Tag Archives: Spiced Rum and Dr. Pepper

Cocktail Corner – The Last Sip

Posted on by
Reply

Looking at the last meals of death row prisoners can be a fascinating exercise. With that in mind, I thought I’d put together my own final feast. I didn’t want to make it an open-ended buffet, so I limited how many items I could pick in each category. After many hours of agonizing over the options, here’s what the Sip Advisor would prefer to be munching if my ultimate indulgence was due:

Mains (3):

I decided to break this down into three categories, each one satisfying an entrée I particularly enjoy. First, in the Asian food phylum, I went with a poke bowl over items such as chow mein or fried rice with any number of proteins. I find the ingredients of a Poke Bowl to be so fresh and satisfying. Like I’m eating well for a rare occasion. Speaking of proteins, it’s a tough decision to select what would be the feature of my bowl, but I think I’d have to go with salmon over tuna. Second, I needed to have some sort of sandwich, opting for a club sandwich (fried chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato), complete with pickles. The sandwich narrowly beat out selecting a burger. Third, a true top dish needed to be picked and I went with lobster tails. I’m not sure there’s a more decadent dish on earth than buttered lobby!

Sides (4):

This was the most difficult category to figure out. Some of the indecision came from figuring out what exactly qualified as a “side”, as well as enjoying many accompaniment dishes. My criteria for being a side was whether the dish generally appears on the starter or appetizer section of menus. I also used this category to make amends for some of the items that got squeezed out of the mains group. Curly fries poutine and Caesar salad were no brainers, followed by sliders to make up for my neglect of burgers above. The final addition I’d make is gyoza, which have become a favourite appy dish of mine in recent years. Missing the cut was chicken strips, as despite being an all-time favourite starter of mine, I’d get the crispy chicken portion settled in my club sandwich.

Snacks (2):

Truth be told, I created this category so I could slip a couple more side dishes into the meal! My 40th birthday party was potato chip themed, so you better believe they would play some role in my last meal. If I had to narrow down which flavours I could have, that would be a tough choice, but I’d be happy with a mix including Pink Himalayan Salt, All Dressed, Sour Cream & Onion and Barbecue being among the chosen options. One final note on the chips, they must all be ripple/ridge/wavy or I would send them back! I’d also like to have a bowl of Trail Mix on hand, comprised of Smarties/M&Ms, peanuts and cashews. I guess you can throw some raisins in the mix, but not nearly as much as companies overfill their bags with.

Desserts (3):

The Sip Advisor loves completing any meal with something sweet. My first choice would be some Chocolate Chip Cookies, preferably made by Ma Sip, who has been providing me with amazing baked goods since I was a wee little sipper. Next up would be something I’ve only been introduced to in recent years, Chocolate Babka. Lastly, I’d want some sort of chocolate bar, but narrowing which one down is incredibly difficult. Among my all-time favourites are Snickers, Twix, Wunderbar, Peanut Butter Oh Henry, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Let’s take all those preferred choices and melt them into one super bar! A couple European faves, Black Forest Cake and Raspberry Danish, fall just outside being selected.



Beverages (2):

This was perhaps the easiest category, as I don’t regularly drink a large variety of things. Therefore, my first pick would be my favourite simple cocktail, the one I’m synonymous with and drink regularly with friends/family, Spiced Rum and Dr. Pepper (aka The Sip). My second choice would be an easy drinking Amber Ale, which pairs perfectly with a number of the food items I’ve curated. Narrowly missing the cut is plain ol’ water, which as much as I love, isn’t what I’d want to go out sipping.

Sauce/Dips (Unlimited):

I’m a big sauce/dip guy and I feel like this is the one category where infinite selections is okay. A few I’d definitely want on my palette include Ranch, Honey Mustard, Hotiyaki (mix of hot sauce and teriyaki), Sesame-Soy, Truffle Aioli, and Honey Garlic.

Cocktail Corner: The Last Sip

  • 1.5 oz Spiced Rum
  • 1 oz Root Beer Schnapps
  • Top with Lemon-Lime Soda
  • Splash of Honey-Yuzu Lemonade
  • Garnish with a Lime Wedge

Where the hell I would put all this food, given I typically eat half of my meals and save the other half for the following day, is anyone’s guess. My stomach would just have to find the space. The interesting thing about this Sip Advisor original recipe is that the inclusion of Root Beer Schnapps is an homage to the first soda I ever enjoyed. The rest of the ingredients are adult favourites of mine, making for an all-encompassing Sip Advisor experience!

Cocktail Corner – The Sip

Posted on by
Reply

One of Girl Sip’s school projects this year was making a Me Museum, filled with items that exemplified who she is. That got me thinking – don’t worry, it doesn’t happen often – about what would comprise a gallery constructed about me. Here are the artifacts that would be included in my Me Museum:

Jewelry

I don’t wear many pieces of jewelry, but those I do don are very important to me. The watch Mrs. Sip gave me for my first birthday we celebrated as a couple also came right before she left for England for a year of school. As a teenager, the gift meant to me that she saw a future in our relationship, which was about to become long distance, otherwise she wouldn’t buy me an expensive watch right before leaving. I have worn this watch for 20-plus years now, through countless battery changes and other repairs. My wedding ring would also go into the museum for obvious reasons. Lastly, the chain Ma and Pa Sip gave me for Christmas many years ago would finish the exhibit, an item I feel represents my bonds with family.

Dating Mementos

For a time, I collected all the tickets from movies, shows and events Mrs. Sip and I went to. Perhaps most important among all those pieces of history was the stub to the movie Panic Room, which we saw on our first ever date. Afterwards, we went out for dessert and I kept the spoon from that occasion. Just kidding… that would be kind of creepy!

First Date

Collection of Best Articles

At one time, the Sip Advisor pursued a career in journalism and did a pretty good job, if I say so myself. Some of my more memorable articles would include my first paid piece, stories for major chains/websites and articles featuring famous folks, such as professional wrestling legend Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart. Basically all the items I would have highlighted in my portfolio, had I continued to chase the writing for a living dream.

Sip Advisor Business Card

In the very early Sip Advisor site days, Mrs. Sip and I decided a business card was needed to promote my site and work when we attended various events. We crafted a neat card and had a bunch of copies professionally printed. Then, I quickly learned I wasn’t very good at self-promotion, preferring others to laud my work than myself. So, many of these cards still sit in our liquor cabinet. That will make it easy to pull one out for the Me Museum.

Canucks Paraphernalia

For better or worse, I’ve been a lifelong Vancouver Canucks fan. This is exemplified in jerseys I owned as a youngster and adult. As a youngster, I was gifted a Cliff Ronning jersey, as the player was of diminutive size, like myself. I even attended Ronning’s local hockey school in back-to-back summers while he played with his hometown NHL club. Years later, Mrs. Sip presented me with a Trevor Linden jersey, the Canucks icon becoming one of my favourites for the way he played the game.

Business Card

Air Fryer

I use my air fryer daily, if not multiple times throughout the day. It has become a close family member and I cherish it more than my wife and kids. Okay, maybe not to that level, but I definitely hug and kiss it more often. The only sadness I’d experience while loaning the device to my Me Museum would be the fact that I’d now be without an air fryer.

Disneyland Annual Passes

I first purchased a Disneyland annual pass on the trip when I met Mrs. Sip and asked her out. Many other annual passes would follow, as the resort became a popular vacation spot for us, especially given its connection to our relationship. Disney in general has played a large role in our lives, before and after meeting, something we have since passed down to the Sipplings, who are also now enthusiastic Disney and Disneyland fans.

Passports

As Mrs. Sip turned me into a world traveler, my passports quickly filled up with stamps and a few entry visas from around the world. Thanks to her inspiration, I’ve visited over 50 countries and counting. These would be great to show off in the Me Museum, perhaps along with countless photos from the Mrs. Sip Collection of all our adventures.

Air Fryer

Hole-in-One Golf Ball

A good golfer, I am not. However, I did score an ace on hole 15 at Sunshine Woods Golf Club at only 14 years old. Peaking in golf at such a young age, I practically gave up the game after that. The round was crazy, as someone else in our foursome achieved the same hole-in-one feat earlier in our round. As for my own triumphant tee shot, I thought it had skittered across the green and into the rough behind. As I searched for the little white ball, I was informed it was actually in the hole, perhaps having hit the flag pole and dropped.

Liquor Bottles

No museum for a dedicated liquor man would be complete without a collection of some of their favourite bottles. My preferred selections would include my Jameson Distillery Reserve from when Mrs. Sip and I visited the company’s facilities in Midleton, Ireland; my 1.75L bottle of Sailor Jerry’s Spiced Rum; and the Lagavulin 16 Mrs. Sip bought me for a Father’s Day gift. You could also include my preferred jigger and the flask from my wedding (I got each groomsman and usher a custom engraved one) in the liquor wing of the Me Museum.

Kids Birth Announcements

The good times of my and Mrs. Sip’s child-free days had to come to an end eventually. While we aren’t as carefree as we once were, we’ve managed to continue having fun… just a different type of fun. As a way to honour the Sipplings, I would include each of their birth announcements, which we mailed out to friends and family across the globe.

Birth Announcement

Princess Cruises Cards/Medallions

A big part of my and Mrs. Sip’s travelling life has been taking cruises. Princess Cruises is our preferred line and we have many room cards and medallions to show for our efforts. Another cruise souvenir that means a lot to me is the little trophy I received for winning Cartoon Theme Song Trivia. It was a tense experience, with me and another contestant going to a five-question overtime round, after tying with identical 39/40 scores. In that bonus round, I went five-for-five, while my competitor slipped on one question, earning me the win and admiration of absolutely nobody… seriously, not even Mrs. Sip was proud of my achievement, but I acted like I’d won the Stanley Cup!

Wedding Same-Day Edit

Every museum needs an audio-visual component and I think my and Mrs. Sip’s same-day edit video from our wedding would be perfect to project. Set to the U2 song ‘Beautiful Day’, the video captures many of the memorable moments from our nuptials.

Cocktail Corner: The Sip

The Sip

  • 1.5 oz Spiced Rum
  • Top with Dr. Pepper
  • Garnish with a Lime Slice

I have no doubt I didn’t create this cocktail, but I have been making it for myself since at least the start of this project in 2013 and perhaps even longer. It has since become the go-to beverage for me and a best friend whenever we get together, as well as been shared with others I meet along this winding road of life. Therefore, it is a perfect choice for inclusion with my Me Museum. I recommend the Me Museum exercise to all. Mrs. Sip and I spent a fun night on our balcony discussing what we’d include in each of ours. What would you include in yours?