I don’t know if I actually read this recipe, or if my mind just conjured it up in hopes of it actually existing; regardless, I made a G & “Tea” this evening. While I live-tweeted the process with photos, I thought I’d post them all here. Feel free to take this recipe (as I said – I don’t know if I made it up or if I actually saw it somewhere), tweak it and give it a try.
First things first, you obviously need to boil the kettle and make the tea. As I said, I used David’s Tea “Pink Flamingo,” as it has a citrusy, summery flavour to it but you can really use any tea that you fancy.
After you brew the tea, refrigerate it until it’s chilled. I put my pot in the freezer in addition to brewing it over ice in order to speed up the chilling process.
Once the tea is chilled, you’re ready to make your drink!
Obviously, there’s an important ingredient needed…
Gin! I used two ounces. You can use more (yum!) or less (who does that?!)
If you’re using a shaker (you should) this is when we’re going to add everything together. I used a glass and shook it by holding a smaller glass over top. First, add sugar (not a lot), then ice, then the gin and lastly the tea. Shake until the sugar is dissolved.
Once it’s shaken, pour the drink into a fancy class (I mean, c’mon! It’s gin and tea… have some class!) If you’d like the drink to be colder, feel free to add ice to the glass. I’m not here to tell you what to do…
And voila! The finished product. All that’s left to do now is enjoy (and you can make a ridiculous face if you want…)
It’s time to live up to the title of this blog, right?
Gin and Tonic: the drink of choice (obviously) of yours truly. I’ve had some truly amazing ones, including a personal favourite in which the tonic is replaced with grapefruit flavoured Perrier, and some truly awful ones.
I’m on a mission! Before the end of 2012, I want to find Toronto’s best Gin and Tonic. Whether it’s a recipe for making it at home, or at a bar (be it pub, club or dive), I want to hear about it. Tell me where to go and I’m there to give it a try.
I’ll post some reviews of various G&T’s, starting Monday with my beloved Unicorn Pub, where I’ve partaken in more than a few. Feel free to tweet me your suggestions, @JTerr88, and use the hashtag #TOsBestGT.
“May the past be the sound of your feet upon the ground.”
-fun.
Yesterday was a bit of a nostalgia day for me. It was funny, strange and comforting all at the same time. I say this with the following thoughts in the back of my mind: I have friends getting married, friends having babies and friends buying houses. There are moments when, despite knowing its the furthest thing from the truth, I feel like I’m lagging behind: I’m single (with no prospect of that changing), just starting a new job again and admittedly, I’m focusing a lot on myself. But hey – I might get a dog, so there’s that…
After work yesterday, I got together with my friend Amy, who I’ve known since our days at Bowmanville Senior Public School. We did a lot together – we were in all the same bands, had a lot of classes together (we spent Grade 7 and Grade 8 together, plus a number of classes in high school) and went on all the same trips. By virtue of being together a lot during those days, we have a lot of the same friends. We went to dinner and it kind of hit me (and her too) that we’re growing up: we talked about my new job, we talked about her finishing up her placement as a student teacher and we talked about all of our friends who were doing what I already mentioned: having babies, getting married, buying houses, etc… We had a few laughs about how we were getting “old” and maturing. I don’t think either of us would have thought, all those years ago when we were in Ms. Bradford’s class, that this is where we would end up.
The evening became even more nostalgic when my roommate (whom I’ve known for nearly 20 years) and our friend reached the pub. Our server was a friend of ours who, again, we’ve known for nearly 20 years (and is technically my ex-wife, due to our playground marriage from years ago). While we spent a lot of time talking about what was new in our lives, there was a natural tendency to reminisce on the “days of yore.” We did a shot together – and that’s where the title from this blog post came from. Because, three of the four of us at the table did start our friendship in the kindergarten classroom: we quite literally went from playing house to doing shots together. While it was a bit of a surreal experience, it was also some bit of a comfort to know that, whatever happens in life, there are those friends in your life who are rocks.
In talking with a new friend regarding this blog post, he said that someone else had mentioned the same kind of feelings to him: about growing “old” and it being strange. For me, as I said to him, it’s a very cyclical thought process. Every so often, the feelings about getting older and moving in to the next phases of my life cross my mind and I get a bit nostalgic. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one that goes through something like this.
I also learned in my conversation with my friend, when telling him about the post I was writing, that there are little things we begin to notice that are signs we’re getting older: one of the funnier ones (but one that is totally true) is noticing that we can’t drink like we used to, yet we try and do it anyways. It’s the little things like that, which we do in an effort to hold on to the past and deny the fact that we’re maturing and entering the next stage of our lives.
My new goal is to embrace and tackle the changes that come with what happens to everybody: growing up. It’s not going to be easy and I can guarantee that I won’t handle it with grace all the time, but that’s just how life is. As that 70’s TV theme goes: “You take the good, you take the bad and there you have the facts of life.”
Sidebar
The video below is the song from which I pulled the quote to lead off this article. I’ve written about fun. before, but you MUST check out their new album.
The inspiration for this post came while walking to the subway on the way home from work yesterday. Sure, some of the things I’m about to detail have irked me for a while, but it all just came to a head today.
This post is meant to be a little cheeky – I know that a lot of people will comment about the fact that I’m starting to sound like a typical Torontonian. Deal with it.
Coming from a small town, it was a bit of an adjustment to city life. Sure, I’d lived in Ottawa before, but Ottawa and Toronto are barely comparable when it comes to sheer size. In small towns, everybody knows everybody, is capable of basic manners and generally are just friendlier. That’s not the case in Toronto, obviously. Without further ado, some of the things that I find to be a pain about life in Toronto include:
Slow walkers: seriously! If you aren’t elderly, physically disabled or carrying a ton of heavy things with you, walk faster. I’m not asking you to run, but the Starbucks you’re slowing down to walk by isn’t a tourist attraction! It’s just a Starbucks.
This one is tied to the one above and goes out to non-straight line walkers: buddy, it’s 8:30 a.m. on a Tuesday. I know you haven’t been drinking, so how about keeping those eyes ahead of you and walking in a straight line. Try it!
Street belchers: I get it – your response to this one is “WTF?!” Well, today as I got off the subway at Pape to go to the gym, someone behind me while I walked up the stairs felt it was totally appropriate and necessary to let out a belch. In my ear. Gross. Hold that in, buddy – you don’t have to not do it, but just don’t do it in my ear. On the plus side, with him being behind me, if I wanted to retaliate… well… we’ll just leave that to your imagination.
Toronto City Council: you thought Queen’s Park and the House of Commons were bad? Get a load of the crazies that make up Toronto City Council. Left, right, centre… They’re all pretty abysmal at getting anything done for the city these days. Forgive me for having a Sue-Ann Levy moment, there.
Drivers: good grief! Driving in Toronto is like driving around a bunch of self-centred, egotistical, “a” personalities. Everybody thinks they are entitled to be in your lane. If they are going to side-swipe you to get there, well… so be it.
There is one another thing about living in Toronto that isn’t very enjoyable these days… I’m sure a lot of my friends will agree with me and I’m also sure I’m going to get a few “your [sic] nothing but a downtown sissy” tweets…
I realize that this post should have come sooner – after all, this blog is inspired by the delightful beverage that is a Gin & Tonic. Regardless, here it is: my explanation of why I am a G&T drinker.
I used to despise the taste and smell of gin. I wouldn’t buy it, I wouldn’t drink it and I could barely handle being around people who did drink it. It was paint thinner in my mind and that was the end of that.
Because of that, beer was my drink of choice for the longest time (and vodka if I wanted liquor). However, this past summer, I decided it was time to change it up. We were at a local pub – The Unicorn – and I decided to go for a G&T. “I’ll give it one more shot,” I thought to myself. As it arrived to our table (in the midst of several [dark] rum and Cokes for my dear friends), I gazed at the sparkling clear beverage before me, gave the lemon and lime each a squeeze and hoped for the best as I raised it to my lips… the results? Heavenly.
I find it’s a simple drink that goes with almost anything. It isn’t too heavy (like beer), nor is it as syrupy-sweet as rum and Coke (which are still good, just not my preferred drink… unless I’m visiting Barbados).
And now, for a very small photo montage of my weekend G&T’s…
Thursday Evening
Friday, pre-bar
Friday, at the bar (a double)
If you don’t drink G&T’s or haven’t, at the very least, given them a try once, I implore you to do so. It will make me happy – and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how such a simple drink can be so delicious (and hey – if you add lemon and lime, you’re getting Vitamin C)!
Chronicles of a Gin and Tonic Drinker 