Rae Summers's Blog, page 5

Cocktail Friday: Mulled Wine

It's bleak midwinter here in South Africa, so today's drink is a winter warmer. There are many recipes for mulled wine, but very simply this is red wine warmed with spices. This drink is common across Europe, though it goes by many names: Glühwein in Germany, Glögg in Scandinavia, mulled wine in Britain.

Good spices to start with are cloves, allspice, and orange peel (fresh is okay, dried is better). Other spices that are regularly used are cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, nutmeg, ginger and vanilla pods. Customise to your own tastes.

Don't use the powdered spices readily available in supermarkets, as this will change the texture of the wine, so rather look for whole pods or sticks. If you have the patience, wrap the spices in muslin or cheese cloth, but if you're lazy like me, just throw the spices into the wine.

To make: pour red wine (or you could use port or claret) into a small pot. Add the spices, then simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Sweeten to taste with sugar. Serve warm. Yum!

Celebrities of the 20s: Sergei Diaghilev

I've known of Sergei Diaghilev, master of the famed Ballets Russes, since I was a girl, but it was only when I researched this post that I discovered he was so much more than just a ballet icon. He was an impresario in the truest meaning of the word, the Cameron Mackintosh of his day.

More than that, he was a man who brought all the artistic disciplines together: art, music, dance, drama. He was a man who pushed boundaries. His collaborations with composer Igor Stravinsky, ballet master Leonide Massine and designer Leon Bakst changed the face of the ballet, if not all stage performances.

Sergei was raised in a wealthy, cultured home, (the family's wealth coming mostly from vodka distilleries). The heaviest influence during his adolescence was his artistic stepmother. He studied music and singing in St Petersburg, but when it became evident he would not have a successful career in music, he moved instead into management at the Imperial Theatres, under Prince Sergei Volkonsky. However, he challenged the authorities and after the turn of the century he was discharged and branched out on his own.

His first excursion to Paris was in 1906, and he returned several times in the following years with different performances and exhibitions. In 1909 he was invited back to Paris and the Ballets Russes was launched. Included among the company's first performers were Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina and Vaslav Nijinsky.

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Diaghilev remained in Western Europe and never returned to his homeland. His career, however, continued to ascend. His reputation was as a stern, demanding taskmaster, but his legacy lives on to this day.

He died in Venice in 1929, at the end of that glorious decade he so epitomizes, the Roaring Twenties.

If you are interested in reading further, Amazon has dozens of books about Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes.

Love Romances Cafe

I'm over at Love Romances Cafe today, chatting about writing, the 20s and Let's Misbehave. Please drop by and say 'hello'.

Cocktail Friday: the Chocolate Martini

I heard about this drink ages ago from the lovely Jackie Ashenden, but it wasn't until recently that I actually found a bartender who knew how to make one. The occasion was a friend's wedding at The Oyster Box Hotel on the coast just north of Durban, with magnificent views over the sea, a stunning cocktail lounge … and the drink that has perhaps now become my favourite cocktail of all.

Chocolate Martini

4 ounces of Absolut Vanillia vodka
1 ounce of clear Creme de Cacao
2 ounce of Godet White Chocolate liqueur
1 teaspoon of coconut flakes

Add the vodka to a shaker half full of cracked ice. Shake vigorously for a full minute. Add the white chocolate liqueur, and Creme de Cacao. Swirl the shaker for another full minute, and then let it rest for a minute. Strain your martini into freezing martini glasses. Distribute the coconut (or chocolate!) flakes evenly between both glasses. Stir each martini gently to get the blizzard going!

This recipe is courtesy of www.martinisatmidnight.com

This is the sort of view that should be enjoyed as you sip this cocktail:

Minxes Grand Prix Contest

This week is the final week of the Minxes' Birthday Bash. Up for grabs this week are a copy of Sally Clements' Catch Me a Catch, which was shortlisted for the RNA's Joan Hessayon award, and also a RIVA! bag made by Minx Lorraine.

Grand Prix Contest

In order to enter the Grand Prix contest, you'll need to be a follower of the Minxes Blog, and the question you need to answer is simple: How old is Minxes of Romance?

The first prize will include:

A signed copy of Sally Clements' Bound to Love
A "Careful or you'll end up in my novel" t-shirt
A personalised Minxy notebook courtesy of Minx Jo P
An Amazon gift voucher valued at $10 courtesy of Minx Sri

One runner-up will also win the following:

Claire Robyns' historical novel Betrayed
An Amazon gift voucher valued at $10 courtesy of Minx Maya

This contest will close on Sunday 29th May, and the winners will be announced on Monday 30th May.

Where is all this happening? http://minxesofromance.blogspot.com

Win a copy of Let's Misbehave!

As part of the Minxy Birthday Bash, I'm giving away a copy of Let's Misbehave. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this Minxy blog post, an interview with USA Today best-selling author Maureen Child: Minxes of Romance.

The winner will be announced at the end of this week. Good luck!

Oh what a beautiful morning!

This morning I stumbled across a new review for Let's Misbehave which completely made my day. Actually it's not new as it dates from March, which shows you can't trust Google Alerts to alert you every time.

Though the review is identical to the one posted by The Romance Reviews, but what tickled me pink about this one is that they rated this: B – Great, would want to read again.

Click on the image below to read the full review.

Cocktail Friday: Cable Car

This drink is a relatively new creation, created in 1996 as a signature cocktail for the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco. It is a variation of the popular 20s drink, the Sidecar. I discovered this one recently during the inaugural meeting of the Cape Town chapter of ROSA (Romance writing Organisation of South Africa). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces (45ml) Captain Morgan Spiced Rum

3/4 ounce(20ml) orange Curacao

1 1/2 ounces (45ml) fresh lemon sour (to create lemon sour, mix two parts fresh lemon juice with one part simple syrup)

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a cinnamon sugar rimmed cocktail glass.  Garnish with an orange spiral.

The Wild Rose Press' 5th Birthday Bash

Today sees the start of a 5 day birthday bash at The Wild Rose Press as they celebrate their 5th birthday. Sadly, I'm away on holiday in Cape Town this week, so all I can do is urge you to drop by their Yahoo reader loops to see what's happening. There will be lots of prizes for anyone who gets involved, including gift certificates.

You can find the two reader loops here:

The Wild Rose Press for romance readers

The Wilder Roses for erotic romance

Have fun, and I hope you all win lots of goodies (and then you can buy my novella!)

Follow me into the limelight

Vintage Rose author Cherie Le Clare is hosting a selection of VR authors on her blog, and this week I'm the one hogging the limelight. Please follow me over to Cherie's blog and find out a little inside information on Let's Misbehave: http://cherieleclare.com/blog/. If you haven't already read this novella, this could be your chance to win a copy. Just leave a comment on Cherie's blog and you're entered.

I'm also blogging today at Nocturnal Nights.