A Peachy Wine Cocktail for Long Summer Days

c="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/light-wine-cocktail-made-with-bubbly-wine-water-and-peaches-muscato-d-asti-batasiolo-bosc-dla-rei.jpg" alt="light-wine-cocktail-made-with-bubbly-wine-water-and-peaches-muscato-d-asti-batasiolo-bosc-dla-rei" width="640" height="853" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-29697 blk-brdr">Here's a cocktail idea for those times when you want a little something fun and festive, but you don't want to go overboard with the alcohol.It's an example of a low-alcohol drink, called a "shim" or "session cocktail", perfect for long afternoons in the sun or summer evenings when you want to stay alert. I tend to stick to shims when we're hosting friends at our place (at least until after dinner has been served!), but of course, there are many reasons for someone to choose to drink lightly.I recently enjoyed a couple on a sunny Saturday afternoon spent reading outside, on a day with evening plans that would be scuppered by too much day-drinking.This is a wine-based cocktail that is very much like a sparkling peach sangria, but is much more simple to make, because the sparkle and the sweet come in the wine. Then all that's required is the peach, some ice and some water. It's so pretty that it looks like more than it is, and is a good choice to bring to a party because there isn't much to bring.The ingredients include a slightly sweet sparkling wine -- I chose a Moscato d'Asti, which are made in the province of Asti in Italy, where they grow the Moscato bianco grape. This kind of wine naturally comes with the added benefit (for making a light cocktail) of containing less alcohol than other wines.The specific wine I used was Batasiolo Bosc dla Rei. It goes especially well with the peaches in this cocktail being described as having "lovely floral, honeysuckle and apricot aromas; medium sweet, slight frizzante; balanced flavours of peach and lemon/lime, with medium length finish". However, any sparkling white wine with a touch of sweetness will work. (Note: I don't usually like sweet wines at all, but find a little bit of sweetness nice in this particular drink. But of course, choose a dry wine if that's your preference.)

An Outdoor Concert : Janelle Monáe

Last Sunday evening will definitely go down as one of the best times remembered when I think back on the summer of 2015. The combination of being out in perfect weather with excellent people, drinking good beer and seeing a great free outdoor concert, really hit the sweet-spot.

The place was Nathan Phillips Square and the artist was Janelle Monáe. This was part of Panamania, the 35 day art and culture festival that went on in Toronto in unison with our hosting of the 2015 Pan Am and Para Pan Am games.

Seeing live music is at the very top of my list of fun things to do, so when I first scanned the list of the daily concerts that would be taking place during the festival I got very excited. We went to two of the shows (this one and Stars, written about here), and loved them both. I do have regrets about all the good acts we didn't see, but hey, you can only do so much, right?

Not having seen our pal Andrea for over a month (what?!), we all agreed that a catch-up with some drinks was in order before the concert. We decided to give the beer-garden at the venue a try, picking it more for convenience and not really expecting great beer, and were pleasantly surprised by what they had on offer. I forgot to take a picture of the list, but remember my choice was Lot 9 Pilsner by local brewery Creemore Springs.

One small criticism I have about Panamania was the colours they used for all the promotional banners and signs -- who thought that hot pink, bright yellow and acid green together was a good choice? So, I'll save your eyes with these black and white pictures ...

Farm Fresh in the City

UPDATE - Summer 2018 :
If you'd like to go to a Downtown Toronto Farmers' Market, there's a weekly one, which includes live music, prepared foods, and fresh produce, every Thursday from 8am to 2:30pm, in David Picaut Square. Here is a link with the details.

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Travelling in the streetcar recently, going west along King, I caught a glimpse of a bunch of tents and a crowd of people in Pecaut Square beside Roy Thompson Hall. I twisted in my seat as we zipped by, to get a better look. "What was that?"

A quick search gave me the answer -- there was a weekly Farmers' Market held there every Thursday in the summer and fall.

So last Thursday I went on over to have a look.

A Hot Date With Fruity Beers

↑ Inside Embassy Bar in Kensington Market ↑

We had a heatwave here in Toronto the week before last, which saw the temperatures reach their highest levels in two years. No all-time records were set, but man, was it warm. A few cold showers and the least clothes possible were called for.

So it goes without saying that Meghan, Pam, Nick and I were ready for some cold beers enjoyed out on a shady patio on Friday evening.

We met at the art gallery beforehand, checking out the "Picturing the Americas" show. Meghan and Pam are members so the price was right (free!) and the air conditioning was on. Meghan and I had seen this exhibit already (written about here) but wanted to see it again and it was the first viewing for Nick and Pam.

Party Food : Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip

Whenever we get the barbecue going (we have a charcoal one) we don't want to waste a bit of heat so usually end up grilling a bunch of extra things that we'll be saving for later. Today I'm showing you something I made with some red peppers we roasted during this barbecue back in the spring.  We had the peppers in the freezer, just ready to pull out to make this delicious dip.

This easy recipe can be whipped up in minutes and is good with bread and vegetables. Leftovers makes a nice pasta sauce, heated gently and tossed with cooked noodles. The smokiness of the peppers goes perfectly with the Greek inspired flavours of Feta cheese, Kalamata Olives and Oregano.

While I used roasted red peppers we had in the freezer to make this, you can easily use peppers you’ve just roasted or those found in a jar at the grocery store instead. Also, dried oregano can be used in place of fresh.

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