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You might have noticed this interesting little gin subset, but wine-infused gin is a fairly new concept and one that Australia has made its speciality.

Combining the refreshing herbal and citrus flavours of gin with the rounded softness and spice we enjoy from red wine, these wine-infused gins are the perfect solution — in more ways than one.

Different types of wine-infused gin

Shiraz is the most popular option for wine-infused gin, though there is a multitude of other examples out there — even white wine, fortifieds and other fruit like sloe berries.

But red wine adds a beautiful dark red colour to the gin as well as plenty of berry, spice and gentle oak flavours.

Here are some of our favourite examples:

Tread Softly Pinot Noir Gin

Rich with the aromas and flavours we associate with Pinot Noir — cherries, strawberries and a little spice — this beautiful bright red gin has plenty of fresh juniper, summer flowers and grassy notes that blend with the Pinot notes.

Tread Softly is focused on sustainability. Bottles are made from 100% recycled glass and the brand has a tree-planting programme that is so far up to almost 1.5million Australian natives.

Buy Tread Softly Pinot Noir Gin here.

Otter Craft Distillery Mary Street Shiraz Gin

This deep purple gin speaks of the robust power of the Shiraz wine used here. And although the Shiraz makes itself at home in this spirit, packing plenty of rich dark fruit and chocolate notes, this gin still holds up its end of the bargain by exhibiting its own flavour profile.

Hand-made in Lilyfield, NSW by Eduard Otter and served with aplomb at Bar 26, the distillery’s speakeasy next door.

Buy OCD Mary St Shiraz Gin here.

Naught Distilling Sangiovese Gin

Less common other varietals, Sangiovese as a gin infusion is actually a great option. Harnessing the bright, stone fruit, citrus and herbs of the wine, Naught Distillery’s Sangiovese Gin creates quite an earthy, savoury base bolstered by a bold, fruit-forward mid-palate.

Distiller (and ex-basketballer) Chris Cameron recommends using this beauty in an adapted French 75.

Buy your Naught Sangiovese Gin here.

Tempus Two Copper Shiraz Gin

Better known as a Hunter Valley winery, Tempus Two’s Shiraz Gin from their Copper Series of beverages takes a slightly different tangent on wine-infused gin than most. Using their own Shiraz wine to create a base spirit, the distillers double down on the varietal, adding in extra Shiraz as a botanical.

The result is a herbaceous, rich gin with a dark, plummy Christmas cake profile. This drinks well in cocktails, but also as it is over ice.

Buy your Tempus Two Copper Shiraz Gin here.

How to drink wine-infused gin

Although they’re not quite as versatile as regular gin, the added richness and flavour from wine-infused gins means they can lift a few regular cocktails to new heights.

On the Rocks

Unless you’re a hardened gin soak, you’re not drinking straight gin like it’s whisky. But with its added flavours from the wine, this style works well just with a big ice cube and a twist of lemon.

Enriched Negroni

If you want to fancy-up your regular negroni, using wine-infused gin creates another layer of depth to the drink. Play with the qualities a little until you’re happy — just like regular gins, win-infused gin will give you different flavours that you can balance (or unbalance) with your mix.

We also love using other types of gin to negronis like barrel-aged gin or sloe gin.

Gin Highball

Highballs are becoming more and more popular, but what is a highball? Simply, it’s just your spirit of choice in a tall glass and ice topped up with soda. Ordinarily, this would water gin down, but the added wine flavours make this a refreshing yet very simple cocktail.

If you want a bit more flavour, try your wine-infused gin with a splash of tonic as well.

The post Sip Happens — The Wine-Infused Gin Trend You Need to Try appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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The negroni is a cocktail that has grown huge in popularity in recent years and for very good reason. The balance of bitter, sweet, herbaceous and boozy is truly intoxicating. Plus it’s one of the easiest cocktails to make.

But behind its simplicity, the negroni is also a wonderfully adaptable canvas that you can add to, take away from and change ingredients with some startlingly tasty results.

For more cocktail recipes and tips on how to set up for a baller of a cocktail party, check out our cocktail guide ebook here!

1. Amplify Your Gin

Gin is a complicated spirit. Depending on what the distiller has made it with, your gin might be sweet, spicy, salty or herbaceous. It might be a powerful gin or something that is gentler and floral.

All too often, we follow the ‘equal parts’ rule of a negroni too hard and fast, and the gin drowns in the other flavours.

Adding 1.5 or even double the amount of gin to your negroni allows the gin to sing louder and bring some of its subtler flavours to the fore.

Banks & Solander’s Ora Gin has delicate Japanese flavours of kombu, sake, ginger and miso that really shine in a gin X2 negroni.

2. Cut The Campari

Campari is an incredible drink, but at the end of the day it’s still an amaro—a bitter aperitivo with a strong orange flavoured backbone. There are lots of amaros out there worth playing with that can add different things to your negroni.

Aperol is lighter and sweeter than Campari, and an easy option. However, the lesser-known but equally good Select is somewhere between the two.

Amaro Montenegro instead of Campari (a ‘Montenegroni’ to some) makes a slightly sweeter and more citrusy drink. Swapping out Campari for Cynar (it’s called a Cin-Cyn by the way) is gentler on the palate than Campari.

Australian craft distillers have also thrown their hats in the ring with the likes of Rhubi Mistelle made from rhubarb and Ester Distillery’s Alternativo Aperitivo. Rhubi is an intensely bright aperitivo that’s sweeter than it is bitter, and Ester’s efforts are simply on point for a superb classic Aussie negroni.

3. Look Beyond London Dry

There are so many styles of gin around that make such a difference to a negroni. Try coffee-laced gins, barrel-aged gins or berry-flavoured gins like sloe gin to bend the flavours of your negroni.

This is the easiest change you can make to a negroni in your search for your favourite recipe.

4. Swap Out The Gin

Don’t get stuck in the gin rut with negronis. There are lots of other options. Using whisky instead of gin (known as a boulevardier) is excellent, though you’ll need to adjust the other ingredients a little depending on the whisky.

For something a little different, give rum a try. Its natural sweetness and spiciness are perfect matches for the bittersweet of the other ingredients.

For something a lot different, try mezcal as a gin replacement. This smoky unctuous spirit turns the average negroni into a deep, resinous, sophisticated drink perfect for sipping.

5. Turn It White

For most of us, a negroni’s trademark is its deep red colour. But what if you change all of that?

Swap out the red (sweet) vermouth for Lillet Blanc (you can also try mixing together dry vermouth and white vermouth) and instead of the bright red of Campari, use a bitter gentian liqueur like Suze, Salers or Aveze.

You’re left with a clear, slightly amber cocktail, but still undeniably one with all the hallmarks of one of the world’s great drinks.

Bonus: Smoke It Up

Adding smoke to a negroni not only amps up the flavours, it also adds a fun bit of food theatre to things.

I love my Smoking Cocktail kit. You put the smoker over your glass, add wood chips and light them. The smoke fills the glass and infuses with your negroni, and when you lift the smoker off the glass, smoke drifts out. Very dramatic!

The post How To Upgrade Your Negroni appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Remember when alcopops first came out? The time of Bacardi Breezers, Hooch and Smirnoff Ice. The era of VK, WKD and Skyy Blue. The epoch of Coolers, Cruisers and Splice.

Love them or loath them, these premixed RTDs—‘Ready To Drink’ if you will—made a space on bottlo shelves everywhere and have held their own.

The good news is they’ve grown up a lot in the past thirty or so years.

Progenitors of early ‘canned cocktails’ are now so sophisticated, you’d be hard put to it to tell some of them apart from a drink carefully crafted in a high-end city bar.

Here are some of our favourites of these highly evolved drinks that not only save you space in the cupboard, but time and effort too.

Curatif Cocktails

Australian-owned Curatif is a highly-awarded RTD cocktail manufacturer, crafting truly impressive canned drinks you’d be happy with from a bar where beards, leather aprons and vintage-style filament light bulbs about.

We’ve tried three of their ever-growing range and were impressed with all of them. All you do is shake the 130ml cans as recommended and pour over ice.

These are full-strength cocktails, between 14.7%-18.5%ABV.

Pina Colada—brand new to the Curatif range

This cocktail comes out sweet and fruity as you’d expect from a Pina colada. But there’s also a delicious creaminess you never get from a canned cocktail, and there’s an impressive long-lasting foam top too.

A pleasant tang follows in the aftertaste from two different rums (Appleton Estate and Ron Colon Salvadorio) that build layers of flavour on the real coconut and fresh pineapple in the can.

Espresso Martini

With a cocktail that’s so widely consumed, Curatif had to really nail this one, and nail it they did.

Rich, bold and potent coffee flavours from single-origin Brazilian beans, Tia Maria and Archie Rose Original Vodka work in well-balanced harmony of sweetness, sharpness a good vodka kick. Better than many bars can make.

Spicy Margarita

These guys are not messing around when they say spicy. This drink comes with a great kick that’s comes from a special chilli blend by Melbourne Hot Sauce Co.

This is closely followed by a balanced sweetness and tequila flavour from the Tequila Tromba Bianco. This is all hinges on a bright citrus hit from fresh lime juice.

Shop the whole range of Curatif cocktails here.

NO.SH boozy seltzers

With the recent advent of seltzer-mania, the Australian Beer Co have released their range of sparking RTDs that are ideal for a lighter drink (though still 5%ABV) when you’ve had enough of beer or bubbly.

Light and bright, their two flavours we’ve tried are easy-drinking low-sugar options with no added nasties. Indeed No.Sh stands for ‘No Shit’. You get the idea.

Citrus Crush

Fine bubbles and a light touch of citrus make this a dry, easy-going seltzer that refreshes beautifully.

Pineapple and Mango

More flavour-forward and sweeter than the Citrus Crush, the Pineapple and Mango Seltzer is full of tropical aromas and flavours. It’s a compelling drink with a fruity lingering taste.

Billson’s Premix Vodka

King of the Aussie craft premixes, Billson’s from Beechworth, VIC has an astonishing range of everything, from gins and whiskies to stouts and RTDs, these guys make it all. Fair enough though, they have been going since 1865 after all.

We’ve tried quite a few of their Premix Vodka cans—each at a manageable 3.5%ABV—and although many of them are too sweet for our palate, there are some that are way too easy to drink.

Also, being triple distilled, Billson’s vodka tends to be ‘cleaner’ with fewer impurities, making it smoother.

These are the Premix Vodka RTDs we liked:

• Lemon Splash (pictured)
• Tropical (pictured)
• Mandarine Vodka
• Fruit Tangle
• Zesty Lemon
• Sunset Fizz
• Pink Cloud

The post New Canned Cocktails For When You’re Too Far From The Bar appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

I love peated whisky. I love the intensity of flavours, the savoury depth, the sharp tang of iodine and the oily smokiness.

Christina does not love it.

Whenever I drink a heavily peated whisky, she winces, comparing the aroma to ‘that drunk uncle you always avoid at family parties’.

I, however, have a much more romantic reflection on peated whiskies. They make me thing of woodsmoke, cigars, salt spray and earthy wholesomeness.

I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree.

If you want a intro into different whisky styles, check out our story on scotch regions and other international whiskies here.

We also talk more about Australian whisky styles here too.

Check out our IGTV Cocktail Hour episode featuring For Medicinal Purposes here:

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Peated whisky and Pure Scot Midnight Peat blended scotch

Very simply put, to make peated scotch, peat is used as fuel to roast germinated barley, which distillers then go on to make their whisky with. The intense smoke from the peat enters the grains and emerges as a (subjectively) beautiful profile in the end.

From this point, distillers have a choice.

They can either make a single malt peated whisky or they can sell portions of it to other distillers to make blended whisky.

Johnny Walker’s Green Label and Double Black Label have a bit of peated whisky in their blends for example.

But Bladnoch’s head distiller Dr Nick Savage does something different to make his peated blended whisky Pure Scot Midnight Peat.

Instead of adding peated whisky, he puts his blend into barrels that previously contained peated single malt. The result is astounding. Often, blends don’t have that much of a peat flavour, but this one has plenty. I’m astonished how much peaty flavour comes through.

What can you do with peated whisky?

Usually people – myself included – shy away from making cocktails with peated single malt scotch. It’s made to be sipped neat or with a touch of water and it feels wasteful to put it with any other flavour.

But distillers make blended whisky with a view to it going into cocktails. Blends also tend to be more affordable as well.

Midnight Peat is perfect for things like a smoky old fashioned or even a peated Manhattan, swapping out regular bourbon or rye for this peated blended whisky.

But here’s something a little different:

For Medicinal Purposes peated whisky cocktail

Ostensibly a honey, lemon and ginger drink, this is an adaptation of a recipe my mum and dad used to give us kids when we were sick – without the alcohol of course! I still use it today to help with head colds or sore throats.

And it works really well with Pure Scot Midnight Peat.

Here’s what you need

– 3 slices of fresh ginger

– 1tbsp honey

– 1tbsp lemon juice

– 60ml hot water

– 60ml Pure Scot Midnight Peat (or 30ml Midnight Peat and 30ml Pure Scot Virgin Oak 43 if you prefer more sweetness than smoke)

Here’s what you do

1. Pour hot water over ginger and muddle, then add honey and stir until dissolved.

2. Add ice and stir until chilled, then add lemon juice and scotch, and stir to combine.

3. Double strain into a sazerac or old fashioned glass and garnish with burnt lemon peal.

This drink can also be served without chilling as a hot toddy style drink on those extra chilly nights.

The fresh bright lemon, deep sweetness from the honey and a gentle warmth from the spicy ginger act as the perfect base for the smoky savoury whisky.

The post How to make this peated whisky cocktail from an old family recipe appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Do you remember your first espresso martini? That startling smoothness, the sweet coffee combo, the zing of caffeine to put your night right on track…

It’s an iconic cocktail – so much so that we’ve got our own recipe for an espresso martini here and we even created a new version of the classic in honour of our lovely friend Nikki Parkinson.

It’s called the Styling You mocha espresso martini and it’s delicious.

But when we were recently loaned a new coffee machine to play with, Christina and I thought we’d do something a bit different to the classic espresso martini.

How to make a Stay Up Till Tequila Sunrise

Here’s what you need

– 60ml tequila reposado like El Jimador
– Double shot of espresso
– 30ml Kahlua Salted Caramel edition
– 15-20ml lemon juice
– 3 dashes Angostura bitters
– Orange peel to garnish

Here’s what you do

1. Stir (or shake actually) all the ingredients over ice then strain into an old fashioned glass, served on the rocks or up.

2. Garnish with the orange peal.

3. Make this a longer drink by topping up with aranciata Italian style bitter orange soda.

Note: If you don’t have the salted caramel Kahlua, you can use the regular one but you might need to add a measure of simple syrup to bring up the sweetness. Dissolve equal parts caster sugar in hot water to make the syrup.

You can watch us make the Stay Up Till Tequila Sunrise in our Cocktail Hour episode on IGTV here.

The golden tequila and lemon juice are a classic combo, lightening the spirit and toning the acidity of the citrus accordingly.

Rich earthiness and bitterness of the espresso (and its all-important hit of caffeine) blend with the sweetness of the Kahlua, and the Angostura bitters delivers a herbaceous note that builds layers to the drink.

All together, these flavours create a bright refreshing cocktail with a zap of caffeine perfect for getting the party started.

But one of the most important things about this recipe is to use a good-quality espresso. If you don’t have a machine at home, get a takeaway from the local cafe… or ever better, get one of these:

Which coffee machine? Jura S8

We’ve been given a new coffee machine from Jura to play with – the Jura S8 – and we’re really impressed with this compact yet full-function espresso machine.

Cafe-style espresso machines tend to be messy, fiddly, long-winded and – unless you know what you’re doing – disappointing. Capsule machines give you consistency, speed and very little mess, but don’t allow you to modify or adjust things much.

This Jura machine is pretty much the sweet spot between the two.

It has an integral grinder, so you can use your own beans. You can change things like the temperature, volume and strength of different coffee styles, and the touchscreen gives you lots of types of coffee to choose from.

The machine is easy to use, and works quickly and quietly. And the used grounds collect in the tray inside, so there’s virtually no mess to worry about.

For an automatic machine, the quality of the coffee is amazing – especially the espresso, ristretto and long black.

The milk steamer is fine, but you’re never going to get that same cafe-quality silky finish.

You can shop the Jura S8 Coffee Machine here.

The post How to make an espresso cocktail with a difference appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

It’s been a while since our last Weekly Edition – mostly because we haven’t really been doing much! But we’ve put together a few highlights from the past month or so that Christina and I have been in lockdown. 

This Weekly Edition has some great meal ideas if you’re running short of new things to cook at home, plus our cocktail classes we’ve been running remotely and some hot tips on gins you should try.

And of course there’s the small matter of my birthday to talk about, not to mention Mother’s Day, plenty of outings to our back yard and I remove most of my beard… on purpose.

We hope you enjoy this catch-up.

Cheers – Jim & Christina xx

Let’s be honest, there hasn’t been a lot to smile about over the past few months. But it’s so important to try and stay upbeat.

Things like this chalk drawing Christina’s found during her daily exercise really help.

Another thing that’s really helped us is our view. We’re lucky to have what I reckon is one of the best back yards in the city, and we try and put it to as much use as possible.

Especially at the moment.

We often pop down just before sunset for a little drink and a game of backgammon. By the way, this prosecco from Zonin is perhaps the most underrated bubbly you’ll find. It’s under $20 in national bottleshops and it’s superb.

We’ve been cooking at home pretty much the whole time restrictions have been in place, but tonight we’ve decided it’s time to support local restaurants too.

It’s a bloody good decision – these takeaway pizzas from Capello Ristorante in Balmain East are delicious – just as good as when we’ve eaten in. Can’t wait till doors open again. Hope it’s soon.

We’re back in the garden again this evening enjoying the beautiful light over the water.

This Chardonnay is also a delight – a little winery we found when we were on the Mornington Peninsula earlier in the year (which feels like a century ago!) called Portsea.

Remember to drink Chardonnay a little warmer than other white wines to get the best from its flavour and body.

But this is where most of our time’s been spent: in the kitchen!

Here are 12 things we’ve eaten that I can highly recommend turning the oven on for:

1. Lasagne

I made a big batch of variations of bolognese a while back and froze it all. Then you just have to add things to it to create anything from chilli to a pasta sauce. When you do, make sure you add gastrique to the mix; it transforms any tomato-based sauce completely.

2. Creamy chicken pie and polenta

I love having frozen sheet pastry at home and baking pies fresh. The Aldi puff pastry is probably the worst puff you can find, but because it’s like a hybrid of puff and shortcrust, it makes the best pie pastry you’ll find.

Polenta is also super useful. You can make it creamy like a mash (use stock rather than just water) or you can make polenta chips like these and it’s my secret ingredient to the best roast potatoes you’ll ever have.

3. Thai red curry

When it comes to cooking South East Asian food, I let Christina take over. She’s a real master – and since our cooking class in Bangkok in March this year, she wields fish sauce like a pro chef.

4. Indian curry

Easily one of my all-time favourite foods, Indian is a lot of fun to cook at home. I tend to go a bit crazy when it comes to cooking up a curry, but here are a few of my favourites to make.

I’ve also recently added naan bread and saag tarka dhal (the one I’m using the blow torch on) to my repertoire. Watch this space for in-depth recipes.

5. Left-over pies

Kind of linked to both the lasagne and my point about having pastry in the freezer, one thing I love doing is making pies out of dinner leftovers. I made a batch of little party pies from a chilli I made. Christina’s pretty happy with the outcome!

6. Meatballs

Another thing you can do with a big batch of mince is make meatballs. They’re really easy to mix up (I use an egg to help hold everything together, but many recipes don’t) and then you can freeze them for later.

When you make up the sauce, just plop the frozen meatballs in for about 20 minutes or until they’re cooked through.

7. Gluten-free choc peanut butter cookies

Christina made these little works of art for my birthday. She hasn’t made them in a while, which is probably why I can still fit into most of my clothes.

You only need five ingredients, they’re gluten free and they’re the most delicious thing you’ll ever eat. Here’s the recipe.

8. Bacon egg rolls

Perhaps not the most inspiring-sounding option, but when you have really good, locally produced bacon, things really step up on this delicious lunch option. I’ve also popped some pickles on here, which really works by the way.

But best of all, I made the bun at home too. I’ve used this bun recipe before a few times and it never fails!

9. Chocolate brownies

You might think those packet-bake brownie kits you get at the shops is cheating, but I tell you what, the Betty Crocker triple choc brownies are an absolute win. A little sprinkle of Maldon salt on top turns them into quite grown-up options too.

10. Choc and berry cupcakes

I wish we could take credit for these, but they’re actually a gift from our beautiful neighbours Denese and Jack. They even gave us these magazines to keep us entertained. So sweet.

We have a kind of baked goods barter system with them. Usually it’s cookies in return amazing things – including this incredible block of rocky road.

11. Banana bread

For a while, I thought Christina was hoarding bananas, which I thought was neither a good idea nor sustainable. It turns out she was keeping them until they went black to make into banana bread, which also turns out to be very in-trend at the moment.

I’ll have to squeeze her for the recipe at some point, but in the meantime, here’s my regular bread recipe I’ve been using for a couple of years now.

12. Macadamia shortbread cookies

If I could say I have a sweet speciality, I think it would have to be these gluten-free macadamia shortbread cookies. They’re so good but dangerously more-ish. These are my go-to currency when Denese brings round something delicious.

A delivery came the other day from our brilliant friends Kathleen and Jarrod, who run Nip of Courage – a distribution and marketing company for Australian craft spirits.

They also have a pre-mix cocktail company called Aussie Spirits, and they’re making these amazing 1-litre bottles of negronis (and other cocktails) while we’re all in lockdown.

We’ll be enjoying this lovely gift during our Skype call with them later tonight. Missing friends and not socialising is one of the hardest parts of having to stay put during the epidemic.

Our own personalised Negroni bottle and a long virtual chat with good people helps a lot.

Get your cocktails mixed and sent to you here.

Another of Christina’s newly discovered comforts is a good bath. I don’t know why, but she’s really into them at the moment. Perhaps it’s the cold evenings… or perhaps it’s that I keep bringing her champagne while she soaks.

Come to think of it, maybe I should have a bath!

There are few things in life that beat a good martini. And the more olives you can get on your stick the better!

On IGTV recently, we started doing cocktail hour classes – and here you can watch how I make ours.

I’m using Warner’s Gin – a beautiful London dry from the UK. The Warners are a couple working together like us, so we feel some kinship there. They’re also the major sponsor for Hospo For Life – a foundation to help people in the hospitality industry who are struggling with mental health in these hard times.

Warner’s are putting $5 from every bottle sold towards the foundation until the end of the month.

Today, Christina is decorating the office. We’re spending more time here than ever before, and these big white doors aren’t best backdrop for Zoom calls.

So she’s using Japanese washi tape to create these cool line drawings. The tape just peals off, so if you make a mistake or have to remove the pictures, it comes off easily.

Tonight is another Cocktail Hour Class on IGTV. This time, we’re making negronis. There’s been a bit of hype to negronis recently thanks to Stanley Tucci’s aberration (sorry Stanley, you can’t ‘just swap gin out for vodka’) and also Alexander Kraft of Sotheby’s International on IGTV with The Rake.

If you haven’t seen this guy before, he does regular tours of his estate, his car collection, his watch collection, his vintage cigars… he’s amazing and every room has a negroni kit ready to go.

Our negroni is made with Warner’s gin again – but this time their pink rhubarb gin. It adds a delicious sweet tartness to the drink – but see for yourself. I’ve been taught by real master mixologists how to make a negroni. I hope my learnings come through!

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In another of our Cocktail Hour classes on IGTV, I talk about the wonders of the gin mule and – of course – show you how to make it. I’m also using the Warner’s rhubarb gin here.

Discovered that the little harbourside pools and beaches around Balmain are not as safe as they might seem today. I don’t know if this is a sign that the harbour is cleaner than normal or what, but a note on the rocks warning about a blue-ringed octopus living in the water here is a bit worrying.

They’re one of the most poisonous creatures in and around Australia… which is saying something!

Thanks to Christina’s hair and beauty site Hair Romance, we’re lucky enough to be working with the super-talented hair stylist Anthony Nader today in his cool Surry Hills salon and his hair product and equipment business Sydney Salon Supplies.

We’re creating some ‘cuts-at-home’ videos with him to help people trim their overgrown hair in lockdown.

We’re shooting a men’s hair and beard trim at the moment – as you can see from this BTS shot.

Inspired by Anthony’s craftsmanship, I’ve decided to give myself a bit of a beard trim too. Not sure which version I prefer… though the photo in the bottom right makes me wonder where my chin’s gone!

Today, to celebrate Mother’s Day, we’re at Christina’s sister’s place. We’re welcomed by the house gargoyles – Raven the black lab and Monte the moggie!

Christina’s sister’s house has a great back yard and the most recent addition is the fire pit. As our nephews get the flames going, we prepare for an evening of fun and catch-ups.

We enjoy the warmth of the fire with Christina’s mum and our brother-in-law – architect and builder of the fire pit.

And if you’re wondering what those silver pear things are, they’re potatoes we’ll be baking on the fire later.

After dinner, we break out the marshmallows. It’s so good to see everyone – it’s amazing to think the last time we saw these guys, talk of an epidemic was almost speculation and fiction.

Today is perhaps the most important day of the year. Yes, that’s right, it’s my birthday!

We were supposed to be in Europe today, but obviously Covid has seen to that. But if cancelled travel plans are the worst that happen to us, I think we’re pretty lucky.

It’s more than enough for me to be spending my birthday with this amazing woman. I barely notice the view when I’m with her.

But sitting here with Christina, negronis, a magnificent cigar and a bit of backgammon – not to mention a new shirt – I couldn’t be happier.

Unless you include a curry feast! This magnificent meal comes from our local Indian and is exactly what I was hoping for.

Thanks to my mum and dad for the present. We’ve ordered far too much food – to the point that the guy on the phone taking the order persuaded Christina to get more rice because he thought this was for more than just two people!

I took my own advice though and have made pies with the leftovers. Lots of pies!

Thanks also to our awesome neighbours Red and Lysh for the beers. Young Henrys Natural Lager goes so well with a curry.

Tonight is the first time I’ve been out to socialise since lockdown began and (obviously) since the rules were relaxed a bit.

I’m off to see my mate Pete for a cigar and some whisky.

As I come home, I realise how pretty the harbour is at night. It’s been so long since I saw it like this. And that’s the good thing about being at home so much: you see the beauty again in places you’ve seen so often.

It’s a humid night in the city. In fact, Sydney is the only place I’ve ever been both cold and sweaty at the same time. How can it be both humid and chilly?

But as the low clouds tug and pull at the buildings and towers, the moon glints down from its shining seat in the heavens.

Only morning, with the pale sun pinking the sky, do the city mists flee, leaving a damp, glimmering town below.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this Weekly Edition. Stay safe and be happy.

Jim & Christina xx

The post Iso catch-up: cocktail classes, birthday feasts and meal ideas at home appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

What an end to busy February! I don’t know if you felt it, but last month seemed to drag on a bit. January (aka Practice Month) zipped by but Feb pulled teeth. 

Now it’s over though, I kind of miss dear old February. And March is gearing up to be a formidable month too.

Starting with a trip to Thailand, March is looking like it’s going to be full on. 

In this Edition, we’re sharing important info on Bars March* – an excellent bar-based fundraiser focused on helping rescued dogs find a home – exciting news on Aussie flights to Chicago and what we got up to at this year’s travel summit in Sydney.

*Yet another casualty of Covid, the last Bars March movement was in 2020.

We hope you enjoy this Weekly Edition.

Cheers – Jim & Christina xx

Tonight, we’re in the beautiful recesses of Hubert – an upmarket bistro in the heart of Sydney. But we’re not here for dinner. As we take these winding stairs deep into the restaurant, our thoughts are of Chicago and the blues.

That’s because talented young musician Michael Damani from the Original Chicago Blues All Stars Band is playing us in for a meeting with Choose Chicago, the Windy City’s tourism board, and Qantas. 

Michael’s music is typical of the style you’ll find in Chicago – my favourite US city. But 2020 has been earmarked as Year of Chicago Music, meaning the city will be full of the sounds that Chicago is famous for: Blues, Jazz, Gospel and Hiphop. 

As Michael entertains us, we contemplate other great news we’ve heard from representatives of Qantas Airlines: starting April 2020, direct flights from Brisbane to Chicago will be flying four times a week.

Good news for us!

This afternoon, we’re meeting with the ultra-talented Mikey Enright, owner of the superb gin bar The Barber Shop.

He also runs The Duke of Clarence next door – an impressive reconstruction of a good old English pub. It’s honestly like being transported back home!

But we’re not here to admire our surroundings… well, we are a bit. More importantly though is this year’s Bars March special cocktails. 

Bars March is an annual fundraiser that’s in its 10th year. Throughout the third month, proceeds from specially crafted drinks at participating venues (the Barber Shop and the Duke are two) go towards saving rescue animals. 

In NSW, it’s the Animal Welfare League, in VIC it’s Save a Dog Scheme.

In the Barber Shop this year, Mikey’s serving this beautiful gin and tonic he’s calling Warner’s Tonica. Here’s what you get:

• 45ml Warner’s Rhubarb Gin
• 120ml Artisan Pink Citrus tonic
• Method: Build over cubed ice
• Glass: Bordeaux glass 
• Garnish: Lemon wheel, finger lime halves. basil sprig, juniper berries

Warner’s Gin is from the UK and is known as being the first to bring out pink gin. Their pink rhubarb gin, which contains actual rhubarb juice, is quite something and goes perfectly with Mikey’s own proprietary (and delicious) tonic.

Owner-distillers Tom and Tina Warner are also massive dog-lovers, so their gin fits in even more.

Next door in the Duke of Clarence, Mikey’s created something very special for Bars March. 

This is the Halfway to Harrington – so called because the Warner’s Distillery is in Harrington in the British Midlands. It’s a stunningly well-balanced cocktail, using two different types of Warner’s gin:

• 30ml Warner’s London Dry Gin
• 30ml Warner’s Rhubarb Gin
• 20ml Watermelon juice
• 10ml Lemon juice
• 10ml Finger lime cordial
• 3 Drops salt bush
• Method: Add all ingredients, dry shake, wet shake, strain
• Glass: Gold rim coupette
• Garnish: Toasted rhubarb nest

Get this one while you can – it’s a wonderful cocktail. I’ll be sad to see the end of March, but perhaps they’ll keep the Halfway to Harrington on the list permanently. 

Make sure you get down to either the Barber Shop, the Duke of Clarence or any of the other venues taking part in this awesome cause throughout March and show your support. 

This morning is a coffee morning. Not because we’re particularly tired, but because we have to be switched on for the whole day. 

Today is the Travel Summit by TravMedia – a network for travel writers and photographers, agents, PRs and tourism boards. It’s one of the most useful resources in our industry and today is the physical culmination of the concept.

Thankfully, Christina and I are with our excellent friend and talented writer Christine Knight.

The summit is in full swing here at the Sofitel Darling Harbour. 

We’ve heard from some incredible speakers – the likes of editors and editors in chief of Qantas Magazine, Virgin Australia, Better Homes & Gardens Travel and Gourmet Traveller, multi-award-winning writers like Catherine Marshall and Rob McFarland and a host of directors of comms companies. 

At the moment though, we’re hearing from today’s keynote: the global editor of CNN Travel Barry Neild. It’s inspiring to hear from these remarkable people. I don’t think we even needed that much coffee!

With the summit drawing to an end, we make our way upstairs to the elegant surroundings of the Sofitel’s Champagne Bar. Looking down over Darling Harbour, it’s the perfect place to unwind, debrief and imbibe.

There’s even a sabrage sword here and for $25 extra, the staff will open your bottle this way. It’s pretty dramatic and thankfully Barry steps up to have his bottle cut open. The man’s got style! 

This morning is an even earlier start to an even more demanding day. Today is the IMM – TravMedia’s International Media Marketplace. It’s a bit like speed-dating for travel correspondents and suppliers. 

At last year’s IMM, we won business class flights to the States, but I don’t think we’ll be as lucky this year. 

Still, it’s probably the most remarkable networking forum we’ve ever been to and an essential resource.

Apart from all the amazing opportunities today has presented us with, it’s these two lovely ladies Christina really wants to see. 

These two spectacular drag queens are part of the pop-up replica of famed Bell’s Milk Bar – the nation’s longest continuously running milk bar – in Broken Hill in the NSW Central Darling Region.

Representing the somewhat surprisingly vibrant drag culture of the Far West of NSW, and also the Broken Heel Festival coming up this September, these ladies are a lot of fun. And Christina’s extraordinarily well-matched dress and hair fit right in!

It’s been an exciting, fulfilling week ending a month full of surprises. Here’s to March and even more fun.

Cheers – Jim & Christina xx

The post Bars March cocktails, Chicago blues and a summit of travel appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Bourbon is a misunderstood drink. Many people think it’s just something you put Coke with to make their soft drink alcoholic. Others think it’s just Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam. But there’s much more to it than that.

For a start, bourbon whiskey is (thankfully) not limited to JD or Beam. There are so many bourbon distilleries in Tennessee, which is the only place in the world that can legally make bourbon whiskey. From sweet to spicy, bourbon comes in many different forms and flavours.

It’s also a surprisingly versatile spirit and works works in lots of different drinks. You can even cook with it. So we’re sharing our favourite way to drink bourbon – in an Old Fashioned cocktail. We’ve also got a recipe from TV star and barbecue pitmaster Big Moe Cason for his special BBQ sauce.

Our Old Fashioned cocktail, bourbon BBQ Sauce & Big Moe’s fist

The Old Fashioned is probably one of the most traditional drinks in terms of cocktails. It’s simple and even keeps to the concept of how alcohol was medicinal as much as it was for leisure in centuries past.

The history and nuances of the Old Fashioned is nicely laid out by Martin Doudoroff in his two-page website Old Fashioned 101 if you want to read more.

But most importantly, an Old Fashioned obeys the rules of alcohol + sweet + bitter/herbaceous + water = cocktail.

A cocktail must have these elements. Just adding fruit juice or a soft drink to a spirit isn’t the same thing. Click here if you want more on the fascinating history of cocktails, which spans 500 years.

How to make an Old Fashioned

Here’s what you need

– 60ml Good quality bourbon or rye whiskey like Buffalo Trace
– a touch of sugar syrup (make this by dissolving sugar in hot water (1:1) and allowing it to cool). How much you add to the drink depends on how sweet you like it. A teaspoon should be enough though.
– a dash of herbaceous or aromatic bitters – Angostura is best
– 1 large cube/sphere of ice or several normal cubes
– a straight edged tumbler glass with a heavy base

Here’s what you do

Build the drink in the glass over the ice if you wish. Alternatively, if you don’t want ice in your glass, build in a cocktail flask and strain the drink into your glass sans ice.

Garnish with a slice of orange or lemon peel if you want, though the ice is garnish enough.

Big Moe Cason’s Buffalo Trace Bourbon BBQ Sauce

We had the pleasure of meeting Big Moe – a huge, cigar-smoking, tong-wielding, whiskey-drinking Kentuckian – at Meatstock Sydney 2019. He was cooking a whole buffalo over a fire pit on a rotisserie powered by a Holden Commodore Ute 2002 model. I’m not kidding.

In spite of his fame – he’s a regular on US barbecue shows like BBQ Pitmasters and BBQ Pit Wars, and has competed and won awards in 35 states – he’s a really lovely guy.

He even gave me a fist bump as we parted ways. His fist was the size of my head.

But Big Moe’s more than a giant barbecue genius. As a Kentucky local, he’s also a big bourbon fan. So it makes sense that his delicious BBQ sauce has a drop of the good stuff in it.

Here’s the recipe:

Here’s what you need:

– ¼ cup Buffalo Trace bourbon
– 4 tbsp tomato sauce
– ¾ cup white vinegar
– 1 tbsp Worcester sauce
– 1 tbsp course black pepper
– 1 tbsp Hickory liquid smoke (we use Culley’s and it’s incredible!)
– 2 tsp chilli powder
– 1 ½ tsp ground mustard
-½ tsp ground cumin
-½ tsp ground white pepper
-½ tsp cayenne pepper

Here’s what you do:

1. Combine all ingredients apart from the Buffalo Trace in a saucepan.
2. Simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, allow to cool and stir in the Buffalo Trace bourbon.
4. Refrigerate until ready to baste onto meat or use as a condiment.

This was the sauce Big Moe was using that day he cooked a whole buffalo. And I tell you what – it’s the business.

Why Buffalo Trace?

This bourbon house has been running for over 225 years, which is impressive. Especially considering the difficulties of the 1920s prohibition. But Buffalo Trace, currently the most awarded distillery in the world, still follows its age-old traditions of making its bourbon, from the ingredients to aging the spirit in new oak barrels for at least eight years.

I find this bourbon incredibly smooth. Its flavour profile is well-balanced – the sweetness from the corn and spiciness from the rye work together rather than over-power one another. And the barley notes give the whiskey depth.

It’s my favourite bourbon and one of the few I like neat or on the rocks. But as an Old Fashioned, it’s mind-blowing.

You can pick up a bottle of Buffalo Trace for just AU$59.99 from BWS or Dan Murphy’s.

Do you have a special recipe for barbecue sauce? How do you drink your bourbon? Have you ever had a fist the size of your own head coming towards you? Tell us in the comments!

The post How to avoid a giant fist crushing your skull… and the romance of a perfect Old Fashioned appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

From child star Shirley Temple to Count Camillo Negroni and 15th Century painter Giovanni Bellini, eponymous cocktails have made their indelible marks on drinks menus.

Of course, when 10-year-old Shirley Temple demanded a ‘cocktail’ at dinner, she had no idea the grenadine and lemon-lime soda mix the waiter brought her would take off, or take her name either.

And Count Negroni wasn’t looking for libationary stardom when he ordered the soda water be replaced with gin in his Americano. He was just after a stiffer drink.

As for Bellini, his peach and Champagne notoriety came 600 years after his demise. Giuseppe Cipriani – owner of famed Harry’s Bar in Venice – chose the artist to head up this now classic aperitivo. It was also Cipriani who named and created the meaty dish the carpaccio, using the moniker of another C15th painter: Vittore Carpaccio.

*The Tom Collins was probably named after a practical joke in the 1870s where you’d tell someone Tom Collins had been spreading rumours about them. That person would run around town looking for this Tom Collins without success. Here’s more about that story – and our recipe of course.

But I suppose it doesn’t really matter how you get there, does it?

It’s every drinker’s cocktail goal – secretly or otherwise – for a bar to name a drink after them. And we think we’ve seen history in the making at the beautiful Grain Bar at the Four Seasons Sydney.

Meeting with Bar Manager Roderick Boerma, we worked our way through the remarkable cocktail list he and his assistant bar manager Lance Essihos have put together.

Grain is a superb bar with exquisite lighting, immaculate yet friendly service and a drinks list to keep you entertained forever.

This is surely what brings Mr Charlie Watson back regularly and often enough for Boerma and co to create the Mr Watson #2 in his honour.

Roderick teed one up for us to try, and if the incredible complexity and balance of the drink is anything to go by, I can only presume that Charlie Watson is an interesting character.

Roderick was kind enough to give us the recipe to the cocktail for us to share with you. Check it out:

Mr Watson #2 cocktail recipe – Grain Bar, Sydney

Here’s what you need

• 60ml El Jimador tequila
• 30ml passionfruit
• 30ml lime juice
• 15ml agave syrup
• 15ml vanilla syrup
• Touch of soda water
• 1 egg white

Here’s what you do

1. Without adding ice, shake all ingredients well to combine (this is called a ‘dry shake’)
2. Add ice and shake (a ‘wet shake’) until the outside of the shaker is frosted.
3. Double strain into a glass and garnish with flowers.

As Roderick explained, all new cocktails are variations on classics. The Mr Watson #2 is an adapted Margarita, which is certainly what the tequila brings to the drink.

The problem is, when we first saw passionfruit was involved, we worried this was going to be an overly sweet drink.

But instead of it making the cocktail sweeter, the passionfruit seems to add a gentle bitterness. The syrups add the sweetness back in, the egg white develops texture and the soda water opens the remaining flavours beautifully.

The drink’s namesake hasn’t tried his drink yet, but he’s expected back at the Four Seasons very soon. I don’t think he’ll be disappointed with what’s waiting for him.

If you’ve enjoyed this post, you should check out what we’ve been doing with cocktails. We’ve also created a few drinks and have named them after our friends.

What’s your favourite cocktail? Do you have a drink you love that’s named after someone or somewhere famous? Tell us in the comments!

The post Cocktail goals – how to get your name on the list appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Mrs Romance and I have loved gin forever. Our go-to cocktails – a negroni, a gimlet, of course a martini – are all gin based. And I have my favourite way of making them.

However, when I was lucky enough to meet with James Hayman – the great great grandson of James Burrough, the founder of the family business now known as Hayman’s Gin – I learned of a new way to up my negroni game.

Within the Hayman’s Gin range is a drink that’s very close to my heart and something that takes me back to my childhood in an instant: sloe gin.

Sloe berries grow in the British hedgerows in autumn and early winter, and I have very vivid memories of going out to pick these bitter blueberry-like fruit with my mum and dad. We’d bring them back home, prick them with a fork (a no-no in pro sloe gin terms) and soak them in gin and sugar for as long as we could.

My dad would tend the bubbling air-locked demijohns in our garage right up until Christmas. Then the sweet, sugary berry liqueur would come out after Christmas dinner to the delight of everyone – especially my sister.

The sloe gin that Hayman’s produces is a little more refined than that. As James explained, there’s the gin sloe gin and the sloe sloe gin. My mum and dad’s was definitely the latter. The Hayman’s Sloe Gin still has those delicious berry and plum undertones from the sloes, but there’s still that delicate herbiness of the gin botanicals to enjoy too.

I sipped my glass of sloe gin and thought about those wintery days in England as a lad trying to avoid the horrific gouges of the thorns from the sloe bushes.

It was then that James dropped the negroni bombshell that shook me to my core.

“You can use this in cocktails too. Makes a delicious sloe-groni,” he said, offhand.

Why hadn’t I thought of this before?

Sloe-groni recipe – how to amp up your negroni

– 1 measure Hayman’s Sloe Gin
– 1 measure sweet vermouth
– 1 measure Campari

Stir ingredients very well over ice in a mixing jar and strain into an ice-filled tumbler. Don’t wait for the garnish – just start drinking it!

Of course, James wasn’t in town just to tell me my negroni repertoire shortcomings. He was in Sydney ahead of the launch of the Hayman’s Supper Club at the Lord Dudley Hotel in Woollarha.

Hayman’s Supper Club

Throughout October 2017, the Lord Dudley’s beautiful Garden room will play host to one of the best deals I’ve heard of in Sydney.

You can choose to have 1 or 2 dinner courses and gin cocktails, and the drinks will be matched with the food you order.

The entrées – cured salmon, crème fraiche with black grapes and strawberries or pork and veal terrine – are $25 each and are paired with a sparkling Hayman’s French 75 and a Hayman’s Negroni respectively.

The mains to choose from – panfried sand whiting or succulent Mirrool Creek lamb rump – cost $40 each and come with Hayman’s Mediterranean Spritz or a Hayman’s Sloe and Lemon Tonic respectively.

Or you can have an entrée and a main plus 2 cocktails for $60!

And the guys at the Lord Dudley are pretty flexible. If you want a different cocktail to the one that’s paired with your food, you can order something different. And if you want to try the Supper Club but the one you’re with wants something from the regular menu, that’s cool too.

I wonder – if you were to ask nicely, I’m sure you’d be able to get a sloe-groni here too!

Hayman’s Supper Club at the Lord Dudley Hotel

Book your seat at the Supper Club from 1st – 31st October 2017 either online via the Lord Dudley’s website or call up the Lord Dudley on 9327 5399.

The food’s amazing, the cocktails are delicious and the setting’s perfect for a spring treat.

Now, tell us: what’s your favourite way to drink gin? Tell us in the comments!

The post What’s your negroni missing? Time to sloe your gro appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.