Holiday Spirits

I like to make and bake my gifts to friends for Christmas. This year, since I'm into cocktail making, I thought I'd give some mason jars filled with a yummy cocktail (sterilize jars first.) I wanted something ginger based so it was holiday appropriate and could easily be weakened with ginger ale without taking away from the balance of flavors.

Making ginger syrup is easy! Just peel some fresh ginger (I use a spoon.) Then chop it up and throw it into a pot of a couple of cups of water and a cup of brown sugar (I'd use white sugar if it's hot outside.) I don't measure so you'll just have to eye  how much you'd like. Stir while it simmers for about 20 minutes so it reducing it down a little.

I poured the cooled syrup into a bottle with a pour spout. The cocktail had bourbon, ginger syrup, and a peel of clementine. Seal the top on tight, make a cute label and give the gift of holiday "spirit"!

Nice Cube

Sphere ice in holiday cocktail

We’re really getting into cocktail making here at 141 (what we call our house.) So for Christmas I got Tom a spherical ice mold like the one we saw at a speakeasy in Nashville, TN. Not only are these little balls of joy cool looking, they are functional, too! The size of the ice creates less melting and keeps your drink colder longer.

The cocktail pictured is bourbon, Apple Jack, homemade ginger liquor, and some freshly squeezed lemon. Cheers!

When life gives you lemons…

My grandmother's limoncello

Steps 1, 2, and (cheers!) 3 of limoncello

I tried my hand at limóncello recently and I had interesting results. My first batch was increditly bitter and my second perfectly sweet. After the first batch, I paid a visit to my grandmother. She was excited about my first effort at limóncello and pulled out a big bottle of her own that was dated 2007. It was a yellowish-amber color and tasted so smooth, I could barely detect alcohol. Soon she and my grandfather were unveiling copious amounts of homemade liqueurs and concoctions she’s made in the past and never enjoyed. Box by box, she revealed glass bottles filled with different colored and labeled liquids.


I never knew what a petit chimiste my grandmother was! We smelled or sipped some that weren’t labeled so identify them (what a hard job!) I learned most of the liqueurs were made for the purpose of ridding a cold. She said her mother, my great grandmother, would let her sip on a black currant or raspberry liqueur so when she awoke, all that ailed her would vanish. Today, we know that wouldn't work, but I’m happy to reap other “benefits” of these wonderful bottles. She only used organic fruit from her own garden and the youngest bottle is dated 5 years ago! The smoothness is unreal, no alcohol is detected until I felt warmth in the pit of my belly.

There are all sorts of limóncello to try. My first batch was half grapefruit, while my second was half navel oranges. I hear making it with just limes is spectacular and I can’t wait to try it. Cheers!

Chocolate by the bald man

Max Brenner loves himself. His face is literally everywhere in his chocolate themed restaurants. Their tag line is “Chocolate by the bald man,” and he has several of his chocolate meccas around the world. Tom and I went on a whim for brunch recently in their Boson location and it was quite an experience. Almost all items have chocolate in it somewhere, so you’re bound to get your fix.

A chocolate martini served with a "re-fill" and biscotti.
That is my "hug mug" of hot cocoa behind it. 

Other than the super slow service (understaffed), we had fun. There’s a mini chocolate shop in the front where there are unusual items and a chocolate bar where you can get everything from hot cocoa to a chocolate martini. Their cups for hot chocolate are called “hug mugs” because you’re suppose to “hug” your hands around it and smell the aromas as you drink it. Does it work? I’d say, yes!

Tom and I tried one of their many chocolate alcoholic drinks, a hot cocoa, an omelet, and onion rings served with a chocolate ranch sauce. The omelet could have been more seasoned and priced a little lower (no sides or toast), but the drink and onion rings were wonderful.

More like "Flavor Central"

Espresso Martini

I have so many pictures from Park Central Tavern that I thought I’d post a few I liked. They make killer cocktails there and one of my favs is their espresso martini. They mix made-to-order espresso, vodka and Kahlua. Then it’s topped with real espresso beans. It beats a Redbull and vodka any day! *That's my fav wine Chateauneuf de Pape in the background

Lobster Roll

Their lobster rolls are hand picked and delicious. They overstuff the bun and use melted Cabot Vermont butter. And don’t even get me started about the coleslaw. It’s cream based, yet has a nice tang to it.

Roast Chicken

If Tom can’t decide on a dish to order, he always knows their chicken will be good. It’s served with perfectly cooked green beans and mashed Yukon gold potatoes. The sauce is super buttery and has a slight gamey taste (perhaps made with duck fat?) The chicken is (almost magically) cooked so it’s crispy all the way around and as juicy as it could be!