Category: FOOD & DRINK

Raise your glass on World Gin Day with Bass & Flinders Distillery’s latest gin releases

Bass and Flinders gin

Tomorrow is World Gin Day (13 June), so you may want to raise your glass to this very important day for gin lovers with a splash of Bass & Flinders Distillery’s newest offerings – their Orient Gin and Maritime Gin. Located in the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, this Victorian distillery was born in 2009. Taking inspiration from their surroundings, Bass & Flinders products embody the true holiday nature of the peninsula. The Maritime Gin is a nod to the local area, inspired by the Mornington Peninsula itself where crisp, salty air meets the eucalypt and wine-grown hinterland. A lovely mix of locally foraged kelp, samphire and locally harvested vine leaves have been incorporated into the Maritime Gin, creating a profile that compliments the dry juniper.   It also pairs seamlessly with the coastal saltbush, lemon myrtle and currant bush to provide a depth of flavour reminiscent of the Australian coastline bush. For something a little more racy, you may prefer the flavours of the Orient Gin. This tangy little number draws inspiration from the heritage of the family-owned distillery and highlights Australia’s love affair with Eastern flavours.  With every sip, you’ll enjoy flavours of sweet mandarin, native strawberry gum and kaffir lime leaf, balancing the dry juniper notes. Both gins retail for $78 (700ml bottles) and can be purchased directly from the website. Don’t forget to pair it with a top-notch tonic! 

Doughnut worry, because Krispy Kreme has declared it National Doughnut Month

National Doughnut Day

Traditionally celebrated on the first Friday of June, National Doughnut Day dates as far back as 1938, and began as a fundraiser created by The Salvation Army, helping those in need during the Great Depression. It has also become a modern tradition for doughnut stores to give away free doughnuts to their customers on National Doughnut Day.  But these are strange times and we have a lot on our minds, so you’d be excused for losing track of what day it is, let alone the date. So just in case you didn’t realise, today is National Doughnut Month. But Krispy Kreme understands things are a little different this year, so they’ve declared it National Doughnut Month so you don’t miss out on your free doughnut.  So every Friday in June, when you purchase a dozen doughnuts, Krispy Kreme Australia will gift you a free doughnut of your choice at selected stores. Hooray! Hint: You might want to check out the new, limited edition Snickers Doughnut for your freebie. For more details on this offer, click here.  Happy National Doughnut Month!

Forget Friday, I’ve got Monday Distillery on my mind…

Monday Distillery

With Monday Distillery launching their sophisticated, non-alcoholic beverage range in time for Dry July, there’s no need to feel guilty any longer about enjoying a refreshing G&T on a school night. Gone are the days when you have to wait for Friday (virtual) drinks to quench your thirst with your favourite G&T bursting with refreshing botanicals.  With many discovering healthy alternatives during iso and turning to non-alcohol alternatives, Monday Distillery’s offerings have come at a very good time. With fun choices such as the G&T Classic mix with rosemary, seasalt and other botanicals and the G&T Exotic Spice mix with selected spice and botanicals, what’s not to love!  There are no artificial additives or flavours in the G&T range, and it’s also sugar and gluten-free. Refreshingly carbonated, Monday Distillery is naturally sweetened with stevia and has subtle hints of natural bitters such as quinine and cinchona bark.  Beautifully presented, the four-pack gift box also makes a great gift idea for your health conscious friends and family members. When organising a gathering at yours, it’s also a nice offering for the designated drivers who are yearning for a chilled, G&T in an old fashioned crystal glass with a sprig of rosemary. How very civilised!  If you’re more of a whiskey or vodka type looking for an alcohol-free alternative, the good news, it’s in the pipeline, with ‘whiskey without the wobbles’ and ‘vodka without the vengeance’ coming soon. Watch this space! A full list of Monday Distillery stockists can be found here.  Cheers!

Turn back time with 90’s priced churros treats that promise to bring back childhood memories

Churros

With the days getting cooler and shorter, what better way to warm up than with a belly-full of delicious comfort food! And more precisely, freshly made, hot mini churros covered in your favourite childhood toppings! We’re talking Nerds, fairy bread and chocolate crackles – all the good stuff, straight from the nineties!  Amping up the nostalgia, chocolateria San Churro has launched a new range of snack packs that will bring back all your favourite childhood memories. The three new packs are part of the exciting ‘Throwback menu’. Take your pick from the menu with mini traditional churros sprinkled with iconic strawberry and grape Nerds; or playful fairy bread, specklies and white chocolate ice cream; or last but definitely not least, chocolate crackle chunks and milk chocolate ice cream. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, all snack packs are drizzled with a choice of milk, dark or white couverture chocolate.  To sweeten the deal, San Churro is offering nineties pricing on the ‘Throwback menu’ every Thursday until 28 May, 2020. Instead of the usual $17, the ‘Throwback’ churros snack packs drop to $11 between the hours 4pm to 8pm. Chocolate enthusiasts can also indulge in signature hot chocolate favourites with a twist, with San Churro rolling out four new ‘Throwback Hot Chocolates’, each sprinkled with sweet treats. The range includes a Nerds, fairy bread, chocolate crackle and honeycomb – all topped with whipped cream.

The spice tailor butter chicken: an Indian classic

The spice tailor butter chicken

The Spice Tailor of London is a magician with spices and delicious dishes. The king of Indian (restaurant) curries, butter chicken is a velvety, tomato-based curry with little nuggets of lightly charred tandoori chicken hiding in its creamy depths. I have so many memories of eating this dish that i think we must have ordered it every time we went to an Indian restaurant! My two Delhi favourites were served at Moti Mahal and The Embassy and, later, the restaurant at The Park Royal where I spent some time learning in the kitchen. The recipe does have a few steps, and you can cheat by buying ready-made tandoori chicken or pastes, but it won’t be as good or as satisfying. This sauce has a lot of tomatoes, so the end product will depend on how sweet or sour the tomatoes are. You will need to taste and adjust the final dish as necessary, adding more or less sugar depending on how tart or sweet the sauce is. Serve with Naan or Paratha for a delicious and satisfying meal.  Ingredients For the tandoori-style chicken pieces: For the chicken: 6 skinned, bone-in chicken joints, cooked as for Tandoori-style Chicken, but cook for 18 minutes(for original Tandoori-style Chicken when not cooking for butter chicken, cook for 20 – 22 minutes, until cooked through.) A slice of unsalted butter, melted  A little paprika or Kashmiri chilli powder For the marinade: 2½ tbsp lemon juice 1 rounded tsp salt  120g full-fat plain yoghurt  4 large garlic cloves   1 Indian green… Read More

Crank up your day in iso with a cold press coffee infused with superfoods

Cold press coffee

Yes, the world is strange place right now and we’re all looking at ways to stay healthy and mentally focussed during this health emergency. And who would’ve thought cold press coffee in a can is one way of achieving this? You can get your morning coffee hit while taking in some next level superfoods. So, what’s so special about BeforeYouSpeak Cold Press High Performance Coffee? It’s 100% natural, vegan friendly, paleo friendly, keto friendly, dairy free, gluten free and there are no artificial sweeteners.  This ready-to-drink, single original Columbian coffee is infused with all the good stuff, like MCT oil, turmeric, Siberian ginseng, green coffee bean and black pepper extract The good people at BeforeYouSpeak brew their ready-to-drink coffee using a cold press technology, which is different to cold brew. When compared to other brewing methods, cold press coffee yields a greater number of compounds in the liquid concentrate, meaning there is an explosion of flavour whilst having unparalleled smoothness.  So, while we’re all in iso and thinking of ways to cheer ourselves up, why not treat yourself to coffee that can be delivered to your home! Hop online and order a batch of cold press coffee – you know the best part is when the delivery guy knocks on the door with your goodies in hand! 

The best of isolation eating: How to make the viral Dalgona Bailey’s whipped coffee dessert

Dalgona recipe

Coffee? A favourite. Bailey’s? A dessert must. Combine the two? Ultimate heaven. It’s gone viral, especially on the Bailey’s Facebook page and now, you can make the Dalgona yourself. It’s quite easy… Baileys Dalgona Coffee Prep Time: 5 minutes Servings: 2 servings INGREDIENTS 60ml milk 60ml Baileys Original Irish Cream 60ml vodka 1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee 1 1/2 tbsp light brown sugar (18 grams) 1 1/2 tbsp hot water INSTRUCTIONS 1. Combine milk with Baileys Original Irish Cream and vodka (this should be a 1:1:1 ratio). Divide between 2 serving glasses with ice. Set aside. 2. Add instant coffee, sugar, and hot water to a tall container. Whip using a hand mixer or immersion blender with whisk attachment for 1-2 minutes until it reaches a thick and creamy consistency. 3. Spoon the whipped coffee on top of the milk in the 2 serving glasses. Serve with a straw – it’s best to stir as you go

How to make the perfect coffee at home

Coffee cups

We’re inside more than we’re used to, we’re doing less than we’re used to and we’re eating and drinking more than we should. No judgement here! As you reach for coffee #11 of the morning, take heed; you might be making it wrong. We spoke with John Kozsik, the Lavazza Australia national training manager about how to go about making your at-home brew, sans barista, as best as it can be. A good cup of coffee has the power to shape your day – and with many now unable to lean on their favourite baristas for their go-to pick-me-up, finding that motivation to kick-start the morning can be challenging. Whether you prefer a cappuccino or latte, flat white, espresso or long black, there is nothing better than the aroma and taste of a fresh cup of coffee. To help bring coffee rituals back into households, we sat down with Lavazza’s coffee aficionado and National Training Manager, John Kozsik, to get his top three tips on how to make the perfect cup, in the comfort of your own home. 1. Buy a quality product There are simple ways to identify quality coffee – and a good place to start is with packaging. Good quality packaging ensures your coffee will stay fresh for longer. Look for non-transparent packaging with foil on the inside and make sure it has a one-way breathing valve on it. Coffee releases CO2 after it’s roasted, so a one-way valve is important, because it allows the CO2 to escape, but does not allow… Read More

Recipe: Baileys Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns

Ingredients: 100ml milk 100ml Baileys Chocolat Luxe 6g dried yeast 1 tsp sugar 420g bread flour 30g cocoa powder 100g cold butter, cut into small cubes 1/2 tsp salt 45g sugar 2 eggs 150g milk chocolate chips 4 tbsp plain flour 3 tbsp Baileys Original Sugar syrup, to glaze Method: Heat the oven to 200C/400C. Add the milk and Baileys Chocolat Luxe to a jug and heat in the microwave for 1 min. Leave to cool to blood temperature, then add the yeast and 1 tsp of the sugar and stir to combine. Leave the yeast to bloom for 5 mins. Add the flour, cocoa, salt and butter to a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture has the texture of fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, then make a well in the middle and add the 2 eggs and the milky yeast mixture. Bring the mixture together into a soft dough, then turn out onto a floured work surface and knead for 10 mins until the dough is smooth and stretchy. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover in cling film and leave to proof somewhere warm for a couple of hours, or until the dough has doubled in size. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and spread out into a rectangle. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips and knead again so that they are evenly dispersed. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, shape into buns, place on a lined tray and cover with cling film until doubled in… Read More

Glamourous Basement Steakhouse The Cut Serves Up Elevated, Yet Accessible Fare

Cut Steakhouse London 1

Not immediately visible to the untrained eye, beneath the surface of The Rocks in Sydney lies a sophisticated underground steakhouse that doubles as a speakeasy come nighttime. Located on Argyle street, The Cut serves Australian meat and seafood in a refurbished space; designed by Luchetti Krelle, the bar and restaurant draws upon the building’s colonial history, setting an atmosphere reminiscent of a film noir through moody lighting and elegant furniture – think leather booths, marble tables and a copper-topped bar – ensconced within bare stone walls and exposed timber beams. The old school decor is aptly complemented by old school service, with The Cut offering tableside cocktails in the form of a smoked negroni, gin martini, and vodka martini. The trio are bottled in-house, before being poured and garnished tableside. Alternatively, for a special imbibing experience, diners can opt for one of the establishment’s ‘high roller’ cocktails – such as the Vieux Carré or the Tipperary – which are made with rare and vintage spirits and offer a taste of the 1930s prohibition era. Classics like an Old Fashioned, Revolver, and Boulevardier are also on the menu, but with a barrel-aged twist. Owned by Neil Perry’s Rockpool Dining Group, The Cut’s dining offerings naturally impress. The restaurant’s must-order dish is the prime rib; dijon-crusted rib temptingly slides off the bone after being slow-roasted for four hours. The dish is presented tableside from an antique silver and rosewood trolley, served with veal jus and horseradish cream. The Cut has diversified their menu through the addition of… Read More