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summer

The Cocktail of the Week | Watermelon Daiquiri

As it is now officially summer, Calum has done his traditional thing and bought a watermelon!  As he grew up in Hong Kong, it is one of the things that reminds him about living there.  Due to their size, eating it all in one sitting was not an option so we needed to find something else to do with it!  Sliced and packed into the freezer we started our weekly mission to find a cocktail of the week.  Relatively quickly we decided on a Watermelon Daiquiri.

The history of the daiquiri is rather interesting!  The name ‘Daiquiri’ is a Taíno word that comes from the indigenous people of Cuba and is also the name of a local beach and iron mine.  Origins of a drink similar to the daiquiri can be traced back to the 1740s.  A drink call grog was made at the time that British Navy sailors would drink.  By the end of the century, the sailors had as part of their grog rations, the key ingredients to the drink now known as the daiquiri; rum, water, lemon or lime and sugar.  The drink became common across the Caribbean where it reappeared in Cuba in the late 1890’s.

It is likely that the drink was an established Cuban speciality when it was introduced to the Americans.  An American expat called Jennings Cox who ran out of gin whilst entertaining and created something similar to the drink.  It wasn’t until 1909 when a US Navy officer tried Cox’s drink and introduced it to the Army and Navy Club in Washington where its popularity grew.  It was also thought to be a favourite of Ernest Hemingway and JFK.  Variations of the drink have become popular over the last few years with frozen and fruit versions.

For this weeks cocktail you will need;

  • 1 cup of watermelon, sliced into inch cubes and frozen
  • 1 measure of rum
  • 2 teaspoon of sugar syrup
  • 1 teaspoons of lime juice
  • Zest of half a lime
  • 1 watermelon slice with the rind for garnish

To make the drink, place all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until you have a smoothish liquid and pour into a glass.  Garnish with the watermelon slice and you have a Watermelon Daiquiri.

Its great to think that a drink started by the British Navy with the rum rations, popularised in the Caribbean and adopted by the American Navy and Army is still going today.  Sadly (or rather sensibly), as the rum rations were ended in 1970 on a day known as Black Tot Day, we probably won’t have the British and American Navy for another interesting cocktail.


28th July 2016
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Top Five | Sweltering

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Top Five

It has been rather warm this week, not very helpful for getting things done, but good for sitting outside and enjoying a slower pace of life. Let’s have a look at this week’s top five:

One

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With temperatures soaring this week it has been uncomfortable warm in the cottage, luckily we have a beautiful garden to relax in. Some ice water, a pile of magazines and our new deckchairs to recline in. The best way to beat the heat!

Two

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The cut flower patch is having some successes, we had the first of the Dahlias, looking lovely in a little posy with some dill flowers. Dahlias had a old fashioned reputation for a long time but have come roaring back into fashion in the last few years. We love them!

Three

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As previously mentioned Rich’s mum and dad keep doves in their garden. They can be a bit of a nuisance at times, but watching them going about their everyday lives can be very entertaining. And there is no denying they are beautiful animals!

Four

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Our summer of Picnicking continues! On Saturday we met us with some friends and enjoyed lunch al fresco. Calum cooked one of his legendary quiches and there was plenty more food and drink to keep us fed and watered. What better way to spend a summer’s afternoon?

Five

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After four years of living just down the road we finally visited Strawberry Hill house.  Built from 1749 by Horace Warpole Strawberry Hill House, it is one of the earliest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the country.  It is a wonderful house to look around (and you get a discount if you are a National Trust Member) although I can’t help but think that Strawberry Hill House sounds like it should be the setting for a children’s TV show!

25th July 2016
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Cocktail of the Week | Cucumber & Thyme Spritz

As we have finally hit summer with the temperatures hitting 33 degrees, it was time to find a refreshing drink for this week’s cocktail of the week.  Once again taking inspiration from the garden, where our cucumber plant has just started to flower, and the spirits we have in the cupboard we stumbled on a Cucumber and Thyme spritz.

This is not your usual cocktail combination, but that is the joy of cocktails, a little bit of experimentation. It is also one of the things Calum enjoys about cooking.  Needless to say, experimentation does not always work, but it does give you some great and, sometimes, surprising results. The only thing to remember when you are experimenting is to write down what you do, if you don’t and it turns out great, you won’t be able to recreate it!  We found this drink on belvederevodka.com and thought it was a good use of the ingredients we are growing in the garden and an opportunity to use up some more of the vodka collection Calum has amassed over the years!

For this weeks cocktail, you will need:

  • One measure of dry vermouth
  • One measure of vodka (as we used a Belvedere recipe, we thought it right to use Belvedere)
  • Soda water
  • Tonic water
  • Three ribbons of cucumber
  • One sprig of thyme
  • Ice

To create the drink, place the tall glass you intend to use in the fridge to chill them.  Take the cucumber and peel across the length to create the ribbons. Take the glass from the fridge and place the cucumber and thyme in the glass followed by a handful of ice.  Pour in the measure of dry vermouth, the measure of vodka and use equal parts of tonic water and soda water to fill the glass. Once full, give the mix a little stir and there you have this weeks cocktail, a Cucumber and Thyme Spritz.

We found the cocktail to be a good savoury drink, if a little drier than we normally would like.  It is certainly a summer drink to enjoy on a hot afternoon to keep your sprits up when drinking cocktails!

Cucumber & Thyme Spritz

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21st July 2016
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