Laphroaig and orange pancakes (Recipe)

 

I saw this on Friends of Laphroaig and thought I would share since Simon is telling me TODAY is the true Pancake Day.

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone.

Laphroaig and orange pancakes

Preheat oven to gas mark 325F/170C.
To make the pancakes sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.
Then make a well in the centre break in the eggs steady the bowl on a damp tea towel and whisk with one hand (an electric whisk is best).
Then gradually pour in the milk with the other hand until you have a smooth lump free batter.
Halfway through run a spatula round the edge of the bowl to dislodge any lumps that have clogged there.
Lastly add the oil and give another whisk.
To cook the pancakes you need a heavy frying pan not more than 18cm in diameter.
Get the pan really hot and swirl a knob of butter around to coat the base and then tip out the excess melted butter on to a saucer to use when you next need it.
Pour 2 tablespoons of batter into the hot pan swirl it round evenly and as soon as it looks golden on the underneath edge flip it over and brown the other side.
Then fold it in half then in half again and place in a shallow gratin dish.
Now repeat until all the pancakes are made; you should get about 12 overlapping each other in rows in the dish.
For the sauce melt the butter stir in the sugar and simmer this for 5 minutes.
Then add the orange and lemon juice and zest and bring all this up to simmering point then add the Laphroaig and simmer for 3 more minutes.
Next pour the sauce over the pancakes it will look too much at this stage but fear not the pancakes are going to soak up and absorb the sauce.
Now place the dish in the oven for just 10 minutes.
If you want to make this in advance you can re heat it from cold in about 15 minutes but do not put the sauce over the pancakes until ready to re heat.
Makes 10 12 pancakes

Another Laphroaig Cocktail

 

I can’t swear on this one, as it requires some exotic ingredients that I have (nor would I want pay extra for something that just sits around).  Perhaps someone else wants to try it and report back below in the comments section.

Laphroaig Project

1 ounce Green Chartreuse
1/2 ounce (the recipe calls for Laphroaig Quarter Cask, but I used 15-year-old Laphroaig, which worked just fine)
1/2 ounce Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/4 ounce Yellow Chartreuse
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 dashes Fee Peach Bitters

Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, fill with ice cubes and shake vigorously. Strain over rocks into a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2010/02/26/scotch-on-the-sand-bourbon-branchs-laphroaig-project-whisky-cocktail-recipe/

8 Manly Drinks that every guy must try

Thanks to Crash for sending over THIS LINK to the “8 Manly Drinks that every guy must try”.

Now, I won’t copy the article verbatim, but shall instead do what the article didn’t do, crosslink each on on the list so you too can learn about them yourselves.

8 Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon

7 Legacy’s Euphoria Ale (Caution….Dead Link)

6 Sauza Hornitos Tequila – Neat website, one of the few where you input a date and it didn’t take July 4th 1776 as a valid birthday.  I was also caught off guard by the sliding peephole. 

5 Spiced Rum with Apple Cider – Link is to a video on how to make…after watching, I have no idea how this made the “Manly List”

4 Manhattan – Link to the recipe

3 Knappogue Castle

2 Grimbergen – The only beer on the list.  The site is in Belgian and French…no English.  Does this mean we can’t get it in the US?

1 Laphroaig Scotch – Of course the NUMBER 1 Manly Drink is my favorite Scotch. 

The Highland Margarita

I was going to append this to my How to Celebrate Margarita Day, but then thought...hell no! Anything called a Highland Margarita deserves it's own thread.

Cheers

Highland Margarita recipe

1 1/2 oz Tequila
1/2 oz Grand Marnier orange liqueur
1/2 oz Laphroiag Scotch whisky
sweet and sour mix

Pour the tequila, Grand Marnier, Drambuie and sour mix (to taste) into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Pour into a salt-rimmed margarita glass, garnish with a slice of lime, and serve.

Friends of Laphroaig

Ok, I am a shill for free stuff.  If a company wants to send me swag, I am more than willing to stand on my head to get it. 

From the Free Tasting Kit from Killian’s, to everything that Maker’s Mark sends with their Ambassador program…..I dig that stuff.

This weekend, I noticed the little flier for “Friends of Laphroaig” in my whiskey tube, so I checked it out.

First, the flier itself is pretty good…with tasting notes and a little history.  But what really caught my eye…

FREE YOUR OWN SQUARE FOOT OF ISLAY

I was hooked.

Logging onto Laphroaig’s site was easy, and clicking the “Friends” tab brought you to the right area.  Here you have to put in the UPC symbol from the tube and a little personal information from and that was it. 

I was a land owner.

I have even reached out to my “Neighbors” to see if we can expand Smokes and Booze even further.

In addition to the above, every time you buy a bottle of Laphroaig, the same pamphlet I mentioned earlier has a unique code.  Put that code in and you get 10 point.  Accumulate points…..get prizes.  So not only do I get to drink my favorite booze, but I get a reward for it as well.

Man……I love this company.

How does Scotch get the peaty taste

If you have drank scotch with me, you know I like the peat bombs.  Of them, Laphroaig is one of my favorites.  Neat, with just a splash of water (just like in the vid), never goes wrong.

Well, Modern Marvels ran an episode on distilleries….and they filmed at the Laphroaig.

Enjoy, Learn Something and pour a dram or two :)

Paddy Malone's

Last night I surprised my wife and went to Paddy Malone's in Jefferson City with our Friends Jason & Jennifer.

I had never been there, but it had great reviews from other friends.....plus Jennifer had never been to an Irish Pub Environment (other than McNally's in Columbia), so it was looking to be an adventure.

The pub itself is really easy to find, and going to the front door gave a great view of the Capitol Building

Inside didn't disappoint either. The pub is a cross between an Authentic Irish Pub and an Americanized one....but with the flavor very tastefully done. My personal favorite was in the Pub Proper....where all the tabletops had a hand painted "logo" for an Irish City .


Paddy Malone claims to have the best Guinness in Missouri (with great attention to detail), so I decided to kick the night off with that. Debi also went with Guinnes, while Jenn was drinking Amaretto Sours and Jason was having Whiskey and Coke. We also ordered appetizers (Chips and Cheese with Guinness Cheese Sauce, Loaded Tator Tots and the Fried Portabella Mushrooms). We were originally going to work through those and then order real food....but the waitress advised that we wait until we got through the portion size.

The drinks arrived, and I was casually amused with the Shamrock in the foam. I know you are wondering, did the Guinness live up to the hype? I don't know of the best in MO, but I'm pretty sure it's right up there. Perfect temp and very creamy head. When I drank it, the glass striated very well and it arrived ready to go (no waiting for the beer to settle). Since Guinness is my favorite beer on tap.....I know it well, and I was inpressed. Debi said "Very Tasty".

Jenn and Jason liked their drinks (although I can't remember the whiskey in Jason's). Jenn thought the bartender was pretty liberal with booze in her, so that always brings high marks.

Before our food arrived, I followed the Guinness up with a Harp. Again, great temp and very crisp. Service (IMO) was very fast and the waitress was friendly and joked with the table.

When the appetizers arrived, I'm glad our server "scared us off" because there was a lot of food. We all sized an area, I started with the Mushrooms, and dug in. All I can say is Mmmmmm Mmmmmmmm Mmmmmmm (Barak Hussein Obama). Mine was great, the Cheese Sauce was VERY good (with the fries crispilly delicious)and the Tots were not bad. Debi made an astute observation that everyone's favorite was what they started with....so opinions might have been skewed. I tend to think that was the case.

Next round was a Smithwick's, one that I believe I've only had once before. Very good, with a nice Carmel finish. It was hoppier than I expected and that caught me off guard. I loves me some hops....so that was a definite two thumbs up.

After eating, Jason and I explored the patio for cigars. I went with a Gurkha Exotica De Oriente and he had a Crusado from my stock. The patio is the only smoking area of the Pub, but they went to great lengths to accommodate smokers. It is covered, heated and service didn't drop off. They even went out of their way to keep our drinks on our inside tab vs making us run two.

I reviewed their Scotch list, and it too was impressive. I instantly saw Laphroiag and knew what I was drinking for the remainder of the night. I will say, Laphroiag is not for the faint of heart...it is a Peat Bomb in a bottle, and if you are not prepared it can scare you off scotch for life. Jennifer was impressed that adding just a little bit of water smooths out the liquor and really activates the nose. I was in heaven.

Coming back in from Cigars, I went looking for the bathroom...only to find the other section of the bar, where a pickup Irish Music group were playing. Rounding up everyone, we migrated into there and settled in for a couple of sessions. The group was fun to watch and they covered the "Classics". Jenn was in awe, her only forlay into Irish Music had been what is experienced on St Patrick's Day and this was totally different. I did notice that they tended to cover the Chieftains quite a bit, but hey....that doesn't bother me any, and the lead singer tried to always give an explanation of the meaning of each song. Reels, a few hornpipes and some good singing really rounded out the night.


A quick note about the decor of the side room. It's VERY Irish, and is currently being painted with art inspired from the Celtic style, mostly derivatives of animals from the Book of Kells . It's a tight environment and I think this really inspired the guests to participate with the songs. When the room is done, it will be a really nice addition.

Overall, the night was a total success. Good Music, Drinks and Friends made for a great evening. The bill for all four of us was really reasonable (less than $150 with tip, and that is with me drinking a LOT of top shelf scotch) and I would go back again in a heartbeat. If I were to make one recommendation in Jeff City, it would defiantly be..........Paddy Malone's.