St. George’s Grow Cold
Posted by ymartiny | Filed under Cape Town
St. George’s mall is Cape Town’s renowned open-air mall situated right outside Taj Cape Town (where I used to work). With an obsession with change and in an effort to keep myself occupied over lunch, I decided to take a picture once every week of the falling leaves from the end of summer (17 Apr 2012) until mid winter (02 Jul 2012) when not a single one is left – enjoy:
Tags: Cape Town, change, gif, St. George's
Superfluous Admonition
Posted by ymartiny | Filed under My Sea Point
Found the warning on this remnant of a rear view mirror on Rhine Road and giggled inside …
MY SEA POINT
Posted by ymartiny | Filed under My Sea Point
I often take a walk from Ocean View to Beach, here’s my interpretation of the individuals you encounter while covering very distinct sections of cultures on various levels of wealth, and also the opposite … poverty:
Tags: Beach Road, Cape Town, High Level, Main Road, Ocean View, Sea Point
Bokswynengel
Posted by ymartiny | Filed under Wine Events
Sneeuengels se voet. Strandengles s’n ook. As jy die bevokste engel wil maak, is die ‘n bokswynengel. Dit verg baie om hierdie hoog onwaarskynlikke sending te voltooi:
- Eerste moet jy die perfekte glas hê; een met net die regte hoogte stam en ‘n weie genoeg glastulp om daardie opgebokste wyn die regte hoeveelheid lug te gee.
- Die atmosferiese druk moet presies dieselfde wees as op die dak van enige ses-vloer gebou in die stadbak van Kaapstad
- Die regte mengsel van alkohol aanpaksel en sediment van die wonderlikste lighte witwyn tot swaarder, ondrinkbare, rooiwyn. Dit dan alles het bygedra tot die skepping van dié perfte aangesig in ‘n glas en ook die selfs meer suksesvolle, jaarlikse (nou in sy tweede jaar) Bokswyntoekenings by die Penthouse on Long wat deur winetimes geborg word.
Mense het van hede en vere gekom om dié uitsonderlikke en unieke aangeleentheid by te woon. Die geliefde bekendes in die wynindustrie was daar, wyngoggas (wine bloggers), media, wynvlieë, en ook net plein gewone mense wat daarvan hou om die ou papsak ‘n drukkie te gee.
Die hysbak se deure het net na vyf-dertig oopgemaak om die hordes mense wat geduldig op die rooi tapyt gewag het, na die dak te vat. Na ‘n vinigge oriëntasie en registrasie was jy dan reg om in die rye bokse in te vaar. Tussen die opvang met bekende gesigte wat jy oor die jare bymekaar gemaak het, meestal met die hulp van die goeie mense (en gasheers) van winetimes en spitorswallow, en die ongelooflikke smulhappies van die The Woodstock, moes jy ±20 bokse wit- en rooiwyn probeer, dit ‘n telling uit 10 gee, en daaroor Twiet om die telling te registreer. ‘10’ vir daardie boksie wat jou tong van vreugde laat sing en‘1’ vir daardie onbeskofte, asyn-tipe wyn wat jou kiewe laat hande klap tot in die nuwe jaar.
Ander struikelblokke vir elke beoordeellaar om ook te vermy, en om van nota te neem vir volgende jaar sodat jy betyds ‘n slukkie kan neem van elke wyn voor die aand verby is:
- Die kameraman, klankman and vermaaklikheids aanbieder wat ‘n hele ry wynbokse van toegang kan blokkeer
- Mense met tydelikke wyn-geïnduseerde Alzheimer se siekte wat drie keer dieseflde tottie draai en dieselfde bokswyn dan weer punte gee (en waarskynlik met ‘n ander telling)
- Op-maat-selfoon-snorvember-manvrou kompetiesies vir wie jy ook beoordeellaar moet speel
- Kraantjies wat verkeerde kant toe spyt
- Dronkies met nagblindheid
Dié partytjie, wat beslis die bees se ballas was, het natuurlik nie geëindig met die toekennings van die beste witwyn (Robertson Winery Sauvignon Blanc) en rooiwyn (Drostdy-hof Merlot 2010) nie. Daarna, is almal in hulle afslag rikki-karretjies na die immergewilde, Drie-eenheid (Trinity). Hoewel, na ek deur elke liewe bokswyn was, kon ek ongelukkig nie die jol verder aanpak nie. Toe gryp ek my komplimentêre lewertablette (Vital Liver Rescue tablets) en luister toe maar vir die innerlikke kapitalis wat my bed toe jaag.
Dit was ‘n paar dae later dat ek my skootrekenaar in die katebak ingegooi het en toe die glas hoor. In die donker hoek van die katebak het ek toe die dowe, rooi-gevlekte glas uitgelig en opgehou teen die sonlig. Op daardie oomblik het honderde stemme teen dieselfde tyd in eenvormigge lied uitgebreek wat my weer laat glo het in die krag wat ‘n doos kan hê.
Tags: (Robertson Winery Sauvignon Blanc, bokswyn, bokswynengel, box wine, Drostdy-hof Merlot 2010, Kaapstad, Kraantjies, rooiwyn, Sneeuengels, Strandengles, tottie, witwyn
Nirvana by Chocolate gets Second Place
Posted by ymartiny | Filed under Competitions
AMARULA RETRO & RENEW’S WINNING COCKTAILS AS INTERPRETED BY THE PROFESSIONALS
Amarula recently ran a Retro & Renew competition for food and drinks bloggers, who were asked to compose a cocktail based on a classic recipe but given a new twist by adding the creamy Spirit of Africa to the mix.
The winning cocktail was Lover’s Revenge, a variation on the White Russian, devised by Clare Mack and professionally styled and shot for Amarula, along with five other recipes short-listed by the panel of judges for their originality, taste and suggested way of serving.
They are Nirvana by Chocolate ymartiny.co.za, Amarula Mint Music Muddle by Sue Northam (Samusicinlondon.blogspot.com), Dark Roast Amarula by Deidre Rosenberg (Love4adventure.co.za), Elephant Riviera by Sarah Fell (Onesmallseed.co.za) and Skew’s me by Juan Geel (Skew.co.za).
They will all soon be featured on Amarula’s website www.amarula.co.za.
Ingredients
30 ml Amarula
30 ml Count Pushkin Premium Imperial Vodka
30 ml Nachtmusik
3 scoops Woolworths Stracciatella Ice Cream
30 ml Stroh Rum
Crushed ice
Shavings of white and dark chocolate
Method
Mix the Amarula, Count Pushkin Premium Imperial Vodka, Nachtmusik and ice cream with crushed ice in a cocktail shaker, blender or sealed container. Pour into a tumbler and garnish with shavings of white and dark chocolate. Savour the cocktail and finish off with a shot of Stroh Rum.
Serves one.
Weaning your child the Amarula Cream way
Posted by ymartiny | Filed under Competitions, Wine for Free
There is just no other option
My mother has to be the leading alcoholic personality in the southern hemisphere. I remember bergies (South African Pygmy Street Cowboys) standing in queues outside our house waiting for that half a glass that she would leave them, on purpose. Her children departed from her nipple only to reach for the neck of her favourite aperitif or digestif. It was during these early forming years that she introduced them to a liqueur, for which I would have an affinity for, like a child would for a favourite toy. It had to be the gentle looking giant elephant staring at you from the bottle. What child doesn’t adore animals, domestic or wild?
The Amarula Cream Competition
Posted by ymartiny | Filed under Competitions
Weltevrede Vanilla Chardonnay: The Schlep Epic!
Posted by ymartiny | Filed under Wine for Free
When I got notified that a bottle of Weltevrede Vanilla Chardonnay was on the way and the request to refer to the website for recipes to match with the wines were subtly footnoted, I could hear my pots, pans and cooking utensils screaming in protest.
Tags: Karoo, Martha Stewart, Wacky Wine, Weltevrede Vanilla Chardonnay
Alternative Recipe for Weltevrede Vanilla Chardonnay
Posted by ymartiny | Filed under Wine for Food
Courtesy of www.uktv.co.uk – the Good Food Channel
The Amazing Race to Dinner 2011
Posted by ymartiny | Filed under General
Silence stood in sharp contrast to the chants and deafening cheers that ended just a while back at the kick-off of this year’s Amazing Race to Dinner at Green Point Park (due to opened the next day). Twenty-two teams were waiting in anxious anticipation for that sound that so many Capetonians know; the noon day gun. It was to start a race that would take them all from Bellville to Goodwood, the CBD to Houtbay and then Greenpoint, Obs to Kenilworth and finally to the dinner venue. After seven stops and tasks, one team would stand victorious and claim the title for 2011. For fun, for Cape Town, for friends and ultimately, and most importantly, for a first-class cause: iThemba House
Learn more...
