 I was supposed to be on vacation this week and wasn't going to do a cocktail post, but our vacation has been postponed so its your lucky Friday! Confession time, I’m not sure that I’ve ever had a Whiskey Sour before that wasn't made with rank bar lime and absolutely horrible, but this is totally different. First, know that a Whiskey Sour is actually made with bourbon, and with the right bourbon and fresh lemon juice its a real thing of beauty. To give this cocktail an extra little spring twist I made my simple syrup with orange blossom water and it adds an extra floral element.  Orange Blossom Whisky Sour 2 oz. Bourbon (bonded or McKenna, I used Weller Wheated Bourbon) 3/4 oz. lemon juice 3/4 oz. orange blossom simple syrup (simple syrup recipe here, sub water for orange blossom water) Ganish with orange slice and cherry Combine bourbon, lemon juice and simple syrup in shaker with ice, shake until diluted and chilled (30 seconds). Pour into a rocks glass with ice and garnish with the orange slice and cherry. Have a great weekend, and if you've made it to the bottom of this post let me know what your favorite cocktail is in the comments.
Cheers!
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 It all started with a set of curtains, I swear… I needed to switch out my daughters pink and not shear enough curtains with something that would let more light into her bedroom. Once I had done that I was left with two perfectly good curtains that I would definitely not be using in any other part of the house. Eventually, Charlie will be getting a bigger bed that can be expanded into an extra guest bed, but for now she’s stuck with these two toddler beds left over from when she shared a room with her brother. This idea for the DIY canopies just came to me as a way to make her room feel a little more special, her room hasn't been touched since we moved back in. From there things just spiraled out of control. Unfortunately, I don't have any before photos, but the carpet and all of the furniture was already there I just added some art work, the canopies and the knobs on the dresser are new and the only thing that I actually paid for. The art work is mostly from a stash of stuff that I’ve made over the years and almost everything is stuck to the walls with 3M picture hangers, which are my newest obsession, who needs nails?
Get ready for the most complicated DIY ever, just kidding its super easy and involves zero sewing, nailing or screwing. Here’s what you will need 1 set of curtains (mine are from Ikea) 3M hooks elastic band ribbon
 Obviously, these are toddler beds and I think that this would work well for a crib, but you might have to experiment for a larger sized bed. I thought this was a great idea for a little temporary decor if you have have a nursery or a temperamental toddler. Let me know if you try this DIY, I would love to see photos.
 And now for something new, it’s a rum drink! I think the Daiquiri has a bad rap as a super sweet fake-strawberry flavored monstrosity that comes from a slushy machine, but it doesn't have to be that way. Fresh fruit, crushed ice and a good kick from the Rum, this is the drink you’ve been looking for. The classic daiquiri is lime, white rum and simple syrup, but you can use any berries or citrus that you might have on hand. For example I happened to have blueberries and some kumquats that needed to be used (what do you do with Kumquats? Why are they in my fridge?). Additionally, I substituted the traditional white rum with a Rhum agricole, a dryer style of Rhum that lends this drink an even more adult taste.  Blueberry Kumquat Daquiri 2 oz. White Rum or Rhum agricole 3/4 oz. Simple syrup (use my little trick from last week here) 1/4 Lime small handful of blueberries 3-4 kumquats cut in half Combine blueberries and halved kumquats with simple syrup in shaker and muddle thoroughly, add ice and shake. Add rum to shaker and shake until very cold (about 20 seconds). Double strain into a small glass. Add crushed ice. So good and easy it'll be like being on vacation... well it'll taste like being on vacation anyway, I'm not a magician.
Cheers!  The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon I want to say that I hated this book, supposedly one of Pynchon’s most accessible works, I almost abandoned it with only a page and a half to go. And yet, I will probably be unravelling the this story in my mind for possibly the rest of my life. Is it possible to be haunted by a book? If you’re looking for a challenge and a book you won’t soon forget this is for you.
The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer by Skip Hollandsworth A series of attacks and murders of women are committed in the mid 1880’s in Austin, Texas. Though many are suspected of the crimes a killer is never found. This book might be a tad disingenuous regarding the serial killer aspect of these crimes. What I found most interesting was the day to day life in 1880’s Austin in comparison to today. If you're really into American history or western expansion then you’ll probably enjoy this, if you’re looking for some good true crime maybe try something else.  Postcards From The Edge by Carrie Fisher The twisted wit of Carrie Fisher never fails to amuse and entertain me. Drugs and celebrity in Hollywood give this novel a slightly autobiographical feel, but maybe thats just supposition on my part. This was her first work of fiction and her unique writing style combined with incredibly interesting and fucked up characters make for a fun read. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness If Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey had a baby and then that baby grew up and became a history nerd who loves wine is the best description I can come up with for this book. If you’re into creepy controlling love stories (I don't judge) then you're going to love this, if you’re looking for a cool vampire book its halfway there. Half Moon Bay by Alice LePlante I randomly picked this up from the library entirely because it takes place in Half Moon Bay, a small sea side town about an hours drive from where I live, this is not a recommended book selection tactic. The writing is flowery both literally and figuratively. The protagonist, who is a native plant expert, is overly neurotic and scatter-brained and the narrative is neither mysterious nor thrilling. I did finish it though, so I guess thats a positive.  Kitchen Confidential
by Anthony Bourdain Bourdain was a genius, just try and tell me otherwise. I highly recommend getting your hands on the deluxe edition which includes handwritten notes and an afterward by the man himself, as well as a new introduction from Eric Ripert. This was his original expose that earned him the bad boy chef rep, but its not that shocking if you’ve ever spent any time in a restaurant as an employee before. As always I would love any book recommendations, feel free to leave them in the comments. |
