El Martinez

I'm heavy into gin cocktails at the moment, but I had an itch to try something a bit different (and to make use of the sweet vermouth lingering in our fridge, as the weather hasn't been conducive to the Manhattans and Negronis it was purchased for). After some Googling I came across the Martinez, a predecessor to the Martini, and as good a cocktail as any to celebrate R's new-found American citizenship!

(Fun story: growing up my parents always treated us like adults, meaning we had wine with dinner before we were technically 21 and were used to enjoying the same when we were out. Since I always looked older than I was, although hopefully not now—eek!, this was never a problem. But when I actually did turn 21 I went to a restaurant called Zocalo in Charlottesville for dinner with a friend. We were early for our reservation, so I went to the bar and ordered a Martini—a proper one, mind you, with Gin. I was immediately carded. Apparently the idea of someone ordering anything but a vodka martini was suspect).

Point being—I like the crisp, herbaceous-ness of gin, so I like to leave it as pure as possible. The original Martinez recipe calls for a 2:1 ratio of sweet vermouth to gin, plus liquid from a jar of Maraschino cherries (which is full of all sorts of chemicals, much like the new Campari), the combination of which, if you know me by now, you'll see is just much too sweet (and foul!) for my tastes.

So, here's my version of the Martinez, which lets the gin shine:  

For 1 El Martinez, my way (i.e., not too sweet)
2 ounces gin (Bluecoat American Dry Gin)
1/2 an ounce sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica Formula)
1 dash bitters (Gran Classico Bitter)

Mix and serve over ice.

The Delilah, a bewitching White Lady for summer eves

{  Dazzling Delilahs  }

One of the best things about growing up in Virginia were the snap-crackle-y-pop of a summer's night. Once the sun went down, the night air turned sultry, heat lightening happened often and driving along winding back roads in my red Mustang with the windows down and radio on were some of the best memories I have of Old Virginny.

There was a radio station, 101.3FM (I can't believe I remember that!), that played "Delilah After Dark". Did/do y'all have that on your local stations? Now that I think about the name, it has a slightly racy connotation, no? But with the same syrupy voice and muzak-like theme song as Jonas's radio psychologist on Sleepless in Seattle, she was far from anything remotely resembling salacious.

The show had people call in to regale listeners with sob stories, which would inspire Delilah to play songs that perfectly fit their situations. It was like magic. Somewhat annoying magic, if you listened to her voice for too long, though. So I would skip around on my presets until story time was over, and then listen in to the song itself, as those were generally good, and a nice mix of oldies, jazzy tunes, Top 40, pop, etc. Perfect for late night drives.

Whenever I hear "Delilah" I think of her voice (not so pleasant) or of the bewitching Delilah of Samson + Delilah (much more interesting). So when I was looking for a new cocktail to mix up featuring gin this weekend and I saw the Delilah, also known as the White Lady, I realized the drink could go either way.

Luckily for all involved, this was a smashing success.

I adapted the traditional recipe to make it pack less of a wallop (two ounces of gin for one!) and to better balance the tartness of fresh lemon juice and aromatic sweetness of triple sec. Some recipes call for shaking this up with an egg white, which I would have been happy to do had I had enough eggs to make Saturday evening cocktails and a proper Sunday morning breakfast. I also opted to serve these in champagne flutes and to top off the glasses with sparkling water to prolong cocktail hour.

For 1 Delilah
1 ounce gin (Bluecoat American Dry Gin)
half an ounce triple sec (Luxardo Triplum)
half an ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice

These sultry little numbers are best enjoyed while listening to Louis Armstrong—especially if in the hours preceding you were forced to listen to the worst-of-NYC soundtrack featuring jackhammerers.

Cold-brewed coffee

{  Cold-brewed coffee + Ronnybrook goodness...and a handmade knit cotton napkin—shocking, right?  }

I have a new favorite weekend indulgence that falls in line with all of my regular weekend requirements: it's cozy + yummy + homey. The fact that it requires a bit of planning might seem like a bad thing, but I'm fully in the camp of believers that find a little pleasure in anticipation, the waiting—as long as it's not too long, of course.

So if you enjoy coffee, enjoy milk (or "milk", meaning, not just from cows or goats, but from nuts or rice, too!) and want to taste an even more beautiful, harmonious joining of the two, I insist you try a pot of cold-brewed coffee this weekend. It's so smooth, not at all bitter or acidic, and all the "notes" that people say this or that coffee has comes across bright and clear. Bonus: since the flavor is so rich and mellow, it actually tastes sweeter than hot-brewed coffee—so you might not need to add any sweetener of your own!

All you'll need is fresh water, coffee, whichever milk you prefer (if you don't want black coffee—and, I would recommend anything but coconut milk. I can't ever seem to get it to work with coffee!), and some sort of container and strainer (a French Press is perfect for this). You'll also need a 12'ish-hour bout of patience.

Here's how I stir mine up for a full-bodied brew that's not crazy robust, but definitely not weak:
-  8 ounces of water
-  4 tablespoons of coffee

Pour the water over the coffee grinds, stir briskly, cover the container, and then just let it be. I put mine together on a Friday evening and come Saturday morning I press the plunger down on my mini French Press and pour out an almost-chocolate-syrupy stream of goodness into my glass and top it with my favorite Ronnybrook milk.

Delicious.

Growing up Goan: homemade remedies & medicinal mixology

{  Typical Goan lunch @ my Mom's: Leg of vinegary-roasted lamb, mango salad and saffron rice  }

In my haste and excitement to share my rectified state-of-lush-ness, I completely forgot to actually tell you why some cocktails deserve to be treated (and enjoyed) like natural medicine. Eat your vegetables, yes, but drink your herbs and vitamins, too!

But first, a bit about how I grew up:

I'm a first-generation American born to immigrant parents that met at a party in Manhattan—oddly enough, they're actually from the same area (although perhaps not so odd, since the party was related to their common heritage). Like most children born in the 80's to foreigners, my parents were pretty determined to bring us up as American as possible, meaning that we were not spoken to in their common dialect (which upsets me to no end today), and we enjoyed a variety of foods (although non were typically "American", apart from the damn good burgers my parents grilled out on our deck. I didn't have peanut butter or macaroni and cheese until college!).

Probably 70% of what we ate at home was definitely Goan, or Goan-influenced, which really isn't so far from basic Mediterranean fare (Goan food, and  Goan dialects, are a hybrid of Portuguese and Indian). Actually, a lot of the flavors that are sprinkled throughout Goan food is really similar to Sicilian—both being influenced by water, Arabs, and tropical climates, so: lots of small-scale fish, almonds, pistachios and vinegar-pickled/cured vegetables and meat. Goan cuisine then veers stiffly away because it's heavy in pork and coconut, which of course aren't as common in Sicilian food.

The remaining 30% of our diet was greatly influenced by our extended family, travels, and the fact that my parents are both great cooks that like to experiment—so a few German dishes here, a couple of Southern Italian meals there, some flamboyant French dessert way back over there, etc.

Other than the majority of what we ate, the other thing that my parents were insistent on incorporating into our childhoods (whether for the sake of preservation or because their way just made more sense...or because we grew up without health insurance), was natural home remedies.

Have a high fever? No Tylenol for us. Instead we applied an onion compress (and of course cancelled any subsequent social engagements, because that pungent odor tends to linger in hair, especially long hair like mine). Stomach cramps or a chill? Cupping performed on the floor of our den (although I eloquently referred to it as "fire on my belly!", and only in the last 10 years did I realize this was an actual medical "procedure" performed throughout the world). Chest congestion? No Dayquil for us, but a Vicks application before bed and an Egg Flip on an empty stomach.

Stirred, not shaken

{  Restocking the bar at Astor Wines & Spirits  }

We're not what you'd call "drinkers", but neither are we teetotalers. A nice glass of wine on a regular basis or a proper cocktail on occasion versus shots at the bar or weekend binges is how we do it.

But it had been quite a while since I'd had a nice cocktail at home—which was entirely caused by our lack of ingredients. We always have a decent selection of wine, a bottle of whisky, and usually a bottle of spirits picked up on vacation in the Caribbean (Antiguan Rum, Mexican Tequila Reposado), but as for the additions to mix a non-straight-up drink, we were a bit deficient.

After comparing costs for the specific spirits I wanted across local wine stores (since they offer free delivery in Manhattan when you spend a certain amount), I went with Astor Wines & Spirits for my hefty order. The store itself, an eco-friendly, landmark building near NYU and Union Square, is just lovely, and they offer classes and tastings at Astor Center, their "school", but given the heatwave, I had no intention of lugging bottles home, so to the website I went!

Now you may have already gauged from all I've written on the general theme, but just in case you haven't: I'm a big believer in food as medicine, which trickles nicely over to drinks as medicine. Cocktails did originally start as tonics to heal the stomach and mind, after all (medicinal mixology, if you will), before giving way to the hedonism-inducing concoctions of today.

I've always been a fan of what my friend calls "old man drinks", i.e., stiff, bitter, not-at-all-sweet cocktails, like a Negroni. So first order of business was getting the ingredients for that: Gin, Bitters (Campari is the bitter of choice for a Negroni) and Sweet Vermouth (usually Martini & Rossi). But while poking around online I discovered something upsetting: Campari changed its formulation a few years ago to remove the cochineal (a beetle secretion used to dye food, cosmetics, and textiles red) that gave the spirit its iconic neon hue, in favor of the horrid Red #40! Dislike.

When I was researching this absurdity I came across Medicinal Mixology, a really great site with the goal of resparking:

Turmeric & ginger chocolate tummy tamer

{  Turmeric & ginger chocolate tummy tamer  }

Feeling achy? Crampy? Tired, but can't fall asleep? Maybe a cup of this little guy can help.

I woke up 4.5 hours before work today because I felt so horrible. After hobbling around doubled over in pain I finally decided to take a very hot shower (targeting the spray at my midsection), and then to curl up on the couch with a mug of this hopeful-healer. I feel a wee bit better, so thought I'd share with y'all.

Stir the following together in a little saucepan until its nice and blended and frothy and simmering gently:

+  1 cup of your preferred milk (I used Ronnybrook's Creamline)
+  1 tablespoon of chocolate (I used Navitas raw, organic cacao)
+  2 teaspoons of chicory (completely optional, I happened to have a smidgen of Dandy Blend left)
+  1 teaspoon of turmeric
+  1/2 a teaspoon of ginger
+  1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon

Chocolate has actual health benefits, but I used it this morning just to make me happy. Who doesn't want chocolate on a Monday morning? The real helpers are the other anti-oxidants: turmeric (an anti-inflammatory and natural painkiller), ginger (another anti-inflammatory, as well as an anti-nausea and muscle relaxer) and cinnamon (which, like the others, warms the body—a good thing when you have bad cramps, even if it's hot and humid outside!).

My one-day juice cleanse with Juice Press

{ Juice Press juices for my 1-day "cleanse" | January 2013 }

So here's the thing: I don't like the idea of juice cleanses (too restrictive! no chewing?! so boring!).

But here's the other thing: I'm always up for trying something new.

Which is how I ended up stopping by an outpost of Juice Press before heading into work two weeks ago to purchase the 5 juices + 2 nut milks above. One of the reasons I never did this before (besides being somewhat anti-juice cleanse) is because juice places in NYC are super expensive and a lot of them, like BluePrint and Cooler Cleanse are chock full of sugar (which made me shy away even when there was a great Gilt City deal available).

I had been to Juice Press before to buy one-off juices or one of their raw/gluten-free dishes and was pretty familiar with them and their products. So when I thought about trying drinking juice for a day just to see what would happen, I checked out their suggested one-day cleanse. While it was significantly better (both price and sugar-wise) than others, it was still too sugary for me. The good thing is they had enough variety of mostly-vegetable juices for me to put together my own one-day plan and cut the sugar down from more than a cup to about 10 teaspoons (still much more than I'd like, but manageable). I also wanted to put together my own little plan because their suggested one had ZERO nut milk (I don't know how any one could get through a day of just swilling vegetables). Craziness.

Here's my haul and the order I had them in:

• Cardamom Coconut Milk: coconut water, coconut meat, ginger juice, spices, sea salt
• Mother Earth: celery, cucumber, parsley, kale, dandelion, swiss chard, lemon, ginger
• Spanish Fly: cucumber, olive oil, lime, red peppers, parsley, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, amino acids, onion, chipotle, black pepper
• H2 Gravity: cucumber, celery, kale, lemon, aloe e3 live
• Drink Your Salad: carrot, celery, tomato, beet, lemon, spinach, kale, parsley, sea salt, garlic, onion, cayenne 
• Almond Milk: almonds, filtered water, coconut oil, vanilla, sea salt

My favorite blends were the Cardamom Coconut Milk (insanely good) and Spanish Fly (a feisty, slurpable gazpacho!).

How did it go?
Well, turns out there's a reason I don't like the idea of juice cleanses. They aren't fun.

The juices were tasty and the first few were fine, but around 3PM I was dying to chew on something, anything! I couldn't even stomach the last vegetable juice because I'd had enough, so I saved it for the next day. And...I'm not going to lie. When I got home I had a piece of dark chocolate and a few spoons of cashew butter.

I also didn't notice any difference in my energy or sleep or...bodily functions (sorry—just trying to give the whole picture!). I suppose one day isn't enough time to see any difference...or that my intake wasn't that different from how I normally eat, so maybe no major results? Even though I didn't really get anything out of it, I'm still glad I tried it.

But, I was more than ready to tuck in to my plate of sauteed kale, poached pastured egg and feta cheese the morning after.

Verdict?
I'll stick to my usual routine of only-one-a-day green smoothies (not juice) made at home, but will definitely still stop by Juice Press for a fix of raw and gluten-free treats or when I want some variety in the green juice/smoothie department (I have a 1,000 watt blender, but even that's not good enough to pulverize tough greens completely).

Have you done a juice cleanse before? How'd it go?

1 month of Pure Synergy vitamins & superfood powder

{ Mmm, green! | January 2013 }

Remember how I was going to do a little tweak to my daily routine and start taking a vitamin and nutritional supplement? Well, I ended up purchasing the Women's Wellness Pack A (daily vitamin/herb supplement in tablet form + superfood powder) from The Synergy Company because I liked that none of their ingredients were synthetic, everything was organic, the company is a small business in Utah and their business and wellness philosophy were inspiring.

{ Pure Synergy Vitamin Supplement }

{ Pure Synergy Superfood Powder }

Here's how it went:

Day 1: Took 1 vitamin (recommended dosage is 6 daily) and made a green smoothie with a teaspoon of the superfood powder for breakfast (recommended dosage is 1 tablespoon). I eat a LOT of vegetables, but that initial whiff of the powder was tough even for me to take. Yawned all day, no change in digestion, energy, etc. Feeling majorly bummed and wondering if I just wasted $100.

Day 3: Still suspect about the amount of money I spent on this stuff. No change in energy level/digestion/etc. Sigh.

Day 5: Status quo.

Day 7: Coming down with a cold—think it's a mixture of non-stop work and wonky weather (a 30-degree day followed by a 60-degree day and I had the wrong outerwear)—and I'm averse to taking NyQuil/DayQuil or any of its ilk, so when I woke up all funky Saturday morning I made a larger-than-usual glass of superfood drink and took 3 pills.

Day 9: I followed the same sick-girl routine as Day 7 and I feel the cold/flu whatever it is going away. So, maybe there's something to this stuff? Don't know yet.

Day 20-something: Faithfully taking my dosages, but don't feel any different.

Day 30-something:  Well, I'm sad to say that perhaps this wasn't the best investment. I really haven't noticed any major difference after about a month. I'll finish up my supply, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Of course if something changes (like maybe it's not built up in my system enough and I'll soon feel burst of energy/clear skin/better digestion/stronger hair and nails, although that seems unlikely), I'll come back to update you, but I'm a bit disappointed.

How to embrace a gray Sunday

{ Belgian hot chocolate from Le Pain Quotidien with jauntily placed pinecone }

+ Let yourself sleep in until 9:30AM, since you strolled in the door at the tardy hour of 1AM after a very, very fun dinner party uptown (how d'ya like them apples, NYT?).

+ Shuffle into the kitchen, fire up the moka.

+ Spend an hour over coffee and a spicy brunch at your table poking around online.

+ Do a few hours of work (for a project you enjoy).

+ Bundle up for a leisurely hour-long walk uptown to a coffee shop to meet your team.

+ Enjoy a pot of hot chocolate...with a pinecone propped against a candle for a dash of holiday cheer.