Tag Archives: Shelby Farms Park

another sunset, another change

26 Monday Feb 2018

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Where I currently live, and will for another 5 weeks, backs up to a gorgeous nature conservancy. I have my own private light show each evening. None are ever the same and each one is magnificent. While I will miss my nightly sighting of another glorious sunset, our new house will bring another peace.

We moved into our current place so Coe and I could go for long daily walks in the park. Slowly, our walks have gotten shorter and she doesn’t enjoy the park the way she used to. In our new place, she won’t have to deal with stairs and she’ll have a doggy door to a fenced back yard. The times they are a changing and we are changing with them.

Toast Tuesday: Fernet Redux

21 Tuesday Mar 2017

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During my year of drinking adventurously, we tried Fernet-Branca, which is a bitter liqueur.  It is often served as a digestive or a common drink is Fernet mixed with coke or ginger beer.  I was not a fan.  I thought for sure I had just wasted money on a bottle that was going to collect dust on my shelf for eternity.

While doing research for Irish whiskey cocktails, one caught my eye, the Southside Smash from the Jameson website.  It called for lime juice, whiskey, mint… so far so good… and Fernet.  I like all of the other ingredients in there so I think I need to give it a try.  I dialed back the Fernet to almost half what the recipe called for.  This allowed all the flavors to come through and not be bullied out by the Fernet.

The two weeks before my recent Concoct event at Shelby Farms, I had two different taste testing evenings to fine tune my recipes and finalize the menu.  The Southside Smash was one that gave people a new flavor element within the comfort of more familiar flavors.  Everyone did a straw taste of Fernet, one woman really liked it, and no one was repelled by it.  So, here’s to trying new things!

This second Concoct event was so much fun.  The people were amazing, the energy of the group was congenial, and there were some great conversations.  A handful of us went for dinner afterward to keep the party going.

For your next Irish Party, give the Southside Smash a try.

1 ½ ounces Irish whisky
¼ – ½ ounce Fernet-Branca
¾ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
¾ ounce simple syrup*
4-6 mint leaves

Combine ingredients into a shaker, add ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.
Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass.
Garnish with a mint sprig.

*Simple Syrup is equal parts sugar and water.  Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve.  Cool to room temperature and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

 

Alright, run along now and enjoy this spring!  Slainte!

Toast Tuesday: Concocting crafts and cocktails

21 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by in cocktails, Toast Tuesday

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I live next to one of the most amazing parks.  I walk out my front door and I’m in 120 acre wooded off leash dog heaven.  It’s where I dust off the cooties of the work day, find peace, and my sanity.  Coe and I spend a great deal of time in this park, day and night.  In the three Decembers I’ve lived in Memphis, I have given back to this awesome park by volunteering at Starry Nights, a drive through holiday light display.  Some nights have been cold, raining, warm, and stormy, but it has always been great fun.

I’ve met some incredible people in my volunteering time and when I had the opportunity to share an idea with the park, they listened.  I’m sure it helped that I made cocktails for our first two meetings.  One of the things I’ve found in my move is that there is a gaping hole in the activities available for 30-50 year olds.  I know the kind of things I like to do and I just haven’t been finding it here.  As a result, I’ve made my own.

If this hadn’t already been on calendar, I might have been inclined to bail, since still recovering from the flu.  We had worked so hard to promote this event and get folks interested, I was making this happen.  Thanks goodness for my lovely assistant and the awesome folks at the park.

At our kickoff event, we had 20 enthusiastic people, one really yummy cocktail four ways, and a creative Valentine painting project.  I talked to folks about bitters and how they enhance and highlight different flavors in a cocktail.  They got to taste the different bitters and customize their cocktails.  While they sipped, they painted, glued, and glittered.  I think I can safely say this event was a success and I am delighted and giddy for the next ones.

We are going to do this monthly, with each month’s drinks selected for the season or event of the month.  In the upcoming months we will be doing Irish whiskey, mint julep, and sangria.  So many yummy ideas are swirling in my brain… what to concoct next?

Wondering what we made?  Here’s our cocktail: Mambo til Morning

Mambo til Morning
1 ounce tequila
1 ounce fresh expresso or cold brewed coffee
½ ounce heavy cream or ¾ ounce half & half
1 ounce cream de cacao
2 dashes chile tincture or bitters

Tools: shaker, jigger, strainer
Glass: coupe or cocktail glass
Garnish: mint leaf

Combine the ingredients in your cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake briskly.
Strain into a coupe.
Slap fresh mint leaf in the palm of your hand and float on cocktail

Chile Tincture
Fill a small jar with stemmed hot chili peppers and cover with high proof vodka. Let sit soak for three days, shaking at least once per day, then strain. You can use a combination of any type of chili peppers such as habaneros, jalapenos, arbol, or Thai chiles.

Toast Tuesday: Glogg

13 Tuesday Dec 2016

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This is week 50 in my Year of Drinking Adventurously and my liver has almost had enough.  Almost.

Our guide

Our guide

Way back 48 weeks ago, I learned a very important lesson.  Read ahead and know what’s coming up next.  I soon added the week’s drinks to my calendar and added several reminders.  Before that happened, back in week 2, I accidently skipped ahead to week 50.  oops…

This week is glogg or gluhwein, which is akin to mulled, or spiced, wine, but with a kick.  Our author focuses a bit more on gluhwein, which hail from Germany since they are the inventor of the modern concept of Christmas.  Since I don’t really celebrate Christmas, that was of no interest to me in chosing what I drank.  I chose based on flavors I like.

For my birthday, way back in January, I had folks over and made glogg (sounds like glug).  Glogg is a Scandanavian fortified wine punch that typically has flavors of cardamon, clove, cinnamon, and very often will have raisins and almonds.  What’s better on a blustery cold night than a warm punch to take the chill off your bones?  A punch with some punch.

I turned to The Punch Bowl by Dan Searing.  This book has some beautiful photographs of antique punch bowls and tells the history behind the recipes.  He also helps you make a good punch that is balanced and good.  The recipe I made, and failed to take pictures of, called for raisins and almonds to go into the bottom of your punch cup.  You then pour your warm spiced wine over it.    It was quite tasty.

While some of these weeks were tougher than others, this wasn’t bad.  Let’s see how Meg did on her week’s drinking.   I’ve spent quite a few nights volunteering in the cold at Shelby Farms Starry Nights holiday light display.  Glogg is exactly what I’ve needed!

Home amongst the daffy-dils

07 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by in Blogging University

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Two years ago if someone had asked me what home looked like, I would have a very different answer. Since I moved to Memphis, I have met some wonderful people, but it doesn’t really feel like home.

For the last year, each day has started and ended with a walk in the park with my sweet Coe. No matter how bad the day is, as soon as I step into the park, it is magically washed away. Other than the copious number of photos of cocktails I’ve taken in the past year, Shelby Farms Park is where I’ve taken most of my pictures since coming to Memphis.

I took this picture this weekend; two of my most favorite things in the world, that make me feel at home, no matter where I am.