Tag Archives: cocktails

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It’s almost time.

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I anxiously await late November every year.

Not for Thanksgiving.

Not for the start of the Christmas season.

But for this:

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My very favorite small batch artisan gin. Made by a distillery in New Hampshire, we make the pilgrimage once a year so I can stock up on the plummy goodness. ( And at $60 a bottle, stocking up is serious business.)

Made with damson plums, bitter orange and fresh juniper, this gin is an absolute delight and makes your tonic shiver with orgasmic pleasure. It’s a seasonal treat and if the roll out is missed? River is not a happy camper.

For this reason I tend to bogart the elixir, and only roll it out on special occasions or for special people. So you can imagine my level of annoyance when the neighbors dropped by the barn a few weeks ago (with friends and family in tow) to share in the glory that is the man cave. We welcomed them in, gave them the $2 tour and offered them an adult beverage.

Mind you… at any given time I have 48+ bottles of liquor on the shelves, a mini fridge of mixers, soda and juice, a dual tap kegerator, and a full size refrigerator filled with craft beer, wine, hard seltzer, hard cider and canned cocktails. My point?

There be options!

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It was then that my idiot oh so generous husband suggested the group try gin and tonics made with.. you guessed it.. my very last, hard to replace, time sensitive half bottle of Tamworth Damson.

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If I could have reached him from under the bar I would have kicked him. Instead, I smiled through clenched teeth and poured the final drops of my precious spirit and handed glasses to everyone.

They oohed and ahhed appreciatively, asked where they could buy it, then promptly changed their minds when they heard the price. The only thing that spared my idiot oh so generous husband’s life was the fact that I was unable to offer refills.

And now I wait.

Checking the website weekly to see when my happy juice is next available for purchase.

There’s rumor it may not be until mid December this year… which gives me ample time to beat the mantra Do not offer the special gin without permission! into my husband’s head.

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More random nonsense

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First I brought you wine for cats. Now?

There’s kitty ice cream.

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I’d ask if this is really necessary and why I couldn’t just let Dudley lick from my bowl…

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But I’m not apt to partake of a frozen dish of sugared mackerel anytime soon.

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Oh, if looks could kill.

Quick, get him some feline wine.

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Finally… a sensible use for the crock pot collecting dust in my closet.

👍

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Is that just me…?

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Thanks again Covid 19.

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The husband has been trying to talk me into trading in my 2014 Subaru Forester for years now. But I love Ethel, and she only has 64,000 gentle miles, so I keep saying no.

Determined to prove that now is the perfect time to upgrade, I allowed him to drag me to a dealership to check out the 2022 models. There was only one problem.

There aren’t any 2022 models.

We checked 4 dealerships, but due to chip shortages and shipping backlogs the closest they could show me was a 2021 loaner of an entirely different grade.

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The husband insisted we test drive it, which we did. And while I admit it was newer and a bit peppier than mine, I was less than thrilled with the new energy conserving process that shuts off the engine every time you idle at a stop light. While the actual shutting down was smooth, the restart was jarring and bound to be annoying over time. They told us we could disable the feature, but it would have to be done every single time we drove as it resets to default.

For $38,000 plus? I said no thanks. But the husband was pushing me to order a new one and wait God knows how many months to get it….

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So he dragged me into the salesman’s office and had them appraise Ethel for a trade.

My Ethel.

I understand she’s 7 years old.. but she has low mileage and is loaded (with heated leather seats, back up camera, Nav and panoramic moon roof). My absolutely perfect Ethel… who Kelly Blue Book says has a trade in value of $16,500 and a private sale value of $17,800?

They offered us $10,000.

And that was all it took for my husband to be insulted, leave and stop badgering me to trade my vehicle.

Thank you Covid 19. Your virus induced shortages actually benefitted me this time around.

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After that fiasco, it was time for lunch at one of our favorite waterfront restaurants.

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A raspberry lime gin Ricky…

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And a scrumptious crab cake appetizer later, I was on my way to happy.

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Add a Campari Sangria and a fresh panko breaded haddock sandwich… and I was there.

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The husband started with clam chowder and moved on to a blood rare filet with grilled asparagus which, while quite satisfying….

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Set our wallet back a cool $53.

So yeah, thanks Covid 19 for driving food prices up so high our favorite place for lunch now makes my debit card shudder.

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Lovely fall photo inserted just because I can.

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Liquid Saturday , the finale.

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After a beer and hard cider filled morning and early afternoon…. and a less than stellar mid afternoon chowder house lunch with margaritas, I thought we were going home. But my husband realized we were driving up on a friend’s town and gave him a call.

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Enter the Bait Shed restaurant and bar in the Pine Point area of Scarborough…

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Where our friend was sitting and thoughtfully holding seats for us… complete with waiting cocktails.

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I’d never been nor even heard of this place, but a better spot to end the day would be hard to find.

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The ocean breeze was cool, the summer tourists were gone. We had good company, potent drinks, hearty laughs and fresh seafood.

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They don’t take themselves too seriously at the Bait Shed….

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Probably because their establishment really was a bait shed in a previous life.

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It’s the type of place Maine locals avoid like the plague during the season and visit frequently once the outta staters have left the state.

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It’s the type of place where you’ll get a dirty look if you order an espresso martini, but I saw a bowl of chowder go by and damned if it wasn’t the real thing.

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When it’s a beautiful day in Maine…

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You head for lunch on the coast.

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And this time we picked Sebasco Resort in Phippsburg.

There are two restaurants on site, but unfortunately the nicer one with the full menu was closed due to Covid era short staffing.

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So we made do with The Ledges pub.

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The outdoor patio area was filled with tourists so we had to sit inside… but the views were just as nice.

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As were the cocktails. Two basil refreshers later, it was time to order.

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We both started with the clam chowder which was good, but I’m a Mainer and quite picky about giving two thumbs up to chowder.

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Husband had a perfectly prepared baked haddock with white wine and butter…

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But my fried scallops were less than satisfactory. The batter was thick and way too crunchy… and Holy Hell, dripping in enough grease to lube two cars and a pick up truck. Blech.

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If I’d been able to open the window I would have fed them to this fellow.

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Thankfully the pub redeemed itself with a nice wild Maine blueberry pie a la mode.

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After our meal we attempted to walk off the pounds.

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To be continued….

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Random drivel.

29 Comments

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I don’t usually pay attention to the Facebook memories section, but this one from an old blog friend popped up the other day and I had to laugh.

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It really does.

🤣

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That sounds simple and delicious.

If you try it before me? Let me know.

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And for Brian at http://brianlageose.blog

Because we were chatting a while back about the ridiculous old station wagons we had to drive as teenagers. Here’s my husband and I posing in front of my parent’s ‘62 Ford Falcon.

Complete with wood on the side… because we stylin’.

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If you look closely you’ll see the entire passenger side is crumpled from me side swiping a telephone pole when I was 16.

Oops.

This baby had a top speed of 51mph by the time I got her…. complete with vacuum wipers, a manual choke, and AM radio. I was the envy of exactly (count ‘em) none of my friends.

Please don’t judge the head to toe stone washed denim… it was the late 80’s. We had to.

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Finally, here’s Lord Dudley…

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In typical goober mode.

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He should, but thank God he can’t.

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Operation dinner out.

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We took a drive out to Harpswell for a waterfront meal the other night.

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To a great restaurant at one of our favorite locations.

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Dolphin Marina.

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It’s an out of the way place…

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With wrap around coastal scenery.

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Unfortunately it was Saturday night, the tourists were thick and the wait for an outdoor or water view table was over an hour. And if you’ve ever gone out to dinner with my husband, you know that means forgoing the views and eating at the bar.

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I was disappointed, but a few Honey Gin Slippers later?

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Life was good.

Dolphin is famous for their epic blueberry muffins which are served with every meal.

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Luckily my other half didn’t eat his and I had it for breakfast the next morning.

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Dinner started with garlic and white wine mussels for hubby.

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And a lovely lemony Caesar salad for me.

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The husbands Parmesan crusted haddock was tasty but surprisingly thin.

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But my pan seared scallops with basil cream sauce and asparagus on homemade pasta was stellar.

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So if you’re ever in the area, drop in.

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But go off season…. when you can get decent seating and enjoy a better view than the bartender and a row of empty bottles.

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(Extra points for anyone who can name the movie from which I pilfered my post title.)

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Things I’ll never need.

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I can honestly say I will never need a Russian pickle puff.

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But I suppose it’s good to know they exist all the same.

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Shark slippers? I’m sure they’re great for scaring the crap out of sand crabs, but no.

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Do I need to drink my cocktails out of a bird’s ass?

I most assuredly do not.

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And if I don’t need a bird ass cocktail delivery system? I certainly don’t need an egg laying one. Trust me, this will not relieve my stress.

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Random tidbits

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Read the following listing carefully.

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Possibilities of seasonal views. Which means – From your heavily wooded lot, in the dead of winter when all the trees are bare, if you stand on the edge of your bathroom sink and crane your neck to the north? You might see a tiny section of ice covered pond water.

Technically they’re not lying, but still.

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten loves his toys. He loves them so much he shreds an average of one a week.

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It’s a veritable catnip mouse slaughterhouse around here.

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That sums it up nicely.

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Do I need that?

Now that you mention it… I might.

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This sounds like the perfect summer cocktail.

Cheers!

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I’d almost forgotten what it felt like.

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Stopping at the new pub everyone is raving about…

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Not having to make reservations, worry about masking or social distancing.

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Cruising the cocktail list…

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And enjoying a few boozy blueberry lemonades.

The food?

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Fabulous! A hand tossed wood fired chicken Florentine pizza for me, grilled sea scallop salad with candied pecans and strawberry vinaigrette for the husband.

Life. It finally seems to be getting back to normal.

😊

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