Port Cocktails

Each year we look forward to the most cheesiest time of year - Eurovision!

This year the cocktails had to be port based.  Four years ago, I made my own homebrew port using hedgerow fruits, unfortunately, the end result was only ok.

First cocktail of the evening was the Devil a delicious and easy drinking mixture of port, vermouth and lemon juice.  To sweeten up the flavour I swapped the lemon juice for a 1/2 measure of limoncello.

A great source for port cocktails in general is portcocktails.com.  From this site we sampled the Bar Drake Manhattan and the Louisville Julep.  Both drinks are packing a serious amount of high alcohol spirits but are surprising pleasant despite this. 

The Bar Drake Manhattan smartens up the much abused bourbon by blending with maple syrup, port and a dash of bitters.  Sweet/sour and intense, this is a cocktail that makes you sit up and take notice.

On the flip side, the Louisville Julep was unashamedly strong.  An equal mixture of port, brandy and rum was mixed with sugar and mint to create a refreshing drink with deep bold flavours.  A must try for anyone who likes their favourite dark spirit on the rocks.

 

Congratulations for Austria. 

We were robbed again.

Mint Madness: Body Scrub

I've done some research and recipes for mint are scarce.  Often involving cucumber, feta and/or peas.

Until I stumbled upon a wealth of beauty recipes.  In particular, this mint body scrub caught my eye.  I loath buying extra ingredients, especially for something out of ordinary and unlikely to be repeated.  This was made using back of the cupboard ingredients.

Mint and Lavender Body Scrub

6 - 12 mint leaves
Dried lavender (optional)
Course sea salt
1 tsp. oil e.g. olive, jojoba etc.
1 tsp. lemon juice
A few drops of lavender essential oil (or any other you have handy)

In a blender or pestle and mortar grind up the salt, mint and dried lavender if using.

Add the remaining ingredients, giving everything a good stir.

Rub into body using deep circular movements.  Rinse off and pat dry.

I like a good scrub from time to time and found this one has a good balance of scrub and moisture.  Too often body scrubs can be abrasive and leave you feeling so moisturised you feel claggy with grease.  This scrub left my skin feeling nicely moisturised without ruining the towel or oiling the bath tub.  And, you can alter the texture yourself.  I found just a few minutes with the pestle and mortar gave me a small enough grain so the mixture could be worked into the skin whilst being scrubby enough to feel cleansing.