Foreigner was part of the official selection at this years Fantasia Festival in Montreal. It was written and directed by Ava Maria Safai and we sat down together over zoom and discussed her film. 

Foreigner - In the age of low-rise jeans and flip phones, a Persian teen trying to fit in with her new Canadian clique dyes her hair blonde -- and invites a monstrous force into her life.

I will be sure to keep everyone posted for its release sometime next year, but until then, enjoy this great episode. Ava was a lot of fun to talk to and we discuss tv and other films as well.

Persian Julep – Apricot Rose Julep

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz honey rose simple syrup**
• 6 large mint leaves
• 2 dashes rose water optional
• 1.5 oz bourbon
• 1/2 oz Giffard’s apricot liqueur
• Garnish: sprig of mint, dried apricots, fresh, organic, food-safe rose petals

Instructions

1. Add the simple syrup and rose water to the bottom of a mixing glass. Tear the mint leaves in half and drop them into the syrup. Muddle lightly.
2. Add the apricot liqueur and bourbon. Fill with ice and stir until chilled and well-combined, about 30 seconds.
3. Strain into a julep cup filled with cracked or crushed ice and garnish with a fresh mint sprig and some dried apricots.

For the Rose-Honey Simple:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons dried rose buds
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup honey

Directions

1. Brew the rose buds in boiling water for 8 minutes like you would a tea (I used my teapot).
2. Strain 1/2 cup of the tea into a glass measuring cup.
3. While still hot, add 3/4 cup honey and stir well to combine.
4. Let cool completely and keep in the fridge.

It will keep for a couple of weeks, and a little longer if you add a bit of vodka to it before storing it. You can drink the remaining tea on its own, or make some of it into a rose simple syrup by adding 1/2 cup sugar to it.

Persian Delight

Ingredients

• 60 ml Tanqueray Malacca Gin
• 40 ml Salted Pistachio and Cardamom Orgeat*
• 30 ml Acid-adjusted Orange Juice**
• 10-15 drops Persian Saffron and Persian Rose tincture***
• 2 dashes Angostura orange bitter

Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients (except for the Saffron and Persian Rose Tincture) together and add them to 50 ml 2% milk, let it sit for 24 hours and filter it using cheese cloth. Weigh the final liquid and dilute it with 30% water.
2. Pour drink into a glass and add 10-15 drops of Saffron and Persian Rose Tincture.
3. Garnish with a rose petal, barberry, and/or edible gold leaf.

This drink can be scaled up to make many servings at the same time. Just multiply this recipe by as many guests as you are hosting. The time spent resting in milk doesn’t change based on volume.

*Salted Pistachio and Cardamom Orgeat: Add 100 salted pistachios and 3 cardamom pods to 250 ml hot water in a sealed container and let it sit for 24 hours. Using blender blend it well and run it through cheese cloth. Squeeze the cheese cloth to maximize yield. Weigh the final liquid and add equal amount of sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

**Acid-adjusted Orange Juice: Add 4g citric acid to every 96g orange juice.

***Persian Saffron and Persian Rose Tincture: Combine 100ml of Tanqueray Malacca Gin with two pinches of saffron and one pinch of dehydrated rose petal. (We are saying a pinch because the weight was less than .1g so be sparing with this)

I did end up finding another recipe but it is from AI, if you would like to try that one, just DM me and I will send it.

Foreigner Drinking Game

Take a shot when…

• She watches her show.

Take a sip when…

• every time the three girls pop up.
• a white person asks a weird question.

Take two shots when…

• there is lice under her skin.

Finish your drink when…

• she becomes a demon.

As always, drink responsibly and with others. Follow or subscribe wherever you listen to the podcast. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter at @Line_Drunk.