PASSION FOR FASHION MOCKTAIL

This post was inspired by one lovely lady, Maureen of Chez Maureen . She is a fashionista and shes a teetotaler. She told me to make some non alcoholic cocktail for her. This is why I named it passion for fashion.
Here is what you will need.

• 2 large mangoes
• 4 passion fruits
• 4 limes
• 8 oz water(237ml)
• 3 cups ice

Procedure

Squeeze the limes
Get the flesh out of the passion fruit and sieve in a glass.

 Get equal parts lime juice and passion juice.

 Cut the mango into small pieces. Pour the pieces into a blender. Add the lime and fresh passion juice. Add water.

Blend until smooth. Fill a highball glass with ice . Pour the mixture in the glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

This is a great mock-tail to enjoy on a Saturday. It is good for detoxing your system because you are using fresh fruit.
Enjoy...

GHANA TO HOST FIRST BEER & WINE FESTIVAL

So Ghana are holding their first ever Beer & Wine Festival.The wine and food industry in Africa is burgeoning at an alarming rate. Kenya has not been left behind. In 2013 Kenya held The Whiskey Festival which was a great success. This was in a bid to educate Kenyans on Whiskey drinking.The revolution spread like bush fire because people now consider whiskey to be their drink of choice. Kenya also had its first Restaurant Week in late January and early February. The key industry players in the food, wine and drinks industries have come together to showcase what Ghana has to offer. I think Kenya should borrow a leaf because this festival is not just about people drinking wine/beer and making merry. It has a theme. The theme is, 'Tickle your taste buds, tickle your love life'.

This is the message that will be on the lips of most Ghanians as they throng the Accra International Sports Center on 12th, 13th and 14th February 2014. The event is organized by the Royal Protocol Services, Ghana International Holdings and the T.T Brothers. The reason why I am saying that Kenya should borrow a leaf from these people is that even the Ministry of Tourism , Ministry of culture and creative arts and the Ministry of Trade and Industry are on board. The keynote speakers will be industry experts,professionals and even doctors. They will emphasize on the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption. Responsible drinking will be addressed.The manufacturers, producers and distributors will engage with their customers on a one-on-one basis. The speakers will talk about love, life and health. The benefits of taking wine will be elaborated.

Credits/ drinkbusiness.com

The economy of Ghana is growing with most young people being in the middle class. Just like in Kenya, these young people have a high disposable income and therefore they drink wine/ beer on weekends.However, the drinking experience for most people in  Kenya is different. This is the reason you will find people in ditches and half dressed college girls donning the streets after a night out. This results from over-indulging and recklessness.  I think alcohol should be enjoyed in the right measure. By no means should it be overdone. There is a great gap. there is need to educate the youth on the dangers of overindulging and this will see alcohol related crime subside. Examples of such crime is drunk driving which causes grisly road accidents. Something can be done to reduce the alarming statistics on these accidents.
  Do you have any ideas on what should be done?

GARNISHING COCKTAILS PART 2

My previous post highlighted how we use limes, lemon and oranges to present and embellish our drinks. Apart from these citrus fruits, we can use other types of fruits to do the work.

 Cherries
The cherries that are mostly used are the Maraschino cherries. This is a type of cherry that is ideal for cocktails because they are sweet. They can also be used for mock-tails ( non-alcoholic Cocktails) They are used to garnish Martinis and Manhattans.

Olives
There are different types of olives. They come in jars in the supermarket. They are used to garnish Gin martinis and vodka martinis. They are not used for fruity martinis.

Whipped Cream
Whipped cream comes in flavours from chocolate to free whipped cream. It is used for many drinks like the Irish coffee. It can also go well with a strawberry daiquiri.

Apples
Apple slices go well with Martinis

credits/sheknows.com

Bananas
Bananas are rarely used but if you plan to use them you can use a quarter inch especially on  drinks with banana liqueur.

credits/sweetsouthernprep.com

Berries
They vary from raspberries, blueberries, blackberries among others. The classic way for garnishing is inserting a cocktail stick on the berries then rest it on the drink.

credits/sugarloco.com

Candy
One can use cotton candy, candy cane or mini candy bars.

Celery
Once you wash the celery and cut the leaves it can be used for Bloody Mary.

Chocolate
Chocolate shavings can be made with a grater and sprinkled on the drink.

Coffee beans
Coffee beans are used on one signature cocktail. The Sambuca. One drops three beans. The three beans each represent health, wealth and happiness.

caption/giglig.com

Mint
Mint is used on mohitos like I did here.It is also used for mint juleps.

Pineapples 
These are wedged with the cover on. They are used as a garnish for tropical mixed drinks.

Salt
This is used to rim the glasses. The salt used is the Kosher salt but you can use table salt is this is not available. One simply moists the glass rim with lime and then places the glass on a tray /plate with salt.
It is used to garnish Bloody Marys and salty Dogs.
Sugar
Sugar can be used to rim glasses too. It can be white or coloured.

credits/ whiteonricecouple.com

Strawberries
Strawberries are cut in half or used whole like this. They are used for Daiquiris or Margaritas.

This is how you use things in your kitchen to garnish like a pro.

Enjoy...

GARNISH THAT COCKTAIL WITH CITRUS FRUITS

If you know me well you know that I always love to experiment and try out different cocktails and drinks. I don't drink a lot on when I eat out but I love to try a drink Ive never had before. There's nothing like signature drinks and classic cocktails. What gives a drink its appeal is the presentation. I love drinks that are garnished with fruit and sometimes with vegetables. On my quest to savour the myriads of tastes I have come across all types of drinks.Some were good and some bad. I think the secret to a smashing drink is the balance between sweet, salty and sour. Indulge all your senses when looking for the drink that will be on your hand as you move around the room shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with people. It has to smell, taste and look good. It has to be in the right glass. Garnishing adds a certain aesthetic appeal to your martini, mojito or cosmopolitan

The  Wedge
The wedge is an eighth of a lime , lemon or orange.

credits/missinthekitchen.com

The Half wheel
This is a half slice of any citrus fruit.

credits/whiteonricecouple.com

The Wheel
This is a full slice of a citrus fruit.

credits/cheers mofo.com

The lemon Twist
This is when one cuts off the strip of a lemon rind then twists it in a drink to release the natural oils and essence of the lemon. This drink infused with the lemon oil smells fresh.

credits/sippitysup.com

The Orange Spiral
The orange rind is tough and it rarely breaks off. One can use a special type of knife to get a spiral rind. Wrap it around a glass for 5 to 10 minutes to get a springy spiral.Perfect for martinis.

credits/The hopeless housewife.com

That is how you garnish like a pro. This will make your guests keep coming back for more. I will show you how to present drinks with other types of fruit, vegetables, straws and a lot more.

Enjoy...

THE KENYAN COCKTAIL: DAWA

Over the weekend I went to see a friend of mine. He had some guests over and one of them happened to be visiting Kenya for the first time. Well he had heard of a cocktail that was well known in Kenya, "The Dawa cocktail". Frankly some people didn't know what that was. I have taken 'Dawa' in Java KMA branch but it did not have vodka. After searching in various websites, I discovered that most notes about this drink have been written by tourists who enjoyed the drink. I did not get any local website or blog that had this recipe.
'Dawa' means medicine in Swahili. Not only is is a healthy drink but it has been used by many communities to cure various ailments. If you have a common cold people treat it with lemon, honey and hot water.  It is one of the most requested cocktail in most tourist destinations like the Carnivore, Tribe hotel and Fairmont Mara. It is also very famous in Tanzania and Zanzibar. Most mixologists add vodka to make it more potent.
Here is how you can make it at home.

Ingredients
I tbsp sugar
2oz vodka
Lime
Honey
Ice
Wooden stick or lemon grass(For mixing and garnish)

Procedure
Put lime and sugar into a whiskey tumbler.
Crush the limes lightly, add ice then add Vodka.
Put the dawa stick in some honey and twist lightly.
Put the stick in the drink.
Use the stick to crush the limes.

Dawa from Fairmont, Mara

Nice. Authentic. Kenyan.
Enjoy...

BLOGGERS ASSOCIATION OF KENYA MEET-UP

Every blogger struggles with the myriads of questions that bedevil them. Questions of whether their content is relevant and how to put their brand out there. My blog is about two months old but I still suffer with the same questions. On Saturday  I was reassured that I am not alone in this journey of expressing myself through this online platform. I had signed up for a workshop by the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE). This happened in Nailab on Ngong road. In attendance were many budding bloggers . There was a panel of bloggers who have made it in their respective fields.

These were
techmoran
sokodirectory

The Fashion Notebook
Michezo Afrika 
mwarv.click.co.ke

Bloggers listening to the panelists

 These are all blogs run by people who have been in the industry for a long time. I met a fellow food blogger from Leotunapika
It was a very interactive session as every panelist gave us  tips on how to make it in blogging. Its not easy but consistency, content and hard work gets you there.

Me and Jackie taking notes

 I made many friends and it was a Saturday well spent.We then had an interactive session where we asked questions and discussed.

interactive session

I got rejuvenated and inspired to build this brand a post at a time.

PRODUCT REVIEW: NAMAQUA SWEET RED WINE

Yesterday, me and two of my girlfriends went horse-riding in Achis Ranch. This is an ranch in Karen with old stables. They had many horses . Part of the days activities included riding in Ngong forest on the horses.

We had brought with us a bottle of Red Namaqua wine. We had bought it at a retail price of Kshs 950 in Nakumatt Moi Avenue. This is one of my favorite spots to shop for wine. Why I love this place is that they have a wide array of different wines. The person in charge is very well versed with different brands. We told him to give us some sweet red wine that we can take on a day under the sun. He recommended this brand saying that it is ideal for girls who are catching up after a long time.We had lunch. It was ugali, beef and vegetables. This meal was cooked under a charcoal jiko and it was so tasty. We didn't have the ideal glasses for red wine but we worked with what we had.

We had to work with these glasses

Namaqua are wines from South Africa and they are produced in the Matzikama region.  The wine was sweet on the tongue. It had a fruity taste and there was no tannic aftertaste. The food pairings we chose went well with the wine. However I think it would go well with grilled beef or kuku choma. I am yet to try that pairing. It is a good wine with 8% alcohol content . You can take as much as you wont without the fear of getting intoxicated. It is something I would definitely stock in my home.

As you can see the photos are a bit blurred. Our camera died and we had to use our phones for the images.

This old ranch was the perfect place to open a bottlle

Too bad we only had one bottle

Grace, Sylvia & me leaving the stables.