A DIFFERENT WORLD

Boy, the old saying what a difference a day makes comes to mind, 

Or in this case, a week.

Just last Monday, this was the scene out the boudoir window. 

Grey, white and cold.

A sunny, mild and low 60 degrees greeted us this weekend.

 Oh, happy hour... why not. Take it away Dinah.

HIGH DIVE

 

If there is one thing I still enjoy it's going to a club and dancing...but if one would have told me that I'd ever enjoy just bars or lounges, I'd thought you were nuts. But over the last 10 years I've enjoyed a good drinking bar, to hang and have a laid-back night with friends. The last three weeks found me with the Clan and other friends at what just might be a new haunt, the High Drive. It is kind of like a dive bar, but goes high on style and great libations. The place is the baby of the owners of another favorite place, The Millworks and Tom McGrath, who is a mixologist extraordinaire bartender. The place is housed in what was the Third Street Cafe, which had a bad reputation, shootings, and a seedy atmosphere and then remained vacant since 2021. The property goes back as early as the early 1900's which started out as a bar, then housed the Keystone Trust Company Bank, which later moved across the street. Later it housed a pharmacy and two other bars. The place has a rustic, chic, yet sexy vibe. The owners and contractor kept many of its original historic charms, yet brought back inspiration for the two-story bar, from a trip they took to Havana.

I loved that they keep many parts of the integrity of the historic vibe, as one can see layers of the years. Loved this wall of old match books for the previous places and others in the area.

 DON'T get me started on the drinks and food enjoyed there already. Quite a creative sharable menu. Why do you think I keep going back! MM#1 Fan on his visit had a drink where there was a flaming cinnamon stick in it!!! And it tasted incredible! Some of our delish, mind-altering drinks and dishes.

On our first visit I went to order the Scorpion Bowl. The waiter told me that it serves 3-4 people. To which the Capital Street Duo relied; "Have you seen this bitch drink?"

Hmmmm. I don't know...but this place feels comfortable enough for a neighborhood, daily pop-in. Next thing you know, I'll be like Norm and have my own barstool like I have in Ptown. I may or may not be already smitten with one of the bartenders, so there's that.

OLIVE d, NIGHTLIFE!!!

 

Here's to the four day weekend bitches! Let the Happy Hour commence!!! 

Per dear Millesons advice I may ask for an Amelia Earhart!

HAPPY HOUR

Its the weekend bitches!!!! 

Just in time too! We owe this, one of the oldest of the classic cocktails, to John Collins, barman at Limmer's Hotel in London. In the early 1800's, Collins invented a drink composed of dry gin, sugar, lemon and soda water. Experimenters soon expanded on his idea, replacing the Dutch dry gin with a sweeter variety known as Old Tom. To distinguish between the two versions, the newcomer was dubbed Tom Collins. It quickly proved more popular than the original John Collins, and it's fame spread throughout the Empire. The drink gained a foothold in the US when World War I veterans brought it back here from over there and has been extremely popular ever since. It's the original John Collins that we are enjoying tonight, I like a dry drink, composed of gin, sugar, lemon juice and soda. It's an irresistible recipe to experiment with and its ingredients go with a variety of liquors. You know me- Give me a bromide. And put gin in it!

1 tsp sugar

Juice of 1 lemon, strained of seeds

2 1/2 oz gin

Club soda

Place three or more cubes of ice in a tall glass, Add sugar and lemon juice. Pour in gin, then fill to the top with club soda. You can also add the now ubiquitous cherry garnish if you fancy. Why not, from my point of view...gratuitous. Cheers!

Gloria Lynne is here to set the mood, with what else...

Sublime.

NOIR BAR

If there are two things to know of your Mistress, I enjoy a good stiff one and a good Happy Hour. Imagine my surprise this holiday season to receive a wonderful parcel in the mail for Christmas from the lovely and thoughtful Tundra Bunny! And boy, does this dame got my number. 

The parcel contained not only a lovely book of cock-a-tails, but a Canadian themed gift of sorts since Tundra resides in the Great North. A Moose themed hockey ornament, currently on the tree, fox print napkins and card, not to mention a not pictured lovely, printed card attached to the wrapped book, to be later framed I enjoyed it so much.  This book is stunning!!! Being a connoisseur of, well, anything wet with ice cubes in a tumbler... and old movies, I am going to enjoy this beautiful book. Of course, the first page I open to was none other than Joan Crawford!!!!!

The book Noir Bar was written and created by Eddie Muller, one of TCM'S leading authorities on film noir, and a cocktail connoisseur, and he takes film buffs and us drinks enthusiast alike on a spirited tour through the "dark city" of film noir in this very stylish book, which pairs carefully curated classic cocktails and modern noir-inspired libations with behind-the-scenes anecdotes and insights on 50 film noir favorites, along with cocktails from those movies and the recipes for making them. The book also features glorious pictures, film noir quotes, dozens of movie stills and movie posters, and stunning cocktail photography.

 Tundra....I'm not sure what I did to receive such a lovely surprise this season...but your gift of friendship and thoughtfulness is most appreciated, and it made my night when I came home that evening. Thank-You again!!! Looks like it is going to be a "warm" winter for me. And as Humphry Bogart said once-" I don't trust any bastard who doesn't drink. People who don't drink are afraid of revealing themselves." I'll drink to that!

Me thinks this calls for some Happy Hour music this weekend evening.

HAPPY HOUR

 

What with this being Christmas weekend...it's time to kick back and relax with an old family recipe for the holiday...the Elder Family Egg Nog!!! After making some nut rolls and our stollen for Christmas morning, nothing wrong with enjoying a glass or six of the family recipe. And perfect for Christmas Eve. A long-standing tradition with the Mistress's family.

Family Recipe Egg Nog

6 egg yolks

1 cup of granulated sugar

2 cups of cognac

1 cup of rum

2 TBLS of vanilla

2 1/2 quarts of light cream

6 egg whites

1/2 cup 10x sugar

Separate the egg whites and yolks and save both. In a large bowl, BEAT the yolks till nice and thick. Add in the granulated sugar, beating until light. Slowly stir in rum and congac. Add 1  1/2 QTRS of the light cream and 1/2 the eggs whites (slightly beaten) Beat until well combined. Beat remaining whites until foamy. Gradually, add 10x sugar. Continue beating till soft peaks are formed. Gently stir foamy egg whites and remaining cream into egg yolk mixture in large bowl. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.  Served chilled and top with freshly grated nutmeg over each old-fashioned glass. Remember this is not your store-bought rubbish. Cheers kids! You'll be good and relaxed and filled with cheer after a few of these.

Of course, nothing wrong with a bit of Dalida for the Christmas happy hour to get us in the mood either.

HAPPY HOUR

 

Happy Friday Bitches!!!! Are we glad the weekend is here...finally?!?! Just in the knick of time you ask me. This calls for some nice cock-a-tails! How about a Pegu Club Cocktail! One of the chiefs, if unsung achievements of the British colonial era was putting good gin into the hands of people who knew how to use it. And one of the results was this delightful cock-a-tail, born in the 1930's at the Pegu Club, outside Rangoon. Within a decade it became one of the most popular drinks anywhere in the world. The Mistress urges a rediscovery of this forgotten beauty, and is prepared to drink a hundred of them on the capital steps, if need be, to draw attention to my cause.

Pegu Club Cocktail

2 oz Gin, no rubbish

3/4 oz of curacao

1 dash Angostura bitters

1 dash orange bitters

Juice of 1/2 lime, strained of seeds.

Place ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir well and strain into a nice, chilled cock-a-tail glass.

Now, may I present two grande divas to ring in Happy Hour...the fabulous Ella Fitzgerald and the glowing Dinah Shore in this lively clip. Love this! 

Cheers!

HAPPY HOUR

 It's finally Fri-nally, bitches!!!! That means a good Happy Hour to draw what seem like the week that wouldn't end, to a close! 

Which for the evening might I recommend a Between the Sheets! How appropriate right? I give you one of my close to cuff secrets kids. This after Prohibition after- dinner drink was meant to seduce as well as settle. It accomplishes both and can be good for a lovely Happy Hour. While most recipes call for an ordinary brandy, this little elegant version- made at the bar of Jerusalem's King David Hotel in the 1930's is preferred.

1 oz cognac, no rubbish

1 oz Cointreau

1 oz dry gin, no rubbish

Juice of two lemons.

Put plenty of cracked ice in a cock-a-tail shaker, add ingredients and shake briskly. Strain into a cock-a-tail glass. To make a drier drink, reduce the amount of Cointreau. To seduce, make plenty.

Happy Weekend Bitches!!!!!

Cheers

HAPPY HOUR

Thank heavens it is the end of a first long, full week at work. And the weekend is here just in time!!! Break out the gin!!!!

Gin and Tonic (good gin-no rubbish)

Full glass of ice

four jiggers of gin

top with tonic

plenty of limes!

Then jump in the ole gin bath!!!! 

This video was sent to me by the lovely Tundra Bunny...and Im sure it sums Friday up for many of us!!!!

MEANWHILE....

....just in time for Sunday Happy Hour with Miss Moorecock and the girls....

IN THREE WORDS

In this feature, I'll share a weekly guest with you all, and you tell me in only three words, what come to mind.

In Three Words...

Lily Savage/Paul O Grady

Well, since we all hopefully have a cock-a-tail in hand.....

VINTAGE SHOPPING

 

It was a good weekend to get out and about. Friends of mine wanted to go antiquing and I thought why not? I never look for anything in particular but sometimes things will just jump out. I have really let my black belt shopping skills go since the pandemic, when we didn't really need anything, as we really couldn't go anywhere since places were closed. But this weekend between the antiquing and other places I did find some great clothing finds...but the Marketplace in Lemoyne has a interesting array of items. I hadn't been in, in some time. And again...some colored glass found its way home with me again, and two little vintage turkeys. Talk about some inspiring sights.

My first score were these two amber vases for $15 for the pair.

It's never too late to keep abreast for one's skills and keep things fresh.

Two swell records to set the mood for my behind closed door times!!!! I love myself a Backroom Ballad

What finds! 

Today has been pumpkin carving and clipping the last of the dahlias to bring in.

And without further ado....some Whipped Cream.