Make Mine a Double

When your sat at work dreaming of the life out side those four walls is so eay to get distracted and start the count down to the weekend

Well here are a few little thoughts of weekend delights to encourage you to push those office chairs aside and run screaming from your desk when the clock strikes 5pm!

After Work Special Cocktail

Ingredients

3 oz Amaretto
2 oz Malibu
1 oz Bacardi /white rum
3 - 6 oz orange juice
3 - 6 oz pineapple juice

What to do

Pour the amaretto, Malibu and Bacardi rum over 5 ice cubes in glass. Fill the rest of the glass with orange juice and pineapple juice.

Well can’t be bothered with all the mess and faff after work then why not try the following bars straight after work for early bird specials

Bacchanalia in Manchester have 2 for 1 on all cocktails Monday to Friday 5 till 8 pm

Walrus in Manchester buy 1 cocktail get one free plus a bottle of wine for £6.50 Tuesday till Friday 4 till 7pm

Or try

Opus two for one cocktail offer

Buy a cocktail at Opus guess what another one appears. Opus are offering 2 for 1 on ‘After Work Drinks’ every day from 4pm until 9pm later than any other offer after work special in Manchester

So as I’ve not written about this bar before what are the favorites here mmm where shall i start try the Strawberry Daiquiri and a Brandy Alexander and believe it or not Corona is £2 a bottle

The place is notorious for music lovers with different types every night

Tuesday- Motown
Wednesday- 80’s
Thursday- 90’s
Friday- Classic Chart Anthems
Saturday- Absolute Chart
Sunday- Sexy Soul

Monday night is student night all drinks 90p some restrictions though so beware

Opus

The Printworks
27 Withy Grove, Manchester, M4
0161 834 2414

Warning this blog does not contain Alcohol!
So why is so important to drink the required amount of 2.5 liters of water a person per day?
Did you know that water make up to two thirds of your body weight, and it helps the blood to carry nutrients around the body.
When your on the move all day it’s so important to make sure you keep your water topped up, as you burn up energy your body produces waste some being toxic. To get rid of these the body chuck  it out through the kidneys in urine, wee is mainly made up of water.

To stay healthy you must try and replace these fluids, this can be so easy to do when at home or out and about, it’s just simple toget a glass of water from the tap or buy a bottle of water. However it’s not so easy at work, not all work places have Water Coolers but just a kettle for  tea and coffee.

In instants like this try and avoid too many cups of tea and coffee as these do make you wee more thus getting rid of too much water causing dehydration. So why not switch to herbal teas or have a word with the boss to get a water cooler.  Just explain to the big guy that, if you drink enough water your energy levels will be more consistent and concentration improves.

Have you even thought where the wonderful and weird names for some cocktail comes from?
Here are some of my favorites.

Monkey Gland.
Yes this is really a cocktail; and no it was not named after Michael Jackson chimp Bubbles!
• 2 ounces gin
• 1 1/2 ounces fresh orange juice
• 2 dashes of grenadine
• 2 dashes of Pernod or Bénédictine
• Twist of orange peel

This was born in the 1920’s at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris and named after some pioneering experiments that were being performed by a primate-obsessed Russian scientist!!!! Seriously.
Fuzzy Navel.

This is so simple and fruity to have such a daft name. It has a wonderful summer feel to it but really it is a tad of an 80’s classic throw back. Now there are variation for with or without Vodka, it depends on tastes and preferences. The fuzzy part come from the peach and orange juice comes from navel oranges simple! So nothing rude
• 1 1/2oz. peach schnapps ( or half and half vodka and peach snapps)
• orange juice
• ice
• glass
• orange slice

Earthquake.
The Earthquake Cocktail is dedicated to the French Post-Impressionist painter Henri de Toulouse. Basically it will send you loppy and he was a tad crazy!!!!
• 3 parts Absinthe
• 3 parts Cognac
Or alternative
• 1 part gin
• 1 part whiskey
• 1 part Pernod anise liqueur

Heather Mills and Paul McCartney divorce Cocktail

The best one I have found it. Look everyone knows that they hardly went for a DIY divorce and she took him to the cleaners. So when you see what’s in it seems perfectly hand picked to sum up the experience! I think Paul would have chosen to change a couple of the items for something a little more mmmmm… toxic!!

• 2oz of Gin
• 2oz of Earl Grey Tea
• 2 tap of lavender syrup
• And Tons and tons of Bitter!

Well I posted last week about going to Peruga for my other half’s birthday meal, well as expected the food was great, it was not too crowded and the company wasn’s half bad either :o)

So what did we have to eat, For my starter I had Gnocchi in a basil, sun-dried tomato and cheese sauce. For my main I had Duck breast with apple and fondant potatoes along with sweet red cabbage for my main.  My other half had a ham hock and chorizo turrean with a home made chutney and bread and for main a rib eye steal with fondant potatoes and caramelised baby onions. We did not even attempt a pudding as we were both stuffed to bursting by the end of the meal.

Its my Birthday in three months time, I think ill drop a few hints and we may pay Peruga another visit unless you can recommend anther place to eat!

So with Summer on the horizon and all the lovely herds and Greenery around i thought i would focus on fresh mint for the cocktail number today
Now i do associate mint usual with Pimms or with Mojitos so i thought i would try something a bit different

Ingredients
8 fresh mint leaves, plus 1 fresh mint sprig, to serve
50ml/2fl oz bourbon
15ml/½fl oz crème de pêche
1 tsp sugar syrup
2 scoops ice
1 slice fresh peach, to serve

Method
1. Crush mint leaves(muddle) lightly in teh bottom of your shaker
2. Add the bourbon, crème de pêche, sugar syrup and a scoop of ice. Shake well.
3. Fill a cup with another scoop of ice. Strain the mixture over the ice. Hook the peach slice over the side of the glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Oh my god with it being my birthday on Friday… hint hint hubster i thought Id look around for a cocktail to toast the event. I was so excited to find that there is a drink dedicated to my star sign . I just had to write it down. Well if your not up on your zodiac signs May means Taurus!

Some facts first:

Ruling planet: Venus- - - LOVE!
Associated colour(s): Pink ERR HELLO have you met me

Stone: Emerald
Characteristics: Patient, reliable, warm-hearted but can also be possessive and inflexible E

Famous Taureans:  David Beckham…makes us almost related

Cocktail

In the Pink

• 1 Shot of Cranberry liquer or you could have Cranberry Vodka with a splash of cranberry juice
• 1 Shot of Grapefruit juice

Shake with ice strain and serve

Have found this great little restaurant that I just have to tell you about, its called Peruga and is located on Glossop road between Marple Bridge and Glossop. Some of you may have been there before when it was called Woodheys.

The restaurant has great views over thanks to its position on  the side of a hill and the huge windows that surrounds it, you can often see the planes coming into land at Manchester airport as it overlooks the flight approach path. The food is modern English, on my last visit I had roast belly of pork with a black pudding stuffing. My other half had a fillet of sea bream, a favourite that is also on the menu is roast suckling pig.

With the credit crunch hitting everyone, as well as the a la carte menu the do fixed lunch and evening menu’s starting at around £9.95 for two courses. Its my other half’s birthday this Friday and I think we will be paying it a visit for lunch, Ill let you know how the food is.

Well in honour of my girly friend that i went out with yesterday i just have to write about a fabulous cocktail i had . God it was gorgeous

The delight was served up for me in Grill on the Alley in Manchester

Located off  Deansgate this restaurant epitomises old and new Manchester, hidden away.

I had the most fabulous cocktail ever Watermelon and Black Cherry Margarita. Because all the ingredients where possible was fresh it made such a difference

I have included a recipe that make more that one because seriously you want a bucket load of this stuff!!
Ingredients

Instructions Cut up a watermelon, removing seeds. Liquify in a blender until you have about 16 oz. Add remaining ingredients, top with ice and blend until smooth. Taste and add sugar if watermelon is not sweet enough. Serve in a margarita glass with a sugar-coated rim.

In honour of the May day bank holiday I wanted to have a cocktail to suite the relaxing moment and also breaths summer time
This May day named drink is an interesting mix of fresh fruit flavours with a rum and apple juice base.
May Day
2 ripe peaches, pitted and roughly chopped
1 part rum
4 strawberries, cubed
flesh and seeds of 2 passion fruit
4 oz cloudy apple juice
1 Tbsp superfine sugar
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
crushed ice
apple fans for garnish
Preparation:
1.Blend all together with crushed ice.
2.Pour the mix equally into two gloass or one large one sip and enjoy

Oh my god hot of the press news Ibiza and the Balearic’s coming to Manchester from Friday 1 May to Monday 4 May. The Balearic Islands tune will be belting is out round the city. In Albert square where with be 2 tents, where there will be by nine Minorca horses and riders plus music, dancing and street acts. There will also be demonstrations of arts and crafts, with food and drink including cheese, olive and tasely native treats . Best thing about it its all free yippppeeee
It’s going to be a little bit Christmas market but with a summer feel
In preparation try these little cocktails number
IBIZA
• 10cl Water melon juice
• 2cl Strawberry syrup or hand full of mushed up strawberries
• 8cl Pineapple juice
• 4 cl vodka
Shake the ingredients. Pour into an ice filled glass.