The Birdfeeder
(Christmas Gift Guide, option 3)
Growing up, looking out onto my urban back garden you would come across various birds. Visiting birds. And not your standard birds (pigeons) but birds of colour, blue jays and cardinals, robins and finches. My mother used to peer out the window and every so often, ask me (her favourite [according to the author]) to come over to the window and share the moment when the two of us were able to bird watch these beautiful creatures doing bird things before he/she flew away. Mother and son would smile together in silence for what can be a few seconds and if we were lucky a few minutes of peace admiring the colours and grace of our feathered friends. After those moments we would then go back to our daily tasks. Most times nothing was said. Fast forward to years later, when I have my own home and offspring (ignore the cat & cradle routine), but this time I went a step ahead... I have a bird feeder. Not one, not two but three bird feeders nesting (pardon or don’t pardon the pun) out in my front garden. Why leave it to chance like my Mom did, give our friends a reason to stop and stay. Nothing brings family and feathered friends together than food. And boy, do those birds come. Dozens at a time, all vying for space for a seat at the table. It reminds me of the all you can eat restaurant, Sizzlers back in the early 90s (no one wants to write about that..). But its mostly Robins and Tits, lacking vivid colour but not quantity. They swirl around the bird feeders, looking for their opportunity. And it’s still nice to watch them and admire them, you tend to drift away for a few moments similar to my Mom’s garden all those years ago. Which leads to option 3 of my 2022 Cocktail Christmas gift guide. The Redbreast Whiskey Bird feeder. A redbreast is the proper name of the European Robin. Your average robin with a red breast. Much like a Cuba Libre is your rum & coke. (At the bar, you won’t be turned away if you use one or the other. And if you are, maybe try a different establishment.) Redbreast Whiskey got it’s name from the European Robin and have partnered up Birdlife International to help save the common bird habitat. On it’s website it states the bird feeder was ‘designed alongside Birdlife International, the bottle of Redbreast 12 features a red-finish copper casing that slides off the bottle and can be filled with bird feed and hung from a branch. So there’s something for your shelf, and something for your garden.’ How absolutely lovely is that? And we are not just talking about the whiskey. Can you imagine, on a cold and windy Sunday afternoon, fire going, just before sundown looking out through the window and watching the birds feed away while you enjoy a neat whiskey. Simple pleasures life gives you. And if you want to really go for the moment, below is Redbreast’s cocktail The Flying Old Fashioned. The author has yet to try it. All I would need would be some Redbreast 12 Year Old (hint) and some Creme de peach (double hint). But it looks good and I bet it smells great. This has to be on my list of cocktails to try. Sitting there beside my window, watching the birds and drinking a cocktail. Doesn’t get any better. My Mom would agree.
The Flying Old Fashioned
Ingredients: 50 ml Redbreast 12 50 ml Creme de peach 5 ml 2:1 Sugar Syrup 1 Dash Peychaud Bitters 2 Dashes Orange Bitters
Method: Gently stir the finest ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Fill rocks glass with freshly cubed ice. Strain into rocks glass. Garnish with a long trimmed orange zest and serve.
Redbreast Whiskey Cocktail
Robin Redbreast Day - Coming soon