Serendipity

Two interesting things happened in the last few days while I was minding my own business.

First, my daughter decided to take French this year in high school.  I'm jaded and suggested Spanish instead but of course in keeping with a typical 14 year old, she decided against her father's wishes.  I studied French in grade school for 5 years, despised it and chose Latin first and later German as soon as options presented themselves.  Expecting a similar experience for my daughter, I was delighted when she asked me if I knew how to make a French martini.  Her French teacher had mentioned it during class and shared the correct proportions with my daughter.  For those who aren't familiar, martinis are believed to have been first invented by bartender Jerry Thomas in the 1860's while working in San Francisco.  Martinis combined a spirit (gin or vodka) with a wine (vermouth) or liqueur.  Legend has it that Mr. Thomas named after its main ingredient, Chambord, which is from France.  The following is the French Martini recipe:

1 1/2 oz vodka
1/4 oz Chambord® raspberry liqueur
1/4 oz fresh pineapple juice
1 twist lemon peel

The other discovery was sitting at a faculty function this evening and discovering a fellow blogger.  Carla and her husband have created Hoperatives to share both their love of artisan beers as well as the brewing history of Cincinnati.  Even better, they have already posted Losantiville on their blog roll.  The least I could do is return the favor!