The Athol Brose ToddyHappy National Hot Toddy Day! Obviously this is one of my favourite made up holidays, and unlike some of the more unfortunately planned ones, happens to fall right when you need a warming beverage the most. This year I decided to try a toddy twist on a classic concoction- The Athol Brose. This traditional Scottish drink is made with scotch, honey, sometimes oatmeal, and sometimes cream. I highly recommend giving it a google- it's pretty interesting! I decided to forego the oatmeal in mine, although I wouldn't be opposed to working it in in future attempts. Instead I opted to infuse the cream with Earl Grey tea, which is what pushes this drink into toddy territory. First warm the cream until just starting to steam. Place teabag in cream and let steep until desired strength. I recommend taking it a hair further than you expect, since there will be other bold flavours in the drink. Return cream to fridge and let fully chill. Place (empty) cocktail shaker into fridge to chill. Make honey syrup by stirring together honey and hot water until fully combined. Just before you are ready to pour and serve, put cream into chilled shaker and shake until fully aerated but not "whipped." Pour honey syrup to taste into glass or mug. Add equal measures of scotch and hot water. Pouring along the edge of the glass, float the cream over the mix. Serve and drink immediately. *My glass was purposefully small, intended to almost be a warm and soothing shot, but equally intended to show off the nature of the float. If the appearance of the drink doesn't matter, I would serve in a warmed mug with an even greater volume of scotch and hot water.* Your first sensation is the smell of the tea, full bodied and bright. Then as you sip you get the incredibly rich, cool, and creamy beginning followed by the sweet, spiky, and warm base. It's the perfect match of opposites. So today, or any day you need helping warming up, give the Athol Brose Toddy a try.
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Happy National Shortbread Day!This winter has felt a little colder, a little rainier, and a lot more blustery than usual. Which means I've been craving darker, stiffer teas, the kind you spike with milk and a little sugar. You know the type: black blends, PG Tips or Yorkshire Gold, any of the Breakfasts, Lapsang if you're adventurous. I wanted my shortbread to stand up to these fuller flavours with a bite of its own. So I made these: Rosemary Orange Shortbread. Aromatic, slightly astringent, but sweet and rich, just like the teas I designed them to pair with. Rosemary Orange Shortbread (Based on a recipe by Will Torrent) 300g butter, softened 150g sugar 1 heaping tablespoon fresh rosemary zest of 1 orange teaspoon of vanilla 400g flour salt Rough chop the rosemary then combine with sugar in a food processor. When all of the rosemary is finely minced, pour into mixing bowl and add butter. Beat until light and fluffy. Add orange zest and vanilla, then mix again. Finally, add your flour and salt and beat until dough is uniform. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours. Remove from fridge 20 min before you wish to bake. Dust work surface with flour, roll out dough to desire thickness. Cut out desired shapes and arrange on parchment lined baking sheets. Brush a little water on the top of each cookie and press a rosemary leaf into the surface. Place pans in fridge to re-chill dough. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake on middle rack of oven for about 15 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Remove from oven and immediately dust tops of cookies with sugar. Cool completely and serve. No matter what type of shortbread you bake, buy, or eat, may it always pair well with your tea.
Menu Starters Marcona Almonds Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives Picholine Olives Herbs de Provence Cured Olives Celery with Trio of Dipping Sauces Sandwiches Harlequin Ham and Swiss Cucumber Blossom Sweets Tangerine Marmalade Scones Black Sesame Cookies Eclairs Meringues Drinks Black and Gold Tea French 75 Cocktail It certainly wouldn't be a celebration 20s style without a little giggle-water or jorum of skee. The French 75 is a classic cocktail that is quick, easy, and holds up well in a punch bowl. With gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and bubbly, the French 75 is quintessentially old-school but also refreshingly timeless. Serve it in cut crystal for a subtle nod to the midnight ball drop, and freeze lemon peel in ice rings to add a little extra drama. For youngsters and teetotalers, a black and gold tea blend is served from a vintage silver tea pot. Handleless teacups are a great way to recognize the heavy influence Chinese and Japanese designs had throughout the era. The tea itself is a mixture of Chinese Chrysanthemums, Chinese Golden Spring (a black tea that includes buds covered in golden down), and Lapsang Souchong. The chrysanthemums and Golden Spring are both fairly mild teas with delicate flavours. The Lapsang is there to provide just a little bit of a backbone to the others, and round out the floral notes with the barest hint of smoke.
The sweets are a healthy mix of French pastries (the moniker used on 1920s menus for desserts) and classic tea time treats. Tangerine marmalade scones, with jam in the dough as well as melted over the top, have the same sweet yet tangy brilliance as the French 75. Chocolate dipped eclairs get their glad rags on with a bit of gold deco, and meringues are the cat's meow in shimmering black fringe. Lemon scented cookies rolled in black sesame seeds find the right balance between rich and delicate. All in all the sweets are complementary to the bold starters, the punchy booze, and the mild mannered tea. The decorations are simple in black, gold, and silver, with crystal accents. The flapper inspired backdrop is constructed from wrapping paper that was fringed and layered. Simple white flowers and lemon slices fill a shallow bowl for an elegant but effortless centerpiece. Add a few floating votives to give even more depth and shine to your table. So put a little elbow grease into polishing the silver, gather your hotsy-totsy friends, and have a rollicking good time with this Bee's Knees New Years Eve Tea Party. From Bedford Cottage Tea House, I hope you have a swell end to 2018 and a keen beginning to 2019. That's berries, folks!
January 11th is National Hot Toddy Day! Hot Toddies are one of my favourite winter beverages, and it is no mistake that Hot Toddy Day falls right in the middle of National Hot Tea Month. A good tea, a little honey, a little lemon, and a good dose of whiskey come together to make a beverage that is hand-warming and heartwarming. It's perfect for those days when the weather is cold and dreary and the nights are dark and arrive early. There are as many iterations of a Hot Toddy as there are people drinking them. This is the one I make most often, having slowly tweaked the recipe to fit my personal tastes. I'm a sucker for anything with a rich, smokey flavour, so I use a mix of English Breakfast and Lapsang Souchong for my tea base. I recently started using an extra-smokey scotch as the tipple; this makes for a rather campfire-y toddy, which is not for everyone. The balance between the heavy tea, peaty scotch, sweet honey, and sour lemon is exactly my cup of tea, however. Hot Toddy BCTH Style makes 2 toddies 1 heaping teaspoon English Breakfast 1 heaping teaspoon Lapsang Souchong Juice of 1/2 a Lemon + garnish 4 oz Whiskey or Scotch Honey to taste Steep tea with 16oz of boiling water for 5-8 minutes. Pour scotch into pre-warmed glasses or mugs. Add tea. Squeeze juice into glass and finish with desired amount of honey. Serve hot with lemon garnish. Winter is just settling in, so there is still plenty of time to experiment with a toddy recipe of your own. Do you like rum instead of whiskey? Cloves studded into your lemons for an extra punch? Apple slices instead of citrus? Be sure to let me know how you like your toddies in the comments!
The Nutcracker story is a cherished part of many holiday traditions, so what better way to celebrate than a tea party inspired by the classic ballet? A Christmas tree presides over the festivities, a nutcracker rallies his gingerbread soldiers against an army of marzipan mice, and sugar plums dance over taste buds. Watch this magical tea party come to life as the curtain rises and the lights begin to twinkle. Menu Overture: Winter Spiced Tea Act I Candy Stripe Toasts Three Cheese Scones Snowflake Harlequin Butter Spiced Nuts Gingerbread Soldiers Entr'acte: Hot Cocoa with Espresso Marshmallows Act II Marzipan Mice Russian Tea Cakes Sugar Plums Christmas Tree Croquembouche The party begins with a winter spiced tea, inspired by the Chinese Dance in the Land of Sweets. Black tea from China joins with star anise, cinnamon, orange slices, and candied ginger for a brew that is spicy, slightly sweet, and fragrant. Following the tea is an assortment of savory delights to satisfy and stuff. Rye bread toasts striped with red and green pestos and cream cheese are fun to look at and fun to eat. Perhaps the three cheese scones that follow are to blame for the presence of the Mouse King. He wouldn't be able to resist their cheesy decadence and neither can anyone else, especially not when spread with harlequin butter. Before he gets broken by Clara's brother, the Nutcracker had some work to do cracking open the nuts that were spiced and glazed. The gingerbread soldiers appear at the end of Act I to escort us from savory to sweet. Their cakey interiors are laced with black pepper and stiff molasses, an enticing combination perfect for a cold winter cookie. The sweets begin with a cup of hot chocolate with espresso marshmallows, inspired by the Spanish and Arabian Dances. It's a perfect, creamy, and reinvigorating treat. The Nutcracker and his soldiers may have done away with the Mouse King, but there are still a few marzipan mice waiting to be polished off. Better get to them quickly, before they eat all of the Russian tea cakes and sugar plums. As a reminder that it wasn't all a dream, the croquembouche Christmas tree is still standing high above all. Gentle puff pastry filled with pastry cream and finished with gleaming green sugar is the grand finale for this delightful tea party. The Nutcracker is a fanciful holiday tale, one full of intrigue, mystery, and magic. Hopefully this Nutcracker Tea Party has been equally so. Whether you plan on seeing the ballet, participating in it yourself, or simply watching one of the movie versions from the comfort of home, a few inspired treats might be just the thing to bring it to life and give your December a little childlike wonder. Happy Holidays from Bedford Cottage Tea House!
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