Where to Drink: Atlanta, Beleza’s Orange Swizzle

This post is part of a new series, where we will review establishments across the U.S. mixing up delicious cocktails with OVAL!

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If you’ve been paying attention (there might be a test) you probably heard we were in Atlanta recently for Thursday Drink Night sponsored by OVAL vodka. Wow! Yummy drinks. We chose to use and abuse the crew at Beleza for this event because I had such an awesome experience visiting their bar back in April.

This Brazilian-style restaurant and bar has a FAB.U.LOUS OVAL cocktail called The Orange Swizzle on the menu and in this video, mixologist Adam Fox fixes it up. Now, this one’s pretty involved. It might not be something you can whip up at home on any ol’ night of the week. That’s why this post is called “where to drink.” If you’r e in the mood for something special & different (and you find yourself in this great city of the South) you need to head to Beleza and let the bar staff take care of you. Cheers!

The Orange Swizzle

1 ½ oz. OVAL vodka
½ oz. Cane Syrup
¾ oz. Lime Juice
6 Mint Leaves, bruised
3 ½ Wheels of Orange, muddled in tin
Bar spoon Cointreau
½ oz. Homemade Ginger Beer
2 oz. Soda Water
Dash of Aperol

First of all, take a deep breath. This is going to be serious. Start off with the mint in a Collins glass and use a swizzle stick to bruise the leaves. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the orange wheels. Add cane syrup, lime juice, Cointreau, ginger beer and OVAL vodka. Dry shake. Add ice and continue to shake thoroughly. Fill the Collins glass with crushed ice. Strain the contents of the cocktail shaker over the ice. Swizzle with swizzle stick. Top with soda water and mark with Aperol. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Reward yourself for a job well done and DRINK!

Two Things...

Hello readers! Today I’ve got two quick notes for you.

1. I was first introduced to MySpeedRail.com by Lance Mayhew awhile back, and have been enjoying some of the recent blog posts there. But it’s just come to my attention that they’ve got a search engine set up on the site specifically designed to search cocktails on only the most relevant sites. It’s the perfect tool for finding a new cocktail to serve your friends, deciding what you can make with what you have on hand, or figuring out if your new creation has already been created by somebody else. Check it out the next time you’re looking for a great drink (after stopping by Drinks for the House, of course!).
2. Tales of the Cocktail is fast approaching. I can’t believe it’s been a year already! I’m so excited to return to the Big Easy and meet up with new friends and familiar faces. If you want to be privy to all the deets while I’m on the road, follow me on twitter, where I’ll be updating more frequently. I promise to be witty and hilarious. Well, no I don’t but I’ll try anyway.

Cheers!

Oval TDN Cocktails: Don’t mind if I do

Last Thursday’s TDN was sponsored by OVAL vodka and I had a great time trying out new cocktails in Atlanta. Jon Flowers and Rob Chen of Drink Planner joined me at Beleza, where mixologist Adam Fox helped us out by making the fabulous new cocktails (submitted by participants online) and even threw in a few of his own new creations.

The result was a great evening with delicious drinks—my personal favorite of the night was a bit of a shocker. I’ve got to admit when I first read the recipe (submitted by Cass McClure) I thought it was a little bit crazy-I mean, four ounces of vodka! Wow! But if you too are a doubter, whip this sucker up stat and you’ll find it’s deceptively smooth (thanks in part to the use of OVAL) and terribly tasty. Here she is:

Perfumed Beauty by Cass McClure of Junk Hauler’s Junk

4 oz. OVAL vodka
½ oz. Sloe Gin
½ oz. Lime Juice
1 ½ oz. Simple Syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 wedge pineapple
4 mint sprigs
¼ tsp. ground cardamom

In a snifter, muddle a large wedge of pineapple with three mint sprigs, 2 dashes bitters, and ¼ tsp. Cardamom. Fill glass with crushed ice. In a shaker, combine vodka, sloe gin, lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake and pour into glass. Garnish with a bunch of mint sprigs, lime wedge, and a rim of cardamom mixed with simple syrup.

I’m telling you, delicious! And if for some crazy reason, this drink isn’t your style, go check out a few more featured recipes (and some lovely drink photography by Rick Stutz) on the Mixoloseum blog. Big thanks to all the participants who joined us in the Mixoloseum chat room, to the Drink Planner dudes, Adam Fox, & the rest of the crew at Beleza! Cheers!