st. germain fizz

Every Sunday dinner my family expects me to mix up a pre-dinner cocktail. Holidays are no exception + for Christmas I decided to pop open my first bottle of St. Germain. This light, fizzy + simple bevi was a total hit so I feel the need to share it. This cocktail would also work perfectly for New Years (or a Monday that needs perking).

1oz st. germain

1 oz gin

ginger ale

lime

pomegranate

riming sugar

To rim your glass, start by squeezing some lime juice into a shallow plate. Pour your sugar into another shallow plate. I used red rimming sugar for a festive touch, but regular sugar will do just fine. Dip your glass in the lime juice, then the sugar. Your glass is now rimmed!

Pour the St. Germain + gin into your glass and top with ginger ale. Add lime + a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds. 

I had my libations in the freezer so the drink was cold enough, but if your drink isn't ice cold, fill your glass with ice before pouring in your delicious liquids. I also recommend using a cocktail glass instead of a flute if adding ice.

Serve up + cheers to good company!

pastel de nata shot

If you are Portuguese or have ever had a Portuguese person in your life, you likely know what pasteis de nata are. What you might not know is that there is a pastel de nata flavoured shot! Yes, I know, life changing. I first tried this boozy version of an egg tart at Anastasia’s baptism. The restaurant owner was hesitant to hand over the recipe, but Google did + luckily it is super easy.

Here is what you will need to impress you guests (or yourself) with a pastel de nata shot

• Advocaat Liqueur 
• Tia Maria 
• Cinnamon 

First, pour the Tia Maria into your shot glass just under half full.

Let's take a moment to look at the inspiration.

Slowly fill the glass with Advocaat + finish with a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

Pro tip: Down it all in one go for the full effect. Saúde!

tio manuel + tia nita's piri piri sauce

Besides my family, one of the best things about Portugal is the food. I think I eat pretty luxuriously at home, but it is hard to compete with fresh produce + meat from the farm in the back yard.

While my Tio Manuel + Tia Nita live in the city of Viseu, a visit to their house always includes a show-stopping meal. One night, I drizzled my veal with their homemade piri piri + it was instant, spicy love.  I had to have it at home. To my delight, it was the easiest thing to put together.

To make this simple piri piri sauce, you will need:

• Dried piri piri chilies
• Whiskey
• Olive oil
• A jar

Step 1: Pour your chilies into your clean jar.

Step 2: Pour the whiskey into the jar until it is about 3/4 full. Let it sit in a cool, dark place for at least a month. (waiting is the most difficult bit)

Step 3: After a month, top the jar up with some good quality extra virgin olive oil.

Finished! Your piri piri is now ready to use on meats, seafood, soups or whatever your heart desires. If you are feeling crafty, you can label your jar. I used Martha Stewart craft labels.

Do note, that this is not the traditional sauce you will find in stores but a simple family rendition. We serve this with a spoon in the jar and just let the sauce drip from the spoon. It is quite spicy, so use with caution. Also, you probably don't want to eat the physical chili unless you had blended chilies in your baby food + are super immune to the stuff. Enjoy!