It is officially spring… According to the calendar at least. It certainly doesn’t feel like spring around here though. We have already been getting the April showers, but holy heck, where is the sunshine?
To get myself into a spring mood, I have been listening to my favourite CANADIAN upbeat and springtastic songs! In the spring, I feel like anything can happen! Everything is fresh and new, and energetic! Our Prime Minister dropped the writ yesterday and an election has been called for April 28! I can feel the momentum and the energetic crackle in the air as Canadians join together to become an even more unified sovereign nation. I love it! Enjoy these fun Can Con songs that always remind me of spring and put a little bounce in my step!
Spring Music Can Con Edition
Keep the Car Running * Arcade Fire
Feeling Good * Michael Buble
Brian Wilson * Bare Naked Ladies
Girlfriend * Avril Lavigne
Ahead By a Century * Tragically Hip
Seasons in the Sun * Terry Jacks
Afternoons and Coffeespoons * Crash Test Dummies
Signs * Five Man Electrical Band
Turn Me Loose * Lover Boy
These Eyes * The Guess Who
In Too Deep * Sum 41
Never Surrender * Corey Hart
Born to be Wild * Steppenwolf
Ordinary Day * Great Big Sea
Gimme Sympathy * Metric
Throughout university and Ninja’s air traffic control school, he worked as a bartender. He was a fantastic bartender! I mean, he’s a great listener, super hot and makes a damn good drink! Now that he’s my husband, I have my own personal bartender at home that makes me fancy cocktails, that don’t cost me anything except perhaps a kiss as a tip lol. Over the past few weeks, we have enjoyed so many delicious spring cocktails, we hope you enjoy them too!
Ninja loves to have a nightcap after a long day. His favourite is an old fashioned. To try something new, he made himself this Gin & Campari Old Fashioned for a spring twist. He prefers a bourbon version (but we are boycotting USA products) but he liked the sweet upfront taste with floral notes and pop of bitterness that the gin and Campari gave it.
I love Brown Cows. Like, Kahlua and milk is my kinda drink. This Roasted Almond is a mix between a Brown Cow and a Paralyzer, minus the coke but add some Amaretto! The Amaretto gives it a nutty flavour that reminds me that all the nut trees in my yard have begun to bloom!
Nothing beats a Cucumber Elderflower Martini on a warm spring day! This refreshing drink is a BURST of flavour that feels like April sunshine and a well spent afternoon digging in the garden. This martini will be a hit at any spring function you put on.
The spring is taking a while to get warm this year so we added some heat with this yummy Pepper Blossom Cocktail. I love all the ingredients in this drink, mixed together it was a spring party in my mouth!
Did you know that BC produces 90% of Canada’s cultivated blueberries and that Canada is the 2nd highest blueberry producer… in the world? It’s true! We love our blueberries! Ninja made a delicious blueberry simple syrup and made us this Blueberry Muffin Shot that actually tasted like a blueberry muffin!
Ninja cut the recipe for this Frozen Strawberry Basil Margarita in half because I wasn’t feeling great the day he made it but I tasted it and WOW! Spring in a glass! Ninja isn’t a fan of a salt rim so he left that part out but the fresh lime juice and the fresh strawberries really made this slushy drink POP!
Ingredients
2 oz gin
1/4 oz Campari liqueur
1/4 oz simple syrup
2 dashes orange bitters
Garnish orange peel
Directions
If you have some "circle ice" or a giant cube, this is best for your rocks glass.
In a shaker, combine your gin, Campari, simple syrup, orange bitters, and shake with ice. But not your circle ice, just regular ice.
Strain over your rocks glass, garnish with orange peel.
Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Amaretto
1 oz vodka
1 oz Kahlua
2 oz milk
Garnish: Shaved chocolate
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a shaker.
Add a handful of ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
Pour into 2 glasses and top with grated/shaved chocolate.
Ingredients
1 oz elderflower liqueur
2 oz vodka
½ cup cucumber, chopped
½ oz lime juice
6 basil leaves
¾ cups ice
Directions
Muddle the cucumber and basil at the bottom of a cocktail shaker for 30 seconds to ensure the flavors of the basil and cucumber blend with the other ingredients in the cocktail shaker.
Add the elderflower liquor, vodka, and lime juice to the cocktail shaker with the muddled cucumber and basil.
Add ice and shake vigorously for 35 seconds.
Strain into a martini glass. Add cucumber ribbon and/or a basil leaves to garnish.
Ingredients
2 oz gin
3 or 4 slices jalapeño, seeds removed
4 or 5 basil leaves
1 oz St Germain
2 oz grapefruit juice
Club soda
Directions
Add the gin, jalapeño slices, and basil leaves to a liquid measuring cup and muddle a bit to release the flavor of the jalapeño and basil. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.
Wet the rim of a glass with grapefruit juice and coat with sugar (it was St Paddy's Day so we made it green!). Fill with ice.
Strain the gin into a cocktail shaker and add the St Germain and grapefruit juice. Stir or shake to combine and pour into the ice-filled glass.
Top off with a bit of club soda.
Ingredients
1 oz RumChata
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz blueberry syrup, divided
Directions
Divide the blueberry syrup between 2 shot glasses.
Add the RumChata and vodka to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake well for 20 seconds and gently strain into the shot glasses using the back of a spoon to layer.
Ingredients
½ pint strawberries
½ cup blanco tequila
1.5 oz. Cointreau
1 oz lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
2-3 basil leaves
ice
1/4 cup salt
Directions
Pour salt onto a small side plate. Rub a lime rind around the edge of 2 glasses, dip each glass into the plate of salt.
Place the strawberries (set aside a few for garnish), basil, tequila, cointreau, lime juice, honey and a few handfuls of ice (6-8 cubes) into a blender.
Mix thoroughly on high until the strawberries, basil, and ice are blended. Pour into the salted glasses and garnish with a strawberry.
This week, there isn’t a new episode of How Was Your Week, Honey? I wasn’t feeling great this weekend. Stay tuned for next week’s episode to catch up on all the fun stuff that happened this week!
This was a better week for me. We watched the I❤️Radio Awards, I got bloodwork prepped for my upcoming infusion, HBear and Dad went to Melt for massages and then out for dinner with her BF, I cleaned up the Kathy Castle’s Little Lending Library, SBean went to a D&D party in her friends family vineyard, where they were the dressed up as players and her friend wrote the campaign (but you are NOT allowed to call it larping lol) She was a Fairy Princess. HBear worked, had a picnic on the beach, had an art party sleepover, and finished her curling season with a fun game against Grandma! The kids got haircuts, dad and Ninja went to the annual scotch tasting event, I taught SBean how to play crib and she beat me on her first time, Uncle S brought us homemade bagels and took the Kids to their 1st Tickleberries of the season, and Dad came over for a delicious ham dinner with a black forest cake that Ninja won in a silent auction for dessert!
