Blueberry Fizz

Summer's winding down and that means the blueberries are in the supermarket. The tiny fruit is a nutritional powerhouse, credited with possessing health benefits ranging from Alzheimer's and urinary tract infection prevention, to lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.

But if you're not getting enough blueberries from jams, muffins, and pies, Dr. 500 Words prescribes the following cocktail.

Muddle 12-15 blueberries in the bottom of a tall glass. Add 1½ oz. of gin and 4 or 5 ice cubes. Fill with 4 or 5 ounces of lemon-lime pop. Give everything a gentle stir and garnish with a few more blueberries.

About the pop: read the labels. Some have nearly twice the sugar and calories as others. You can also cut back on the calories by substituting a lemon- or lime-flavoured sparkling water for the pop.

That's our twelfth and final fruit-themed cocktail of Summer 2011. I hope you've enjoyed them. Next Thursday I'll look ahead to what's coming in cocktails and travel and points for fall.

Cheers!

Prickly Pear Margarita

The prickly pear cactus grows throughout the deserts of the southwest United States. Juice and syrup can be produced from its edible, fuchsia-coloured, pear-shaped fruit. And, or course, cocktails can be produced from the juice or syrup.

Recently, my sister-in-law celebrated a special birthday, and at my brother's request, I reproduced a cocktail she had enjoyed during a holiday in Arizona – the Prickly Pear Margarita.

The only hard part about making one is getting hold of prickly pear syrup, but an online search revealed many sources of supply. I placed an order and five days later I had my syrup and testing began.

Here's the recipe I came up with: to a cocktail shaker half full of ice, add 1½ oz. of tequila, ¾ oz. lime juice, ½ oz. triple sec, and ½ oz. prickly pear syrup. Shake sharply for 30 seconds and pour into a Margarita glass. Allow a few pieces of ice to slip into the glass in order to dilute the drink, as it's quite concentrated otherwise. Or you can blend the ingredients with ½ cup of crushed ice if you like frozen Margaritas.

If you don't happen to have any prickly pear syrup handy, you could experiment with other fruit syrups – blueberry, blackberry, or pomegranate, for example. Or try using a one-inch cube of peach sorbet instead to make a Peach Margarita.

The Prickly Pear Margarita is a good example of how switching up one ingredient in a familiar cocktail recipe can produce new and interesting results. Don't be afraid to experiment: you can always drink your mistakes.

The Bellini

I think peaches are the quintessential summer fruit, and last year, I told you how to turn our seasonal bounty into a cold, refreshing peach sorbet. You don't remember?

Well how about when I described how to turn peach sorbet into a Peach Daiquiri. I bet you remember now.

Well, it's even easier to turn peach sorbet into a Bellini, the classic sparkling wine cocktail that's popular in Italian restaurants.

You'll need to make a batch of peach sorbet first. Just click here for the recipe. Then place two one-inch cubes (about 2 oz.) of the sorbet in a champagne flute and let thaw until you can purée them with the back of a spoon. Top with 3 oz. of sparkling wine and give a gentle stir to combine. Italian prosecco is the traditional choice, but use whatever inexpensive, fruity sparkling wine you enjoy. Save your pricy French champagne for another occasion.

Cin cin!

Banana Daiquiri

The Banana Daiquiri is a classic, and along with the Strawberry Daiquiri, is probably more popular today than the original cocktail. If you like Piña Coladas, you'll probably enjoy a Banana Daiquiri.

It's pretty simple, really. Just add the following ingredients to your blender: 1½ oz. of white rum, ¾ oz. of triple sec, ¾ oz. of lime juice, 1 ripe banana, and 1 cup of crushed ice. Blend on low for a few seconds to combine everything, and then on high until smooth. Pour into a Hurricane or Margarita glass. Sip through a straw, if you wish to avoid a moustache.

Some tips:

• You could pre-chill your blender jar in the freezer. That will keep your Banana Daiquiri colder and make it thicker.
  
• The riper the banana, the sweeter it will be. If your daiquiri is too sweet, add a few drops more lime juice; if too tart add a little more triple sec, simple syrup, or sugar.
  

You can see all the rest of this summer's cocktail recipes by clicking on June and July, over on the left side of the blog.

Cheers.

A Week in Washington – Part 2

Our first day in Washington began with a trip into the city on the Metro and a visit to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. "The Smithsonian" is actually a collection of nineteen galleries and museums and one zoological park. Admission is free. Not only are these first-class institutions a national treasure of the American people, they are a gift to the world.

Later that afternoon, we took a bus tour of the city and saw such national monuments as the Capitol (a truly impressive building), the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. At a brief stop at the Capitol, as we witnessed a demonstration by No Labels, we spoke with a Capitol police officer who assured us that an agreement would be reached at the eleventh hour on raising the debt ceiling. The news networks should hire this guy.

The following day we drove to Baltimore, where we walked around the revitalized Inner Harbor and took the water taxi to Fell's Point, an area of shops, restaurants, and bars. That evening, we watched the Orioles defeat the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards. Opened in 1992, it is designed like the older ballparks of the early 20^th century, and is situated only two blocks from the birthplace of Babe Ruth. There's a museum you can tour, and also nearby, the Maryland Sports Legends Museum. One ticket gets you into both.

The third day, we went to the National Air and Space Museum's Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center on the Virginia side of D.C., near Dulles airport. This is a bigger facility than the museum on the Mall and houses such larger items as the space shuttle Enterprise, an Air France Concorde, a Boeing 707, and dozens of other air- and spacecraft.

The next day saw us back in Washington for what was the highlight of our trip. One of the couples in our traveling group has a family connection to a member of the management team at the Park Hyatt Washington, home of the famed Blue Duck Tavern. When we arrived for lunch, we were welcomed with champagne, just like VIP's (if you knew us, you'd find the incongruity hilarious), and treated throughout our luncheon with the utmost courtesy, consideration, and kindness. The food's not bad, either. I can personally attest to the Braised Beef Rib (melt in your mouth), and the Hand Cut BDT Triple Fries (the third frying is in duck fat – yum). The Cabernet Sauvignon by Catena from Mendoza, Argentina goes very well with both.

The pastry chef, Peter Brett, insisted we try all his desserts and all were excellent. The Blue Duck is famous for its apple pie, but the Nectarine, Blackberry, and Almond Crumble with Crème Fraîche stands out in my memory.

The food and the service certainly made our meal memorable, but we also got a story. We were told that the back-corner table we were seated at was the one where President Obama and the First Lady celebrated her birthday. The story must have gotten a little jumbled, because reports I've found, say it was their seventeenth anniversary. Whatever. My tush may have touched the chair that held the tush of greatness.

The group split up for the rest of the afternoon for visits to the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, and the Hard Rock Café.

Our final destination on this trip was the Maryland state capital, Annapolis. Built largely of red brick in the 18^th century, Annapolis escaped major fires, and so boasts hundreds of well-preserved colonial-era buildings. We took a short bus tour, had lunch by the harbour, and toured the United States Naval Academy. Here, some 4,500 young men and women undergo a rigorous four-year program in maths and sciences to prepare for careers as officers in the Navy and Marine Corps.

After a day of outlet shopping in Hagerstown, MD, we headed for home.

All that week, I was reminded that we were not just surrounded by monuments to the past, but that we were in the midst of history unfolding. The negotiations then underway in the Capitol will shape the economic future of not only the United States, but to a great extent, the world, for decades to come. And we were at the Air and Space facilities on the days that marked both the forty-second anniversary of humans' first steps on the moon and the end of the space shuttle program. It was hard not see an omen in that.

Late Summer 2011 Travel and Points Offers

Now that August is here it's time to take a look at the travel and points offers available for late summer getaways. Summer being peak travel season, there aren't a lot of great offers out there right now: better offers will come along in the fall. But here are the best of what's available.

Instead of points, Hyatt Gold Passport members can register to receive 2,500 Aeroplan miles per stay. The offer is good until September 30.

Until September 30, earn double points or double miles for stays at Hilton hotels (including Hampton, Doubletree, and Embassy Suites). You must register here. If you're a Delta SkyMiles collector, you can earn triple miles with this link.

And you just might find a good deal, because participating Hilton properties are offering up to 40% discounts if you book by August 22 and stay by September 5. Here's the offer page.

Capital One is now offering a Delta SkyMiles World MasterCard to Canadians. There is a 25K miles first purchase bonus, and each dollar spent earns one SkyMile. The card has a $120 annual fee. There is also a no-fee Gold MasterCard which earns one SkyMile for every $2 in purchases. All the details on both cards can be found here.

Until the end of the year, Starwood (Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, Four Points, Aloft, W) hotels across Canada are offering the third night free when you pay for two nights during holiday long weekends. This link has the promo code you need when booking.

You'll receive 500 Continental OnePass miles for every $100 Best Western travel card purchased by August 31. All the details are here. And you have until September 30 to transfer American Express Membership Reward points to Continental OnePass. After that date, OnePass is ending its association with American Express as part of its merger into United's MileagePlus program.

Club Carlson (Radisson, Country Inn & Suites) lets you earn double points (40 points per $1 spent, including food and beverages) for stays up to September 15. Free nights begin at only 9K points, so a two-night stay could earn a free night. Registration is required.

Check back for the second part of A Week in Washington coming up in a few days and the regular summer cocktail recipe on Thursday.