Simon Food Favourites: Prosecco

Showing posts with label Prosecco. Show all posts

07 January 2012

Cocktail: Aperol Spritz (6 Jan 2012)

http://www.aperol.com

Easy drinking Aperitivo

The Aperol Spritz is a quick and easy cocktail that anyone can make. Aperol is very similar in taste to Campari but it's lower in alcohol content. I remember first trying this type of drink at La Vucciria. It's a refreshing drink for Summer although if you're not a fan of Campari then the taste might not be quite to your liking.

Aperol Spritz:

3 parts Prosecco

2 parts Aperol
1 splash of soda
Ice, half a slice of orange

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Quite refreshing if you don't mind the taste of Campari, Low on alcohol, Easy to make

CONS: Can't really stop at one if you like it

MUST TRY: Making the Aperol Betty next time with 2 parts Aperol, 1 part orange juice, 1 part grapefruit juice, some ice cubes, shake the blend.

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Aperol, Prosecco and Soda Water = Aperol Spritz

Aperol Spritz recipe — very simple

30 April 2011

Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton: High tea drinks, canapés and cakes (29 Apr 2011)

Time for a Royal High Tea

If you're like most of the world that watched the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on their TV and didn't get an official invite like Sir Elton 'Hercules' John CBE, Ian 'Thorpedo' Thorpe OAM, Victoria 'Posh' and David 'Bend It Like' Beckham then check out the up close and personal photos on The Big Picture to give you a great idea of what it would have been like — how amazing does that wedding cake look. To celebrate this auspicious occasion in style I was very privileged to be invited to a high tea of delicious homemade treats. How nice to start with a glass of Henkell Trocken which is one of my non-champagne favourites which went well with the all-time-classic of a Cucumber sandwich with crème fraiche and dill. The Egg salad sandwiches made apparently to a Women's Weekly recipe were excellent.

Homemade Scones with strawberry jam and freshly whipped cream started the sugary intake along with three types of Macarons bought from Adriano Zumbo. Delightful looking Butterfly cupcakes were homemade and decorated with fresh raspberries. The pièce de résistance of the night for me was the Homemade meringues with freshly whipped cream and Persian rose water fairy floss. Fragile to the touch and melted-in-your-mouth with sugary goodness. The rose water fairy floss worked so well on flavour making them very special and fit for royalty. I had to stop myself at two but could have easy eaten a whole platter of them. Matched with Audrey Wilkinson 2010 Moscato that also gets my tick as a favourite.

Henkell Trocken

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Audrey Wilkinson 2010 Moscato

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Santa Margherita Prosecco

Cucumber sandwiches and Egg Salad sandwiches

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Homemade scones with strawberry jam and freshly whipped cream

Adriano Zumbo macarons and homemade butterfly cupcakes

Homemade butterfly cupcakes

Adriano Zumbo macarons

Homemade meringue with whipped cream and Persian rose water fairy floss
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

William and Catherine tea towel

William and Catherine bell

William and Catherine saucer and cup

Forks and tea cups

Table flowers

The Royal Wedding on TV

Arriving to Westminster Abbey

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla Parker Bowles

Prince William and Catherine Middleton

Elton John (right)

Ian Thorpe and David & Victoria Beckham a few rows behind

En route down Constitution Hill to Buckingham Palace

Red Rooster proud sponsor of The Royal Wedding — that's a little weird

Crowds converge towards Buckingham Palace

Media and their big telephoto lens

Royal family greet the public from Buckingham Palace balcony

The Royal first kiss

08 April 2011

Hunky Dory Social Club: Rooftop Bar, Darlinghurst (11 Mar 2011)

215 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
http://www.hdsc.com.au

Too-cool-for-school bar

It’s best not to expect any warm and fuzzy smiles from the too-cool-for-school service (unless your friends) in this rustic and carefree style bar but thankfully a decent cocktail prevails. The pricey yet lethal Killer White Lady: A lady on the street and a freak in the bed ($18) is made with quality ingredients of Hendriks, Cointreau, Mozart Dry, Lemon and Orange Blossom — I’d certainly have another one. A glass of NV San Margherita Prosecco ($8) is reasonably priced and hits the spot while checking out Oxford Street below from the balcony on level 1. There’s a rooftop bar (pictured above) on level 2 with battered lounges and wooden chairs where you can catch up on your Vitamin D if you're lucky enough to grab a spot.

The almost anything goes décor reminds me of Pocket Bar but in a more refined and selective way. Shattered pieces of mirror surround the unisex toilets like an oversized Mardi Gras mirror ball although you’ll feel on show when you exit the cubicles to those waiting to use them. Apparently the large sliding metal door to the unisex toilets is from the Carlton Brewery in Melbourne — it seems you can buy anything on eBay these days. Clientele seem to be mostly inner city die hards looking for the next best thing and have money to spend when they find it. For an Italian bite there’s Bruno’s on the ground floor but I’m yet to try to know if it’s any good. The owners have certainly transformed this space into their own little world and I hope they're willing to share it with open arms and a friendly smile to all that venture in.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: A Little Golden Book drinks menu, Interesting cocktails with creative names, Décor with character

CONS: Unisex toilets, Overly loud background music (I must be getting old), Potential ‘don’t know you don’t care about you’ service, Limited seating, Expensive drink list

MUST TRY: Revisiting to try other cocktails on the menu

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Killer White Lady: A lady on the street and a freak in the bed. Hendriks, Cointreau, Mozart Dry, Lemon, Orange Blossom ($18); NV San Margherita Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG Italy ($8)