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I have had so much fun being creative all week. I’m sure, given the title, you guys can figure out exactly why… that’s right! Sometimes creating content comes with some serious perks, like drinking cocktails ‘till the cows come home. This post has been brewing in my mind ever since I came across the term “Quarantini”. I thought it was such a great little play on words, but I wanted to add a little bit of purpose to it all. It took some time, some patience, a little bit of shopping and a lot of drinking to make all of this happen. Alas, it’s finally here, my version of the “Quarantini cocktails”. As #VIEFIT is all about community support, my goal was to seek out local companies and give them the love they deserve. We are living in a time of incredible instability; our economy is fragile, and there's a good chance that beloved neighboring shop of yours is suffering. Consequently, supporting local is the entire purpose of this post.
I live in Montréal, Canada and to the best of my ability, I'm choosing to focus on products from around here. For those living elsewhere, I don't expect you to use the exact same ingredients for the following recipes. On the contrary, I hope this post inspires you and encourages you to explore your local distilleries, winemakers, coffee shops and close by farmers’ markets.
A cocktail a day keeps the doctor away, isn’t that how the saying goes?
SUNDAY
Coffee, Am-I-Right-tho?
A perfect cocktail for a special Sunday afternoon. This Amaretto Quebecois "Avril" is available at the SAQ, where a small format (375ml) sells for 18.60$. When I saw this almond liqueur, I knew just what I wanted to pair it with; coffee! Many nearby coffee shops are currently offering free 1-2 business day deliveries around the city. I took the opportunity to order a couple different coffee blends from a place I like called PISTA. This combo is soooo simple and it is such a warm comforting drink. It's a bit on the sweeter side and that’s why, I prefer this cocktail as a mid-afternoon pick me up with my favorite homemade Chocolate-cranberry oatmeal cookies. YUM!
Find more information on these products in the links below: https://distilleriemariana.com/#nos-spiritueux
MONDAY
Hakuna Mavodka.
Start your week off strong. I don’t know what your beauty routine looks like, but I’m willing to bet you’re going to want to subscribe to mine. If you’ve been following #VIEFIT for some time now, I’m sure you’ve heard of their partnership with LYNQ, an amazing Montreal based company that produces nutritious fruit and vegetable powdered beverages. They carry 4 different equally delicious flavors to choose from. I am currently using the Beauty Mango-Peach one, beneficial for hair growth and skin rejuvenation. I mixed this drink with Mvodka, an award winning micro-distilled spirit made right here in Montreal. LYNQ stands for ‘Love Yourself No Question’ and that’s exactly what I have decided to do here! Cheers guys!
The recipe is simple:
1 ounce of vodka,
4 tsp of LYNQ beauty powder
1 cup of cold water
Over homemade strawberry ice cubes
Put all the ingredients except the ice cubes in a magic-bullet style blender, shake it up to ensure the powder is well incorporated, top it with ice and simply enjoy! It’s healthy enough that sometimes I wonder if this could be the magic formula that’s puts an end to the almighty hangover? Find more information on these products in the links below:
TUESDAY
Local Gin-gredients.
This is my absolute favorite summer drink. I discovered it the first time my boyfriend took me to Lebanon, his birth country. Perhaps I am partial to it, as for me, this isn’t just an ordinary cocktail. It comes loaded with many wonderful holiday memories; the beach, the sunshine and the Lebanese cuisine to name a few. However, I really do think it can be enjoyed by just about anyone, just about anywhere!
This beauty is actually called a “gin basil” and traditionally, the recipe goes like this:
4 fresh basil leaves muddled
2 ounces simple syrup
2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ounce gin
over Ice
The star ingredients are the fresh basil, grown here in Quebec and the Romeo Gin, another local spirit made right here in Montreal. I can’t recommend it enough, it is just a smooth easy drinking gin and has been a staple in our home for quite some time now.
I also decided to give "Monsieur Cocktail" a try and purchased their Lime syrup. These products can be found online or in small delicatessen shops such as "Fou d'ici" on rue De Maisonneuve. Although the original mix doesn’t call for a lime syrup, I thought it could be an asset to have on hand should you not have enough fresh limes ready and available. It is a little more sour than expected so I recommend adding between ½-1 tsp of sugar to balance out the flavor. These syrups can be a great little addition in your kitchen if used right. Thanks Monsieur Cocktail!
Find more information on these products in the links below:
WEDNESDAY
No Mojo Mojito
Wednesday…. it always seems to be the hardest day of the week. Therefore, I present, the toughest drink I know:
No Mojo Mojito.
I’ve deemed this the roughest cocktail because I simply cannot make one! Every time I try, it ends up tasting like an all inclusive holiday down south, Rhum on top of rhum with a twist of lime. I am obviously not offering a recipe with this picture but rather begging YOU for one.
My mother, Johanne or Jo as we call her, is the master mojito maker in our family. Her name must have something to do with it and when I finally get in on her secret, I'll call this Jo's Mojo Mojito!! I have decided to leave her the winning title for now and find something else to make with this beautiful bottle of Rosemont Rhum. Despite failing numerous times, I found it important to present this local product nonetheless. This particular bottle is made by “Distillerie de Montréal”. It sells at the SAQ for $40.25 and is a great option for Rhum lovers. I know there’s a well balanced rhum cocktail just right for me, so please don’t hesitate to share. I look forward to trying your recipes. Send them my way or post them in the comments below, it will be much appreciated, as I do have a 40 ounce bottle to get through! Find more information on these products in the links below:
THURSDAY
VIEFIT Hottie
It's so close you can almost taste it! Get ready for the weekend and spice things up with this "VIEFIT hottie", a small twist on the classic Canadian Caesar. Created in Vancouver BC, this Walter mix is an all-natural blend. You can find both the celery salt and the mix in many supermarkets. Instead of the usual tabasco, which is an american product, to give this hottie a true Montreal vibe, I heated things up with one of my favorite hot sauces; Smokeshow. The name speaks for itself, it’s sweet and spicy and yes you’ve guessed it, nice and smokey! Dressed with the ever so important “Matt and Steve’s extreme bean” a lemon wedge and a celery stir stick, you’ve got yourself a truly "homemade" Caesar! For more information on the products listed above, click these links:
FRIDAY
Gin-credible Lemonade
LEMO, LEMO, LEMO, Oh how I love you LEMO!! It’s a company I discovered with my mom back in December of last year at the annual “Salon des métiers d’arts du Québec”. We’ve been making drinks with it ever since. LEMO crafts their own lemonade concentrates and bottles them in small batches right here in our city. I have tried all of their flavors and they are equally delicious. Half a shot of LEMO, mixed with your spirit of choice, some sparkling water and ice makes for a heavenly combination on a hot summer's day! I often use gin and this time was no different. I was gifted this beautiful bottled of 12KM from Mont-Valin, Quebec and it was the perfect choice! If, by any chance you aren't a gin drinker, this pairs really well with vodka too. I added thym and a lemon wedge for visual appeal but this product is so good it’s actually unnecessary.
Find more information on these products in the links below:
SATURDAY
Grapefruit-sage Mimosa
I fully intended on delivering a delicious and original Saturday brunch mimosa – that, however, won’t be happening. I do want to share with you the one positive discovery I have made during this experiment. While hunting down my ingredients, I found, for the first time, a Quebecois sparkling white wine which I naturally wanted to try. I was pleasantly surprised by “Domaine Bergeville”. They’ve crafted a fruity and refreshing organic wine. Unfortunately, this didn’t pair very well with the flavors I had in mind, but truth be told, I enjoyed their wine completely on it’s own. I guess some things just aren’t made to be meddle with. It’s safe to say, I’ll be sticking to traditional mimosas for the time being.
Regardless, I am not about to leave you high and dry, not on a Saturday! After many failed attempts at a special mimosa, I reverted to my alcohol of choice. TA-DA! Gin. You'll have to forgive me the lack of variety here, desperate times call for desperate measures!
Keep your Gin up
For this one you’ll need to make a sage simple syrup. Bring to a simmer 1/3 of a cup of water, once simmering add 1/3 of a cup of sugar and 3-4 finely chopped sage leaves. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and strain the syrup (to remove leaves) into a glass container. This can be stored in the fridge for a period of 2 weeks.
For the cocktail: 1 ounce of gin
1/3 ounce of sage simple syrup
the juice of a grapefruit (roughly 4-5 ounces)
Ice
Sage leaf
Grapefruit wedge
Mixed it all together and enjoy, that’s exactly what I am going to go do a little later this afternoon. Santé everybody!
Find more information on these products in the links below:
So there you have it, my week of cocktails! It is important to note that not every attempt at a drink was a successful one, as we experienced both on Wednesday and on Saturday. So don’t beat yourself up if your creations aren’t perfect on the first go. I managed to document 6 cocktails that I would be more than happy to drink at any given time, but I can promise you I had to make more than that in order to get them just right! The fun is in the discovery.
For those living in this city, here’s a link to Montreal's public markets like Atwater. This is where I go to find some of the best artisanal products around and all of my fresh produce. https://www.marchespublics-mtl.com/en/markets/
I encourage you to get out there, preferably during low traffic time all the while respecting social distancing rules. Take a chance on some new products, who knows, you just might find a new favorite cocktail creation!
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