So skew me, baby
If Martha is the queen of food styling and presentation, I'm the court jester. My abilities in this area are pretty much non-existent, but I know a good idea when I see one. So when, on Saturday night, I found myself throwing together an impromptu pre-dinner cocktail party for four, I stole the idea of serving smoked salmon on skewers from a magazine I read while in England.
Instead of the salmon lying about listless and bored on a plate, you just skewer a slice or two and shimmy them up the stick. A few gratings of fresh black pepper and lemon zest and voila! Instant party snack. That plus some mini-sandwiches of cream cheese and cucumber, a Pimm's cocktail and Johnny Mathis crooning The First Noel and we were set.
Pimm's No. 1 cocktail
Serves 4
In a large pitcher, mix 1 cup Pimm's with 2 cups 7-up. (Sprite, Ginger Ale, lemonade, or a combination of any of them also work well.) Halve 1 lemon lengthwise and cut into slices. Reserve four slices for garnish and dump the rest in the pitcher, along with half a cucumber sliced in thick rounds. In a mortar and pestle, muddle about 1/3 cup of fresh mint just until it releases its fragrance, then add to the pitcher. Serve in highball glasses filled with ice and garnished with a lemon slice.
Ooohhh....I love Pimm's! One of my best friends lives in London and last time she came to visit she brought me a bottle - it ended up going pretty quickly. I should check to see if we can get it here!
Posted by: Amy Kennedy | December 18, 2005 at 01:35 PM
Amy -- you definitely can buy it here. Mine isn't from London, I think I got it just around the corner. One of the nice things about a Pimm's is that it isn't overly alcoholic, so two drinks is the alcoholic equivalent of one glass of something else, handy at a party when you're trying not to get ripped in the first thirty minutes...or maybe that's just me?
Posted by: Catherine | December 18, 2005 at 02:26 PM
You CAN get it here! I discovered this drink at Mara's Homemade in the East Village-a New Orleans restaurant that serves up a mean and thirst-quenching Pimms Cup. Then made up my mind to go right out and buy some!
Posted by: Little Sister | December 19, 2005 at 08:06 AM
Watch out for that pimms! We brits usually drink it in the summer and its rather reminiscent of a similar drink 'vimto' which is non alcoholic. I can just guzzle it without noticing and end up very tipsy!! I've seen it at Jonathans in La Jolla, CA and various other liquor stores.
Posted by: Jenny | December 19, 2005 at 01:49 PM
Little sis -- I have no idea why a N.O. restaurant would serve Pimm's but hey, it's delish, so go with it.
Jenny -- spoken like a true veteran. Thanks for the advice!
Posted by: Catherine | December 19, 2005 at 02:00 PM
Hey Catherine, you were wondering why the Pimm's cup would be in a N.O. restaurant? It actually has a long history in the crescent city. Because it is a light (low alcohol) & refreshing drink, it is perfect for sipping in a bar on a hot & muggy Summer day. Plus, you could have a few in the afternoon and still be raring to go for Happy Hour in any one of the fine drinking establishments in the Big Easy.
Posted by: Bill | December 20, 2005 at 01:27 AM
Bill -- thanks for the explanation! Makes tons of sense to me.
Posted by: Catherine | December 20, 2005 at 10:08 AM
Both are delicious. I think the Pimm's cocktail is now my drink of choice when I am not drinking wine. It's very refreshing...mmm good.
Posted by: Reema | December 20, 2005 at 12:55 PM