Per usual, mid June rolled around this year and I still had no idea what to do for Fathers Day. Not that this is a new issue....every year, despite a good two decades of practice, I spend two or three days in a panic over what to get my father. I hate being repetitive. OR obvious, hence all the panicking.
This year though, an interesting idea sparked in my mind, brought on by an old memory and a fairly common garden plant.
Lavender. Or as I chose for my fathers day gift, lavender simple syrup. My fathers always had a love of Mimosas. And before you roll your eyes too much at the idea of a grown man drinking sparkling wine and orange juice out of a champagne flute, keep in mind that champagne is a classic drink and my father, despite some of his shortcomings, has always been a classy man. Over the years, as we would head out on weekends to get lunch or dinner together, he was always on the quest for the pefect mimosa. And about six years back, he found it at a local eatery known as Caseys Caffe. The caffe itself I have very little to say about, but the mimosas are another story.
Casey's caffe is one of the only places that i've seen do Lavender mimosas. Lavender you say? As in the plant, the garden plant? The one people use in perfume, and bathsalts, and in sachets under pillows and in your underwear drawer? Yep. That would be the one. Despite what a lot of people think, lavender is not simply a fantastic fragrance. It also offers a very unique taste to many food dishes. Take for example, lavender tiramisu.....a unique twist on a classic dessert by far. Lavender often mixes well with chocolate but is also known to mix well with lemon, honey, and vanilla flavors as well. In this case, the lavender mimosas are an interesting balance of sweet, bubbly and a spicy-herbal taste that really jazzes things up. The champagne offers a crisp and fruity flavor which is enhanced by the somewhat sweet taste of the lavender.
For father's day, I decided to replicate my Dad's favorite drink by ordering Lavender syrup from a company called Monin Syrups. I had the whole thing planned out to a tee. Dinner out, followed by Mimosas while we sat and smoked cigars together. Yes, a woman who smokes cigars.....hell will freeze over and penguins will learn to fly shortly after I complete this blog post. But anyway, back to what I was saying.....My game plan was simple, a nice Dinner withDrinks afterwards. Not too complicated. Lots of room for improvisation. But seriously, imagine my suprise when Amazon sent me an email letting me know it would take an additional week for my syrup to arrive. However 'if I wanted to upgrade to super saver shipping for an additional $93' I could get my syrup on time. Seriously? $93 freakin bucks? I dont think so. Amazon can dam well suck it.
Obviously with that set back, I didnt have too many options for coming up with a new Fathers day suprise last minute. So instead I went with the simple approach: Dinner as planned, with drinks in the resturaunt bar instead. And a cute little card that promised lavender mimosas in the near future. All in all the evening was great, with wonderful food, some quality company, and great drinks. Dad was happy. And I was perfectly content with the alternative.
To cut myself off before I continue with my long winded dialogue about Father's Day Traditions, and Amazons crappy shipping policy, I'm going to go ahead with the long awaited Lavender Mimosa Recipe.
The Simplistic Version
1oz. Lavender Syrup
3/4 of a glass of champagne or Prosecco
Pour lavender syrup into the bottom of a champagne flute. Fill the remainder of the glass with champagne or sparkling wine of choice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh lavender.
The Red Carpet Version
Ingredients:
This year though, an interesting idea sparked in my mind, brought on by an old memory and a fairly common garden plant.
Lavender. Or as I chose for my fathers day gift, lavender simple syrup. My fathers always had a love of Mimosas. And before you roll your eyes too much at the idea of a grown man drinking sparkling wine and orange juice out of a champagne flute, keep in mind that champagne is a classic drink and my father, despite some of his shortcomings, has always been a classy man. Over the years, as we would head out on weekends to get lunch or dinner together, he was always on the quest for the pefect mimosa. And about six years back, he found it at a local eatery known as Caseys Caffe. The caffe itself I have very little to say about, but the mimosas are another story.
Casey's caffe is one of the only places that i've seen do Lavender mimosas. Lavender you say? As in the plant, the garden plant? The one people use in perfume, and bathsalts, and in sachets under pillows and in your underwear drawer? Yep. That would be the one. Despite what a lot of people think, lavender is not simply a fantastic fragrance. It also offers a very unique taste to many food dishes. Take for example, lavender tiramisu.....a unique twist on a classic dessert by far. Lavender often mixes well with chocolate but is also known to mix well with lemon, honey, and vanilla flavors as well. In this case, the lavender mimosas are an interesting balance of sweet, bubbly and a spicy-herbal taste that really jazzes things up. The champagne offers a crisp and fruity flavor which is enhanced by the somewhat sweet taste of the lavender.
For father's day, I decided to replicate my Dad's favorite drink by ordering Lavender syrup from a company called Monin Syrups. I had the whole thing planned out to a tee. Dinner out, followed by Mimosas while we sat and smoked cigars together. Yes, a woman who smokes cigars.....hell will freeze over and penguins will learn to fly shortly after I complete this blog post. But anyway, back to what I was saying.....My game plan was simple, a nice Dinner withDrinks afterwards. Not too complicated. Lots of room for improvisation. But seriously, imagine my suprise when Amazon sent me an email letting me know it would take an additional week for my syrup to arrive. However 'if I wanted to upgrade to super saver shipping for an additional $93' I could get my syrup on time. Seriously? $93 freakin bucks? I dont think so. Amazon can dam well suck it.
Obviously with that set back, I didnt have too many options for coming up with a new Fathers day suprise last minute. So instead I went with the simple approach: Dinner as planned, with drinks in the resturaunt bar instead. And a cute little card that promised lavender mimosas in the near future. All in all the evening was great, with wonderful food, some quality company, and great drinks. Dad was happy. And I was perfectly content with the alternative.
To cut myself off before I continue with my long winded dialogue about Father's Day Traditions, and Amazons crappy shipping policy, I'm going to go ahead with the long awaited Lavender Mimosa Recipe.
The Simplistic Version
3/4 of a glass of champagne or Prosecco
Pour lavender syrup into the bottom of a champagne flute. Fill the remainder of the glass with champagne or sparkling wine of choice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh lavender.
The Red Carpet Version
Ingredients:
- 1 Bottle of Sparking extra dry wine, chilled½ Cup Ultimat Vodka
- ¾ cup of green grapes, halved
- 11/2 cups white grape juice, chilled
- 2 tablespoons elderflower cordial
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lavender sprigs for garnish
*Serves 8 people
Borrowed From: http://heidiklum.aol.com/category/lifestyle/red-carpet-cocktails/
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