Category: cocktails

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

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Paying Homage to the Hip an Inch an Hour While There’s Still Trouble at the Henhouse

spennyrdLeave a comment

Like most people, I have to adapt to the new reality. I opened up this blog for the first time in quite a while and realized the last time I posted was about a week after the shit hit the fan with Covid-19. At the time, I thought it would be a hiccup in my continued efforts to conquest restaurants across Canada and the US. More than 4 months later, I have yet to sit inside a restaurant, stay in a hotel or travel much further than an hour’s radius for purposes other than either golf or picking up my son from university. I went through the same adaptive mechanisms as many others…I made sourdough, hunted for flour, read online cooking tutorials, gained 10 pounds and likely became an alcoholic. The latter evolved from home consumption of beer and cheap wine to cocktails and more expensive vinos ( I could justify the fact that I no longer spend 75 bucks on a bottle in a restaurant so I could drop $40 at the LCBO). Now, I relish a trip to the LCBO to invest in yet another bottle of something to patch the void once filled with $20 creative concoctions at a hipster Toronto watering hole. I’m now a member of Amazon Prime (yes…2018 called) and have made frivolous purchases including a cocktail shaker kit as well as highball and stemless martini glasses to prepare and vessel the results of my alcoholic alchemy.

I’ve also worn my dog’s nails down walking her while listening to hours of Spotify. One thing that hasn’t changed is my affinity for the Tragically Hip. Regrettably, one of the first causalities of covid for me was the Gord Sinclair concert scheduled at Massey Hall in April. Thankfully, I was able to listen Taxi Dancers on repeat for a few weeks to ease the pain.

Collectively, all of these factors got me thinking. While walking the dog yet again, I started thinking of the titles of Tragically Hip songs and realized many of them would make great cocktail names and my growing arsenal of potent potables would give me the ammunition needed to pay homage to my favorite band. With something like 150 songs to inspire me, we may have a vaccine well before I dream up all my namesake drinks and whittle my stash down to a trunk full of 20 cent returns. Let’s get started…..