Festive Fizzy Cocktails

Among the brightest pleasures of the holiday season is sparkling wine. While you may want to save that bottle of "real" French champagne for toasting the arrival of a New Year, sparkling wine is a versatile and convivial beverage that suits a variety of occasions. It goes well with most appetizers as an aperitif, and is an ideal complement to roast turkey.

There are also a number of wonderful cocktails that employ sparkling wine and they make the perfect accompaniment to a holiday brunch. Their low alcohol makes them suitable for consuming early in the day, while with their fruit juice content, you can even tell yourself you're drinking healthy. The fact that they "stretch" a bottle of wine also makes them an economical choice when entertaining a crowd, and they're simple to prepare. Another bonus: for designated drivers, expectant mothers, and non-drinkers, you can substitute low-sodium club soda or sparkling water for the wine; no one will know the difference.

Two final points before we get to the cocktails: don't use expensive "real" champagne. I recommend Spanish cava. It's made by the same method as French champagne, it tastes great in a cocktail, and it's a fraction of the price. And serve all these drinks in champagne flutes.

Mimosa: This is the classic and it couldn't be simpler. To 2 oz. of orange juice (squeeze your own or use a good-quality, no-pulp, not-from-concentrate brand like Tropicana), add 3 oz. of sparkling wine.

Grand Mimosa: Kick it up a notch. Add ½ oz. of Grand Marnier to your Mimosa.

Fuzzy Mimosa: Add ½ oz. of peach schnapps to the basic Mimosa.

Creamsicle Mimosa: Hard to find, but worth it. Add ½ oz. vanilla rum or vodka to the basic Mimosa.

Lilosa: Use pink grapefruit juice instead of orange juice.

Pomosa: Instead of orange juice, use pomegranate juice.

Poinsettia: Use cranberry juice instead of orange juice.

Have a joyous and peace-filled Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

Points and Miles: December

This month sees one insanely lucrative promotion and numerous other offers to kick off the winter holiday season.

To mark the opening of the new Radisson Blu in Chicago, Club Carlson is giving away 50K Club Carlson bonus points to the first 50,000 Club Carlson members to register and complete a stay at a Radisson by December 30. Even after the first 50,000 spots are gone, you can still earn 15,000 bonus points for the stay. What will 50K Club Carlson points get you? There are relatively few Carlson properties available at 9K points per night, but lots at 15K. So, stay once at a Radisson and earn 3-4 free nights at many Radisson or Country Inns and Suites locations. And if you book and stay on points at any Club Carlson hotel by January 31, you'll earn a 9K rebate, essentially staying for free at some properties. It looks like Carlson really wants to become a major player in North America.

With this offer code, enjoy a welcome credit at Hyatt Hotels of up to $150. Good for services such as drinks, meals, or spa treatments. Or, if you're a Costco member, get a 10% rate discount and $25 a day hotel services credit. Book with this code (tip of the hat to Ric, the Loyalty Traveler). And finally, CAA/AAA members enjoy a 10% discount and complimentary breakfast. The offer code is here. All offers are valid until February 29.

Starwood is offering special rates for Ontario and Québec residents for weekend stays before December 31. Here's the offer page. And there are other deals available, depending on the property. You can check them out here.

You could save up to 33% and earn 1,000 bonus Hilton HHonors points with Hilton's December Sale. Details are here.

I've not mentioned A Club, the loyalty program of Accor hotels, a European chain, before. Accor does have several Novotel properties in Canada as well as Sofitel locations in Montréal and in major U.S. cities. With this offer, get the third night free when you pay for two nights, plus earn triple points. And via this page, you can instantly become an A Club Platinum member, which entitles you to a host of elite benefits. If you're planning an Accor hotel stay in the next year, it would be worth the few minutes it takes.

Until December 12, when you convert hotel points to Aeroplan miles, earn a 20-25% bonus. This could be a good deal if you have an immediate need for Aeroplan miles, but as I pointed out in a post a few weeks ago (What's a Point or Mile Worth?), hotel points can be more valuable because, unlike flight redemptions, there are no taxes or fees payable when you redeem for a free room night. You do the math.

I'm sure when you're holiday shopping you're consoling yourself with the thought that, when the credit card bills arrive in January, at least they'll also bring a blizzard of points and miles. OK, maybe I'm the only one. But have you considered not only earning points and miles with your holiday gift-giving, but giving points and miles as gifts?

Petro-Canada is offering 50% more Petro-Points on purchases from its convenience stores. That includes items such as lottery tickets and gift cards. Guys, do your Christmas shopping when you fill up. Offer's good until January 2.

And when you order magazines as a gift, or even for yourself, from Rogers Magazine Service, receive up to 1,000 Aeroplan miles via this offer.

For yourself, or as a gift, you can buy Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints for 20% off until December 31. Can be a good deal, because sometimes you can get a hotel room for less by paying with points than with cash. Also good for topping up an account to redeem for an award or to keep your account active.

You can also purchase Club Carlson points for yourself or to give for US$7 per 1,000 (plus GST/HST for Canadians).

And a final thought: one of the nicest things you can do with your points and miles is to give them away. While most plans either don't permit, or charge an exorbitant fee for, transferring points or miles to someone else, they do allow you to book rooms and flights for others. And most plans allow you to make a charitable donation from your points or miles account.

Merry Christmas.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Boozy Coffees

The evenings have grown long and cold and we're lingering longer over dinner. The perfect accompaniment to dessert, or even as a dessert itself, is the "boozy" coffee.

The granddaddy of them all is the Irish Coffee. Add 6 oz. strong black coffee to a mug or heatproof glass with a handle. Add 1½ oz. Irish whisky and 1 tsp. of sugar (some prefer brown sugar). The original calls for heavy cream to be poured slowly over the back of a spoon to layer on top of the coffee. The coffee is then sipped through the layer of cream.

You'll commonly see Irish Coffee and other boozy coffees made with whipped cream. Using freshly whipped cream is preferable and practicable if you're serving several guests at a dinner party, but if you're preparing a single serving for yourself, using the aerosol canned product is an acceptable alternative. Be sure to rinse the nozzle well and it'll keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

The Irish Coffee spawned a host of other boozy coffees that you're no doubt familiar with from restaurant menus. Here are a few other recipes I've developed here at the 500 Words Bar and Bistro.

Kentucky Koffee: 1½ oz. bourbon, 1 tbsp. honey, 6 oz. black coffee, whipped cream. Don't use your expensive bourbon.

Mexican Coffee: 1 oz. Presidente Mexican brandy, 1 oz. Kahlua, 6 oz. black coffee, whipped cream. If you can't find Presidente brandy, any other brandy will do.

Bwana Coffee (adapted from The Elephant Bar restaurant, Torrance, CA): ½ oz. each brandy, Kahlua, crème de banana, and amaretto, 6 oz. black coffee, whipped cream.

And for those who don't drink coffee, the Kilt and Curry: brew Mighty Leaf Bombay Chai Tea for 4 minutes in a large mug (you may use any other brand of chai tea you prefer). Remove the teabag and add 1½ oz. of Drambuie. Sounds weird, but the honey and spices in the Drambuie marry beautifully with those in the chai. Give it a try.

Next month, I'll have some sparkling cocktail recipes for the Festive Season.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Marfan Syndrome Awareness Week

This week, November 13-19, is Marfan Syndrome Awareness Week.

Marfan Syndrome is a genetic condition that results in weakness in the body's connective tissues. Connective tissue is the "glue" that holds many of the body's organs and systems together. People with Marfan Syndrome can experience problems with the lenses of their eyes, their joints and skeletal system, and most significantly, their aorta, the large blood vessel that leads out of the heart. Over time the aorta can stretch and tear, and this can be fatal if not diagnosed and repaired.

The majority of people with Marfan Syndrome inherited it. It's caused by a dominant gene, meaning if you have it, you have a 50-50 chance of passing it on to your children. It doesn't "skip" generations, though: if a child didn't inherit it from his or her parent, he or she can't pass it on to his or her children. But as many as 30% of people with Marfan didn't inherit it; they have it because of a new mutation in the gene that controls the connective tissue fibrillin.

Many people with Marfan are tall, but not all; they are merely taller than they would be without it. Most have poor eyesight because their lenses are dislocated. Some have loose joints. Every person with Marfan is at risk of aortic aneurysm.

The "classic" Marfan physique may be easier to diagnose, but Marfan people come in all shapes and sizes and races, and that's why it's important that there be greater awareness of this condition. Because a lot of people have Marfan and don't know it. It's estimated that 1 in 5,000 Canadians have Marfan, but the number could be double that.

A generation ago, the outlook for people with Marfan was not very bright. There was little knowledge in the medical community, spotty diagnosis, and few effective treatments. The average lifespan of a person with Marfan was less than forty years.

All that has changed in the last twenty-five years. Today there are good diagnostic tools like echocardiography and effective drug and surgical treatments. Research has discovered the cause and mechanism of Marfan, and a global study is underway to investigate a promising drug therapy that could prevent aortic aneurysms.

Organizations like the Canadian Marfan Association exist in most major countries to spread awareness, support Marfan patients and their families, and foster research. This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Association's founding by a remarkable woman, Elizabeth McHenry. Over the past quarter century many hard-working people have given of their time, energy, and money to support and build the Association, and their efforts have saved and prolonged countless lives.

If you would like more information about Marfan Syndrome, or wish to support the Canadian Marfan Association, click on this link.

I have Marfan Syndrome.

News of the Weird

Being a semi-regular compendium of human folly, frailty, and fractiousness

Well, duh

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced this week that, contrary to cross my heart and hope to die promises made during last May's election, he won't be able to eliminate the budget deficit by 2014. Seems Jimbo was the last person on Earth to find out about this here "Great Recession" thingee we got goin' on. That means all the pie in sky tax cut promises, contingent on balanced budgets, are out the window too. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me three times…

Pre-Occupied

It's time most of the Occupation forces moved on. Around the world, civic reactionaries are moving in to evict them, and their resistance is threatening to transform the movement into merely a battle over their right to squat in public spaces. I'm not saying the fight is over. On the contrary, we need to recognize that Occupation was a tactic, not a goal. It's time to find new ways to keep up the pressure on the 1%.

Well, Duh, Part II

Speaking of the 1%, Toronto retail consultant Wendy Evans, quoted in the Toronto Star, reports they're doing just fine, thank you. "Luxury is just moving so fast," Evans says. "There's (sic) line-ups at the luxury counters. It's quite remarkable. There's a subset of our population that is just not aware there are some economic hiccups out there."

What Does Penguin Gravy Taste Like?

Buddy and Pedro, the male African penguins at the Toronto Zoo who have formed a same-sex bond, have become international media stars. Despite the global attention for the city's beleaguered zoo, Toronto mayor, Rob Ford, has reportedly refused to visit, saying he always spends Remembrance Day weekend with his family at the cottage. Your correspondent has been unable to confirm reports that Toronto councillor Giorgio Mammoliti has been seen at the Zoo attempting to film Buddy and Pedro with his video camera.

And You Want to be My Latex Salesman

Seinfeld fans might remember the episode wherein the hapless George Costanza crashes to the floor, pants around ankles as he rushes from the bathroom. If you've forgotten, Texas governor Rick Perry, who wants to be president of the United States, will remind you with his debate performance from earlier this week.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane