But it’s the not the wine that got me thinking today… more, it was Blood Alley in Vancouver, where Salt is. There’s a history to Blood Alley that many don’t know, speculate about and spread erroneous thoughts about as well. It’s home to a lovely little cluster of drinking hot spots, including Salt, The Irish Heather (currently in 2.0 form, which is actually kind of unfortunate…it’s a lovely room, but the old jail and gallows it was housed in was much better) Shabeen, (also in it’s 2.0 form), The Blarney Stone and a few other pubs, all within a stone’s throw of Blood Alley.

I asked our waiter about the history around Blood Alley, and found out that there are a few different theories about the ominous name. I’d always thought that there had been a series of grisly Jack-The-Ripper-Style slayings in the area during the early days of Vancouver, and that the name was an historical call back to that. Turns out, my Stephen-King-fed imagination was a little off the mark.

The two schools of thought are that Gastown was essentially the center of Vancouver in the early 1900’s, and of course, the site of many of the city’s pubs. When the men came back from work on the Friday after being paid, their first stop on the way home were the pubs. Ruffians (yes, he actually used the word ‘ruffians’) gathered in this alley to jump, pummel and otherwise mug the working men coming in for a drink, knowing they had fistfulls of cash in their pockets.

The other school of thought is that this was the area of Vancouver’s first Civic Buildings (which would make some sense, given the fact that the original Irish Heather was housed in an old jail, and is on Gaoler’s Mews), and also, inexplicably, a butcher shop. At the end of the day, the butchers would dump their buckets of blood into the alley, letting it run through the cobblestones.  The public hangings were said to be here as well, which seems interesting and all, but the thing is, that a hanging doesn’t generally produce a lot of blood. As my dear friend Mr. Lady says, bygones.

So, despite the uncertain history of this site, there’s a ton of lovely places to drink around here. And, the Blood Alley street sign is one of the most often stolen street signs in Canada. Next time you visit Vancouver, this is definitely a spot to hit.

(Image source: CC Roland Tanglao and Sturmvogel on Flickr.)

Post from: EveryJoe

Blood Alley: Drinking in Gastown

Oh yes… Christmas. Winter. Snow. Bleh. So, for me, staying warm, inside, with a good drink makes me happy. So, my 12 Drinks of Christmas (the 12 days being the ones that begin on Christmas night and end at Epiphany on January 5th)? Here it is….(recipes below)

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

Mekhong Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

Two Woodford Candy Cane Eggnogs
And a Mekhong Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

Three  Cinnamon Sidecards
Two Woodford Candy Cane Eggnogs
And a Mekhong Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

Four Tyku Tinis
Three  Cinnamon Sidecards
Two Woodford Candy Cane Eggnogs
And a Mekhong Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

Five Jingle Bombs
Four Tyku Tinis
Three  Cinnamon Sidecards
Two Woodford Candy Cane Eggnogs
And a Mekhong Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Six Bewildered Beauties
Five Jingle Bombs
Four Tyku Tinis
Three  Cinnamon Sidecards
Two Woodford Candy Cane Eggnogs
And a Mekhong Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

Seven New Year’s Kisses
Six Bewildered Beauties
Five Jingle Bombs
Four Tyku Tinis
Three  Cinnamon Sidecards
Two Woodford Candy Cane Eggnogs
And a Mekhong Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

Eight Creme Brulee Martinis
Seven New Year’s Kisses
Six Bewildered Beauties
Five Jingle Bombs
Four Tyku Tinis
Three  Cinnamon Sidecards
Two Woodford Candy Cane Eggnogs
And a Mekhong Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

Nine Christmas Cocktails
Eight Creme Brulee Martinis
Seven New Year’s Kisses
Six Bewildered Beauties
Five Jingle Bombs
Four Tyku Tinis
Three  Cinnamon Sidecards
Two Woodford Candy Cane Eggnogs
And a Mekhong Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

Ten Gin Martinis
Nine Christmas Cocktails
Eight Creme Brulee Martinis
Seven New Year’s Kisses
Six Bewildered Beauties
Five Jingle Bombs
Four Tyku Tinis
Three  Cinnamon Sidecards
Two Woodford Candy Cane Eggnogs
And a Mekhong Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

Eleven Pop-a-Cherry-tinis
Ten Gin Martinis
Nine Christmas Cocktails
Eight Creme Brulee Martinis
Seven New Year’s Kisses
Six Bewildered Beauties
Five Jingle Bombs
Four Tyku Tinis
Three  Cinnamon Sidecards
Two Woodford Candy Cane Eggnogs
And a Mekhong Partridge in a Pear Tree

And on the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Twelve Mellow Yellows,
Eleven Pop-a-Cherry-tinis
Ten Gin Martinis
Nine Christmas Cocktails
Eight Creme Brulee Martinis
Seven New Year’s Kisses
Six Bewildered Beauties
Five Jingle Bombs
Four Tyku Tinis
Three  Cinnamon Sidecards
Two Woodford Candy Cane Eggnogs
And a Mekhong Partridge in a Pear Tree

Day 1: Mekhong Partidge in a Pear Tree

2 shots Mekhong
¾ shot fresh squeezed Lime Juice
½ shot Elderflower cordial
1 bar spoon of sugar
¼ fresh pear cut lengthwise
3 thumbnail sized slices of fresh ginger root
½ Kaffir lime leaf

In a mixing glass muddle the pear, ginger and sugar into a paste. Add Mekhong and the rest of the ingredients. Add Ice and shake vigorously for 7-8 seconds. Strain into a rock glass over ice. Garnish with torn Kaffir lime leaf.

Day 2: Woodford Candy Cane Eggnog

Woodford Candy Cane:

1 750mL bottle of Woodford Reserve
2 Candy Canes
Empty out bottle of Woodford Reserve into a clean container.
Place Candy Canes at the bottom of the bottle (break Candy Canes into smaller piece if need be).
Pour Woodford back into the bottle and allow the concoction to infuse for 24 hours.
To Serve:
Pour 1 1/2 oz. Candy Cane infusion in a mug. Fill with warm eggnog and stir. Garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Day 3: Cinnamon Sidecars

1.5oz Le Tourment Vert Absinthe
.5oz Cointreau
.5oz Fresh Orange Juice
1.5oz Sweet & Sour

Shake well and strain into chilled martini glass with a cinnamon sugar rim with orange twist garnish.
Day 4: TyKu Tini

2 oz TyKu
1 oz citrus Vodka
Shake over ice and serve

Day 5: Jingle Bomb

2 oz Three-O Vodka (any flavor, depending on preference)
4 oz energy drink

Mix in a glass with ice and garnish with a cherry

Day 6: Bewildered Beauties

1 1/2 oz BACARDI® 8 Rum
1/2 oz B&B Liqueur
6 fresh raspberries
2 tbsp Coco Lopez
1 scoop (approximately 1/2 cup) vanilla ice cream

Put all the ingredients into a blender, blend thoroughly, and pour into a wine goblet.

Day 7: New Year’s Kiss

1 oz. Finlandia Cranberry
3 oz. Korbel Champagne

Combine and stir. Pour into a chilled champagne glass. Garnish with cranberries

Day 8: Creme Brulee Martini

2 oz Stoli Vanilla
0.75 oz Port of Crème Anglaise
1 Dash of Simple Syrup
hard caramel for garnish

Blend the above ingredients in a shaker.
Shake well and strain in a Martini Glass.
Decorate with hard caramel.

Day 9: P.i.N.K. Christmas Cocktails

1½ oz p.i.n.k. vodka
1½ oz Godiva white chocolate liqueur
1 oz half & half cream
splash of Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
splash of Chambord

Shake vigorously until frothy.  Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with skewered red raspberries.

Day 10: Gin Martini
Bond was wrong – this drink was meant to be stirred, not shaken.

3 oz Gin
splash of extra dry vermouth
Twist of lemon rubbed around the rim, garnished with olives

Pour gin directly into a tall, wide glass (the top of a Boston Shaker is erfect) filled with ice. Add vermouth. Stir gently for a minute. Strain into a cold martini glass.

Day 11: Pop-a-Cherry-tini

1 2/3 oz passion fruit vodka
1/2 oz cherry brandy
1/2 oz creme de framboise
2/3 oz lime juice
1/2 a fresh passion fruit
2 tsps demerara sugar
2 small bunches fresh oregano
6 ripe cherries

Pit the cherries and place them in a shaked with the sugar & oregano. Muddle. Add ice and the rest of the ingredients. Shake. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Day 12: Mellow Yellow

2 oz Gin
2/3 oz Limoncello
2/3 fresh Lemon Juice
4 fresh cilanro leaves
Lemon Sorbet

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a champagne coupe glass over a scoop of lemon sorbet. Add a sprig of cilantro for garnish.

Enjoy, but as always enjoy safely! Happy Holidays to you and yours!

(images provided by brands included in the drinks)

Post from: EveryJoe

The 12 Drinks of Christmas

Dave and I had a good chat about the Scotch, and I remembered that Dave used to live in Ireland and Scotland. “Scotch is magical for me. It was only after living in Ireland and Scotland that I gained a true appreciation for the spirit though.

“Macallan 12 is beautiful – with an extended, soft aftertaste which is really smooth.” said Dave.

The hint of peat in the Macallan, which I normally don’t like personally, completely reminded Dave of living in Galway, Ireland in the winter.  “The city stinks of peat, which every pub burns during the cold months, both in rural Ireland and Scotland. That’s why I have a special place in my heart for scotch – it’s the next best thing to being there!”

Dave did notice some notes of spice in the Macallan 12 year old, which comes from Vanilla, ginger and dried fruits. There’s some sweetness that comes from the sherry sweetness from the Spanish sherry casks it’s aged in as well as some toffee notes.

If you’re a scotch drinker, you will definitely want to try this one. Macallan offers a “spider diagram” of flavours to visually describe the tasting notes of the Macallan 12.  It is constructed around 10 flavours and a scale of intensity.

Scale of intensity
0 = absence of flavour
1 = trace of flavour
2 = some flavour
3 = medium flavour
4 = strong flavour
5 = dominant flavour
Flavours
Apple – cider, apple pie, Calvados, fruity
Citrus – lemons, limes, oranges, zesty
Floral – perfumed, flowery, scented
Dried fruits – raisins, apricots, dates, figs, prunes
Oily – linseed oil, oily texture, oily nose, sticky feel
Malty – malt, cereal, biscuity, mealy
Vanilla – fudge, toffee, treacle, sweet
Woody – fresh pine, rich oak, sawdust, polished wood
Spicy – ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander seed
Peaty – smoky, Iodine, phenolic, antiseptic
(images courtesy of Macallan)

Post from: EveryJoe

Review: Macallan 12 Year

When I got it home, it took me a few days to crack it, and, as I do with all of the reviews I do, I tasted it neat first. I was shocked at how good this is!! Holy!! I didn’t bother to mix this with anything, I just… sipped it, and enjoyed it.

Agavero, is seriously the ultra smooth 100% blue agave tequila, hand blended with Damiana, which is a legendary flower known for centuries as a potent aphrodisiac. Now, granted, I can’t prove the aphrodisiac qualities of the flower, but I can tell you that this is goooooood stuff.

They’ve got holiday gift pack which includes a 750 ml bottle of Agavero and one signature hand crafted, and hand painted 12 oz cocktail glass by artist Debbie Arbizzani.  Each glass mimics the beautiful fields of the Damiana flower and blue agave plants from which Agavero is made.

The holiday gift pack is available in stores all over the US for $29.99. Your hardcore tequila lover won’t be enamoured with this, but those looking for a good sipping spirit that’s smooth and gentle on the palate give this a try!

Post from: EveryJoe

Review: Agavero Tequila Liqueur

Vampire Juice

In a tall glass with ice mix:
2 oz Finlandia Lime Vodka
4 oz tomato juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh horseradish
Splash of steak sauce (any brand)
Splash of hot sauce
Garnish with eye ball radish

To make ice “eyeballs”. Peel radishes, leaving thin streaks of red skin on to represent blood vessels (see image). Using the tip of the vegetable peeler, or a small, knife, carefully scoop out a small hole in each radish, roughly the size of an olive. Stuff a green olive, pimiento side out, in each hole. Place one radish eyeball in each section of an empty ice cube tray. Pare the radishes down a bit to fit, if necessary. Fill the tray with water and freeze overnight.

Vampire Kiss Martini 

1 ½ oz. Finlandia Vodka, chilled
1 ½ oz Korbel Champagne
¾ oz part Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur

Rim the glass with red sugar (use food coloring) or drop in a set of wax vampire teeth for a real surprise.

Pour vodka and half of the Chambord in a martini glass, top with Champagne and pour the remaining Chambord over the back of a spoon to make it float.

Candy Apple Martini

1 oz Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
1 oz Finlandia Vodka
3/4 oz apple schnapps
Splash of Tuaca Liqueur

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass.
Rim the glass with caramel and garnish with an apple slice.

Post from: EveryJoe

Halloween Drinks

Their new Limited Release Pipeline Porter ($9/6-pack – available from September through March) is made from a blend of premium malted barley and freshly roasted 100% Kona coffee. The end result is a smooth brew with a dark appearance that goes as well with a hearty meal as it does by itself.

Kona Brewing suggests that the Pipeline Porter is perfectly paired with hearty soups and stews, roast beef sandwiches, pot roast and mashed potatoes. It’s also a perfect beer on its own, drink it to take the chill off a windy, cold day. (image source: Kona Brewing)

Post from: EveryJoe

Kona Brewing announces Pipeline Porter

While alcoholism affects many who live in poverty, there are equally as many of us who can not only have a drink or two and stop, but who can also afford it. And if you can afford it, it’s time to start giving back.

I’d like to give everyone who reads Drinks After Dark a challenge. Sometime, in the next two weeks, between October 15 and November 1, do something many can’t afford to do. Throw a cocktail party for your friends. Mention to your friends that you’re raising money for a microloan through Kiva.  Have everyone donate what they can – anywhere from a dollar to $20.

You can either donate it yourself to Kiva or you can let me know in the comments what you’re planning, what you’ve raised etc, and I’ll match your donation and add it to one of the projects b5media is supporting.

Either way, start thinking about it today, on Blog Action Day. And then do something.

(PS – Blogtoberfest winner will be announced tomorrow!)

Post from: EveryJoe

Cocktails for a Cause

There’s a new casino recently opened in  Uncasville, CT, and to commemorate it, they’ve teamed up with, who else but Tiffany & Co. to offer a new cocktail called Windfall.

The drink itself sounds innocuous enough, even though it’s a pour worth $550. A mixture of Krug Grand Cuvee Brut Champagne, Richard Hennessy Cognac, Grand Marnier Cuvee du Cent Cinquantenaire 150, Chamboard Raspberry Liquour, and pomegranate juice. Sounds a little over the top, but ok so far.

The garnish is what gets ya. Raspberries and blackberries float on top of the drink, and then have been topped with a Platinum Diamond and Pink Sapphire Celebration Band. That’s where the extra charge comes in!

The drink is served in a commemorative Tiffany & Co. crystal glass (you get to keep the glass! The hallmark of all the really class Vegas joints, and you know, McDonald’s.).

I know where I’m going when I want to celebrate something and get a free glass outta the deal. SCORE! (image source: Mohegan Sun’s Casino of the Wind).

This is a Blogtoberfest Sponsored Post. If you would like to enter for a chance to win the surprise gift behind this blog post, please leave a comment. Prize and Winner will be announced within a week. Check back to see if you’re the lucky winner and what you’ve won!

You also have lots of chances to win great Blogtoberfest prizes! Today, October 14, your chances (and prizes) are hiding at the following blogs:

• A Child Chosen
• Babylune
• Baking Delights
• Blog Fabulous
• Busy Family Meals
• Genbetween
• Jewelry & Beading
• Keeping the Castle
• Mother Earth’s Garden
• Play Library
• She Knows Parties
• Solomother
• Supernannyrules
• Unplugged Living

Visit them all and leave a comment – you may win even more!

Edited to Add: A winner has been chosen! Congratulations to Jane Hixon! Please continue to visit and comment on other posts. I’ve got a few more give aways coming up in the next few weeks!

Post from: EveryJoe

$6,200 Cocktail

So, what are these ‘cures’? They mostly centre around the Hot Toddy. There’s tons of different ways you can make a Hot Toddy, from everything to Whiskey, Rum or Gin. The prevailing theory is that a hot toddy’s mixture of piping hot water, rum, and lemon can provide a lot of relief. Alcohol has an anti-inflammatory effect on mucous membranes and can help reduce fever. (image source: CartoonStock)

Well, ok, sure. I’ve also heard that whiskey will take away a cough (though I’m unsure as to how this works, but go with it), and that shots of tequila taken in a hot bath will speed your recovery from a cold.

Whatever you believe, whether these will really work or not,  you stand the chance to at least forget you have a cold for a little bit.

Gin, honey and lemon
2oz of Gin
2 tbsp of honey
Juice of one lemon

Pour it all in a mug and top it off with boiling water, breathe vapors deeply while drinking, sleep.

Cure All Toddy
1-2 oz Scotch whiskey
1-2 tsp lemon juice
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
2-5 whole cloves
honey to taste (optional)
Hot water

Put the lemon juice, cloves and whiskey in a glass or mug. Fill the glass with hot water. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey, if used. Stir. Sip slowly, and inhale the vapors if you have head or chest congestion. Substitute rum for the whiskey if you prefer.

This is a Blogtoberfest Sponsored Post. If you would like to enter for a chance to win the surprise gift behind this blog post, please leave a comment. Prize and Winner will be announced within a week. Check back to see if you’re the lucky winner and what you’ve won!

You also have lots of chances to win great Blogtoberfest prizes! Today, October 9, your chances (and prizes) are hiding at the following blogs: 

• Blog Fabulous
• Hankering for Yarn
• Junk Creation
• Marriage Actually
• My Crime Space
• Play Library
• She Knows Parties
• SuperNannyRules
• The Food Bowl
• Unplugged Living

Visit them all and leave a comment – you may win even more!

Post from: EveryJoe

Old Wive’s Tale: A Hot Toddy will cure a cold

To make:

1 oz 10 Cane Rum
1 oz Godiva Dark Liqueur
1 oz Bailey’s
2 dashes Vanilla extract
Crushed Graham Crackers
Melted Chocolate
Bacardi 151 Rum soaked marshmellows for S’more effect (optional)

Pour all liquids into shaker over ice and shake vigorously. Rim a martini glass with melted chocolate, and press into the crushed graham crackers before the chocolate sets. Let the glass stand for a moment and serve!

This sounds to me like a yummy fall evening drink. Definitely one I’d recommend!

Post from: EveryJoe

October Cocktail