barry's back with the pink slip.

yes, i know. many of you have already given me plenty of grief for going m.i.a., but wasn't the wait and anticipation worth it to find out the winning recipe of the pink slip?!

well, okay, maybe not.

i have a confession to make. i didn't actually test the recipes i came up with until after the voting was done, so when i had a wee shindig to sample the three pink slip recipes, it was the first time anybody had tried them, including me. so really, it's not my fault that pink slip recipe #2 won...even though it turned out to be the most disgusting thing i or anyone else in the room had ever consumed.

my bad.

BUT even though #2 tasted like fizzy cinnamon cough syrup, the other two recipes were a big hit. recipe #1 was particularly popular, which surprised me because campari usually means a bitter death. i suggest changing that recipe slightly and add just under a part of campari and instead add an extra splash of pineapple juice - it tastes great, and has the bitterness of grapefruit juice.

here are a few comments from my pink slip party guests. i offered them the option of anonymity, hence the online names.

superman liked #3 because he said so. SNAP!

latinlover felt #3 made him feel fantastic.

me! thought #3 was the best combination with a light, fruity taste. very refreshing. the shade of pink with the red cherry at the bottom was also lovely. p.s.- three rules.

carolina. liked the cherry of #3, but didn't like #2 because she hates cinnamon.

stone fox's first pick was #3 as it was the best of the bunch.

everyone else in the group picked #1:

evilbreakfest liked the orange chair, that orange chair rocks, why aren't there more orane chairs?*
*i should point out that when my friends wrote their comments they had just had a number of very strong drinks.

em eye picked #1 because the other two SUCKED! just kidding (not really). #1 is fresh, different and doesn't have a disgusting cinnamon after taste. yikes, i need tums after #2!

(illegible scribbles) wrote "hey! i ordered a cheeseburger what the f*ck? $5000!!?!*
*again, alcohol.

sea of ash thought #1 was sexy! it definitely is a breakfast drink and you can never start drinking this [stuff] too early with economic crisis.

mrs. roper: pink slip #1: bitter, tart, delicious.

the tastemaker: it's like a breakfast you can drink. it's a marker of refined, sophisticated palates. i feel sorry for people who chose #2 because they will never experience true tasty delight.

tasterator: vegetables and sugar turned into a palate cleansing drink - what more could a robustly, athletic, pro-active and vital young man want? pink slip #1 is beyond my taste expectations.

so that's it folks. #1 was the clear favourite. my vote is to think of names for recipes #1 & 3 and get them on the market. write in with your name suggestions, and we'll get those posted!

barry reminds everyone that it's the last day to vote.

the pink slip is coming, the pink slip is coming!

yes, today is your last day to vote for our recession-themed drink: the pink slip. will it be pink slip #1 with it's bitter campari and caribbean flair? how about posh #2 with it's haughty display of the last vestiges of wealth? or maybe #3 with it's easy-to-remember recipe so you can order it again and again at the bar? you tell me! go take the pink slip poll on the right and help decide what our recession drink should be.

click here to find the three recipes again, mull it over, AND THEN GO VOTE!

come back next week to find out the poll results, as well as some reviews on all three pink slips; we'll see if the right decision was made.

barry, the pink slip, and the honour system.

it has been brought to my attention that SOME people are voting multiple times on the pink slip recipe. people, this is not american idol – you don’t just “call in” as often as you want in order to get your favourite in. the point of this is to get as broad a range of people’s votes as possible. but i DO love your enthusiasm.

one man, one vote. got it? got it.

besides, as of today 18 people have voted (well, not really 18 people, cheaters, but thank you to everyone who has voted) so i can expect roughly 5 more votes as there are only 25 fans on the edmonton foodie facebook fan site, with three of them being integral to this blog (thank you to my pimps!) and several of them being related to my pimps and therefore threatened with thumbscrews if they didn’t join (not really expecting them to vote, unless under duress).

i also have to say a big THANK YOU to the seven commentators of the pink slip – your insight and reasons into why you chose which recipe fascinates me.

anonymous who chose #3, love that you’re planning your drunkenness ahead of time: don’t forget to pack a plastic bag and some soda crackers for the cab ride home.

stone fox: i enjoy that a good drink wins out over a steady paycheque. glad you’ve got your priorities straight.

dly: really, who can resist pineapple? nobody, that’s who.

oh billie, perhaps you should cut down on the sauce. maybe then you’ll see beyond mariah’s glitter.

this is a recession, anonymous #2, stop being so damn positive!

and mona, with all that ginyness i want you to be careful not to lose your panties. check?

you have 15 more days to vote and comment on the pink slip, so go spread the word.

poll: barry makes the most of a bad situation.

the other day one of my buds was talking about a new phenomenon in north america: pink slip parties. bars across the country are hosting recently laid off workers (who wear pink ribbons), their supporters (who wear blue ribbons) and recruiters (who wear green ribbons) as they network with one another over a cocktail or two. definitely a fun way to start job hunting, although when i first heard the term “pink slip party” i thought it meant that you could bring your pink slips to the bar on wednesday nights and get a free drink…even more fun, i’d say.

during the 1930s it wasn’t uncommon to head on down to the bar to enjoy a cheap beer, sidecar or whiskey sour, and forget about your troubles…for a few hours at least. so here we are: in the midst of a world-wide recession, job hunting over a drink, or in some cases, under a few drinks. but why drink just any drink? i think that there should be a signature concoction for us to commiserate over our little recession, and i think we’re the people to get the ball rolling.

i need your help to pick a new cocktail for the year.

below are three possible recipes for a “pink slip”: a recession era drink that you can order when you go out and forget about the worries of the world for a few hours. i want you to vote on the poll (to your right) for your favourite drink of the three, and then comment why. whichever drink has the most votes by march 20 wins, and a new drink is born. after that, i want you to go out to your favourite bar and start ordering “pink slips”. you might need to bring the recipe along for the first few times, but after that the pink slip should start being a part of your bartender’s vocabulary.

pink slip #1.

1 part campari
1 part gin
3 parts pineapple juice

a squeeze of lime juice

shake over ice and garnish with a hershey’s kiss.

the campari represents the bitterness of the “pink slip” while the pineapple and lime juice represent the cayman islands, where you wish you hid all of your money.

pink slip #2.

1 part cherry brandy
1 part gold schlager (or for the poor man, cinnamon schnapps)

champagne to top it all off

shake brandy and schlager over ice and pour into champagne flute. top with champagne and garnish with a cinnamon heart.

okay, so it's not a frugal, recession-friendly drink, but it'll keep you warm now that your partner left you cold and alone for someone with money and a job. the gold flecks in the schlager remind me of a shattered man swallowing the last of his wealth before the bank can come and take it. hey, at least they're not diamond cufflinks in a balloon - right carlton?

pink slip #3.

1 part vodka

1 part southern comfort

2 parts cranberry juice

shake well over ice, and garnish with a cherry or starfruit.

meh - it's sweet, has alcohol and it's pink.