Sometimes when I finish a post I start wondering if I'll ever come up with another idea again. Fortunately, inspiration keeps coming, sometimes in the strangest ways. We were up in Victoria, B.C. this past weekend, a last-minute getaway to join up with Eric after he finished sailing in the Swiftsure race. If you've never been, Victoria is one of those places that beckons you to become English. We had perfect, drizzly, tea-drinking weather, and my son quickly proclaimed the weekend to be his favorite "eating" holiday ever. He divides our vacations into two categories: "active" trips in which we burn off more calories that we take in and "eating" trips, which speak for themselves. Imagine that -- a 16-year-old boy who actually enjoyed touring the Butchart Gardens, perhaps because the afternoon tea there involved some really delicious eating. The gardens were indeed beautiful and captured well by my sous-photographer, Johanna.
So my mind was on tea and scones as I took in the sights of Victoria until I spotted something in the harbor that made me veer off into an entirely different direction:
As the boat pulled up to the customs dock, I quickly pulled out my camera, snapped this photo, and knew I had material for my next blog post. Serendipity at its best. If you look closely, you will see the name written in cursive. This boat is the Cocktail. I kid you not.
To be honest, I've been thinking about the English liqueur Pimm's No. 1 for a long time and was actually waiting until Wimbledon to devote a post to the infamous Pimm's Cup. Victoria and Cocktail, however, quickly derailed those plans, and so I present to you this well known English drink about a month earlier than expected.
Pimm's is a gin-based drink containing a secret blend of spices and liqueurs and was first produced in 1823 by James Pimm. He offered it as a tonic to aid digestion and served it in a tankard known as a "No. 1 Cup". The name stuck. Other varieties were developed using different bases, although only a few varieties remain today. Pimm's is traditionally a summertime drink, but I will attest to the fact that in the maritime climate of places like Victoria and Seattle, where true summer does not arrive until long after the courts at Wimbledon have dried out, it's still a very tasty drink. There are many varieties that you can check out on the Pimm's website, but the basic recipe involves combining Pimm's with either lemonade or ginger ale in a 1:3 ratio. Lemonade is somewhat of a misnomer because in England this would take the form of a soda resembling either 7-Up or Sprite. Add ice, some fruit and/or a cucumber slice, a little mint and you have yourself a Pimm's Cup. A very refreshing drink indeed. Cheers!
Pimm's Cup (ginger ale version)
1 1/2 ounces of Pimm's No. 1
3 1/2 ounces of Reed's original ginger brew
Ice
Slice of cucumber, lemon, strawberry
Mint
Pour the Pimm's and ginger brew into a Collins glass. Add ice until the liquid almost reaches the top. Throw in the cucumber, lemon, strawberry, and mint. Some bartenders will muddle these first, but I prefer the non-muddled look for this drink.
Pimm's Cup ("lemonade" version)
1 1/2 ounces of Pimm's No. 1
3 1/2 ounces of 7-up
Ice
Slice of cucumber, orange, and strawberry
Mint
So my mind was on tea and scones as I took in the sights of Victoria until I spotted something in the harbor that made me veer off into an entirely different direction:
As the boat pulled up to the customs dock, I quickly pulled out my camera, snapped this photo, and knew I had material for my next blog post. Serendipity at its best. If you look closely, you will see the name written in cursive. This boat is the Cocktail. I kid you not.
To be honest, I've been thinking about the English liqueur Pimm's No. 1 for a long time and was actually waiting until Wimbledon to devote a post to the infamous Pimm's Cup. Victoria and Cocktail, however, quickly derailed those plans, and so I present to you this well known English drink about a month earlier than expected.
Pimm's is a gin-based drink containing a secret blend of spices and liqueurs and was first produced in 1823 by James Pimm. He offered it as a tonic to aid digestion and served it in a tankard known as a "No. 1 Cup". The name stuck. Other varieties were developed using different bases, although only a few varieties remain today. Pimm's is traditionally a summertime drink, but I will attest to the fact that in the maritime climate of places like Victoria and Seattle, where true summer does not arrive until long after the courts at Wimbledon have dried out, it's still a very tasty drink. There are many varieties that you can check out on the Pimm's website, but the basic recipe involves combining Pimm's with either lemonade or ginger ale in a 1:3 ratio. Lemonade is somewhat of a misnomer because in England this would take the form of a soda resembling either 7-Up or Sprite. Add ice, some fruit and/or a cucumber slice, a little mint and you have yourself a Pimm's Cup. A very refreshing drink indeed. Cheers!
Pimm's Cup (ginger ale version)
3 1/2 ounces of Reed's original ginger brew
Ice
Slice of cucumber, lemon, strawberry
Mint
Pour the Pimm's and ginger brew into a Collins glass. Add ice until the liquid almost reaches the top. Throw in the cucumber, lemon, strawberry, and mint. Some bartenders will muddle these first, but I prefer the non-muddled look for this drink.
Pimm's Cup ("lemonade" version)
1 1/2 ounces of Pimm's No. 1
3 1/2 ounces of 7-up
Ice
Slice of cucumber, orange, and strawberry
Mint
I remember when I discovered the Pimm's cup. It's so refreshing! Sounds like a lovely vacation.
ReplyDeleteWas Eric captain or crew? As Bill just shared, the Swiftsure is a great race!
A comment -- how exciting!! Eric was crew and sadly there was a serious lack of wind, so they re-named the race the "Driftsure"!
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