Quaintrelle Weekender

Everybody chill: how to make cocktail bar-worthy ice, boozy popsicles, and a sangria for the lazy

Doesn’t this acupuncture patient look sexy and relaxed? (This is not me.)

A Moment on the Tips (of my toes), a Lifetime on the Hips

My chiropractor/acupuncturist has confirmed I am not getting old.

Well, I am.

We all are. Even babies are constantly aging.

But according to Dr James Ho, god amongst men, I’m not like, old and decrepit, old.

I was lying on his table, the pins sticking out of my right hip gently throbbing as his pulsating machine (not nearly as erotic as it sounds), sent small, electric shocks to the “tight area.”

Perhaps it was the steady electrical current coursing through my facia (yogis say hips are where emotions are stored; and Shakira says they don’t lie), but I felt the need to confess to him my worries that my body is breaking down before my eyes.

My chiropractor, whose main source of business is working with professional athletes (I ended up with him as a referral from a friend, whose sister-in-law played on Canada’s Olympic basketball team and saw him to fix her rotator cuff), told me all my ouchies are natural. He says just like a car, any body that’s been used at all begins to show some mileage at some point.

He then called me an athlete. Without irony. As I said, a god amongst men.

But truthfully, the people who really pay his bills are actual athletes. Basketball, hockey, football (both Ted Lasso’s version and Taylor’s boyfriend’s version). He has the signed jerseys on his walls. The men and women, who, after a lifetime of using their bodies in the most aggressive ways possible, have now been left in tatters. Me? I’m a professional drinker who likely sustained injuries from teetering around on too-high heels after downing a few Chardonnays. To be fair, that’s a decently pro move that not just anyone can master, it takes years of dedicated practice, but still, it’s not exactly like people are wearing my name on their shirts.

In light of the chiropractor/acupuncturist visit, today’s Weekender theme is all about icing it.

The Weekender is free for all to read.

But if you would like to help support my drinking and resulting chiropractor visits, please consider upgrading to the premium membership for $6Cdn, which is roughly $4USD and slightly less than €4.

And if premium membership is not in the cards right now, I totally get it. These weekend posts remain free and however you subscribe, I’m happy you’re here.

Ice Age

How The Size of Ice Affects Your Drinks

Trust me, I was so tempted to say size matters, but that’s been done to death, so I refrained. But you should know the snickering 12-year-old in me thought about it. This article from Food & Wine is for the nerds out there. I loved it. The mag doesn’t usually go so deep on these topics but every once in a while they bust out a real science-y humdinger just to irritate America’s Test Kitchen.

Raise the Bar

Make the Same Clear Ice as the Fancy Cocktail Bar

I’ve been following

Drifter's Joint

on Instagram for a while now. He hosts extremely helpful, mostly doable, cocktail videos for the home bartender. This one on making swanky ice is probably tops in my book. With a simple 5-quart cooler, a serrated knife and a rubber mallet, you too can have the crystal-clear ice blocks of intimidatingly cool cocktail bars.

Break the Mold

Silicone Ice Cube Trays for Cubes & Spheres

If you don’t have the freezer space for a 5-quart container (hi, it’s me 👋 ) the link above connects to the silicone molds I use to make larger ice cubes. They only have space to create six at a time, and it does take about 24 hours to properly freeze, so during busy entertaining months like summer and the Christmas holidays… and always, really, I will freeze a batch, pop them into a freezer bag and go about freezing another batch. Admittedly, they’ve never created the crystal clear models shown in the photo, and the spheres aren’t perfectly round, but they get job done and no one’s complained about their ice cube so far.

Frozen cocktails on a stick. Perhaps the safest description.

Cocktail. But Make it Popsicle.

Homemade Boozy Popsicles

I so desperately want to call these cocksicles, but I fear that will tarnish my classy lady image. Certainly

Jolene Handy

, author of the entertainingly nostalgic Time Travel Kitchen, and where I read about this frozen idea, would never stoop to such base humour. (Also, check out her stunning photo of her homemade pops! It’s magazine-worthy.) Anyway, now that I’ve read about them (poptails? Better?) I can’t get them out of my head for summer parties. The link above has some intriguing recipes for various recipes. I’m thinking strawberry daiquiri and piña colada would be perfect for a pool party.

When You Want to be Chic, But You’re Also Lazy

The heat is coming (right? right?!?), and very soon you will likely lack any motivation to do anything. This is where sangria is a boon for sweltering summer hosting: it’s sexy and stylish and you literally just pour everything into a pitcher and serve.

Ottolenghi’s White Sangria – lemon grass, kiwi, black peppercorns and white wine. Yum.

My Rosé Sangria – it’s worth repeating.

Tinto de Verano (which I’ve been told repeatedly and emphatically is not sangria)

Years ago, when I had a drink tour company, one of our restaurant partners was an authentic Spanish place on Queen West. Owned by a woman from Madrid, she would show our groups how to make refreshing and simple Tinto de Verano (not sangria!) to beat the summer heat.

• 1 bottle (750 ml) low-tannin, juicy red wine, such as Crianza-level Rioja, Beaujolais, or simple Côtes du Rhône

• 2 cans (710 ml) lemon-lime soda. The restaurant used San Pellegrino Limonata, but you could also try Sprite or 7-Up

• Sliced mixed citrus

Into a pitcher combine all ingredients. Chill and serve over ice.

Peppers about to burst

Next Week…

You will all be delighted to know both my strawberry and pepper plants are blooming, and I expect fresh produce to pop through any time now.

If you’re surprised to hear about my small farm*, you can see what I’m talking about in this video tour of my lanai.

And speaking of healthy, homegrown produce, I think next Wednesday, for premium subscribers, I will share some of the things I’ve added to my routine that has a) increased my flexibility to make pigeon pose (nose-to-knee) painless and easy, b) made my hairdresser tell me my usually split-end and weak hair had grown much faster than usual and was in fantastic shape, c) the workout routine that has me completing 36 full body push ups in proper form, and d) significantly reduced tummy bloat. Of course, I’ll also include some of my go-to recipes.

Next Saturday, I’ll return with a free-for-everyone post, which will share a few ideas from next week’s birthday and Father’s Day celebrations, that, if we’re lucky, will all happen poolside.

See you then.

xo – Erin

*balcony container garden

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