Tag: Lavender

This Goose is Loose – Goose in Spring Cocktail

Happy hump day people of the internet!

This goose is loose! 

For the next five days, I am a lady of leisure!  And what better way to celebrate than with a cocktail (or two)!  And this Goose in Spring Cocktail fits the bill perfectly!

Goose In Spring 1After three years, I am leaving the amazing team at Protiviti in Melbourne for pastures new.  It was so hard to say goodbye; I have made so many friends there and worked for three amazing bosses.  But new challenges beckoned and I am moving on. 

But not until  Monday.

Goose In Spring 2

So, in the meantime, while I am unofficially unemployed, I am as free as this little bird.

Goose In Spring3If being free means:

  • Cleaning out my pantry
  • Clearing out my wardrobe
  • Clearing out my bookshelves
  • Putting my car in for a service
  • A visit to the dentist
  • A visit to the hairdresser
  • Catching up with a girlfriend for lunch
  • A visit to the beauty salon for a mani & pedi
  • Getting the broken strap on my favourite handbag fixed
  • Trying to cook as many recipes from Persiana as possible
  • Vintage Shopping with my mum
  • Writing at least three blog posts to schedule for when I am on holiday next month
  • Writing that novel I’ve been thinking about for years
  • Scaling Everest

Yep, totally absolutely free!

Goose Is Loose 5The Goose in Spring cocktail was the winner of the May 2012 Vodka Cocktail Contest, where it was created by Elijah Venanzi.

[yumprint-recipe id=’68’]The Goose In Spring combines all the delicious floral flavours I love – lavender and elderflower with some fruity deliciousness from raspberries and lime!  The original recipe used lemon instead of lime but I didn’t have any – and you know, when life doesn’t give you lemons, a girl’s gotta improvise!  My lavender vodka was also VERY lavendery so I needed to adjust the other ingredients around it.  The original ratios are per the link in the recipe.

Have a lovely week!  I’ll be thinking of you while I’m doing all that nothing!

Signature 1 Vintage Valentine Quick as Wink2

The Flower Power Cocktail

No, I’m not getting out my love beads and turning all peace, love and mung beans on you but I have been inspired by all things floral this week and I made you an amazing cocktail which is a veritable flowerbomb of flavour! (And not even the slightest hint of Parfait Amour).

Flower Power CocktailSpring has sprung in Melbourne which means it’s constantly windy,  all the better to spread pollen all over the place, so I’m sneezing constantly.  We’re also having bizarre weather changes….Seriously WTF Melbourne?  From 27 to 13 in one day?  We’re living in crazy times!

IMG_20141013_212105

 On a happier note, the sun has been shining more frequently, we’ve had a couple of gorgeous warm days, I did twilight yoga in the park the other night and the garden is growing like crazy.  Back at Easter we planted the front garden – I was going for a Mediteranean look so we have an olive tree, rosemary, thyme and lots of lovely lavender.  We have a couple of dark pink ones:

Pink Lavender
Pink Lavender

 As well as the more traditional purple ones:

Purple Lavender
Purple Lavender

Then my mum brought over these gorgeous roses from her garden:

2014-10-13_09-23-39

 So in between the sneezes, it really has been all about the flowers. And they have inspired a fabulous cocktail, called the Flower Power.  It’s really a trashed up Lavender Lemonade, and you know what?  I can get pretty damn trashy!!!!  I was almost tempted to call this one the snowball, because once it got started it took on a life of it’s own. 

So here is the entire evolution of the Flower Power Cocktail.

The Spark – Flower Power Coctail v1

 The lavender in the garden got me thinking about a recipe I read ages ago on Thug Kitchen (which is an awesome blog) for Lavender Lemonade.  Which you can find here:

Lavender Lemonade

And it’s a great recipe.

You could just make this and live happily ever after.  It’s nice, it’s refreshing and they are very, very funny people. But you know, with all due respect to Thug Kitchen…it’s not nearly trashy enough for this girl!

Lavender Lemonade Ingredients
Lavender Lemonade Ingredients

 

Enter the Flower Power Cocktail v2.

Flower Power Cocktail v2 – A Kiss From A Rose

I had some gorgeous dried rosebuds bought to make my Persian recipes for book club (coming soon) and thought that they would be a nice addition. 

They were.

The mixture will start to turn colour after about 15-20 minutes.  For the best flavour, let the petals steep for at least an hour, I left mine overnight. An added bonus is that during the steeping your kitchen will smell like a garden

The Lavender and Rose Lemonade was really good.  And a gorgeous pink!  Very girly and perfect for sipping on a sunny afternoon. 

Kissed By A Rose - Lavender and Rose Lemonade
Kissed By A Rose – Lavender and Rose Lemonade

 

But you know what?  Sometimes this  girl needs a little bit o’ booze mixed in with her flowers and citrus…so enter version 3…

Flower Power Cocktail v3 – The Crackling Rosie

So if you take your Lavender and Rose Lemonade and add a little hit of a florally gin like Hendricks you have a very pleasant cocktail.  Still very girly and whilst you could sip it all afternoon it does have a little ginny kick to it. 

Flower Power v3 - The Crackling Rosie
Flower Power v3 – The Crackling Rosie

But you want more.  I know you do.

So, without further ado…..

The Flower Power Cocktail

So far, we have been topping our lemonade or our cocktails up with a little sparkling water.

For the true Flower Power Cocktail, use the lemonade mix straight. 

Add your half nip, or hell, a whole nip of Hendricks.  Top with St Germain Elderflower Liqueur.

Oh baby, oh yeah! 

A couple of these and you’ll feel like you’re in San Francisco with flowers in your hair!

The Flower Power Cocktail
The Flower Power Cocktail

 Gilding The Lily – The Flower Power Cocktail Bling

 If you really want to trash up your Flower Power Cocktail you can add some flower petal ice cubes and make some lavender sugar to rim your cocktail glass. If you make the ice cubes use big trays to make them.  My ice cubes were kind of small and it was a hot day so I ended up with a couple of mouthfuls of petals.  Which is not great tastewise and even worse if you’re trying to look all classy and have to keep spitting out lavender buds!

Flower Power Bling
Flower Power Bling

Have a great week.  And live wild, flower child!

 

Signature 1 Vintage Valentine Quick as Wink2
 

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:14]