Everywhere we look right now, whether out in the world, at home watching TV or scrolling online news & social media, strikes are sweeping the country, and we’re being told that Britain is entering a Winter of Discontent. More than one million working days will be lost due to strike action. In this world of uncertainty, one thing is sure: strike action comes around cyclically for complex reasons, and such action always brings inevitable consequences.
At home, faced with economic and other constraints, our thoughts turn to frugality. In times like these, when the winter chill bites, to consciously keep pockets of joy in mind, it’s worth reminding ourselves of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. We must look after our well-being on many different levels. From the bottom of the pyramid upwards, human needs are physiological (food, shelter, clothing), safety (personal security, employment, resources), love and belonging (family, friends, intimacy), esteem, and self-actualization.
Cocktails might seem like froth—unsubstantial frivolities, unbefitting of hard times that have no obvious place when we feel our needs aren’t being met in the lower levels of the pyramid.
Allow me to share a different, more comforting perspective. If you’re open to enjoying gin in new ways, keep reading…
Hygge and Cocooning
For centuries, home has been our place of shelter—static, stationary, and secure. Our homely comforts act as a balm against the stresses of life outside the home.
The Danes have a word for it: Hygge. US trend forecaster Faith Popcorn coined the term Cocooning.
Hygge is defined as a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture).
Cocooning is the craving for safety in an increasingly uncertain world. It’s all about staying in instead of going out and insulating ourselves from perceived danger. Metaphorically and literally.
With a harsh winter on the way, many of us will literally wrap ourselves in bulkier layers of clothing to save turning up the thermostat. And on top of this, we’ll seek new layers of resourcefulness to make ourselves feel better. Not just woollen and fleece clothing, but sofa throws, candles, Netflix, fairy lights, calming scents and music to put us in a good mood while we cuddle our pets, appreciate home comforts and drink from our favourite mugs. We can practice gratitude and appreciation. We can become more resourceful with what we have. We invent our own rules. If you want baked beans on toast for dinner and a cocktail for dessert in your fanciest cocktail glass whilst wearing your favourite eau de toilette fragrance, bathrobe and fluffy slippers, that’s your prerogative. Revisiting forgotten blessings in all areas of our lives, early December is the perfect time to do an inventory check of our wardrobes, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, drinks cabinet, and glassware.
Liqueurs have been our most forgotten drinks in the drinks cabinet for too long. If you’re anything like me, some of those bottles may have been with you for more than a decade. To throw them away can seem wasteful. Yet as they’re not our ‘go-to’ drink, we don’t drink them. We stick instead with the familiarity of our go-to G&T on Friday and Saturday nights at home.
So…. go and check. Do you have any random bottles of banana/almond liqueur, ouzo, or limoncello gathering dust at the back of your drinks cabinet somewhere, bought as a souvenir from past travels?
Do an Inventory Check, Spread the Joy
Like you would with your wardrobe items, do an inventory check of what spirits/liqueurs you’ve got in your drinks collection and commit to either use them or lose them. Do the same with your glassware. If you don’t want them, gift them to someone else rather than pour ‘ok’ bottles down the drain or throw glasses away. If you can’t think of someone who might want them, go to a site like Gumtree. People are looking for all sorts of bargains and freebies right now, so why not take a snapshot of any preloved but unwanted bottles and glasses, write a short description and share the spirit of Christmas with someone in your local community?
Anything you decide to keep, go to Google for cocktail recipes or look up what affordable mixers those liqueurs can be paired with if you don’t fancy drinking them neat. There’s something for every eventuality. Get creative. Cocktails are wonderfully creative and inclusive at this time of year and are a great way to add to the spice of life. Make it an adventure.
Maybe you haven’t visited Spain, Greece or Italy for several years, but when you dust off, open and inhale the contents of that bottle of almond/banana liqueur, ouzo or limoncello, memories undoubtedly come flooding back to you. Just your sense of smell alone can evoke fond memories in your brain; you don’t even need to drink the stuff. That’s Hygge.
Lemon Meringue Martini
Inspired by a lemon meringue pie our family shared this week (we haven’t had any for years, so we’d all forgotten how much we love it!), here’s a Lemon Meringue Martini recipe for you if you do happen to find the Italian lemon liqueur, Limoncello amongst your collection.
Let Italy come to you.
The Fairy Gin Mother says: “Besides being the most fabulous way to laden yourself with Vitamin C, Limoncello is designed to enlighten your darkness with lovely lemony sips. Combined with gin and a few simple ingredients you probably already have in the kitchen, this is a delicious delight to enjoy on your sofa, snuggled under your throws whilst surrounded by your fairy lights, watching Netflix.
You know what they say to do when life hands you lemons…?
Well on this occasion, forget lemonade. Wow yourself with a martini instead.”
A resourceful gin lover with limoncello can make lemon meringue martinis!
Invite your Limoncello back into your life in a gorgeously celebratory, hygge-like way. Choose a citrus-forward gin for this dessert cocktail.
For the meringue topping, you will need
Egg White or Aquafaba – Pasteurised eggs are best since they are not cooked for this gin and limoncello dessert cocktail. Aquafaba is an egg-free (vegan) substitute which mimics an egg-white foam when aerated by whipping. Tin of chickpeas? That’ll do.
Granulated Sugar will be whipped into the egg white for a stable, glossy white foam that can stand without losing its volume and elasticity.
Gin – I recommend using a citrus-forward gin.
Limoncello – the glorious tart, sweet, and lemon-infused Italian liqueur. Did you know you can also make homemade limoncello?
Lemon Juice – fresh is best, but use bottled if that’s what you have.
Ice – 1” cubed ice makes for the best aeration and minimum dilution. It will chill your drink quickly and thoroughly.
Ingredients for two cocktails:
For the meringue topping
1 large egg white
100g Granulated Sugar
For cocktails:
Ice
120ml gin
60ml limoncello
60ml lemon juice
edible flower (optional garnish)
Instructions
To make the meringue topping add the egg white and sugar to a bowl. Whisk until the mixture is bright white, smooth, and glossy (this goes quickly with an electric mixer). Set aside.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
Add the gin, limoncello, and lemon juice to the cocktail shaker.
Shake until the outside of the cocktail shaker feels very cold.
Strain into coupe glasses.
Use a spoon to add the meringue mixture on top of the cocktail. It will float!
Serve with (optional) edible flower, and enjoy.
Notes
This cocktail contains raw egg. If you are not comfortable consuming raw egg, you can use the liquid from a can of chickpeas (aquafaba) or skip the meringue topping completely.
We are not aiming to get a stiff meringue mixture for this cocktail, so it doesn’t matter if the egg white and Sugar are still a little runny. As long as its appearance is bright white and glossy, it will float when added to the cocktail.
The meringue topping will sit nicely on top of the cocktail for several hours and won’t sink. It will eventually harden, so we recommend you prepare the cocktails to drink immediately.
The serving size is approximate and may vary depending on the size of your glassware.
We used edible violas to garnish this cocktail.
All types of viola/pansy are edible - so use them from the garden if you have some.
NUTRITION INFORMATION:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 466 Total Fat: 2g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 93mg Sodium: 44mg Carbohydrates: 66g Fibre: 0g Sugar: 64g Protein: 3g
Guaranteed to get you feeling like you’re on top of fluffy white clouds….
Enjoy the froth!!
Love Robbie
The Fairy Gin Mother x
p.s. I’m hibernating my writing and podcast now for winter to hibernate in my cocoon.
See you back in the spring.