Food

The Whiskey Smash

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Tonight I moved on from the Sidecar to my 3rd drink in my quest to have a new hobby.  I tried to make the Whiskey Smash. Over the past year and a half we have had it several times and loved it each time we drank it. I thought it was appropriate for it to be my follow on drink after mastering the Sidecar. It took a while for me to get ready for this one since I needed to remember to order fresh mint. Today we had a Freshdirect delivery and i remembered to order mint. The preperation was a bit more complex than the Sidecar. There was one failed attempt that i threw out, but the 2nd drink made it to completion. The problem was it didn’t taste right so I made another one. That one still didn’t taste right either. I had to confer with the internet. My research told me that the Mixology app had one recipe but it wasn’t the classic one that I likely had drank previously. WIth Mixology failing me I had to call it a night since I didn’t have fresh Lemon’s to try a different recipe. One the plus side I learned what muddleing means and what simple syrup is so I am growing as a want to be Mixologist. Is that what people call themselfs these days?

I reverted back to making two Sidecar’s as our evening cocktails. I got very worried when I ran out of Triple Sec in the middle of the 2nd drink. I was only short a bit and the drink still turned out ok. That will need to get restocked tomorrow.

My New Hobby

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A few weeks ago I decided to pick a hobby. I liked that MC has been enjoying cooking and baking and I wanted something i could do. After going to one of MC’s friends houses while on vacation and seeing their awesome bar and his ability to mix up drinks I settled on learning to make more cocktails. My first drink was something i tried before but hadn’t perfected. It was the Chocolate Martini. I wanted to do a Manhattan but I didn’t have all the ingredients. Initial results over the several days I was making them for MC & I were very positive.

This weekend I worked on my second drink. This time i selected the Side Car. It is one of my favorite cocktails. Many places MC and I goto do not get it right or have no idea what we are talking about when we ask for it. I figured I would be complex so I said challenge accepted. After my research on it I realized it is a classic drink that is not as popular as it was in the 1940’s. That explained why most bartenders don’t know it off the top of their head. The good ones look at us funny when we tell them that others don’t know how to make it.

For the Sidecar I needed to buy Cognac and more lemon juice. The first prototype was good but MC thought it was too lemony. I made some adjustments with more Cognac and less lemon and that was ok but not perfect. It wasn’t until Saturday night were I tweaked the recipe with less lemon juice and more triple sec that we were happy. I was surprised at how easy it was to do with very little practice. Now we can have our favorite cocktail anytime.

I now have to figure out what will my next drink challenge be.

UK Bank Holiday, aka Cinco De Mayo

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For Cinco De Mayo I meet up with my friend Tom from work. He took me over to Hamstead Heath for a nice walk and to show me the London skyline. After that we hit a local pub for lunch and some afternoon bank holiday drinking. It was good to talk and hang out. We talk all the time at work but always on the phone. It is always good to get some good old fashioned bonding done when you are in the same city with someone you only speak to on the phone.

After leaving the pub with Tom I headed back to the hotel. It was early so I really didn’t know what else to do.  I headed out to forage for dinner.  Maybe it was the alcohol or the fact that there was no line but I ended up eating at the Shake Shack in Covent Gardens. When I told her about it MC made some fun of me for doing that but I maintain if i was on the moon and there was a Shake Shack with no line i would eat there. Seriously that place always has a line. I was just utilizing an opportunity.  It was the perfect after drinks meal for someone who wasn’t keeping track of what they eat while they travel.

After the meal it was back to the hotel and a FaceTime with MC and the kids and now off to bed since it was back to work tomorrow.

Day Two Alone in London

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It is day two of me by myself in London. Technically day 7 of my trip. It is Sunday of a bank holiday here in the UK and the weather was fantastic.

After realizing Covent Gardens was a 5 minute walk from my hotel and that area had tons of stuff to do I went there for breakfast. I went to Bill’s. it was good but only after i went did i realize it was a chain. I was aiming for somewhere unique but apparently didn’t find it. The food was still good.

After breakfast I walked around Covent Gardens some more. It is a great area and everyone who recommended to stay at the hotel i am in was spot on.

After a little walking I headed back over to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. I wanted to see it and since i had less planned today i was ok to wait on line. It turned out to be about an hour wait. The museum was fun but not really worth the hour wait or the 10 pounds it cost to get in. As a Sherlock Holmes fan however I probably would have done it again if i had more information so no regrets.

After the Museum and gift shop (I didn’t buy anything honest) I headed over to Regent street for some shopping. I was looking for a replacement jacket for my North Face Jacket. I like the jacket but it is just a bit big on me. I got it when i was loosing weight and had no clue i would move into a size small. Now a Medium is really big on me. I ended up not finding anything I liked but got a pull over base layer to wear under a jacket like the North Face with a tea shirt.

After shopping I was back at Covent Gardens for the Transit Museum. It was interesting but not worth the 15 pounds. Unlike the Sherlock Holmes Museum I wouldn’t do this Museum again without kids.

After the transit museum I got some Gelato since i skipped lunch. It was good. I ate it on my walk back to my hotel.

At the hotel I unwound from the day of walking around and texted with my friend Tony trying to get dinner ideas. I selected Burger & Lobster as my dinner destination. It is in Soho and a 5 minute tube ride from my hotel. There was an hour and a half wait for a table but since i was alone i was able to get a seat at the bar with only little effort. I got the Lobster Roll. It was one of only 3 options on the menu. I could have had the Lobster Roll, a Burger, or Lobster. The Lobster Roll was fantastic and the food came pretty quick. Tony is now two for two on resteraunt picks.

After dinner I walked back from SoHo to my hotel. I didn’t find anywhere that looked good for desert so I ended up at the same chain cafe (not Starbucks) were i had desert and coffee yesterday. After that I turned into the hotel early. Since I was in the UK I did some light reading and then watched a Doctor Who episode on my computer!

My First Free Day By Myself In London

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Since having kids it has been rare that I have not had to get up to do anything. With that in mind and the fact that I was up really early most days this past week I slept till almost 10 today. To pack light I didn’t bring my small messenger bag to carry my iPad. I didn’t want to carry my big laptop bag with me for just my iPad so I was happy to find out that my iPad Mini fits perfectly in the pocket of my North Face Jacket. With my book/research tool/all around time waster in hand I headed out for the day. I had breakfast at an Italian coffee house near the hotel while I planned my day. I had lots of ideas but generally I was going to wing it.

I started off by hopped the tube for Westminster to do a walk from the Rick Steve guide book. I saw Big Ben, London eye, Westminster, Downing Street and then off to Trafalgar Square. It was interesting and a great day for a walk.

After that I headed over to Baker Street to see Sherlock Holmes’ place but didn’t go into the museum since the line was huge. I may try again tomorrow but I am not sure. I was a bit disappointed by not getting in but i really didn’t want to waste what looked like at least an hour or more waiting on line. While on line I got a FaceTime call from MC and Teagan. I was happy to talk to them, and impressed that the video call worked pretty well over 3G.

Instead I headed over to Fortnum and Mason. I wanted to do afternoon Tea. MC and several others suggested it as the best place to go for Tea. I didn’t have a reservation and they couldn’t seat me. My backup location Brown’s Hotel was only a 5 minute walk so I headed over to there. They were able to seat me after a short wait. I like the fact that they brought seconds of the sandwiches. Otherwise I had a good time but was generally underwealmed by the pastry and the service. I don’t regret going but would try to find a new location or get reservations at Fortnum & Mason’s if I ever did Tea in London again.

After tea I walked around all the shops near Piccadilly Circus. I got the girls cuddly gifts at at Hamley’s Toy Store. Was able to do another FaceTime with MC to confer about what to get. I am pretty pleased with what I got!

After walking and shopping I headed back to the hotel to relax a bit before heading out for dinner. At my friend Tony’s suggestion I went to a burger place called Meat Liquor. It was very loud, but I got a seat right away. The drinks were good and the food was also good. I was in the mood for a greasy burger and this place delivered. After dinner I headed back to the hotel hoping to find a desert place nearby. The desk clerk had some ideas so I walked over to Covent Garden. It is about a train station away or 5 minute walk. I checked out the square there. There were tons of shops and restaurants and live entertainment. It was fun, but all the live events just made me a bit home sick since i thought how cool it would have been to have MC and Teagan there. Amelia is of course too young to appreciate it. I didn’t find anywhere i wanted to stop at so i walked back to around my hotel and ended up at the same cafe I started the day off in to have a piece of cake and a cappuccino. Now i am unwinding at the hotel writing and thinking about plans for tomorrow. It was a very active day for me. My Jawbone UP is saying I did 252% of my activity target or 20,161 steps. Not a record. That goes to the day my friend Jenn and I walked around Manhattan. This takes 2nd place for most active day since I started tracking my activity!

Spent the Day at a CIA Listening Post, Well Sort Of

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Today I am in London and I spent my entire day at a CIA listening post. Well that is partly true. It was depicted as a CIA listening post in a James Bond film but in reality it is just a Thomson Reuters Data Center in London. I am not sure of what movie but several people have confirmed it. I can talk about it only because when I pull the area up on a public map the building is labeled.

I was in a workshop all day, but the views from half the building are of the river overlooking the Millennium Dome. I would have loved to take some pictures but I am pretty sure they frown on that. The workshop was very interesting. I have two more days of it but the next two are a bit different than the first one so we shall see how they go. I was just thankful that we got to the office and back without too much drama. The trip was already planned before we found out about the Tube strike. Thankfully we left early enough this morning to get a cab directly to the office. We were able to take the DLR halfway back to the hotel and then got lucky finding a cab. The down side of the morning cab was I went to bed at 11:30 and got up at 5:30 to be out early. Tonight I am aiming to goto bed a bit earlier to get up tomorrow at the same time.  Thankfully the strike is over tomorrow, but I have to deal with it next week if they keep to their plans to strike again

After work I got drinks and dinner with one of the trainers who is staying at my hotel. I was also able to get a pre-pay SIM card so i am a bit more connected for the long trip. WIFI at the hotel is great. Work is more limiting so having additional freedom is nice. Even after all the suggestions from MC, Cathy (thanks Cathy but I am not spending 50 pounds on a Doctor Who tour) and others I still don’t know what to do this weekend while in the city by myself. On that note I am off to bed. I will try to read some travel guides tomorrow night.

Suiting Up For a Fund Raising Dinner

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Yesterday MC’S friend called asking if we wanted tickets to a free fundraising dinner since her husband had extra tickets. We hadn’t had a night out in a while and our babysitter was able to stay late so we said yes. it was cool to dress up and goto a $500 a plate fund raiser. Added bonus it was for an cause that if i had money to give I would donate to.

MC and I also got a chance to hang out with two of her friends who we hadn’t seen since our wedding.