A Kinder Self Reflection

Photo courtesy of Aubrey Herrick

I can't believe it has a year since I last posted. I would say I'm sorry but I am trying to decrease the amount of unnecessary apologies I tend to give in life. So instead, I thought I would remind my readers and friends to try to be kinder to yourself. Most women are hypercritical of themselves. Not just about their physical attributes but about the things they have or haven't done in life. I was chatting with a good friend recently, and as I was criticizing myself for the things that I have been wanting to do but haven't yet gotten to ,she stopped me and said,"I disagree with you." You do so much more than you realize. Her kind comments for me meant so much and they made me reflect on a similar conversation that I had with another friend a year ago. Why is it that as women we tend to be self deprecating? Why don't we see ourselves the way others see us. It's fitting that I am writing about this right before Mother's Day. Years ago Dove Soap did a marketing campaign that was so vivid and heartfelt, and sadly, it was such a telling statement about how women view themselves. You may have seen it before, but no matter how many times I watch it, it still touches me and makes me want to be kinder to myself. Take a few minutes to watch this and maybe it will help you be kinder to yourself....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-7ShlPfWBg

Have you ever had a Negroni?

It is an Italian cocktail that is considered an aperitif. It is typically made with equal amounts of gin, sweet vermouth and Campari and is garnished with an orange wheel. Outside of Italy it is typically garnished with an orange peel. I used to love the idea of Negroni’s but I I always found myself less than pleased with the drink when I ordered it at a restaurant. That is until I sourced better quality Vermouth at the liquor store and changed the Campari in my recipe at home to Aperol.

During the summer I turn to cocktails that are more refreshing and the White Negroni is much more refreshing to me. This unique take on the original Negroni recipe did not originate from a moment of creativity but it was created when Nick Blacknell, the director or Plymouth Gin and London bartender, Wayne Collins were attending the 2011 Vinexpo, a spirits competition. They were staying in the Médoc, a small town in France and Blacknell was craving a Negroni. With no local bars in sight, they traveled to the local liquor stores for the ingredients. Once there they decided to make the Negroni’s with French ingredients since it seemed more appropriate to use ingredients from the country they were visiting. In order to do so, they decided to use Lillet Blanc to replace the Vermouth and they replaced the bitter Campari component with the herbal bitter aperitif, Suze. Because of the clear color they simply named it the White Negroni.

Since I am not a fan of Suze, I have taken the liberty of putting my own spin on this recipe and replacing it with Green Chartreuse. You could also use Yellow Chartreuse which just has a different herbal flavor. Because of the choice of Chartreuse this Negroni also has a French twist so I named it the French Riff as it is a Riff on the original White Negroni. The gin you choose will also play a huge part in the flavor profile and you may also notice that the ingredients in this white Negroni are no longer equal parts.

The French Riff

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Gin

1 oz Lillet Blanc

1/2 oz Green Chartreuse

Orange Peel or Lemon Peel

Add all of the ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until well combined. Strain into a rocks glass with a large cube and garnish with an orange or lemon peel.

Negroni Photo by Andrea Riezzo on Unsplash

Sparkling Watermelon Margarita

This tasty, festive cocktail is so easy that it could become a summer favorite especially if you are a Tequila lover! There are a lot of new Watermelon juices on the market right now and the varied flavor profiles will change the taste of the cocktail a lot. Simply brand used to make a Watermelon juice that was all watermelon with no other fruit flavors but I have not been able to find that in our local grocery stores this season. Ocean spray has a new Cranberry Watermelon that is 100% juice. I have not tried this recipe with it yet but I am sure that would be tasty! You could also make your own watermelon juice by blending fresh watermelon but just be aware the consistency will be thicker because of the watermelon flesh. Whatever kind of watermelon juice you choose to use it will still be delicious!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Silver Tequila

3 oz watermelon juice

3 oz Sparkling Rosé

Garnish with a slice of watermelon, mint or a lime

Combine the tequila and watermelon juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well until combined and cold. Strain into a glass filled with ice and top with the Sparkling Rose. Tip: Use a large enough glass so that there is room to top with the Rosé. I used a 10 oz rocks glass the first time I made this and it wasn’t large enough.