Canapes, Capers and Cocktails

Well it's the weekend and what better way of having a fun Saturday night than having a few cocktails and dancing the night away! Well at least I attempted a Charleston, and I say attempted, because it wasn't great. But I figured in all likelihood if everyone was slightly drunk, then no one would probably realise how much of a terrible job you're doing at the Charleston!

I even glammed myself up and tried a 1920s faux bob, with the help of Youtuber Loepsie. I did my best to attempt a S-Wave with my hair, but it's tougher than it looks. Having said that I thought I didn't do too badly! I also had a look into the makeup and what the average woman would wear on a night out. Now that being said the idea we have of 1920s makeup is quite honestly really wrong, the Flapper look was not something worn by lots of women, and was considered quite outrageous and extreme. So I based my look on a magazine model, that I'm sure a lot of women would have taken inspiration from.

The 1920s of course were infamous for the development of cocktails and a drinking culture that involved both women and men. Until fairly recently most upper class and middle class women would probably only partake in wine and champagne, rather than drinking liquor, but that changed when Prohibition was brought into being in the USA. With a huge number of bartenders making their way to Europe and Britian, they also brought with them the popular recipes for cocktails from America. Of course, the main liquor to use was Gin, especially as this was the liquor of choice that was smuggled all over the US during the Prohibition years. But because the Gin was hidden in petrol cans and the like, this meant bartenders ended up making drinks that used strong flavours to hide the poor quality alcohol. And because women were dancing the night away, drinks that were sweet became more popular! I chose two types of cocktails that were made infamous during the 1920s, a Southside and a Tom Collins.

Cocktails

Southside

Ingredients

• 60ml Gin
• 7 Fresh Mint Leaves
• 25ml Lime Juice
• 15ml Sugar Syrup (I've included a link to a recipe for sugar syrup)

Method

1. Shake all the ingredients with ice and then strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a mint leaf!

Tom Collins

Ingredients

• 50ml Gin
• 25ml Lemon Juice
• 25ml Sugar Syrup
• 125ml Soda Water

Method

1. Stir the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup in a chilled highball glass. Top with the Soda Water. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Canapes

Crabmeat Canapes

• Gem lettuce leaves
• Crabmeat
• Mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• Pinch of pepper

Method

1. Mix the crabmeat, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives and pepper together. 
2. Serve a spoonful in four gem lettuce leaves, garnish with a single chive. Fancy!

Roast Beef, Salmon and Cream Cheese, and Chicken Liver Pate Canapes

• Baguette
• Olive oil
• Thinly sliced cold roast beef
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tsp horseradish sauce
• Smoked salmon
• Cream Cheese
• Chopped Chives
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• Chicken Liver Pate
• Parsley and Chives to garnish

Method

1. Turn on the grill to a high heat. Slice the baguette into fairly thin round circles, and drizzle a little olive oil over them. Place on a baking tray and put in the oven for five minutes, checking to ensure they aren't burning. Turn halfway through till golden brown.
2. In one bowl mix the mayonnaise and horesradish sauce.
3. In another bowl mix the cream cheese, chives and lemon juice.
4. Spread the Chicken Liver Pate over a third of the bread circles.
5. Spread the Cream Cheese mix over another third of the bread, roll the smoked salmon and place on top. Garnish with a single chive on each one.
6. Spread the horseradish mix on the final third, add a thin slice of beef to each one and garnish with parsley.
7. Serve on a platter, with spicy nuts and stuffed olives.

Well the 1920s has been a laugh and an interesting decade for flavours! I think next week's 1940s menu will make for a tough transition, going from smoked salmon and roast beef to potatoes, potatoes, cabbage and potatoes will probably be a shock to the system. I also initially had planned to continue my blog posts up till Christmas with a 1970s week. But I think for now I will give myself a break after the 1940s to properly enjoy Christmas and come back to more time travelling and cooking in the new year!