I’ve never really celebrated Christmas with my family. I do remember having a Christmas tree when I was very young but the memories of celebrations are a blur. Even if we celebrated, I’m sure it was Chinese style instead of the usual Christmas fare.
After my parents became busy with work, mum gave all our Christmas decorations, including the tree, away to relatives. As we were rarely in Australia during this festival season, the tree wasn’t even missed. Now I’m all grown up and I look back at the blurred memories of Christmas and felt just that tiny bit sad.
I spent last Christmas in Melbourne and wanted to go out for a drink and snacks with Yuye on Christmas Eve, but realised that nothing was open! I should have been smarter and thought ahead, who in their right mind would be opening their shop when they could be spending time with their families? We drove all the way to the CBD and then to Prahran, and finally found Basque Tapas and Wine.
Even with such an experience, I still want to try tonight as staying home when no celebrations are on just seems so lonely. I hope I find some nice places tonight. 😀
To suddenly celebrate Christmas this year when we never did is a bit hard to achieve, but I felt I wanted to make this year a little more special. Although I didn’t really cook up a storm or anything, I did mix up these cocktails for a little adult indulgence and add a little Christmas cheer and colour to our lives. It was especially good in this 30 something degree heat!
Instead of baking ginger bread (as I don’t really like ginger bread much), I thought adding ginger beer or ginger ale instead of lemonade into the drink would make it even more Christmassy.
Pimm’s Cup with a gingery twist
Serves 2Ingredients
2 wedges of lemon
2 slices apple
4 slices cucumber
4 blueberries
1/2 strawberry
Handful of mint leaves
1 part Pimm’s to 2 parts ginger beer
Ice cubes
Technique:1. Assemble 1/4 strawberry, 1 apple slice, 1 wedge lemon and 2 slices cucumber in a cocktail glass.
2. Pierce 2 blueberries with a toothpick and place inside glass, leaving a gap between the blueberries so it can lean on the side of the glass without falling into the drink.
3. Top glass with ice cubes.
4. Pour in ginger beer and Pimms and top with mint leaves.
5. Repeat steps for second glass.
Note: I didn’t specify the amount of Pimms and ginger beer as the amount depends on the size of the glass. If you want to drink a slightly more alcoholic beverage, just add more Pimms and vice versa. I used the above fruits because that’s what I had around the house, feel free to put in any citrus or refreshing fruits that you have lying around.Merry Christmas everyone and hope you’re having a great time filled with lovely food and good company!
xxoo
Jenny
(Visited 490 times, 1 visits today)
Hotly Spiced December 24, 2011, 6:57 am
Merry Christmas Jenny! I love the look of your drink. Very special and Christmasy. I do hope you enjoy better celebrations this year than you have in the past.
Akika (Ichigo Shortcake) December 24, 2011, 11:57 am
@Hotly Spiced, Merry Christmas to you too and thank you for your comment. 😀
Baking Addict December 24, 2011, 3:49 pm
Hi, thanks for stopping by, This looks like a lovely festive cocktail. Love the candy cane heart I hope you have a good celebration whatever you decide to do. Merry Christmas!
just tututiny December 25, 2011, 1:54 am
Nice blog, I hope you are enjoying the holidays. Love the photos! Merry Christmas.
Visit my blog when you get a chance 😉
Akika (Ichigo Shortcake) December 25, 2011, 6:16 am
@Baking Addict, thanks for your comment and hope you're having a great holiday too!
@just tututiny, thanks for visiting my blog. Merry Christmas to you too!
Daisy@Nevertoosweet December 25, 2011, 7:07 am
Nice! Think its time i stocked up on the Pimms hehe
Choux-Fleur December 25, 2011, 8:54 am
wow your cocktails look so vibrant! Merry Christmas, Jenny! I hope you're having a wonderful time!
Akika (Ichigo Shortcake) December 25, 2011, 2:49 pm
@Daisy, I love Pimm's. I can't really drink much alcohol but I can drink a fair bit of Pimm's 😀
@Choux-Fleur, Merry Christmas to you too! Hope you had a good day, now for some Boxing Day shopping. 😛
batasan December 27, 2011, 1:31 am
now these are shots i can get behind, i like the table composition in the second shot, good stuff
Akika (Ichigo Shortcake) December 27, 2011, 2:26 am
@batasan, thanks 😛 I got so frustrated when I took these though. Yuye's back room was over 30 degrees and I was sweating like a pig. lol
myfudo May 19, 2012, 4:38 pm
Your site is so fun and festive! With the colors and the beautiful pictures…I’d be looking forward to your every post.
Kris @bevmo November 27, 2012, 9:02 am
Hi!
I found your image on Pinterest. I love the image and the recipe. I would love to post it on our company blog. I’ll link back to your site and give you full credit.
BevMo! is a wine, beer and spirits retailer based in California, US. We have 130 stores in 3 states – California, Washington and Arizona. http://bevmo.com
Cheers!!
Kris
BevMo!
Director of PR, Social, Events