Brandy Sour
The Brandy Sour is a mixed alcoholic cocktail that has been cited as the national drink of Cyprus. While other forms of the Brandy Sour cocktail exist, the Cypriot variety is a distinct mixture, which only shares the basic brandy and lemon flavourings with other variants. Both brandy and lemons are among Cyprus's major exports, and both have distinctive Cypriot characteristics.
The Cypriot Brandy Sour style was developed following the introduction of the first blended brandy made on Cyprus, by the Haggipavlu family, in the early 1930s. The cocktail was developed at the Forest Park Hotel, in the hill-resort of Plátres, for the young King Farouk of Egypt, who often stayed at the hotel during his frequent visits to the island.The Brandy Sour was introduced as an alcoholic substitute for iced tea, as a way of disguising the Muslim monarch's preference for Western-style cocktails. The drink subsequently spread to other bars and hotels in the fasionable Platres area, before making its way to the coastal resorts of Limassol, Paphos and Kyrenia, and the capital Nicosia.
A typical recipe for a Brandy Sour should include:
• 2 measures Cypriot brandy (typically KEO VSOP or Haggipavlu Anglias brands)
• 1 measure Cypriot lemon squash
• 2-4 drops of bitters (Angostura or Cypriot Cock Drops brands)
• Top up with lemonade or soda water
• Ice
Cocktail brandy produced in Cyprus is typically less strongly flavoured than cognac or armagnac, and most brands have a caramel-biased aftertaste balance. Cyprus also produces distinctive, yellow-green coloured, bitter lemons — used by British author Lawrence Durrell for the title for his autobiographical novel Bitter Lemons of Cyprus. These lemons are used locally to produce a bitter-sweet lemon cordial, which forms the sour and bitter base for the Brandy Sour cocktail. Bitters are added to taste, and while the locally produced Cock Drops brand is widely available on the island, the internationally-recognised Angostura brand is increasingly used. These ingredients are added to a tall glass and stirred, before the glass is topped up with lemonade (for a classic, slightly sweeter drink) or soda water (for less sweetness and a more pronounced brandy flavour), and plenty of ice.
Enjoy
Relaxation Techniques for busy Mums and Dads : Week 2
In addition to the tips from last week, it is always essential prior to a meditation to avoid too many stimulants (such as tea, coffee, chocolate, cigarettes, energy drinks etc), as these will have a counter-productive effect upon your meditation. So, if you can, for a few hours before a meditation, try to drink simply herbal teas or water – essential in these hot days anyway for your health.
For hundreds of years humans have acknowledged and respected waters beneficial properties, these being:-
Cleansing for your body, mind and soul - a shower last thing at night will help you get rid of any ‘pollution’ both physically, emotionally and vibrationally you have picked up from places and people you have interacted with throughout the course of the day.
Healing – healing mineral hot springs for arthritic complaints, mineral or mud or Epsom bath salts being all very efficacious to your health. We are fortunate in Cyprus that we can enjoy the sea nearly all year round – a wonderful way to maintain health.
Beautifying – hydrating your body, along with regular meditation, are two great ways to keep your body working at optimum levels and your skin to stay plump and wrinkle free. Water also aids blemish free skin and all your bodily systems to work at optimum levels. Meditation stimulates a better immune system and balanced hormones, prevents high blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, decreases migraines, P.M.S. viruses and normalises body weight –but more on the physical benefits of Meditation next week!
This week we have yet another wonderful, easy Meditation practise is listed below, for you to enjoy. Please read last week’s ‘tips’ – underneath first, simply to refresh your memory about the do’s & don’ts before Meditating – enjoy.
Relaxed Body, Relaxed Mind
As before, follow Kara’s preparatory tips listed below, and, having shuffled around, to find your most comfortable position:-
“Direct your attention down to your toes, scrunch them over, to let them fall away, completely letting go of any tension in your toes.
Moving up to your calves, under enormous pressure when seated for long periods of time, gently tighten your calves, feeling them ball up, to release them, letting them go soft.
Keeping your lower legs relaxed, now tense up your thighs and hamstrings to let them release back.
Now your glutes, tense them up, feeling your body slightly rise up from your chair as you do so, now let your glutes go, sinking deeper into your chair, your whole lower body now relaxed & heavier, sinking deeper into your seat.
Next contract your stomach muscles, pulling them in, feeling them harden and tighten, to slowly and completely unwind them.
Sense into your chest, constricting your pectoral muscles or pushing your chest out, to then slowly let them loosen, softening.
Now your back muscles, picture and feel them tightening, sensing into them, constricting them, to let your spine settle deeper into your chair.
Keeping all these muscles relaxed, squeeze and lift your shoulders up towards your ears, to let them gently drop back, fully relaxed, feeling your neck lengthen as a consequence.
Moving onto your arms. tense your upper and lower forearms, to let everything go.
Next your hands and fingers, scrunch them up tight into a ball, to release them, feeling the calm this brings from everyday ‘doing’.
Gently move your head (as long as you have no neck impingements) from side to side, easing out any tension here.
The squeeze up, scrunch up all your face muscles tight, letting them completely go, feeling the deep peace this brings.
Finally, with closed eyes, stare intensely into the back of your eyelids, making your eyeballs tight; to then let them sink back into their sockets, perfectly at ease.
Just enjoy this feeling of complete bodily relaxation, and let your mind drift away”.
END OF MEDITATION
Meditation, when done in a group, is a lot more powerful – in its calming and restorative effects – when done in a group, especially for beginners. Therefore Larnaca Parents Network is glad to recommend Kara - a fully trained Osho Zen Meditation Teacher – to help you truly discover all the benefits that Meditation can bring.
Group meditation greatly enhances the benefits you get from Meditating, through its ‘group dynamics’ as Quantum Physics has recently revealed. The benefits you will get from doing a group meditation are a lot more powerful, both in its calming and restorative effects for you, especially for beginners or those who do not practice meditation regularly.
Therefore Meditation specifically stimulates focus, memory and intelligence in children and adults – essential for your academic children! Doctors and scientists are both in agreement over this with many newspaper articles having been written about this in the last few years – but more on this in the next few weeks!
Kara’s Tips to ensure you get the most from your Relaxation time
•Make yourself comfortable, preferably seated (as lying can make the meditative novice prone to sleeping instead of meditating)
•Ensure you are in an area of your home or nature, where you know you will not be disturbed.
•Turn off any mobile or landline phones, and instruct anyone in your home or vicinity that you wish to be undisturbed for this time. If at home, it is always a good idea to simply stick a note on your door stating ‘Meditating, Do not Disturb”.
•Soft, harmonic music can be played, preferably ‘memory free’ and ‘word’ free music, as in just melody or nature sounds, so that nothing cerebral, via words or associations can prevent you from achieving Alpha & Theta brain levels. As with any new hobby, it is always nice to buy something new (as in new trainers for jogging, artists easel for painting etc) to start your new venture, so investing in just a new CD is a wonderful start to Meditating. As finding a piece of music that easily relaxes you gives you a head start to begin with.
•Use a gentle timer with the more advanced Meditations, to help you realize when it is time to come ‘back to reality’. A good way is to use a music track you know is a specific length that you wish to meditate to, so that the ‘end’ does not shock you too much on coming out of your tranquil way of being.
•Place your feet, preferably barefoot, on the ground, ensuring you are grounded.
•Gently let your eyelids touch.
For further Information or Questions on this weeks Meditation please contact Kara on: 97-743357
Guided Group Meditation & One to One classes are also available.
Larnaca Municipality Press Release 18th -24th June 2012
This weekly press release is part of an effort to inform our
citizens and the public in general about the activities of our Municipality.
Cultural Events
For more information go to www.larnaka.com
or call the Larnaca Municipality Cultural Department on 24657745 or 24629333
Construction work
The Department of Construction of the Municipality of
Larnaca informs the public that between 18/06-22/06/2012, the following
construction work will be in progress:
- Works at the beach front related to the International Beach Volley Championship.
- Pavement construction and repair in the streets Mistra and Konstantinou Valsamaki.
- Road construction and developement works on Piale Pasa.
- Premix construction on Fleming, Boughiout, Valsamaki and Thiatiron streets.
- Maintenance work in a Community residence on 10, Neofitou Rodinou street.
Administration
Larnaca Municipality Administration informs the public that
the following contests are in progress:
Contest. No. 11/2012, 12/2012, 13/2012, 20/2012
Service Provision:
- Designer (Contest No. 10/2012)
- Architect (Contest No. 11/2012)
- Environmentalist (Contest No. 12/2012)
- Administration Assistant (Contest No. 13/2012
- Architect or Urban Planner (Contest No. 20/2012)
These positions are required for the implementation
of the actions as well as the planning for the network “Mediterranean network
for the promotion of sustainable urban development strategies and three new
urban development strategies” which has been approved within the framework of
the European Programme ENPI-CBC MED for the duration of 16 months with the
right of a 6 month extension. Submission deadline: 08/06/2012 at 12 noon.
Finance Department
The Larnaca Municipality Finance Department informs the
public that payment of the Municipal Property Tax, Corporate Tax and Business
Premises Permit for the year 2011 as well as for the previous years is possible
only at Larnaca Municipality Offices. A 10% fine will be added on the
initial tax amount.
As far as the Refuse Collection Tax is concerned, the
payment deadline has already passed and legal proceedings have begun.
The public should settle their payments to Larnaca
Municipality on time and within the given deadlines to avoid added legal and
court costs.
Energy Team and Environmental
Management Department: www.larnaka202020.eu
Contact: 24816559, 24816581/email:
perivallon@larnaca.com
Translation kindly provided by
Eri Constantinou
Dimi's Naughty Castle
Dimi's is located in Xylotympou and offers numerous activities for your children to enjoy as well as a cafe-restaurant. They also organize brithday parties, christenings and catering!
For more information please call 24724256 / 9957218
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