alcohol | Diaries of a Montreal Girl

When Life Gives You Lemons: Tequila Lemonade

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Em

If there is one thing I’m known for (apart from my dashing good looks and comedic humour), it’s my tequila lemonade.

It all started one day when I was having some friends over, but I realised the only alcohol I had was tequila. Now at that time I had never really drunk tequila and had no idea what to mix it with. I figured YOLO, I’ll mix it with something citrusy because it seemed like the best bet.

Using a little bit of this, a little bit of that, I’ve mastered a tequila lemonade recipe that will have you feeling mighty fine in no time:

2oz of simply syrup
4oz of tequila
6oz of lemon juice
1 oz of lime juice
Carbonated water

I can’t think of a recipe that is more straightforward than this. Basically add the simple syrup, tequila, lemon juice and lime juice in a pitcher. Top off with some carbonated water, invite a few friends over, and you’ll be sure to have a fun night!

Drink up!

Dolla Dolla Oysters Y’all : Joverse

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Em

What’s better than oysters? How about 1$ oysters?

I was scrolling on my Instagram the other day *shameless self-promotion* when I came across an ad for Joverse‘s Thursday special: 1$ oysters.

Now if I’ve learned anything in my 23 years of living, it’s that if something is too good to be true, it usually is. But this time my friends, it was true.

So my friend and I decided to check out what this special was all about. We were convinced that there was going to be some small print about how you had to order a 20$ drink or 50$ worth of food to take advantage of the special, but there wasn’t.

When we got there, we noticed no one seemed to be ordering oyster. I had originally thought I got the day of the week wrong, but our waitress confirmed that we were just really, really, really early. Apparently, fancy people only order oysters in the evening with a bottle of champagne to start their night of partying off right. Needless to say, my friend and I are not that type of person.

Round one

I had also completely underestimated my friend’s love for oysters. I thought we’d get a dozen oysters and maybe some food, but my friend had another idea in mind.

She is a beauty

One Joverse Poutine and thirty-six oysters later, we were done. We had demolished all the food in front of us and were slowly slipping into food comas. The Joverse Poutine was a delicious combination of Goat cheese fondue sauce and amazing duck fat French fries. The oysters definitely hit the spot and at that price point, I really can’t complain.

“You can eat after I’ve taken my photo”

If you’re looking to shake up your regular Thursday 5@7’s, definitely hit up Joverse and enjoy all the oysters you like!

Eyes Bigger Than the Stomach: Fiorellino

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Em

You can never have too much pizza, right?

Definitely right. Last week, my friend wanted to take me to Fiorellino, a quaint snack bar restaurant downtown. As soon as we walked in I grabbed my phone to take photos because it was already Instagram worthy.

After looking over the menu, we were having a hard time deciding between the Fritto Misto and the Piatto di Salumi as an appetizer so we did the logical thing of ordering both. And then we decided to be reasonable and order their Margherita pizza to share as a main.

Now people who know me know that I’m not exactly a seafood kind of gal. BUT FRY ANYTHING AND IT’S BASICALLY HEAVENLY. My friend and I devoured the first appetizer even though I didn’t know half of what I was eating.

Look at all that fried goodness

Then just when we thought it couldn’t get better, they brought us our second appetizer. Now when they say meat platter, they mean MEAT PLATTER. The board was so big I couldn’t even get the whole thing in the frame without standing up and looking obnoxious. Their focaccia had the right amount of spicing that made it match perfectly with the mix of prosciutto, salami, and other delicious dried meats.

Can’t even fit it in the frame

Just as we were about to enter our food coma, our waiter brought us our pizza. Now, I’m very picky when it comes to pizza because I’ve gotten used to enjoying my dad’s homemade dough, carefully measured ingredients and use of his magical pizza stone. But man, Fiorellino delivered. The crust was just crispy enough and the cheese had melted oh so perfectly so come together as a great dish.

Literarily nothing better than pizza

Everything about the evening was perfect, from the cozy atmosphere to the mouth-watering food. Definitely a place I’ll be returning to as the temperature starts to drop for some comforting Italian cuisine.

Burgers & Shakes: Deville Dinerbar

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Em

There’s probably nothing better than milkshakes. Except for alcoholic milkshakes and inside-out burgers.

I wanted to take my friend out for her birthday (~~because I missed her birthday~~ because I’m such a great friend), and we were making our way to our beloved MooseBawr. However, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Deville Dinerbar on Stanley and I immediately changed directions.

For those who have never been, Deville is a blast from the past. From the bright pink neon sign, to the old school menu items, Deville offers a fun dining experience like no other. Their menu offers an array of dishes from Crispy Mac and Cheese Stuffed Wontons to their Lobster BLTA. They also have quite an original drink menu with daily specials that will make you want to try each and every cocktail.

Table for one, drinks for two

Our waiter, who was just as beautiful as the diner (I swear Montreal restaurants only hire good looking waiters), was very attentive and provided really great service. He would constantly bring us napkins because when I say the burgers were juicy, I mean JUICY. Like you bite-into-it-and-it-squirts-onto-your-phone juicy. And the matchsticks fries were the perfect side dish to the enormous burgers.

Dat burger tho

Needless to say, we were pretty stuffed but their dessert menu looks absolutely heavenly. If anyone is looking for me, I’ll be at Deville slipping into a food coma after eating their Oreo Cookie Crusted Nutella Ice Cream Sandwich that has my name all over it.

Drinking beer doesn’t make you fat, It makes you lean…. Against bars, tables, chairs, and poles

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Em

Montreal is a great city and is known for its incredible nightlife. Because of our young legal drinking age, the clubs that line Crescent and St Laurent street are always jammed pack.

Once you’ve finally made it into the club (after paying a ridiculous amount for in cover charges) you strut over to the bar and order a round of shots for you and your squad. The bartender smiles at you, fills up these tiny little plastic “shot” glasses and then you realise you basically have to sell your kidney to afford your round of shots.

Clubs are known for selling their alcohol at insanely inflated prices. I’m talking charging 150$ for a bottle of vodka that you could easily get for 30$ at the SAQ. You can always try negotiating with the bartender and club promoter or you can become friends with the people with the most bottles at the club. They won’t notice if one goes missing right?

A better alternative to clubs in my opinion is bars. They care less about the dress code, the vibe is a lot more relax and you won’t need to take out a loan to afford a drink.

A personal favourite of mine is Moose Bawr.

The Canadian Pub, located downtown on Sainte-Catherine street, is home to great food, amazing sangria and a good time. Their pitchers of sangria are priced fairly at 15$-16$ and come in a variety of flavours. They also serve diner inspired hot dogs that will make your mouth water. The atmosphere is very laid back and they play everything from SPICE Girls to Carly Rae Jepsen. It’s the perfect opportunity to get a good bang for your buck.

So for your next night on the town, consider going to Moose Bawr. You won’t be disappointed!