Cocktails of the Month - Year Two (January: Champagne Cocktail)

As we close out our year of Classic Cocktails, as with the close of any year, we have taken some time to look back and to look forward. We have enjoyed learning about (and sampling) some fantastic classic gems- discovering some forgotten treats and learning to make some favorites that were previously intimidating (we’re looking at you, mint julep and eggnog). We had such a ball, that we are going to challenge ourselves with round 2 - can we find another 12 months of fun, classic drinks to share with you? Stay tuned to see what long lost treasures we unearth....

We are kicking off the year with an early pre-January post, perfect for a last minute addition to your Christmas menu or to add some flair to your New Year’s toast. The Champagne Cocktail has been making a resurgence over the last several years, with the addition of various flavored liquors, but it is just as good in its simplest form.

While the recipe was first published in a bar tenders guide in 1862, there were prior references in journals and diaries that indicate this cocktail was in general use a good bit earlier. Although French purists turned their noses up at the idea of adulterating fine champagne, most people enjoyed both the flavor and added bit of fun that came with this drink. Here are a few helpful tips if you want to give it a try...


1. Use a real sugar cube - not loose sugar or a crushed cube. Primarily you are not looking to sweeten the drink, but to create an even more bubbly experience. This best happens as the sugar cube slowly dissolves.

2. Place a few splashes of bitters on a small plate, and dip each side of  the sugar cube into it. We tried several methods and found that this was the best way to get the cube “soaked” with the least amount of waste and mess.

3. Use a sec or doux champagne for the most authentic result. Brut (dry) champagne was not available in the mid 1800’s, and the original recipes were designed with a sweeter champagne in mind. Perhaps this explains our modern tendency to add sweet flavored liquors.

RECIPE 

Champagne (sec or doux)

Sugar Cubes 

Bitters

Soak sugar cubes in bitters

Place one cube in each glass (flute or coupe), chilled glasses work best

Pour Champagne

Serve as is or garnish with a citrus twist 

In the words of Humphrey Bogart, who was drinking a Champage Cocktail as he said it... 

Here’s lookin’ at you kid! 

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for 2018
Cheers!

Christine and Stacy 

DIY Vintage-Glam Cocktail Swizzle Sticks!!

With all the vintage cocktails we've been researching lately (see our vintage cocktail of the month), I've also run across a lot of vintage bar-ware pieces - So Fun!  One evening, ordering vintage glass swizzle sticks for my husband and myself, the idea to dress them up with sparkly, vintage, glass beads popped into my head.  Sparkles, Vintage, and Cocktails - Yes Please!...I decided to give it a try!  Here's what I did:


Materials:

Vintage Swizzle Sticks: I ordered simple, glass, vintage cocktail stirrers or swizzle sticks (different sellers label them differently) on ebay.  You can also keep watch and sometimes pick them up at thrift and antique shops.  Some of the swizzle sticks have rounded ball ends, some have little flat tops.  The flat tops are often designed to be used in drinks as muddlers, however, since I was looking to decorate mine, those flat tops provided a lovely bead platform.  Vintage swizzle sticks also come in a variety of lengths.  As my husband and I tend toward drinks served in Double Old Fashioned glasses, martini glasses, coup glasses, etc., I personally preferred the short 4"-5" sticks when I could find them.  If you tend towards drinks typically served in Highballs or taller glasses, look for the longer glass swizzle sticks.  It's also not a bad idea to make a variety of lengths, just in case!

Vintage Beads: Again, these can be found in a variety of places, online, thrift shops, etc.  Oftentimes buying one necklace and cutting it apart, can yield 10-20 beads depending on how many you are using and what size they are.  My recommendation is to use glass/crystal beads over plastic or wood as they are easier to clean, however, any would work.  The beads I used ranged from 1" (abstract large beads) and 3/4" (amber disks), to 3/8" (small gray beads topping larger gray beads).

Glue: I used E-6000

 The process is simply to glue the pieces together.  The most difficult aspect I encountered was where to place them to let them dry and set in an upright position.  I had this spikey "grass" drying rack I had gotten for bottle components when my children were little, which proved the perfect place to stick them upright, (a bucket of sand might work too?)!  Initially I did not scuff or "rough-up" the glass pieces prior to gluing.  Some of them held together well, some did not.  Those that did not hold, I filed with a small metal file and tried again.  So far, they seem to be holding.  I have used some in drinks, (stay tuned to our future cocktails of the month blogs-you'll spot some of these lovelies), and washed them successfully.  I would caution that they are delicate, and to handle them with care.

They are also, super sparkly, and loads of FUN!  I kept finding beads that would be "perfect" for a swizzle stick and ended up making quite a few...so now that everyone knows what they're getting for Christmas....   lolol

Enjoy, have fun, and Cheers!
If you make some, tag us on instagram - we'd love to see how they turned out!!
-Christine

Starting Fresh With Chinese New Year

As decorations from Christmas come down, and the new year gets underway, I always find myself wanting to clean things out!  There seems to be this urge to get any clutter out of the way and start the year off on the right foot.  Adding fresh greenery and house plants into my home also tends to be something I am sub-consciously drawn to - that sense of freshness.  Well, if you are like me, let me tell you, THIS IS YOUR YEAR!!  First off, 2017 has begun.  Secondly, this year Pantone has made Greenery, (fresh plants!!), the color of the year.  If you missed our last blog post, Stacy went in depth on that, check it out. So...new start, plants are IN, and....  Third, it is almost Chinese New Year,  (January 28, this year)!!  What's that you say?  Chinese New Year?  Chinese New Year is one of the largest Chinese festivals of the year.  My daughter is Chinese, and while researching and learning about Chinese customs, I have fallen in love with Chinese New Year.

What is it?  Chinese New Year is the celebration of the end of winter and welcoming the promise of spring.  The premise is to literally and figuratively "sweep out" the old year and any bad/baggage from it, and start the new year fresh and with a clean slate.  While we make New Year resolutions and "say" we're going to start anew, the Chinese actually DO IT!  In preparation for the New Year, homes are thoroughly cleaned and swept out, (makes me feel good just thinking about it)!  Many people will buy presents, and new clothes.  Once the homes, streets, and businesses are cleaned, they are decorated with lanterns, and flowers (symbolizing prosperity), and as the welcome of spring.  Since Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar, the festivities run 15 days from the New Moon, to the Full Moon, typically starting somewhere in late January or early February.  This is the start of Chinese Spring.

On Chinese New Year, customs include banging gongs and drums, and setting off fire crackers and fireworks to "scare away" the "dragon" of winter or the past year.  At midnight, some customs include throwing open the doors and windows to "usher in" the New Year.  Coins in red envelopes and flowers are given as gifts.  Many of the gifts and decorations are gold, (to bring wealth), and red (for luck, as this is considered an especially lucky color).  During the celebrations, family dinners are very important and many people will travel great distances to join family for the New Year.  As many of us in the US have various regional food customs for New Years, so do the Chinese.  Oranges, fruits and candies are eaten for a sweet future.  Long noodles are eaten for long life.  Dumplings are made crescent shape and resemble ancient gold nuggets.  And eating a whole fish will mean plenty to eat.  The Chinese New Year festivals culminate on the 15th day with the Full Moon and the Lantern Festivals.

Around our house, we have been making a push to get things cleaned out and fresh and ready for the New Year.  I have already added a new plant or two, as well as some greenery to my decor and the house is beginning to feel so nice and fresh.  This coming weekend, Jan 28, starts Chinese New Year.  We are planning to celebrate with some of the food customs, (mostly ordered from our favorite local Chinese restaurant), a gathering of friends, and decorations of red flowers, lanterns, and envelopes of chocolate coins!  For some fun crafts, I have made super simple tissue paper flowers, directions below, and found a fun tutorial for making paper fortune cookies (see below)!

If you haven't gotten everything cleaned out yet for the New Year, it's not too late!!  Make your resolution!  In the spirit of China, let's sweep it out, and start fresh!

Cheers!
Christine


Tissue Paper Flowers:

Red and Gold Tissue Paper
Thin Wire, or even twist ties off bread bags
Scissors

Use full sheets for large flowers or cut them in half, or trim some off, along the narrow side, making narrower long rectangles, for smaller flowers.  Layer red and gold tissue in whatever pattern you like, (I used two gold, 4 red sheets).  Pleat the paper back and forth like a fan, (keep the short side straight, pleating the longer length).  Then tie wire around the center.  Using scissors, trim the ends to either points or curve them like a scallop.  Then open the flowers up.  Gently "fluff" the layers apart (tissue does tear easily), and viola!  Flowers!



Paper Fortune Cookies Tutorial here: Link

Mimosa! A Year of Classic Cocktails - January

January - Mimosa

It's finally here!!  A New Year and the start of our Year of Classic Cocktails!!

Break out the Bubbly!! Who was up all night partying in the New Year?!  Who still hasn't gone to bed?! lolol  As champagne is the definite requisite New Year's libation, chances are, there's still some lurking around the house.  And now that it's morning, and the parties are winding down, well we certainly wouldn't want to waste anything.  So.... the perfect New Year's Morning drink?  Mimosa of course!  This classic is likely well known to all!

Legend has it that the Mimosa originated in Paris, in 1925 - created by a bar tender in the Ritz Hotel. It was named after the yellow/orange mimosa flower that is prevalent throughout much of Europe. My research indicates that it is much more likely that the Paris bartender "borrowed" the idea from Buck's Club in London where it was originated in 1925, and named Buck's Fizz. The Fizz is actually much more in line with a modern mimosa recipe- having two parts champagne to one part orange juice, while the French mimosa was an even mix of the two. The one thing that seems universally accepted is that the drink was popularized in the United States in the 1940's by Alfred Hitchcock!

If you've never made a mimosa, the official amounts are as follows, however one can really mix the parts according to preference.

Mimosa

6 oz. Brut Champagne

3oz. Orange Juice

Mix pre-chilled champagne and OJ in a champagne flute or goblet and enjoy! 

Cheers!

-Christine and Stacy 

A New Classic Cocktail will post on the 1st of each month!  Here's to classics and cool stories! 

Looking Forward, Looking Back

As the year draws to a close, it is a natural time for looking back and making plans for the future; a time for reflecting on experiences and lessons learned, a time for making resolutions. 

New Year's resolutions have been a staple of numerous traditions and cultures throughout history.  From the ancient Babylonians to the ancient Romans, and even through modern celebrations of the Jewish new year (Rosh Hashanah), many times the resolutions have a religious component.  Although the timing of these New Year celebrations differs, they all include a component of seeking forgiveness for wrongs done and vowing to do better in the coming year. Similarly during Chinese New Year the ill fate of the year before is literally swept away to make room for good fortune to come.  In modern American culture, resolutions have taken on a largely secular focus, often revolving around changing health habits or eliminating negative behaviors.  Available data seem to indicate a higher success rate for resolutions that are written down and/or shared. In that vein, we (Stacy and Christine) would like to take this time between Christmas and the New Year to reflect on where Out 2 Lunch has been this past year, and share some of our plans for the future...

2016 has been an interesting year for Out 2 Lunch and we have grown professionally and tried some new ideas. We have experimented with both product lines and sales venues, we have had some successes and some failures and learned from them all. We debuted some new products - most notably pendants created by disassembling and combining multiple pieces of vintage jewelry- and we have retired some of our originals as we streamlined our offerings. We now have a product line - clutches, jewelry and hair pins- that reflects where we are going as a company. We are focusing on those things that feed our artistic spirits; creating one of a kind items that meld the past and future, that combine beauty and function. While we plan on test marketing some new products in 2017, they will be sub-lines of these categories. 

Cheers to the New Year!!

We have also enjoyed exploring our passions this year, and sharing them with you via our Instagram account and this blog. In 2017 we hope to expand our Instagram account to create a virtual community of like-minded artisans, internationally as well as in our local markets of Richmond, Virginia and Raleigh, North Carolina. We have enjoyed finding and supporting other fabulous artisans and creators, and look forward to sharing the best of what we find. We are also continuing to develop this blog, and will be bringing you some fabulous guest bloggers in 2017- that share our passion for the beauty of vintage and hand made. We have found that, generally, things that have stood the test of time have a quiet quality that we prefer to flash in the pan trends. 

Over the past several months we have also been researching and trying some classic, vintage cocktails, as a counter to the trendy bar drinks that have been making the rounds. We will be sharing these drinks on the blog the 1st of every month, beginning on New Year's Day. Some of the drinks were in our common awareness, but we had never tried them, others were lost gems that we were thrilled to discover! Each post will share the back story (or stories in some cases), the recipe for the drink and other interesting information we have discovered. 

Make sure to follow the blog and our Instagram so that you don't miss out on any of the fun!! 

Instagram: out2lunchdesigns

Blog:  Well & Truly Out 2 Lunch

Happy New Year! and Cheers!
Stacy and Christine