Calvados is one of my favourite tipples. It is literally liquid apple distilled into a glass. All the most delicious flavours of apples in sippable form. And it transports me instantly to the wonderful year I spent in Dinan, Brittany just after I finished uni. Yec'hed mat! (That's 'cheers' in Breton.)
A list of tiny pleasures all rolled into one afternoon: sunshine, friends, gin, interesting work chat, native botanicals, sitting on the platform of the old goods shed (which is now Itinerant Spirits, who make excellent drinks, served with a smile). It all feels a bit like summer.
I love a good tasting session, especially in a well-appointed tasting room. The baby stills in the background a fully functioning and served as the perfect eye-candy for my Prickly Moses beer tasting paddle. The tasting room at the Queenscliff Brewhouse was a delightful escape from the football crowd in the main bar. As expected,
I stopped in at the Bellarine Whisky Distillery this afternoon and spent an excellent hour chatting and tasting with the lovely Logan at the distillery door. We had much discussion around flavours and stories and production.
I'm playing at Itinerant Spirits on Thursday night. As a distillery, they have a cocktail special matched with the musician. I flipped through my cocktail book looking for inspiration and found this page. The French Whore sounds very tasty!
There's a special place in my heart for Calvados, having lived in Brittany for a year. I've been watching chef Guillaume Brahimi doing a tour of the west coast of France, which compelled me to pour a little glass of the divine apple spirit.
Oh my, this is delicious! Gin, applejack, lime and grenadine, topped with a maraschino cherry. An intense and refreshing concoction served by the very stylish bartenders at Mill Place Merchants, hiding down an alley in central Melbourne.
I like a little tipple of Gingerbread gin sometimes in the evening. It's like having dessert but without the substance and the sweetness. And when I say little, I mean it. A little slurp. Enough for perhaps three sips. It gives my taste buds a zing of pleasure, warms my heart a smidge and feels
The night is quiet. No-one else is home. The neighbourhood dogs are asleep. Even the fridge has stopped humming. The only sound that rises above the calm is the gentle splash of whisky going from bottle to glass. Just a little one - it's Monday after all.
I've always been a maker - there's something very satisfying about creating something new. And I'm glad I have been because now I find fun treasures lurking in the back of my pantry. Which happened tonight. I was looking for a little after dinner snack or sip and came across some cumquat brandy I made
