Tag: Nikon D5100

Whisky Sour

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Over the summer I experimented with Scotch-based cocktails. Why? Because I could. Because I like whisky. Because it was hot outside today and I was bored and can’t find a movie to watch on Netflix or Apple TV.

The basic Whisky Sour is whisky, some sort of souring agent, a sweet syrup, bitters and optionally, an egg white. I found a basic recipe on scotchwhisky.com.

This is my second attempt at making a Whisky Sour. On my first attempt, I used the last of my 12 Year Macallan and lemon juice concentrate and skipped the egg white. It was good, but for my second try, I used freshly squeezed lemon juice and Macallan’s 12 Year Double Cask. The Double Cask is aged in American and European Sherry seasoned oak casks.

My son helped me separate the egg white. He’s not old enough to drink but he’s an excellent chef. He has the skill to separate the egg white. I do not.

I did not have a cocktail shaker, but since I am experimenting with making cocktails, it seemed appropriate to have one. I drove around town hoping to find a cocktail mixer but none of the local liquors stores nor the grocery store sells cocktail mixers. The manager at the ShopRite even commented that, with the exception of alcohol, the store sold everything else needed to make mixed drinks.

I gave the managers at both liquors stores an odd look after being told they didn’t carry any cocktail shakers. A look that basically said, “what fracking sort of liquor store is this”? I found one a few weeks later -- several in fact -- when I visited Gary's Wine & Marketplace in Hillsborough.

Here’s the recipe I used to make what I think is a delicious Whisky Sour.

Whisky Sour

  • Servings: 1
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

My interpretation of a classic cocktail



Credit: http://104.236.229.226/

Ingredients

  • 50ml McCallan’s 12 Year Double Cask
  • 25ml fresh lemon juice
  • 15ml agave syrup
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1 egg white (optional)
  • 1 dash of Tangerine bitters

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake without ice. The egg white creates thickness and a thin foam that adds to the look of the cocktail. Now add lots of cubed ice and shake hard for about 15 seconds. You can pretend you are in a Spanish band. Using a cocktail strainer and a tea strainer, strain the drink of all ice into a chilled martini glass.

Old-Fashioned Bleeding Hearts

Photowalks are my main method for connecting to world-wide photography community. I started participating a few years ago. At first I was a bit nervous. I was concerned that my low-budget Nikon D40 and my rudimentary knowledge would make me seem like a n00b1. But I soon found photowalks were typically organized by someone with a passion for photography. Like me, these people -- amateurs and professionals alike -- loved photography and didn't care much gear. The people I met on these photo-walks were there to learn and to share. Not to glare.

This image of dicentra spectabilis, commonly known as Bleeding Hearts, was taken at the Sayen Gardens in Hamilton, New Jersey during a photowalk with the Mercer County Photography Club. I was the organizer for this walk. We had a small turnout but everyone was enthusiastic.

So what is the Sayen Garden?

Situated in historic Hamilton Square, Sayen House and Gardens provide a welcome sanctuary for nature lovers, garden enthusiasts and history buffs alike.Sayen Gardens

The air was cool and moist. Someone remembered seeing a pond on the last trip to the gardens so we walked around trying to find it. It was like a treasure hunt but we made sure to stop and enjoy the journey. I found these Bleeding Hearts while walking along one of the paths. It was early spring and I found the foliage with arching stems of delicate, heart-shaped flowers, attractive.

In some ways, the walk through Sayen Gardens reminded me of the many childhood walks through the Kingstown botanical Gardens with my mother and brothers. During the rainy season in St. Vincent the air is always moist and "sweet". A mixture of the rainwater from the mountains and the salt water from the Atlantic Ocean.

  1. Quite frankly I was. ↩

Dance in The Blue Hour

This is one of many pieces of sculpture to be found at the Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey. My night and low light course instructor, Rick Wright, took the class on a field trip. The Grounds are a favorite spot for New Jersey photographers. I'm not fan of sculpture and the sky was overcast and I was doubtful I would find anything to photograph. I walked around looking for something to strike my eye. I was convinced the field trip would yield nothing.

All the artwork is sculpture based on famous paintings. The sculptures are placed and organized among a scenic and nicely landscaped property. Shrubbery, flora, and several other nature based aspects help to highlight the sculptures that are placed all around the grounds.

It's easy sometimes to forget the simple things that give us pleasure. If we open our eyes, life is marvelous. The human spirit triumphs, if only for moments in a day. I try to have my work call attention to those moments.Seward Johnson

Henri Matisse painted a piece known as “Dance,” which depicts a boy laying under a circle of dancing women, holding hands and surrounding the boy as he lays in both relaxation. Seward Johnson interpretation of the original painting of “Dance” is a larger than life-size sculpture that is selectively lit for viewing at night.

I focused my efforts on this re-imagining of Henri Matisse's "The Dance". I walked around looking for a composition that worked for me. Once I found my spot I sat on the nearby park bench and waited. "The Dance" was going to be my project for the night. I took a few shots during the Golden Hour and then waited for blue hour. I took a set of images at various exposures and messed around with the white balance setting. Of the set of images, this one is my favorite.

I like how the sculpture is reflected in the pond and how the pond water darkened the purple-blue-red of the sky.