Month: August 2020

My Hip Cocktails: Honey, Please

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I love honey and I think it goes great in a cocktail. I also wanted to take advantage of some fresh rosemary I had in the fridge so I boiled up an infused simple syrup. Using pear as the foundation (it also helped that I had some Dillon’s pear bitters kicking around), gin as my spirit and Fever Tree ginger beer as the mix, I dreamed up the “Honey, please”. This cocktail is a homage to the song from the 2009 “We are the Same” album. Gord Downie once described the song as being about somebody who makes you realize that everything you mean and feel is on the other side of this feeling. In other words, someone who can change your perspective and get you out of a rut when you need it. I guess you can say that booze does the same thing. It’s a particularly catchy Hip song partly because of Bobby Baker’s use of the mandolin which is reminiscent of an old Zeppelin tune mixed with Losing my Religion by R.E.M.

Honey, Please

1.5-2 ounces gin (depending on strength preference)

0.5 ounce rosemary simple syrup

0.5 ounce fresh lemon juice

1 ounce pear nectar

Few dashes on Dillon’s Pear Bitters (optional)

0.25 ounces honey

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice and pour into a high-ball or collins glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.

Honey, maybe everything you need
Is on the other side of this feeling
Honey, please

-Honey, Please, We Are the Same

My Hip Cocktails: The Lonely End of the Rink

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With hockey reason in full swing, I figure I’d kick off my hip-inspired cocktails with one dedicated to Canada’s other national sport. I have been intrigued by the popularity of Pink Whitney, the ingenious product of podcast popularity. It’s not a great vodka by any means, but it’s won over even the most manly of hockey fans despite it’s pink hue.

Chosen 5th overall in the 2002 NHL entry draft, Ryan Whitney, the namesake of this potent potable, played defense for a handful of teams and racked up 259 points in 481 games while collecting 383 PIM. Currently, he is a co-host of the insanely popular Spittin Chiclets podcast which is boldly reflected on the vodka’s packaging.

I thought Pink Whitney would be a good base for a Hip/hockey inspired cocktail. There are no shortages of hockey references in the Hip’s repertoire but I figured “the lonely end of the rink” would be an ideal name for a cocktail that was a bit feminine . I envision some dude standing choosing to stand by himself savouring a pink cocktail while his buddies swilled pints of draft on the other side. In addition, I thought the addition of Fentiman’s rose lemonade would pay homage to ex-icon Don Cherry’s beloved wife Rose. The song itself appears on the 2006 World Container album. Some say the song is the Hip’s homage to the hockey goalie which, in some people’s eyes, might be the most important position on the ice….a fact hard to argue especially after Joonas Korpisalo shattered playoff records a few hours ago by making 85 saves in a single game (albeit in a losing effort).

The Lonely End of the Rink

1.5 oz Pink Whitney Vodka

0.5 oz of limoncello

3-4 oz of Fentiman’s Rose Lemonade

Mix vodka and limoncello in an old-fashioned or highball glass depending on preference, add ice and top with Fentiman’s rose lemonade. Garnish with mint.

Option: Muddle some mint in the glass first and then add ingredients.

“You won’t die of a thousand fakes or be beaten by the sweetest of dekes“.

-The Lonely End of the Rink- World Container