Monday, February 4, 2019

Cheers!! It's Chinese New Year #CooktheBooks #FoodnFlix

This quintessential celebratory cocktail, the Singapore Sling, is the perfect way to kick off Chinese New Year.


This cocktail was inspired by the book and movie Crazy Rich Asians, both of which are another perfect way to celebrate Chinese New Year.........




This week long celebration began yesterday but the actual date for the Lunar New Year is February 5th. I wanted to share this cocktail today so you can be ready to toast in the New Year in style.

We have a Chinese daughter so Chinese New Year is a big deal in this house.  Normally we have a family dinner or party but this year we are going out to a banquet at a Chinese Restaurant instead.  Stay tuned as I post how it compared to past celebrations.

Have you read or seen Crazy Rich Asians yet?

Image result for crazy rich asians book

I read the book a week or so ago on the prompting of Claudia who blogs over at Honey From Rock.  Claudia chose this novel for this edition of Cook the Books.  It is still early and submissions are not due until the end of March so you have plenty of time to join in the fun if you wish.  You can learn more by reading the Guidelines and Claudia's Invitation Post.

Let me tell you, I loved this book.  I especially loved the asides that the author put in when describing a word or expression or saying.  This book made me laugh out loud.  I loved those characters I was supposed to love and despised those characters who I was meant to despise.  It is not a deep read by any means.  It is a fun, light-hearted look at the culture of the "old" rich vs the "new" rich in China and the extravagances that they enjoy.  It is a love story, that predictably has a happy ending when the "good" guys go off to a rooftop garden in search of a Singapore Sling.

When the novel ended on that note, I knew it was the recipe I was going to make and share.


So I was excited to pick up the movie when it became available at my library.  I was happy that Debra of Eliot's Eats had chosen this movie to partner with the novel for this month's FoodnFlix club.  Debra will be doing the round up for this group at the end of the month.  You can learn how to join in the fun in her announcement post and by checking out how to participate.

Frank made us up some Singapore Slings and we cozied up on the couch to watch the movie.  I wish I could say I loved it as much as I loved the book, but alas, as is often the case, the movie was a disappointment after the novel.  I liked the actors that they chose for the characters and it wasn't a bad movie.  It just didn't have the same appeal to me as the novel.  

It is the story of a young couple who have been dating for a couple of years.  It is becoming much more serious and he invites her home to China to attend his best friend's wedding for which he is best man.  What he neglects to tell her is that his family are billionaires and descended from Royalty.

She steps into a world completely foreign to her, having been raised by a single mother who struggled to provide for her.  The family, of course, thinks that she is just after their fortune and start plotting to break them apart.  It is a predictable rich kid meets poor kid and falls in love with the added differences of the Chinese culture.

There was no mention of Singapore Slings in the film, however there was a LOT of food and drink.  It should be a very interesting roundup for both of these groups this month.  Can't wait!!!

I am also linking up with Foodies Read.  Stop by and see what others are reading and being inspired to create.


#cocktails, #ChineseNewYear, #chinese, #asian, #holiday,
Drinks, Cocktails
Asian
Yield: 1 cocktailPin it

Singapore Sling

prep time: 3 minscook time: total time: 3 mins
This quintessential celebratory cocktail, the Singapore Sling, is the perfect way to kick off Chinese New Year.

ingredients:

  • 1/2 oz. Cherry Brandy
  • 1/2 oz. Grenadine
  • 1 oz. Gin
  • 2 oz. Sweet and Sour mix
  • Club Soda

instructions:

  1. Mix together the gin, grenadine and sweet and sour mix.  Pour into a tall glass filled with ice.  Pour in club soda to fill glass and top with the cherry brandy.

NOTES:

Recipe from the Drinks Free app for I-phone.
Created using The Recipes Generator

15 comments:

  1. Wendy, I'm so glad you enjoyed the book, and you're definitely the first in for CTBC! Can't wait to mix up a Singapore Sling to celebrate. More likely I'll have one out, so I don't have to buy a few extra ingredients!

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  2. Gosh I remember Singapore Slings from college days! Can't wait to read the book!

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  3. I have never had a Singapore Sling, Wendy. But, given that it's made with gin - my second favorite spirit - I will give it a try soon. Cheers!

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  4. Beautiful drink - I've never had one, and should correct that! I am hoping they do the next two books as movies. It'll be interesting to see where they might go with that. I had to appreciate them as different things, but when I compare I also liked the book more than the movie - maybe because of those hilarious foot notes!

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  5. Love that you enjoyed the cocktail while watching the movie! I loved the author's commentary to and translations.

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  6. Thanks for this reminder -- a long time ago this was one of my favorite cocktails...

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  7. I also enjoyed the author's footnotes explaining details of Singaporean society and culture. The drink and the movie sound like a great choice for an evening in.

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    Replies
    1. It was Simona. Looking forward to seeing all this month's creations.

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