Page 180 - April Issue

mother, baby & child April 2011 mama me-time | recipes

KITCHEN MAGIC!

Add another star to your ‘Mommy
Profile’ as you surprise your kids (and
hubby too!) with these tickle-on-the-

taste-buds and easy-to-do recipes!

A long, long time ago, scruffy young men would try to mimic their gentlemanly
counterparts. Their vain efforts are being derisively referred to as ‘cocktails’. This epithet
came to us from the name given to racing horses in England which were not thoroughbred
and hence distinguished by having their tails ‘cocktailed’.

A mixture of spirits, Cock-Ale, is known to have been fed to roosters just before a
cockfight and also to the winning punters, who would put as many tail feathers into their
drink as the number of ingredients it contained.

Whatever the origin of the name, the cocktail as we know it (and enjoy it!) gained
popularity during the Prohibition Era in the United States (1920-35) where it had become
customary to mix alcohol with water, sugar and bitters to hide the unpalatable flavour of
the liquor. In no time at all, cocktails began to surpass each other in taste and perfection,
and today’s “mixed drink” has been in our lexicon for as long as we have been alive!

And the clever, stylish mum-to-be or lactating momma can enjoy the refreshing flavours of
what we here at Mother, Baby & Child prefer to when entertaining her friends, or simply
enjoying a moment of relaxation… Voila! The mocktail!

A simple mixed drink which can sooth the nerves after a hard day’s work, enliven lagging
conversation, enhance a simple menu and even prod a sluggish get-together into a
garrulous party!

There are a few basic and simple rules in making a mocktail which can be easily
acquired. With this knowledge, feature recipes and a little imagination, you can make a
name for yourself in the mocktail circuit in no time at all! And perhaps get you started on
setting up your own small but well-stocked home bar!

So, let’s get started with this season’s prime produce: the berries of northern spring…

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