It's Contest Time! Name that Cocktail, Please.

Fan appreciation? Giveaways? Who knows?

I like my contests interactive and my themes a bit kooky (go figure).

And, I need your help.

Cocktail? Yes, please!

This is my special "I've made it through another day" treatail, usually occurring on a nightly basis.

The recipe:

-about 1/2 oz. lemon juice

-a few drops of Campari

-2 oz. - 4 oz. of Plymouth gin (one of the only brands worth drinking, in my humble opinion)

-a splash of (diet for me, please) tonic

Mix (or shake, if you are feeling frisky!) the lemon juice, Campari and gin over some ice cubes. Add tonic to taste.

Optional garnishes:

-a few loose berries shaken with the alcohol and lemon juice

-a toothpick full of Haribo Gummi Bears balanced on the rim, arranged in some sort of visually pleasing colorway

-stellar MCM Roly- Poly glasses with gold doohickey designs or any (preferably) old (and shiny) low ball glass. I am a fan of these examples.

Why should you care?

RetroTrend enjoys cocktails, this is nothing new. This doe's favorite cocktail does not have a name.

That's where you come in.

The terms:

This is a blog only contest.

Comment with your chosen name for my chosen cocktail.

It is a bit bitter, girlie, and likes to kick it old school, just like me. Bonus points for anatomy, indie music, Mad Men or fashion references, of course!

Start shopping! You'll need to include which item/s you'd chose from one of my shops if you had $50.00 to spend.

retrotrend

RetroHommeVintage

ObjectRetro

If your drink name is chosen, you'll win a one time use, $50.00 credit to one of my three Etsy shops.

This contest ends Friday, November 5th, at 12 noon EST. The winner will be announced here.

Good luck!



Cookies!

I can cook. Rather well. Without recipes. A little of this, a little of that, some spices, some butter, some wine. Veg and sauces, breakfast and soups, one hell of a garlic brisket. Mashed potatoes? Lumpy and garlicy with skins left on and dairy quantites you only dream about. My palate veers towards unami. And spice. And stinky cheeses.

Cookbooks are read for enjoyment or to check a cooking time.

Baking is a different story. There is little room for creativity in the kitchen when baking. Which is why I normally don't bake. And since it has been hotter than the hinges in the DC Metro area (really not liking the new DMV name being used), I have shelved my desire for cookies until just the other night.

"Why not buy cookies?" Because I have found and slightly modified an easy recipe that makes the best cookies. Ever. Friends and family agree. And have suggested the recipe get entered in a cookie baking contest.

You'll need:

1/4 lb butter

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

3/4 tsp vanilla

1- 1/8 cups of flour

3/4 tsp of amazing salt (I'm partial to Frech gray sea salt but others do work well)

1/2 tsp of baking soda

6 oz (approx. 1 cup) bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks or bars- if you chop by hand, you get a wonderful texture

The grunt work:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease cookie sheets. (Or cheat and use silicone mats on air-bake sheets. This is highly recommended.) Using the whisk attachment on a stand (or hand) mixer, cream the butter and slowly add the two sugars, blend until light and smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla, mix well. Mix remaining dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda) together and add to batter. Add chocolate. Spoon teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheets at least 1 inch apart. Bake 9 minutes.

You are so close to chocolatey, gooey, crsipy, chewy, salty amazingness! Let them cool for 5 minutes or so, then transfer to a cooling rack or wax paper spread out on stone counters.

Place on a 1920s creamware oval platter with lots of crazing and chipped edges.

Select a few choice victims. Cold milk optional.

I'll leave you alone for a few minutes.

Because it is Treasury Tuesday and I actually baked, today's curation showcases kitsch in the kitchen. Not a cookie but still worth a peek.

Putting the Kitsch in Kitchen by retrotrend