Happy Halloween from Akvinta!

Happy Halloween Ladies & Gents!

Entertaining friends this Halloween? Well then, you’re going to need a cocktail recipe or two, no? Give these “treats” from Akvinta a try:

Liquorice Affair by Giulio Amodio

1 oz. Akvinta Vodka
¼ oz. Liquorice liqueur
¼ oz. Sambuca
¼ oz. Vanilla Liqueur
¼ oz. Espresso Coffee
1 tsp. Simple Syrup

Shake and serve in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a Liquorice Roll and Star of Anise.

Smooth Operator by Joel Constantino

4 fresh Strawberries
6 fresh Raspberries
2 fresh Blackberries
4 heaped tablespoons Vanilla Yoghurt
3 oz. pressed Apple Juice
¾ oz. Akvinta Vodka
½ oz. Acacia Honey
2 tablespoons Oat Flakes
3 Ice Cubes

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend for 45 seconds.Pour into a large hi-ball glass and garnish with an apple fan and berry kebab.

Kahlua Coffee Cream Hosts Thursday Drink Night

Have you heard about Kahlua’s brand new cream-based liqueur—Kahlua Coffee Cream? Well, if you were curious about what to do with it or how to mix with it, we will definitely have some answers for you soon. Tomorrow night (September 10th) Kahlua Coffee Cream will be sponsoring Thursday Drink Night at the Mixoloseum. Participating members will be among the first to experiment with this brand new product, which won’t officially hit shelves until later this month.

In addition to the online action, which you can become a part of by logging in to the Mixoloseum chat room, Kahlua Coffee Cream will also be hosting a live event out in Los Angeles, with yours truly! We’ll be setting up at Malo Restaurant with more than a couple of La-La Land’s cocktail enthusiasts on hand to share in the fun. Of course, we’ll have a web cam set up, but we’re also having a video of the event made so we can share it all online! I’ll be updating here with photos and drink recipes, but if want to really be a part of the event, you need to join us tomorrow, beginning at 7pm EST (we’ll be live from LA beginning at 9pm EST). See you there!

Summer Time Lime

Because it's a refreshing citrus drink that's perfect on sweltering days...

Mata Hari Lime Cooler

1 1/2 oz. Absinthe Mata Hari

1 oz. Triple Sec

3 oz. Fresh Sour Mix

Soda Water (to top)

Combine first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly and strain into an iced Collins glass. Top with soda water and garnish with a lime slice.

And if you have a minute--check out what Hal Wolin had to say about Mata Hari over on A Muddled Thought.

Dave Wondrich on The Colbert Report

If you haven't seen it already, check out cocktail historian Dave Wondrich on The Colbert Report, as he fixes up a new signature drink for Stephen.

You can watch the video on Cocktailnerd.

Dave is a key member of The Bar LLC, which has partnered with Pernod Ricard to offer a great new bartender training program called Bar Smarts. More on that later.

Cheers!

Serendipity in Athens

Just back from vaca in Greece (but as many of you know, my vacations always include a little bidness...we did do some wine stuff...more on that in later posts). I have been speaking with David Rosengarten, noted food writer and host of the TV show "Taste", and as we were coordinating schedules at breakfast in a NY Deli a couple of weeks ago, we realized we'd both be passing through the Athens airport at the same time. So we decided meet up with the folks from All About Greek Wine for a few Frappe's and Cappucino Frededo's.

Sharing a laugh is David on the left, then Sophia Perpera and George Athanas of AAGW, and me.