Full disclosure: I’m writing this on Saturday–wait, shouldn’t I be baking a pi(e)?–because, by this time tomorrow, I’ll be halfway across the pond. My UK trip is only partly pleasure;I’ve planned to take in a few plays, for example. (Hint: YES, I will be seeing Kevin Spacey in “Clarence Darrow.” The ticket also cost my first-born child, but oh well . . .) Most of the trip is centered around research I’m doing for the book after the book after the book I’m writing now . . . if that makes sense. The only reason I’ve pushed up the timetable is because a) the husband’s got vacation days he’s got to use (we’re both workaholics) and b) his niece is at Oxford and so his mom’s flying over, and it was all Kismet.
Anyway, short and sweet: no Sunday’s cake, which is a shame because I was thinking that a barmbrack (or as some call it, tea brack) might be fun. Barmbrack’s an Irish tea cake similar to a fruitcake (in the sense that it’s got raisins, currants, dates, and prunes steeped in tea), but its taste and consistency is supposed to be closer to a banana cake. One comment I read about the cake suggested it was really a variation on Boston Brown Bread, and that might be, though I’ve never made that either.) Anyway, I was sold. I was also debating whether or not to get some real Irish wholemeal flour or simply use regular white flour, and so spent some time reading the equivalent of baker’s porn here.
You know…I might still make this when I get back. If it’s similar to banana bread, it ought to freeze just fine and then the husband, who will be turning right around and traveling out for business after our return the very next day, can take it to his lab rats when he gets back.
We’ll see.
* * *
Friday’s Cocktail: I have been eyeing this Ampersand for weeks because the cocktail would be an excuse to break out my Tanqueray Old Tom Gin. I won’t bore you with gin’s very long history (but this stuff has been around since William of Orange’s time and is likely a Dutch invention), but suffice to say that the gin we’re all more familiar with isn’t the same gin that was drunk, say, in Dickens’ time (though most was drunk at one’s peril). Gin isn’t all that mysterious in terms of a spirit and I know it’s got a bad rep because of all those London gin joints, but the reality is that gin is nothing more than vodka distilled in the presence of juniper berries and other botanicals. What distinguishes Old Tom gin from true London Dry is that there’s no sugar in LD (of which Beefeater’s the only London-based distiller left). By contrast, Old Tom is a softer, gentler, sweeter gin (because of its sugar content) that started off in the 18th century and became very popular in the 19th only to fade from the scene thereafter. According to Wikipedia,
As soon as they mentioned the cat, I was in.
Until recently, Old Tom was tough to find. In fact, only one guy in one place around here knew what I was talking about (but this guy knows everything about everything; I love dropping by for a visit, although these little field trips usually end up being costly. On the plus side, this guy isn’t above buying a bottle of whatever off his own shelves and pouring a round for me to taste. So what, I tell you, is not to love?). This past year, Tanqueray resurrected some insanely old original 1835 recipe and released a limited edition so when I saw a bottle, I didn’t have to think twice but snatched that baby up. I’ve been looking for an excuse to use this gin ever since because it is so different: not as floral as Hendrick’s say, but so gentle on the palate with a nice citrus finish. (Yes, I’ll say it again: unless you’re using well-grade stuff, it’s helpful to try out your various ingredients on their own first. That way, you learn to appreciate their individual qualities and that will help you judge whether, say, Boodles, a London Dry I happen to have and LOVE, is better than Plymouth in that martini; I happen to think that it is because Plymouth–while good–still has too much bite and fire behind it. It’s why Plymouth works so well in a gin and tonic because the combination of sweetness and citrus of the tonic cuts that bite. Boodles is fine with tonic, too, but, IMHO, it gets lost.)
I have a feeling that’s why this gin works so well in an Ampersand, a cocktail that also calls for sweet vermouth (I use Carpano Antica, an Italian brand put out by the folks who supposedly invented the drink), cognac (sorry, I only had brandy, a close moral equivalent), and orange bitters. Don’t let the “sweet” in the “sweet vermouth” fool you; yes, it’s got sugar and it is much sweeter than dry vermouth, but it still has that very bitter finish. (Which I don’t mind at all; I am ever so fond of Negronis.) The brandy I used is also very full in the mouth and smooth, without a ton of fire or bite. All these blended well and balanced each out, and the result was spectacular.
In fact, the husband liked it so much that what was his was his and what was mine was his. He downed his and then half of mine. I was peeved. On the other hand, he makes it possible for me to write, so I suppose I really shouldn’t complain.
Now to find more cocktails I can concoct with that Old Tom…
***
It was a busy week in this tiny town that is not on the edge of the prairie but within sniffing distance of about a dozen farms. (There’s nothing like the smell of cow manure in the morning. It smells like . . . spring.) As everyone must know by now, thanks to the social media whirlwind we Egmont Last Listers whipped up, THE DICKENS MIRROR hit shelves, and I Hootsuited my little fingers off telling you all about it. For the master list of all Egmont Last Lister posts and news, check out our Tumblr page. While you’re there, get a sneak peek at the lovely poster Lerner Books will be running in PW on March 16 as well:
and check out what Lerner’s Libby Stille has to say on the subject.
On the 18th, I will be dropping by Eugene Myer’s Pub Crawl to talk about my approach to research, in general, and researching DICKENS MIRROR, in particular. Since this is set to go live at 4 a.m. EST on the 18th, clicking on the link won’t get you anywhere right this second. So…drop by again. I’ll also be setting up Hootsuite reminders before I hit the road.
Oh–and don’t forget to enter my Goodreads giveaway for a chance at a copy of DICKENS MIRROR.
Have a great week, and write if you get work.
