night in Jerusalem. “You do see, don’t you, that’s she’s got to be killed?”
Raymond Boynton catching feelings for Dr. Sarah King, a member of their travelling party.
Nadine on the verge of leaving Lennox due to his mother’s control over them
Ginevra Boyton increasingly losing hold of reality
A number of missing hypodermic needles
Some missing digitoxin
A tiny mark on Mrs Boynton’s wrist. Could it be from the prick of a needle?
Pretty much everyone lying because they think someone they love did the evil deed

It’s a tangled tale. Good thing we have Poirot on hand to bring the wrongdoer to justice!

Appointment With Death – The Covers

This, even if I do say so my self is an amazing collection! Three Italian and one Vietnamese for a start! I know I always gush over the colours but each and every one of these is amazing!

Just as quck aside, you may be wondering why both my photo above and one of these pics has a Buddha when the story is set entirely in the Middle East? Well it’s because at least once Mrs B is described as a Buddha:

“here, like an arch priestess of some forgotten cult, like a monstrous swollen female Buddha, sat Mrs Bonyton”

But none of above covers prepares us for the mec plus ultra of covers for Appointment for Death which is, of course, the Tom Adams cover. Just imagine you have heard the above plot points and seen the covers that came before you. And instead of using motifs like an older, fat woman, scenes of Jordan, or a threatening Arab (not even remotely featured in the story but back in the day apparently no one cared about casual racism) you come up with this!

Bravo and a standing ovation for Tom Adams. I have no idea what your cover means, it bears no relevance to the script.

But I love you for creating it!!!

And hate you for giving me nightmares because of it! I mean what the hell is that coming out of that woman’s head?

The Recipe – Admiral Highball

Admiral Highball 3 My recipe for the Admiral Highball came from The Mammoth Book of Cocktails by Paul Martin

Mr Jefferson Cope took another sip of highball and went on:

“I’d like to tell you, Dr Gerard, just a little of the Boynton family history”

Appointment with Death – Agatha Christie

Links to The Christieverse

I was able to find three references to other books in Appointment with Death:

Colonel Race and the Shaitana murder are mentioned by Colonel Carbury (Cards on The Table)
Nadine speaks of Poirot’s accepting the official version of the truth in the case of the Orient Express
Miss Pierce says she read all about the ABC Case

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in Appointment with Death

Coffee (twice)
Whisky Soda (twice)
Tea (Twice)
Soda Water

As I said at the top – not a huge amount to choose from!

Last time I posted I was heading to Darwin, later this week I am doing a two-day work trip to Adelaide. My reading material on the flights will be next month’s selection, Murder is Easy. Adelaide is considered the weird murder capital of Australia so goodness only knows what I’ll find there! Actually, maybe I won’t take Murder is Easy – I don’t want to give some nutter any ideas!

Have a great week!

14
Jan
2023

Summer Vegetarian – January 2003

categories: 20 Years Ago Today, Cocktail, Summer, Vegetarian

Hello Friends and welcome to Twenty Years Ago Today for January 2003. It’s summertime here in Australia and living is easy. We want some no-muss, no-fuss food – and if we can slap it on the BBQ – so much the better! The magazine I am using for this month is Super Food Ideas from December 2002. The theme is summer vegetarian…will the magazine meet the challenge?

Here’s the menu I devised from the recipes in the magazine. I was able to meet my challenge of relaxed summer vegetarian food quite easily – there were a few options for the opening drink, the starter, side and dessert. There were not so many vegetarian mains but I really liked the sound of the sweetcorn and zucchini burgers! And the fussiest eater in the world loves peanut brittle so we appeared to be onto a winner, winner vegetarian dinner!

Pineapple and Rum Crush

This was summer in a glass! Rum and pineapple is a classic tropical flavour combination. I also liked the refreshing scent of the mint. This is a perfect hot-weather drink!

ChunkyAvocado Dip

I did not make this as I could not find a ripe avocado for love or money the day I wanted to make it! Here’s the recipe. This came from an advertisement for Tupperware, hence the mention of the serving vessel.

Sweetcorn and Zucchini Burgers

I was excited to make these because I love a zucchini fritter and I love a corn fritter. Also, I picked the zucchini and the parsley from my garden! What could be better than combining the two? Unfortunately, these were not good. Usually, when I make zucchini fritters, I squeeze the water out of the zucchini after grating them. This recipe did not say to do so and, when I am cooking a recipe for the blog or for Tasty Reads, I follow the recipe exactly. Maybe because I did not squeeze my zucchini (which sounds like a euphemism if ever I heard one) the mixture was a mess! I had to add almost double the amount of flour suggested to get something that would even hold together. The burgers tasted too much like flour and not enough like sweetcorn or zucchini. I would not make these again. If you want to try them, I would try squeezing the moisture out of the grated zucchini. Or for a really good recipe for zucchini fritters, use this one from Epicurious which is one of my faves!

Tomato Salad with Creamy Dressing

This was good, nothing special but a tasty tomato salad. We are about to have a bumper crop of tomatoes from the backyard so I might be making it again very soon!

Peanut Brittle

This was a semi-fail but entirely due to user error! The recipe says to microwave for 6-8 minutes. I do not cook with my microwave very often and got a bit panicky when at the six-minute mark the dish I was using to cook the brittle in felt very hot. The mixture inside it looked like something normally seen in the crater of a volcano about to explode. I lost my nerve and stopped the cooking process! As a result, the candy creation was not brittle but had the consistency of fudge. It was delicious though! Next time I will hold my nerve and cook it for the full eight minutes!

My Nigella Moment

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 does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking in because it was really good! This month, my Nigella moment came from an article on Asian food which included one of my restaurant favourites, Thai Fish Cakes. This is my go-to starter when eating Thai but I have never even contemplated making these at home! I loved these! They were deliciously tasty and were very close to the ones you eat in restaurants. I will definitely make these again! Also, happy Lunar New Year Everyone!

I hope you have enjoyed my trip back to the vegetarian food of 2003. It certainly had some mixed results. The absolute highlight for me were the fishcakes, they were sensational! The cocktail was pretty good too!

Future Twenty Years Ago Today Posts

I have been thinking about these 20 Years Ago Today posts and I decided that, whilst I love doing them, the risk is that the menu themes will get a bit predictable and will be limited to the food that I like. To give me a challenge and to hopefully really highlight what is featured in my 20-year-old magazines, I have come up with a list of menu themes and each month I will randomly select a theme and see if I can build a menu from that theme out of the magazine in question. Some of the themes are serious, some are based on actual food preferences of people I know (for example, the Fussiest Eater In The World once told me he did not eat white food. Except for potatoes, bread, rice, cauliflower, fish, milk, yoghurt….the list goes on!) and some I made up to challenge myself! You can find the list of themes here:

If you would like to contribute a theme, please let me know, I’m up for any challenge you can throw at me!

Have a great week.