Classic Caesar cocktail and crispy chicken wings

Michael Graydon

Classic spicy Caesar

1. Run a lemon wedge around the rim of a tall glass, then turn it upside down onto a plate of celery salt. Fill glass with ice.

2. Add 1 1/2 oz vodka, 4 dashes of Tabasco, 2 dashes of Worcestershire and the remaining juice from the lemon wedge.

3. Top up with Clamato juice and a generous grinding of pepper. Garnish with another lemon wedge.

Blue cheese chicken wings

1. Slice 12 chicken wings in half at the joint and cut off wing tips.

2. Stir 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 tsp pepper in a bowl. Whisk 1 egg with 1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing in another bowl. Working with one wing at a time, toss in flour mixture, then egg mixture and finish by lightly coating in flour once more.

3. Pour enough oil into a heavy large pot to reach a depth of 1/2 in. Heat over medium. Add half of wings and cook until deep golden and cooked through, 4 to 5 min per side. Adjust heat as needed. Remove wings to paper towels. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

4. Serve immediately with more blue cheese dressing on the side.

Serves 4.

Kitchen tip: To check the temperature of the oil, try this trick: Put a bamboo skewer or wooden chopstick into the oil, making sure it touches the bottom of the pot. If the oil fizzes up gently around the chopstick, it’s ready to go.