POMEGRANATE SOUR - HOLIDAY COCKTAILS WITH NEW SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN TAILFIRE SCOTCH WHISKY #SPONSORED

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Although it has been a while since I was in university, there is always something about this time of year that fills me with excitement. Like the thought of seeing old friends and faces and celebrating around the tree with family. Although we may no longer be coming home from school after being away all year, the holidays are one of my favourite excuses to gather with my family or reunite and celebrate with old friends!

Whether you’re hosting a party or going to one, I love using festive occasions as an opportunity to share something new with those close to me. This year, I’ve discovered something new I want to share with friends and family and with you! Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire. This new whisky, with its signature rich, fruity taste, makes the perfect addition to any holiday celebration or better yet, a great host or hostess gift!

As the weather gets colder and your cheeks get rosier, there’s no better way to warm up your belly then with this delicious winter cocktail. Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire’s vibrant and enticing character comes from its maturation in ex-sherry casks, it elicits notes resembling a juicy, red-berry freshness and sweet vanilla aromas, making it a perfect pairing with another seasonal favourite - pomegranate. So… drumroll please!

Pomegranate Sour

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 oz. Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz. egg white
0.5 oz. simple syrup
2 oz. of fresh pomegranate juice
Mint for Garnish

DIRECTIONS:

- Dry shake all ingredients.

- Add ice. Shake again.

- Strain (use a fine strain) (looks great in a seamless wine glass or old fashioned glass)

- Garnish with mint

If sweet cocktails aren’t your thing, Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire is also great served over ice due to its easy-drinking fruity notes.

So next time you’re wondering what you can treat your guests to, take note of Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire. A simple sip of this festive, inspired cocktail, paired with the joy of seeing friends and family and you’re holiday-ready! Remember to please celebrate the holidays responsibly.

Happy Holidays!

THREE WAYS TO ENJOY A BOTTLE OF CASAMIGOS REPOSADO TEQUILA

Casamigo Tequila - Reposado

HOW TO DRINK CASAMIGOS REPOSADO

So if you have been living under a rock as I have, you would not have known that besides being the face of Nespresso, George Clooney along with Randy Gerber and Mike Meldman founded a tequila company called Casamigos.

Legend has it that the trio met in Cabo and decided to work with local Jalisco talent to create a premium tequila of their own. The end result - Casamigos - literally translating into 'house of friends'.

Casamigos has three 'levels' of premium tequila: Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo all made from 100%  hand-select Blue Weber Agave is grown in the rich soil and cool climate of Jalisco, Mexico's highlands.

Last week I was gifted a bottle of Casamigos Reposado and decided to experiment with my new bottle of tequila by trying out a couple of different cocktail recipes. In the end, I found three cocktails recipes perfect for summer that I really liked and had to share them with you.

THREE CASAMIGOS REPOSADO COCKTAILS

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

Casamigos reposado tequila cocktail recipes- Strawberry Jalapeno Mint Cocktail

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS CASAMIGOS REPOSADO COCKTAIL:

Coarse Salt for Glass Rim
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
3 Strawberries - Sliced (save one slice for garnish)
3 Slices of Jalapeno (save one slice for garnish)
1 Small Handful of Mint
1.5 oz Casamigos Repesado Tequila
1 oz Cointreau

DIRECTIONS:

Take a piece of lime and wet the rim of your cocktail glass before placing it in a bed of salt.

Muddle lime juice, simple syrup, strawberry slices, jalapeno slices, and mint in a cocktail shaker before adding in ice, Casamigos Tequila, and Cointreau. Shake until the cocktail shaker is cold and pour liquid into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a piece of lime, strawberry, and jalapeno!

CRAVING MEXICAN? CHECK OUT THESE OTHER RECIPES!

Honey Paloma

Casamigos reposado tequila cocktail recipes Honey Paloma

Honey Paloma

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS CASAMIGOS REPOSADO COCKTAIL:

Coarse Salt for Glass Rim
2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 TBSP Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 TSP Honey (agave also works if you are vegan)
1 oz Casamigos Repesado Tequila
2 oz Club Soda

*if you have a grapefruit on hand add a bit of grapefruit zest to the salt before you rim your glass

DIRECTIONS:

Take a piece of lime and wet the rim of your cocktail glass before placing it in a bed of salt.

Place grapefruit juice, lime juice, honey, ice, and tequila in a cocktail shaker and shake until cold. Pour into a cocktail glass and add club soda, garnish with a piece of grapefruit or shave off a grapefruit peel and wrap inside the glass.

Jamaican Pom Fizz

Casamigos reposado tequila cocktail recipes -Jamaican Pom Fizz

Jamaican Pom Fizz

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS CASAMIGOS REPOSADO COCKTAIL:

1 oz Lime Juice
2 oz Pomegranate juice
Small Handful of Mint (save some for garnish)
1 TBSP of Honey
1 oz Casamigos Repesado Tequila
2 oz Ginger Beer

DIRECTIONS:

Place pomegranate juice, lime juice, shredded mint, honey, ice, and tequila in a cocktail shaker and shake until cold. Pour into a cocktail glass and add ginger beer and garnish with a piece of mint.

Trio of Casamigo Cocktails - Casamigos reposado tequila cocktail recipes
Trio of Casamigo Cocktails - Casamigos reposado tequila cocktail recipes

Jamaican Pom Fizz

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice!

Honey Paloma

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The first of many interior design decisions to come! Now that we are half way through the last phase of our interior renovations (the basement) I am getting really excited about shifting my focus from renoing our Toronto Victorian home to styling a
No more scary basement! 🏡 Here is a little before and after of our basement underpin by @icy.reno We went from 6 foot ceilings to just under 8.5 and installed new drains, waterproofing and a radiant floor! DYK that doing an underpin and finishing

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STRAWBERRY FIZZ COCKTAIL

This past weekend I made a delicious cocktail using some fresh organic Ontario strawberries I picked myself! Since I was at the cottage on Georgian Bay I of course used some Georgian Bay Vodka but you can use whatever you have. I thought this was such an easy yet delicious cocktail I had to share it with you.

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 Strawberries (leave one for garnish and muddle the rest)
1 Oz of Vodka (I used Georgian Bay because it has hints of Vanilla)
4 Oz of Tamarind Jarritos Soda

DIRECTIONS:

Muddle the strawberries and pour into your glass, top with vodka and Tamarind Jarritos Soda. Garnish with a slice of strawberry!

*You can chill the vodka and Jarritos soda to ensure the drink is cold and refreshing.

Sitting on the beach having a Strawberry Fizz Cocktail

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BOSK CHAMPAGNE DINNER AT THE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL FEAT. CHARLES HIEDSIECK

This week I was invited to a champagne tasting and dinner at Bosk Toronto. This refined, modern and, most importantly, delicious restaurant is located in the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto’s downtown core. Heading into the dinner I had never dined at Bosk even though I have been, on several occasions, to their bar located adjacent the Shangri-La’s newly remodeled lobby. The Bosk bar is a social hot-spot for the Bay Street crowd but during TIFF it was definitely the place to spot some drool worthy celebrities like Ryan Gosling!

The dinner was elegantly set up in the Bosk private dining room – each place setting aligned with champagne glasses a plenty. I knew from the first moment I entered the room that this was going to be a great event. All the champagne for the evening was supplied from the cellars of Charles Heidsieck in France and I was quickly introduced to their cellar master Cyril Brun who led us through a brief history of the champagne house.

For dinner Chef De Cuisine Richard Singh of Bosk restaurant carefully picked four perfectly paired dishes that both stood out in beauty and complimented each champagne.  It was with this delicate and deliberate curation of food and drink that our palettes would soon be sent buzzing with vibrant flavors after each bite. To start of the dinner we had a 'Sunchoke' soup with cranberry turnip and black truffle accompanied by an elegantly assembled bagal lavash and paired perfectly with the Charles Heidsieck Brut – a champagne with a complex and voluptuous nose of fresh brioche and sun drenched fruits.

Next up on our Bosk menu for the evening was scallops with zucchini, chorizo oil, baby fennel and romesco vinaigrette.  This dish was one of my favorite dishes of the entire night. The scallops were cooked to perfection and each bite came with a burst of sweet flavors. It is no wonder that it was paired with the Charles Heidsieck rosé reserve, a champagne with rich warm notes that mimic homemade strawberry jam followed by smaller notes of gingerbread and cinnamon.

For our mains Bosk featured a delicious halibut dish with pommes puree, arrow leaf spinach, glazed chestnuts, samphire and red wine béarnaise. This dish is a fish lovers dream and really rounded out the meal perfectly. To complement the dish it was paired with Chales Heisieck’s 2005 vintage which had a sharp nose of stinky cheese. The funny thing about the nose on this vintage is that I believe it would only be as pungently noticeable when tasted beside other champagnes. If you were not comparing and tasting multiple champagnes you may not pick up on it right away. Another thing to note about this champagne is that the nose is intentional and comes from the aging/fermenting process.

Dessert was melted raclette cheese with oat crumble, sour cherry, celery and walnut! I really enjoyed this dish especially to finish off my Charles Heidsieck 2005 vintage before moving onto the Charles Heidsieck Black de Millenaires 1995 vintage which also contained nose notes of cheese but not as pungent as its 2005 petit frère.  Other notable notes for this champagne were dried and candied fruits which was perfect to finish off the meal.

I knew that the Shangri-La Hotels always offered luxury products and high-end service, but Bosk restaurant can certainly carry the savoir faire of Toronto’s top restaurant all on its own. The only thing that had me all perplexed was why I hadn’t eaten there sooner.

If you would like to make a reservation at Bosk, visit their website HERE

If you would like to learn more about Charles Heidsieck visit their website HERE

#SCOTCHCAMP - LAST GREAT MALTS OF SCOTLAND

The only thing I really know about Scotch is that it comes from Scotland and on occasion when I do drink it, it makes my face turn redder then a tomato! Nevertheless when I was invited to Scotch Camp last week neither my ignorance nor my red face was going to keep me away.

So off I went last Wednesday to the Pomp and Circumstance office to settle in with the group before departing on a bus to Scotch Camp. With no real idea of what the afternoon would entail I wholeheartedly embraced the unknown, grabbed a single malt and made myself comfortable.

Once arriving at Scotch Camp we were greeted with welcoming libations and told that our hike would start shortly. Leading the hike was John Dewar & Sons North American Ambassador Gabe Cardarella and he was going to teach us the history behind 5 of Dewar's great malt's!

If you are interested in learning more about the Scotch Whisky's we tasted I have included some information about each Scotch below, including tasting notes and price points at the LCBO. I also made a short highlights video from my day at Scotch Camp so you can come along for the journey too.

 

Video music provided by Running Red Lights - Mulberry Love
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I have to say that this was one of the best and most interactive tastings I have ever gone to. The event location and setup was so well executed.  Although I went in there with very little knowledge about Scotch I definitely left with a new appreciation for Scotch that made getting all red in the face so worth it. If you are ever in Scotland and want to visit the Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery you can book a tour and tasting -> HERE

If you have any questions or comments about the Dewar Scotch Whisky's or Scotch Camp feel free to leave them below and I will try my best to answer them!