St. Patricks’ Day may be a little early in the year to evoke dockside memories, but as it is a harbinger of spring, it means summer can’t be far behind!  And while the lake is still-frozen, there is something about St. Paddy’s that brings out the same promise of conviviality as a dock full of friends.  Today, March 18^th, is of course the day after St. Patrick’s Day.  Pints of Guiness may have been on yesterday’s menu, so for today’s post we offer a curated ‘day after’ moment.

So, cheers to all those who are Irish, all those who wish they were Irish, and all those who pretended they are Irish yesterday.

“May the winds of fortune sail you,
May you sail a gentle sea.
May it always be the other guy
who says, ‘this drink’s on me.'”

 

A post-St. Patrick’s Day hang-over cure:  Hair of the Leprechaun

Rim highball with celery salt, fill with ice, and add (in order)

• 1 oz vodka
• 2 dashes hot sauce
• 3 grinds fresh ground salt & pepper
• 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 4 oz Mott’s Clamato Verde (limited time only!)
• Stir, and garnish with anything green! Pictured here:  celery, pickled bean, lime twist, pickled cauliflower

Pairs well with:  Guiness Fondue

• 2 lb grated cheddar cheese
• ½ pint Guinness
• 6-8 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper
• cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp corn flour or cornstarch

Put grated cheese into a 7-inch fondue pot and melt gently, stirring continuously. Add remaining ingredients and stir until the fondue thickens slightly. For dipping use chunks of French bread or toast.

Song pairing:  Black Velvet Band, Irish Rovers

We tried to avoid picking a song that is too cliché to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but…apparently one of the Irish Rovers has a cottage on our lake, so we could not resist!  We refrained from the predictable Unicorn Song, and picked a lesser known Irish Rovers ditty:  Black Velvet Band.  Perfect for a glasses-raised sing-along to get your Irish on (or nursing the fall-out from yesterday’s sing-a-long)!

There is nothing like that perfect summertime moment on the dock.  The sun’s warmth on your face…the sounds of the lapping water…the coconut smell of your sunscreen…the stress of your work-week melting away, as you listen to the loons, the flag flapping in the breeze, and the water skiers zooming by.  You watch the condensation lazily slide down the glass of your favourite cocktail, and think…ahhh… This. Is. Heaven.

This blog was conceived during one such moment, while relaxing with friends on the dock at our cottage “up north” (aka Ontario cottage country) on a perfect summer afternoon.  We were enjoying the inspiration to this blog, the all-time perfect summer cocktail:  a gorgeous melange of coconut rum, pineapple juice, soda water, and fresh muddled strawberries, over ice.  It is truly a 5-sensory stimulation of the amygdala;  a jolt directly to the pleasure-centre of the brain.  And the name says it all…Liquid Sunshine (recipe below).

We got to thinking…if one divine beverage has the power to both symbolize and transport you to a perfect state a bliss, might there be other such celestial beauties??  Capable not just of quenching your thirst, but of teleporting you to your happy place, whatever that might be?  Hence…Docktails was born.

So, our intention this summer, is to curate a weekly summertime moment of heaven, for you to re-create for your own dockside pleasure — a beverage, a song, and appetizer — you add the dock and the company, and you’ll be on your way.

Enjoy!  (and please be patient with the functionality of this site– this blogging thing it new to us!  🙂

Mary and Jackie

An homage to you,  Liquid Sunshine

In a highball, full of ice, add:

• 1-1/2 oz Malibu rum
• pineapple juice (fill glass to 3/4 full)
• splash of soda water
• 2-3 hand-muddled (healthy squish) fresh, in-season strawberries

Pairs perfectly with:

Appetizer:  Proscuitto-Wrapped Asparagus Spears

• wrap proscuitto around asparagus spears
• brush with olive olive, season with sea salt
• bake (350, 8-10 minutes) or grill

Song:  All Summer Long, Kid Rock