The Perfect Drink for Every Occasion: The Aviation

August 8, 2014

Aviation

Sometimes you just need a good strong drink. On those days, The Perfect Drink for Every Occasion is the one of the best manuals around. Written by Duane Swierczynski, it boasts 151 cocktails for just about every situation. You really can’t go wrong with this one.  

Looking for a drink that will impress your grandma? Try a Sidecar.

How about when you’re in the mood for a manly drink with a girlie name? Enter a Pink Gin.

Need a Leap Year cocktail? Not to worry, it’s in here, too.

There’s even a bit in here for when you’re watching James Bond movies. Dr. No deserves a Medium-Dry Vodka Martini, Goldfinger a Mint Julep and Thunderball a Rum Collins.

If you enjoy a bit of cleverness paired with alcohol, The Perfect Drink for Every Occasion really should grace your bookshelves.

This would be a great gift to a newly drinking-aged person, which (according to the book) should guzzle a Kamikaze on their 21st birthday. There are also hangover cures for when the drinks flow a little too freely.

You may be thinking, cleverness aside, how are the drinks? At their core, they are mostly classic cocktails. I found myself flipping through the book more often than I expected. As an indecisive drinker, I really liked being told what to drink based on the holiday/my mood/major life event.

For this post, I tried out the What to Drink if You’re Tired of Gin and Tonics. The answer was The Aviation. It’s a simple three-ingredient cocktail. As the book describes, “Still the same gin, but the boring tonic water is jettisoned in favor of the sweet Maraschino—a clear-but-not-cloying Italian liqueur—and a bit of sour from the lemon juice.”

The book itself is also laid rather nicely. It begins with creating the perfect set-up, moves onto technique and then gets into the recipes. There are no fancy photographs accompanying each drink. Instead, you get the recipe and a quick anecdote. 

All in all, I’m a fan. I’m also looking forward to my next post-nap whiskey and soda. 

The Perfect Drink for Every Occasion by Duane Swierczynski

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The Aviation
A simple three-ingredient cocktail. Perfect if you're tired of gin and tonics.
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Ingredients
  1. 2 oz. gin
  2. 1oz. lemon juice
  3. 1/2 to 1 oz. Maraschino liqueur or simple syrup
Instructions
  1. Pour everything into a shaker filled with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass or serve over ice.
Adapted from The Perfect Drink for Every Occasion
Adapted from The Perfect Drink for Every Occasion
Maysquared.com https://www.maysquared.com/blog/
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Easy Homemade Hummus

August 7, 2014

Hummus

Our refrigerator typically contains at least one form of hummus. In particular, we tend to gravitate toward the plain Trader Joe’s hummus. It can make a great snack or even a light lunch when paired with veggies.

The only problem is that we do not have Trader Joe’s in BC. The closest one is in Bellingham, which is about an hour drive and two trips over the border. Super sucky, right? Because of this, I’ve been making many of my favorite Trader Joe’s staples in house. 

This week, I decided to move onto hummus. After a few stalled attempts to procure tahini, I finally found some in the natural foods section of Fred Meyer. Armed with chickpeas and a new jar of tahini, I was ready. 

The thing about hummus is that it’s super easy to make. At its heart, it’s just pureed beans. That means, much to the delight of those pressed for time, it’s a breeze to whip up. Not to mention, it’s so much more cost effective to make at home. Beans are cheap. The only investment is the tahini (mine was $5 for a 16 ounce jar).

This hummus is adapted from Cooking Light’s Happy-Hour Hummus. It perfectly hits the hummus spot. The texture is smooth and rich with a nice kick of citrus. We added sriratcha to ours for a little added flavor—but it’s also good in it’s original form.

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Easy Homemade Hummus
Serves 13
An easy, homemade hummus with a kick of citrus and sriracha.
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Total Time
5 min
Total Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 5 tablespoons water
  2. 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  3. 1/4 cup tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
  4. 3 tablespoons olive oil
  5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  6. 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  7. 2 garlic clove, crushed
  8. 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  9. 1-2 tablespoons sriratcha
Instructions
  1. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving (helps the flavors come together).
Adapted from My Recipes
Adapted from My Recipes
Maysquared.com https://www.maysquared.com/blog/
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Baked Glazed Donuts

August 6, 2014

Baked Donuts

Is there anything better than a warm glazed donut? 

The answer is almost always no*.

Truthfully, I’m a bit of a donut fiend. When we lived in the Portland area, we were frequent visitors of Voodoo Donuts. Later, we stumbled into Blue Star Donuts. I’m sure that you can get fantastic donuts in the Vancouver, BC area—I just haven’t really tried.

To combat my donut-induced homesickness, I bought a donut pan. I was a bit hesitant to try baking donuts. After all, wouldn’t they just turn into muffins with holes. 

Well, we were pleasantly surprised. The sweet, yeasted dough creates a dense and cakey donut. The thick glazed made each bite taste decadent without the guilt.

The donuts are best eaten the day of making them. They turn a bit sticky the next day. Not to worry. From personal experience, it’s really not hard to eat an entire batch.

*If you answered yes, I’m immediately skeptical of you and sense untrustworthiness. 

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Baked Glazed Donuts
Serves 12
The perfect sweet, glazed cake donut without the guilt.
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Donuts
  1. 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
  2. 2 tablespoons warm water (110-120°F)
  3. 3/4 cup sugar
  4. 2 cups cake flour
  5. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  7. 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
  8. 2 eggs
  9. 2 tablespoons melted butter
Glaze
  1. About 2 cups of powdered sugar
  2. 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
  1. Begin by combining the yeast and water in a small bowl. Let this sit and get bubbly while you assemble the remaining ingredients.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. Add the buttermilk, eggs and butter to the yeast mixture (it should be bubbly and activated by now) and stir to combine.
  4. Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the buttermilk mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Fill your greased donut pan with the batter and bake at 425 degrees for about 6-8 minutes.
  5. While the donuts cool, you can whip up a fast glaze by combining the powdered sugar and milk. You want a thick but still dip-able consistency. Once the donuts are cooled, give them a good dip in the glaze and let them sit to set up.
Adapted from The Cafe Sucre Farine
Adapted from The Cafe Sucre Farine
Maysquared.com https://www.maysquared.com/blog/
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