Lockdown Easter 2.0

 

April Shower cocktail

I saw a tweet from Francesco da Mosto, the Venetian TV presenter/writer, which said that Venetians say a plague only ends after one Christmas and two Easters, and how much he was hoping that would turn out to be true. I think we would all agree with him on this, as we’ve now spent our second Easter in lockdown. I don’t really remember a great deal about last Easter, it was all part of the panicky, unreal blur that was early lockdown. (I should probably warn you that this post is more reflection that than cookery, but if you get through it I will reward you with a seasonally appropriate cocktail recipe.)

I do remember that I made Hot Cross Buns, with some moderate success, despite at least some of the ingredients being (I think) out of date. We were still in that phase where supermarket delivery slots were rarer than hens’ teeth, and flour was nowhere to be found. I don’t remember anything else we ate that weekend. We certainly didn’t have any Easter eggs.

This year was different. Deliveries are now relatively easy to obtain, so we had Hot Cross Buns delivered a few weeks ago and stashed them in the freezer for this weekend. We collected a cook at home meal from a local restaurant. We had Easter eggs from our wonderful local chocolatier, Madame Oiseau (who is French, but not called Oiseau), who now has a website, and does deliveries. She delivers nationwide, if you want to treat yourself: Madame Oiseau Fine Chocolates (madame-oiseau.com)

Hot Cross Buns, just before buttering (with Bucks Fizz, because why not?)

So, we’re getting good at being locked down. We’ve sort of got it worked out, even if we’re bored by it all.  It’s what comes next that’s tricky. It feels a bit like last summer, where we could do things, but it all required a lot of thinking and risk-assessment. Vaccines are of course offering hope, but also another thing to factor in, particularly for those pf us who haven’t had one yet. Do I risk the (outdoor) pub? Do I book a haircut? Or leave it a few more weeks and hope I get a jab soon, and thus reduce my risk? Getting Covid so close to being protected against it would be very not good.

Anyway, having got all that off my chest, I will reward you with a cocktail recipe. It’s called the April Shower, so perfect for this month. It’s what I was drinking on Saturday, and I can recommend. The ingredients are:

60ml Cognac
15ml Benedictine
45ml orange juice

(This is the version in the printed Diffords Guide which I used, the online version is slightly different).

Put all the above in a shaker (or other handy shakeable vessel) with ice and shake, then strain into a glass. Cheers!