Simon Food Favourites: Frangelico

Showing posts with label Frangelico. Show all posts

25 November 2012

Sydney Food Bloggers Christmas Picnic, Centennial Park (24 Nov 2012)

Corner of Parkes and Hamilton Ave, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.centennialparklands.com.au
Twitter hashtag: #sydfbxmas2012

Food Bloggers in the park

Congratulations to Chocolatesuze and Grab Your Fork for organising the biggest gathering of food bloggers so far for their annual Sydney Food Bloggers Christmas Picnic in Centennial Park. Apparently 67 turned up from about 100 RSVPs. Sunny weather made for a pleasant day of meeting fellow food bloggers in person and sharing an abundance of savoury and sweet goodies. My award for the cutest treat goes to Kat from Gucci & Gyoza for her Oreo turkeys (picture above). Last year I did a pop up bar which was very popular so I decided to do pop up another one. I'm more confident with making cocktails than cooking and some social lubricant always helps to make an event more festive. This year I made a vitamin C infused Stoli O Main Squeeze with Stoli Ohranj, the classic Hendrick's Gin & Tonic and a refreshing Frangelico Hazelnut Fresca which proved very popular. I'll definitely have to source a large table for the next time so I have a bit more room to move. Steph (Raspberri Cupcakes) and Karen (Citrus & Candy) did a lovely Pimms & Lemonade. I might possibly steal this drink idea for next time.

The $10 Kris Kringle was a lot of fun. Especially when you're allowed to steal someone else's gift that has already been opened. You had to make sure you remember what had already been opened in case you were keen to steal it off them when it was your turn to pick a present. I was 57 in turn and decide to go for an unopened gift. I ended up with a nice box of Lindt Mini Pralines which I was more than happy with and thankfully no one stole it from me. I look forward to the next picnic get together which will hopefully be blessed with good weather again. There's certainly no shortage of passionate food bloggers in Sydney and this event provides a perfect opportunity to come out from behind their screens and cameras and be proud of sharing their love of food.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: You get to meet lots of other food bloggers and put faces to names, Fun atmosphere, Fresh air and sunshine, Get to sample lots of other peoples cooking

CONS: Weather dependent due to being outdoors, If you drive you won't be able to enjoy the SFF Pop Up Bar as much, Lots of people makes for a very long Kris Kringle

MUST TRY: Discovering new cocktails to make for the next picnic

—

Too cute

Super cute Oreo turkeys by Kat from Gucci & Gyoza

I really enjoyed a piece of this Olive & Rosemary Schiaccita

I had one of the egg Vietnamese rolls which was very good

Food feasting

SFF Pop Up Bar — next time I hope to have a bigger table

Hazelnut Fresca: Frangelico and SKYY Vodka with ginger ale and lime juice

Hendrick's Gin & Tonic with slice of cucumber

Stoli O Main Squeeze: Stoli Ohranj with Orange Juice and topped with Soda

Thanks to Daniela Penno from Polkadot PR for the Stoli, Kalli Marshall from Trish Nicol Agency for the Frangelico and Jack Pollock and Cida Wen from William Grant & Sons for the Hendrick's Gin. Coles ended up being pretty good on price for all the mixers.

Pimms & lemonade by I believe Steph (Raspberri Cupcakes) and Karen (Citrus & Candy)

Chocolatesuze enjoying her Frangelico cocktail with signature painted fingernails

Kris Kringle time — spend limit was $10

These plates were very popular for stealing during the Kris Kringle

I'm pretty happy with my Lindt Mini Pralines Kris Kringle

Number 57 in turn for Kris Kringle

Cursed Cookies was another popular steal choice amongst the Kris Kringle

I would have been very happy with a bucket of Maltesers

Half food blogger, half DSLR

Chocolatesuze and me getting photobombed

We represent the red tshirt team

That's me in the red tshirt in case you didn't notice ;-)

There's always one clown not following the rules

Take away packs of Christmas shortbread biscuits by Sara and Josh (Bellyrumbles)

View Larger Map

09 November 2012

Frangelico Cocktail Masterclass at Mrs Sippy, Double Bay (8 Nov 2012)

37 Bay Street, Double Bay NSW 2028

http://mrssippy.com.au

Getting nuts with Frangelico

Thanks to Kalli Marshall from Trish Nicol Agency for inviting me to the Frangelico Cocktail Masterclass held at Mrs Sippy. I’ve always been a fan of Frangelico on ice with fresh lime but never knew of any other ways to enjoy it so was curious to see what cocktails could be created. Arriving to a full bar setup for each guest was quite intimating but we were in good hands with Frangelico Brand Ambassador Oliver Stuart who the intimate class through making each cocktail although he might need to improve on a couple of his jokes. Six cocktails later it was certainly party time without any food in the system. It’s hard to beat the classic Frangelico Lime and Soda but I also liked the Spiced Apple Highball. The Hazelnut Espresso Martini was a big crowd pleaser which Oliver noted 'the harder you shake the better the head' — dear oh dear. I’m tempted to include the Hazelnut Fresca for my next pop up bar at Sydney Food Bloggers Picnic which is pretty easy to make and can be served in a carafe for continuous serving. At the end of the cocktail making class much needed food came in the way of canapés and pizza. I thought the Crumbed swiss brown mushrooms with goats cheese were the best being so tasty and moreish. However I reckon the Wagyu beef crostini could have benefitted from some sweet onion relish to make it less dry. I didn’t mind the pickles with the Sashimi tuna skewers although I don’t think everyone would have been a fan of this flavour combo. The pizzas looked good but unfortunately I only managed to grab one piece which I thoroughly enjoyed — or was that the alcohol talking. I definitely needed more to counteract the 20% Alc. Vol. which isn’t too lethal unless heavy pouring is involved.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Enjoyable flavour for those who love hazelnuts, Apparently less calories than vodka, Quite refreshing cocktails that are quite simple to make

CONS: More expensive than your standard spirits, Tall bottle can make it tricky to fit in some cupboard spaces, Over-consumption of alcohol is not a good thing and temporary loss of memory is one of the side effects

MUST TRY: Frangelico Lime and Soda, Spiced Apple Highball, Hazelnut Espresso Martini
VERDICT: An enjoyable event to learn how to make a few cocktails although a few canapés before the class would have probably been appreciated to help line the stomach

—

Frangelico Brand Ambassador Oliver Stuart

Masterclass cocktail menu

Frangelico Lime and Soda

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

45ml Frangelico
Top with Soda
Squeeze in Two Lime wedges
Serve in a tall glass filled with ice.

Spiced Apple Highball

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

45ml Frangelico
15ml fresh lemon juice
30ml cloudy apple juice
30ml ginger beer to top with
Shake the Frangelico, fresh lemon juice, and cloudy apple juice Strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Top with the ginger beer and garnish with a lemon wedge and fresh grated nutmeg over the top.

Hazelnut Espresso Martini

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

45ml Frangelico
15ml SKYY
30ml espresso coffee
10ml Illyquore
Shake hard and fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with three coffee beans.

Hazelnut Fresca

Carafe recipe
200ml Frangelico
200ml SKYY
100ml fresh lime juice
900ml ginger ale
5 lime wheels 5 orange wheels
Stir all ingredients in your favourite carafe with a little ice. Serve with ice filled glasses, garnished with an orange and a lime wheel.

East West Iced Tea

Carafe recipe
240ml Frangelico
500ml cold & strong green tea
4 lemon wedges squeezed in 3 mint sprigs
Add all ingredients to a 700ml carafe Stir all ingredients in your favourite carafe with a little ice. Serve with ice filled glasses, garnished with a pert mint sprig

Sparkling Italian Punch
Carafe recipe
400ml Prosecco
120ml Frangelico
30ml lemon juice
5 mint sprigs 5 lime wheels
300ml soda water
Stir all ingredients in your favourite carafe with a little ice. Serve with ice filled glasses, garnished with lime wedges