Raising a Cocktail to Her Maj

We are down in Key West this week, a tiny island floating between Cuba and Miami. It is about as far from London and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations as you can get.

In fact, the only link between here and Her Maj are the glamorous drag queens who live in the Old Town and perform at the Crystal Room at La Te Da. (I suspect The Queen would no doubt love those names as much as we do.)

(And don't you love this image? In a way, this lovely lady reminds me of Ms Elizabeth. I think The Queen would approve of these earrings. And probably the hair do, too)

We have tried to find a bar in the Keys that's celebrating the Jubilee with suitable English-ness but the closest we've found is a quirky place where the staff not only welcome dogs, they even save seats for them. (See picture). We feel this is something Her Maj would be very pleased about.

So in the absence of English-ness, we've decided to create the great cocktail called On Your Throne and make our own small toast to our monarch. (Recipe below.)

Happy Jubilee Your Majesty! We're absolutely thrilled that you've made it this far.

Oh – and I also love this Piaget ring, which would be a great accessory to wear to Jubilee party, don't you think? It's a cocktail ring (of course), made from 121 diamonds, a yellow sapphire, a blue topaz and a white chalcedony. I love it. I think Her Maj would too.

PS Apologies for not posting regularly. I promise to resume posts once I put down these Key West cocktails  head back to New York next week.

PPS Did you know that The Queen likes a little Dubonnet and Gin before lunch each day? She adopted the habit from her mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Once before a trip the Queen Mother was supposed to have said. "I think that I will take two small bottles of Dubonnet and gin with me this morning, in case it is needed…” I can believe that quote. For a few months in the early Nineties, I found myself (to my surprise) spending some time at Clarence House. I'm too polite to reveal the things I saw but I can tell you that the drinks were first class!

ON YOUR THRONE
{Courtesy of the great website wearenotfoodies.com}


Ingredients
1 fluid oz (30ml) of Orange Gin Liqueur
1 fluid oz (30ml) of Brandy
1 fluid oz (30ml) of Red Wine
Tonic Water
Cinnamon Stick
2 ice cubes
Slice or orange to garnish


Method
Pour the Gin, Brandy and Red wine into a low-ball glass or tumbler over ice. Top up with tonic water and garnish with a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick. Enjoy in the sunshine and pretend you are royalty.