Tag: Cocktails

30
Jan
2022

The Eye of The Tiger

categories: Cocktail, Drinks, Fish, Gin, Holidays

Hello friends! This weekend people all over the world are celebrating Lunar New Year and the start of the year of the Tiger. Traditional foods for Lunar New Year include long noodles (symbolising long life and happiness) dumplings and spring rolls to bring wealth and fish to increase prosperity. Well, here at Chez Retro Food, we’re also celebrating the Year of the Tiger, but in our own special way!

Let’s get to it!

I always think that any occasion should be celebrated with a cocktail. And Lunar New Year is no exception. The Norwegian Tiger’s Milk Cocktail comes from a book called The Australian Hostess Cookbook (1969) and a chapter called “A Party on the Nullabor Plain”. Now for those of you unfamiliar with the Nullabor Plain, it is an area of some 200,000km (that would be 76, 000 sq miles for those of you who are not used to the metric system) that is both flat and largely treeless. Plain is putting it mildly.

I mean, does it not just scream party central? But I digress. If the location seems bonkers let’s further examine the cocktail.

Norwegian. Tiger’s Milk.

Nope.

The World wildlife fund reliably informs me that tigers are very versatile creatures and can live in a variety of habitats – rainforests, savannahs, grasslands and mangrove swamps. Tigers.org.za further specifies that they are most commonly found in China, Korea, Russia and Southeast Asia with Sumatra being the only island inhabited by tigers today. Not even a whisper of Norway. And, I’m no geography expert but I’m pretty sure the landscape of Norway is not rampant with savannahs. Fjords yes. Mangrove swamps? No.

(Also note the natural habitat of the tiger is not an “exotic” animal part in Oklahoma. But don’t even get me started on that one!)

Maybe if you are partying on the Nullabor Plain in 1969 a Norwegian Tiger makes sense. They took a lot of drugs back then.

Norwegian Tiger’s Milk Cocktail

Copious amounts of drugs may also explain the ingredients. Equal parts gin, vanilla ice cream and creme de cacao. It really sounds like something someone with the munchies would pull together.

It also means that whatever measurement you use, (I used 30ml of each) you get a lot of booze and not much ice cream.

I used a cherry-infused gin which came in a Gin Advent Calendar I bought at Christmas.

The Norwegian Tiger’s Milk was a LOT nicer than I thought it would be! It tasted like a slightly weird in a good way Bailey’s Irish Cream. Mine had that hint of cherry but I think without that the similarity to Baileys would be even more marked. It was also much more of an after-dinner drink than an aperitif but I’ll forgive myself that. And maybe have another after dinner! I’m not driving and there is a little bit of gin left in that tiny Advent bottle!

We are continuing the theme of Tiger’s Milk with our starter.

Tiger’s Milk Ceviche

We are heading to Mexico for our starter. Also not a natural habitat of the tiger. However, Tiger’s Milk is the name of the liquid used to “cook” the seafood in a ceviche.

This was soooo good! I love raw fish and this was zingy with citrus and fiery with chilli and crunchy with tortilla chips and loaded with fresh veg and herbs! This is the kind of dish I could eat every day.

And it’s so pretty too! Look at all those colours!

I used salmon for my fish because I could not get the kingfish specified in the recipe. I also threw in some tiny tom berry tomatoes for extra colour and as mentioned subbed in some crunchy tortilla chips for the tortillas.

The recipe for the Tiger’s Milk Ceviche comes from the Matt Preston Cookbook – Yummy Easy Quick Around The World.

Tiger’s Milk – Hangover Cure?

Tiger’s milk is supposedly a hangover cure par excellence. Maybe for the morning after a few too many Norwegian Tiger’s Milks? However, I’ve been hungover once (maybe twice) in my life 😂 and I’m going, to be honest with you. When I am in that very precarious and fragile state, given the choice of Uber Eatsing a Big Mac and a very large coke and downing some salmon soaking citrus liquid? I’ll take those two all-beef patties etc any day of the week!

Would you drink the tiger’s milk?

Later this week I’ll share the rest of our tiger-themed celebrations!

31
Oct
2021

Murder on the Orient Espresso Martini

categories: Books, Cocktail, Coffee, Dining With The Dame, Kahlua, Poirot, Vodka

Given my love of Aggie, cocktails and puns was there ever a world where I was not going to make a Murder on The Orient Espresso Martini? And yes, in my head I call her Aggie. I am sure Dame Agatha is turning in her grave at the thought! But, once I started I could not stop! Just like you might not be able to stop at just one of these delicious Espresso Martinis!

I have always been a bit wary of an Espresso Martini as I thought the caffeine would keep me awake. Also, the last coffee flavoured cocktail I made was from Cantina and was disgusting. It convinced me that I did not like coffee flavoured cocktails. I now think that the awfulness of that cocktail was probably more due to the many problems with that book rather than an aversion to coffee cocktails per se. I really enjoyed the Espresso Martini!!! Drinking it felt very luxuriant and sophisticated which ties in nicely with the glamour and opulence of the Orient Express.

Poirot might have sipped one instead of the luminous green cocktail he drinks in the film had they been invented back then!

Express Martini History

London bartender Dick Bradsell created the Espresso Martini in the 1980s. He mixed it up for a young model who asked him for something to “wake me up and f**k me up” Rumour has it that the model was Kate Moss but this is unconfirmed!

It would however dovetail very nicely into my narrative as Kate Moss famously dated Johnny Depp in the 1990s. And he played Ratchett in the Kenneth Brannagh version of Murder on the Orient Express!

This brings us back to doh-oh-oh!

(Don’tcha love it when something works out so neatly!)

Espresso Martini – The Recipe

I used the recipe from 365 Days of Cocktails by Difford’s Guide. The recipe on their website has a very intriguing sounding dash of salt solution in it which I really want to try!

Here’s the recipe I used:

Espresso Martini Recipe — via 365 Days of Cocktails

The November book if you are reading along will be “Three Act Tragedy” which was actually written before Murder on the Orient Express but which I skipped in order to do the collab with Jenny. Whilst it is not as well known as Murder it is a cracker of a read and unlike a few recent books is jammed full of food references.

Have a wonderful week and happy reading!

02
Jan
2021

Evita – The Cocktail

categories: Cocktail, Midori, Name Plates, New Year, New Year's Resolutions, Vodka

Welcome to 2021 people of the internet! What will this year bring I wonder? I’m tempted to say that it can only be better than 2020, However, that seems a bit too much like waving a red flag in front of a particularly vindictive bull that tells me to hold it’s beer even as it is pawing the ground and getting ready to charge. So, let’s swiftly change the subject….hmmm…speaking of alcohol….this is the Evita!

The Evita was my cocktail of choice for NYE and a very good choice it was. It has the fruity sweet-sour flavour that I love. And the colours – acid lime green with a flash of orange from the garnish are like a neon version of the more traditional deep green and red of Christmas. Kind of festive edgy if you will. Or 1970’s chic if you won’t.

Evita – The Cocktail

The Evita cocktail contains vodka, melon liqueur, lime and orange juice. You can find the recipe here. There is another cocktail called the Eva Peron which has very different ingredients so make sure you get the right one if you want to make it. Which you should because it is a delightful little tipple!

Evita – The Woman

Truth be told until I started researching for this cocktail did not know all that much about Eva Peron aka Evita. This is what I knew:

She was the wife of the Argentinian president
There was a musical written about her which includes the song Don’t Cry for me Argentina
Madonna played her in the film version of the musical
She was very glamourous and wore gorgeous clothes
I cannot write the name Eva Peron without first writing the name Eva Person and having to correct it.

What I did not know:

María Eva Duarte met Colonel Juan Peron in 1944 and married him in 1945. He became President of Argentina in 1946
During his presidency, Eva, who became known commonly as Evita worked tirelessly to help the poor people of Argentina and to give women full suffrage.
She spoke publicly on labour rights and ran the Ministries for health and labour.
She set up a charitable foundation dedicated to social justice and helping sick and poor Argentinians
And set up an all-female political party.
In 1951 she announced her candidacy for the nomination of Vice President of Argentina, an act that was hugely popular with poor and working-class people.
She was forced to withdraw her nomination because of failing health.
Eva Peron died of cancer in 1952. She was 33 years old.

The Inspiration

What an amazing woman and what an absolute inspiration! Also, what great timing because this is the time of year when I, (and many other people around the world) are setting goals and making resolutions for the New Year.

Learning about this wonderful woman’s life really made me rethink the goals I had started to set – instead of the usual save more, spend less, drink less, exercise more goals maybe this year I will try to live with some of Eva’s grace and devotion to her cause and conviction. Why not make this the year of being strong, vocal and politically active for the causes I care about. And if I can also have all the glamour and wear some pretty dresses that is a bonus!

So, my friends, let’s all raise a toast to Eva Peron. May she inspire us to live our best lives in 2021!

Have a wonderful week and year ahead!

27
Jul
2019

Rhinestone Cowgirl – For Cowboy Day

categories: Bourbon, Cocktail

Welcome back to Cowboy Day part 2. This one is most definitely not for children so let’s assume the little darlings are tucked up in bed, the cows have been lassoed, the horses fed and watered, the little doggies have been got along and the sun is well and truly over the yardarm. All this means that it’s time to crack open a bottle of Kentucky’s finest and whip up a cocktail…Howdy cowdy, it’s the Rhinestone Cowgirl!

One of the many joys of blogging…apart from drinking bourbon cocktails at 2 pm ‘cos it’s your “job” are the people you meet.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of my blogging chums in real life (Hey Jenny and Battenburg Belle, hope you are having a super Cowboy Day celebration); then there are some like the wonderful Greg who organises this cookalong and Yinzerella who runs Pieathalon who I may never meet IRL but who are much-adored pals.

Then there are the people that you “meet” while researching a topic who are just too amazing not to talk about! I had thought that Mrs Elizabeth Wilton who made the Beetle Pie might be my most favourite person ever. But then, while googling about for pictures of Dolly Parton and wondering if I should have made Dumplin’s for my Cowboy Day fare, I encountered the original Rhinestone Cowgirl….ladies and gentlemen, let’s give a rowdy Cowdy hoot and a holler for Bobbie Nudie!

Who? You might be asking right about now. Particularly, if, like me, you initially read her name as Boobie Nudie ( definitely now my new porn name)! Well, there’s quite the clue in the photograph above. The guy standing next to Elvis is Nudie Cohn. He made that Gold Lamé suit. He was also Bobbie Nudie’s husband.

These two began a company called Nudie Rodeo Tailors which has an absolute cavalcade of famous patrons. Elvis, Roy Rogers, Cher, Elton John, Robert Redford, The Beatles, John Wayne, Dolly Parton and countless others – all dressed by the Nudies!

And, as you can also see from the above, Bobbie Nudie remained a glamourous Rhinestone Cowgirl well into her later years!

Here are just a few cuts from the Nudie tailor’s back catalogue

For more celebrities in Nudie Suits you can click here.

Here’s a couple more of shots my girl Bobbie:

And, here’s the recipe for the Rhinestone Cowgirl. Why not make one up and then let’s sit a spell, because we’re about to get gossipy!

Rhinestone Cowgirl (Difford’s Guide)

The Nudie Tailors label is iconic just within itself Here it is:

And rumour has it that our girl Bobbie is the model for the naked cowgirl on the label!

Huh….maybe she was Boobie Nudie after all!

Sadly, Bobbie Nudie passed away in 2006 at 92 years,

Her obituary in the New York Times showed her at 92 in a floor-length beaded skirt, a bandanna around her neck, a rifle in her hand and her walker at the ready. In announcing her death, The Times called her “the purveyor of glitter.”

Truewestmagazine.com

What a fashion inspiration for all of us!! I love her so much!!!!! 😍😍😍

Thanks as ever to Greg for organising the Cowboy Day Cookalong and inviting me to celebrate with you! You are a true gem in a world of rhinestones!!

Happy Cowboy Day all, and if you do raise a glass today, please raise a toast to the wonderful Bobbie Nudie!

05
Feb
2017

REPOST – Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Podcasts + A Giveaway

categories: Cocktail, Podcasts, Vodka

Hey people of the internet..I know, it’s been a while… it’s been a pretty shitty start to the year.

My step father passed away a couple of weeks ago and it’s been a horrible, weird, grief filled couple of weeks. Maybe I’ll talk about it more in time but at the moment….it’s still all a bit too raw. I had written most of this post on the Peter Piper cocktail before all the shit got real. So, here it is, pretty much unedited because I just want to get something out to resume some semblance of normality….

Don’tcha just love it when ~~two~~ three of your favorite things come together in a perfect storm of awesomeness? Of course you do! Which is how I came to find the Peter Piper cocktail.

The original Peter Piper Cocktail comes from a recipe by Georgia Hardstark and Alie Ward. So, here are some things you need to know about Georgia Hardstark.

She can make a mean cocktail
She loves vintage clothes
Along with Karen Kilgariff she is the host of one of my favorite new podcasts, My Favourite Murder

One of which would be reason enough to like her. All three combined? OMG….massive girl crush!

Also, here are some things you need to know about the Peter Piper cocktail. Actually, no just one.

The original recipe requires dry vermouth. Do not assume that just because you had dry vermouth the last time you made a cocktail, that you will still have dry vermouth. More specifically, do not wait until you have your vodka on ice in the damn cocktail shaker to realise that the dry vermouth has either disappeared into some Bermuda Trianglesque worm hole surrounding your bar cart or you drank a damn sight more of those Lord Suffolk cocktails on NYE than your memory has so far allowed you to admit. My money’s on the worm hole. Because you know, a lot of things go missing from that area of the dining room. And the stuff that is left? The levels also mysteriously change. Spooky..

Also, the girls used pepper vodka, I made my own chilli infused vodka and used that. That is super easy to make – I just chopped up a Bird’s Eye Chilli and put it into a 100ml jar filled with vodka and left it for about a week. And there you have it. Spicy vodka, perfect for mixing with pickle juice, and because you have no dry vermouth, a splash of Fino sherry. With a kick of heat from the vodka, briny sour from the pickle juice, a hint of sweet and nuttiness from the sherry….the Peter Piper is truly a thing of beauty! Perfect to drink with some salty chips whilst listening to your favourite podcast!

As far as I am concerned one of the best things to come out of 2016 for me was a new found love for the podcast. I have always been a big pod listener but l feel that last year raised the bar. So, whilst we sip our Peter Piper’s I’m going to take you through my Top 5 of the pods I discovered and loved in 2016.

These are vaguely in order of my discovery of them and not necessarily my love of them. Except the first three are probably also my top three in terms of love too.

1. The Black Tapes

It’s kinda X Files with loads of creepy children, music that will make you die within a year of hearing it, missing wives, and villain who looks like a Sexy James Bond. Not to mention evil monasteries and people having their faces ripped off.

Start with: You really need to listen to these in order. Start with S1, Episode1.

Standout Episode: The creepy knocking on Alex’s sleep tape gave me chills

2. Tanis

What have I not already said about my love for Tanis. (Brought to you by Pacific North West Stories who also produce The Black Tapes?).

Oh yeah – Both The Black Tapes and Tanis have been on hiatus for a while but The Sandy Island episodes which are for Patreon subscribers only? Totally amazing and made me fall in love with Tanis all over again. Also see my Tanis inspired cocktail posts:

Here for the Eld Fen Martini

Here for the Navigator

Here for the Sex on The Breach

Start With: As with The Black Tapes you need to listen to this in order

Standout Episode: I really liked S1 E3, The Girl in The High Tower which touched on the death of Elisa Lam. And anything with Geoff Van Sant. Or MK. So all of them.

3 My Favourite Murder

Who thought a podcast about murder could be hilarious? Well, let Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff change your mind. And just in case you are wondering, never disrespectful about the victims. They may not be the best researched of all the true crime pods that I will list but they are by far my favourite. I love these gals!

And OMG, the memes that have come out of this. From the catch cry “Stay sexy, don’t get murdered” to “You’re in a cult, call your dad” to “Here’s the thing, fuck everyone”

Don’t Start With: The Canadian Greyhound Bus Cannibal. This one scared the crap out of me. I was almost too scared to go on public transport for weeks after listening to this one!

Start With:The Alphabet Killer. This is absolutely what fascinates me about these things. No spoilers but how did that thing become his thing? Also the one on Israel Keyes. He looks like a guy you would see at a beachside pub wearing a polo shirt and boat shoes and talking too loudly to his bros. Not a serial killer, rapist, bank robber and arsonist. The Israel Keyes episode also spawned the now famous rules of hiking:

Go in packs of five
With knives
With fucking Rottweilers
With knives taped to your hands
And knives taped to your Rottweilers
And then just tons of guns
And just start shooting at any sound you hear
Anyone who fucking approaches you – shoot them

Other: They also have the best fan made merch. I just ordered one of these “Stay sexy, don’t get murdered rings” off Etsy. I feel it’s my version of the WWJD bangle.

4. Casefile

This is also true crime but from Australia. And if MFM is entirely personality driven, Casefile is the facts ma’am just the facts. The host is even anonymous. This is not exclusively Australian content but there is a lot of it on here, proving that when it comes to nutters and psychopaths, we can certainly hold our own with the rest of the world!

Start With: Peter Falconio. I remember this case so well. I also remember how they demonised his poor girlfriend in the media.

Standout Episode: Snowtown. OMG. Find out what happens when a group of people who individually were only ever going to be losers and fuck ups meet up. Spoiler – it ends with bodies in barrels.

In Adelaide.

Of course.

5. The Sofa King Podcast

These guys started following me on Insta so I gave their pod a listen and have not stopped. It’s a mix of true crime, cults, conspiracies, mysteries, and things that go bump in the night.

Start with: Their take on Dahmer. Because no one else will tell you that they found a painted preserved penis in his work locker. For real.

Standout Episode: The 411. This is about people going missing in National Parks. I laughed so hard whilst listening to this that I had to pull my car over to the side of the road because I was no longer capable of driving. Believe me, you will never see Gary Coleman in the same light!

Peter Piper Cocktail

Print Recipe

A delicious savoury cocktail

Author: Taryn Fryer

Ingredients

Scale

125ml chilli / pepper vodka
60ml pickle brine
Splash fino sherry or dry vermouth
Cornichons, pickled jalapenos, green olive to garnish

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Add the vodka, pickle brine and sherry to a shaker filled with ice.
Shake it like a polaroid picture.
Pour into 2 glasses and garnish with a sliced cornichon, a green olive and a pickled jalapeno.
Enjoy!

Okay, so I have a couple of 1990’s magazines and a 1990’s cookbook on pasta and risotto, all from my personal collection to share with readers. Point me in the way of your favourite podcasts or let me know if you share my faves and these can be yours! Leave a comment here, on Facebook or Instagram or tweet me.

Have a wonderful week! And give someone you love a big hug….

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