Road Trip - Ottawa

We recently had a quick weekend away in Ottawa.  The main purpose of the trip was to see a concert, but we decided to make a weekend out of it! 

As we drove the 401 East of Toronto, I started looking for interesting craft beer and cider stops along the way.  We were lucky to find Empire Cider Co. just off the highway near Trenton. 

This is a tiny operation out of a garage, but they make lovely cider.  We tasted all the varieties and grabbed some bottles to take home.  

Next, we wanted to stop for lunch and found Signal Brewery near Belleville.  This is a brand new brewery in the old Corbyville Distillery, and it's gorgeous!  

They were out of a few of their beers, but the ones we tried were tasty.  They have a huge, beautiful patio overlooking the Moira river, and plenty of seating indoors.  

The food was great too! We had chicken and waffles and pork belly bao buns. 

Once we arrived in Ottawa we wanted to check out some more craft beer.  We headed to Tooth and Nail Brewing in the Hintonburg area of Ottawa. It's a great little brew pub in a fun neighbourhood.

They have their own beer on tap, which Matt really enjoyed, plus craft beer and cider from other breweries, and a nice menu of tasty sandwiches.   

We checked in to our hotel, the Andaz Ottawa Byward Market.  We really loved this hotel.  It is right in the centre of the best neighbourhood in Ottawa for restaurants and bars, and easy walking distance to Parliament and other attractions. 

We walked around Byward Market and took a tour of the Royal Canadian Mint, which was really interesting!  They don't produce currency at this location, but they do make collector coins out of gold and silver.  They have a great gift shop too!

For dinner, we headed to one of the top craft beer destinations in Ottawa, which also happened to be across the street from our hotel in Byward Market, Brothers Beer Bistro.   The beer selection, cocktails, food and service were awesome!

I had rainbow trout with Israeli couscous, romesco, rapini and preserved lemon. It was delicious!  Matt had pulled duck poutine and he loved it.  

The next morning we had brunch at the King Eddy in Byward Market. 

Matt had chicken & waffles and I had a great burger. 

Before heading home, we crossed the bridge to Gatineau, Quebec, where there is an amazing horticultural sculpture exhibit that's free to the public until October 15, 2017. 

Part of Canada150 celebrations, MosaiCanada fills a public park with huge plant sculptures depicting Canadian history and culture.  

It's really amazing! 

We had a wonderful time in the Ottawa region and it left us wondering why we don't visit more often.  We'll definitely be back!  

Happy Hour - Hot Toddy

Is this a cocktail or is it medicine?  Many cocktails were created to be medicinal and a Hot Toddy is often said to "cure" a cold or flu.  Speaking from personal experience I can say it does relieve cold symptoms!  

The heat of the drink can clear sinuses and, along with the honey, ease a sore throat.  The lemon is good for vitamin C, and the bourbon just makes you feel better in general before helping you get to sleep.

This drink couldn't be easier, so even someone weak from a cold can handle the recipe. 

Simply stir bourbon, lemon juice and honey with hot water until the honey melts, and drink while relaxing. 

Hot toddies are sometimes made with other whiskey, rum or even brandy. You can use whichever you  prefer or have on hand. Personally, I love the sweetness of bourbon in this drink. 

Here's my recipe but feel free to adjust to your own taste:

2 oz bourbon
1 tablespoon honey
1 oz lemon juice
1/2  cup hot water (just below boiling)

Stir together all ingredients in a large mug until the honey is melted.  Top with a slice of lemon if desired. 

Happy Hour - Bourbon Sour with Egg White

Way back at the end of December we took a little trip back to Lexington, Kentucky. We liked it so much when we were there last year that we decided to return.  

We visited Buffalo Trace Distillery and saw their bourbon making process.  It's a gorgeous operation. We had a great tour and even got to watch them hand-bottling Blanton's bourbon. 

Happy Hour - Brooklyn Cocktail

I'm very interested in craft cocktails lately.  Ever since we went on our Southern USA road trip in the spring, I've been more interested in bourbon.  

The Brooklyn cocktail is usually made with rye but I used bourbon.  Here's what you need for one cocktail:

Vegas Happy Hour

Besides slot machines, one of our very favourite things about Vegas is happy hour.  If you don't live in Ontario, Canada like us, it may be hard to believe but we don't really have happy hour here.  

Half price drinks and snacks are a great way to save money in Vegas.  You can even make a meal of it.  Many bars and restaurants have happy hours.  Most fall somewhere between 2:00 and 7:00 pm.  I tried to plan a happy hour stop each day and even made a spreadsheet with different times and locations because that's just the kind of nut I am.

One happy hour stop was completely spontaneous though.  We were driving on Paradise, trying to get away from the strip traffic, when we happened to pass Gordon Biersch Brewery.  We noticed it was 3:00 and decided to check what they might have for happy hour.  Great choice!  We shared sliders and garlic fries and tried some beer and cocktails.  

Short & Sweet Sunday - The Paloma

I love tequila, but I don't always love tequila cocktails.  A home made margarita with real lime juice is one of my favourite drinks in the world, but it's a lot of work.  Ordering a margarita in a bar almost always results in an acid-y and overly sweet commercial margarita mix.  So I'm always on the lookout for new ways to enjoy tequila.

I'd read about the Paloma, but the first time I tried it was in San Diego.  There are a few ways to make this cocktail.  You can use grapefruit soda or grapefruit juice.  You can add sugar or club soda.  My perfect recipe is below but as long as its made with tequila and grapefruit, you're good.

I paid a premium for freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and it was delicious.  This is a nice blanco tequila that was reasonably priced.  

First, salt the rim of a tall glass.  Run a lime slice around the rim and roll it in course salt.
Add ice and 1.5 oz tequila
Fill with grapefruit juice
Add a squeeze (about a tablespoon) of lime juice
Garnish with a lime slice if you like.

It's delicious and so refreshing.  If your juice is too tart, dissolve a teaspoon of sugar in the drink.  If you find it too sweet or want to cut calories, use half the juice and top with club soda.  No matter what you'll end up with a tasty drink you don't see every day.  

Short & Sweet Sunday - Mexican Hot Chocolate

It's still very cold where I am and spring is taking its time getting to us.  So here's something to warm you up.

There are some combinations that I just love and chocolate and chili is one of them.  We bought this Aztec Drinking Chocolate from ChocoSol at a beer festival in Toronto where they were mixing it with milk stout.  That was delicious, but it's just as good made with plain water.