The temperature gauge in the car read zero degrees in my morning commute to work. Zero! And forecasts predict another storm is making its way to our segment of New England tomorrow and Wednesday, adding to the heaps and heaps of snow that are already piled along our streets.
So this past week's "Thinking of Summer" theme in the Thursday Drink Night chat room provided a welcome respite from the hellacious winter weather outside. To the backdrop of Jimmy Buffet tunes (because it wouldn't be summer without a rousing rendition of "Margaritaville"), the drink I submitted to the queue is one that definitely hit the mark on summer-inspired tastes. Albeit not quite as fresh, this drink still may be a work in progress. Good thing I have a few months to work out the tweaks.
Surprisingly Sweet
Basil leaves
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
2 oz Gin (I used Beefeater)
Muddle basil with lemon juice and simple syrup. Add St. Germain & gin with a few dashes of bitters at the end. Garnish with a floating basil leaf.
One of the things I first noticed after trying this drink was that it was pretty acidic on the front and finished, well, surprisingly sweet. I think I will try this again next time using 1/4 oz each of syrup and lemon juice. I may also want to try using Orange Bitters in place of the Peychaud's that I had on hand.
After logging offline, but not quite yet ready to go to bed, I decided to have some fun and break out the blender! Dreaming of soaking up the rays poolside, I decided to blend up a round of Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris with the last bit of fresh strawberries I had on hand.
It doesn't exactly fall into the realm of mixology, but the cocktail was a sweet escape from the reality of winter lurking outside. : )
Visit the Mixoloseum Twitter page to see more of the creative summer-inspried drinks submitted in last week's TDN and log in weekly for a different Thursday Drink Night theme.
By the time you are reading this, I hope to be long on my way headed to Portland, Oregon. I have quite a few days of cocktail camaraderie ahead of me, hosted through the great efforts of the folks at the CSOWG (Drink.Write 2010) and the Oregon Bartenders Guild (Portland Cocktail Week 2010).
For me, the festivities start Wednesday night when Mandarine Napoleon welcomes CSOWG members and its guests (both local to Portland and visiting from around the country) with an evening of hors d'ouvres and, of course!, Mandarine Napoleon cocktails. I'll be sure to share the drink recipes and photos following the event. I've got Tommy Klus of BlueHour slinging drinks for us, so I know we'll be in good hands.
For those of you not able to join the action in person, make yourself available on Thursday evening. The CSOWG will be hosting its weekly Thursday Drink Night LIVE in Portland. Never participate in TDN before? I've sung its praises before so log on, create a user name, and join in the cocktail party online.
I won't guarantee that my blogging will be on par with all the event coverage (I got behind during the US Drinks Conference as well, but more to come of that very soon!) so instead you should choose to follow the action on the two Twitteraccounts.
Edit: We have received some awesome feedback to the video so far, including a nod that we should do this feature every week (Seriously?! You want to hear my voice that often?!). Chuck Taggart chimed in, too, with his suggestions to our tweaks of the Lillet Tomlin and offered the following tips:
If you don't have orange bitters, just leave them out. Angostura's flavor profile is enough to make a completely different drink.
Don't have access to Regan's (or any kind of) orange bitters? Chuck offers Cocktail Kingdom and KegWorks as suggestions to purchase online. Happy Hunting!
Two weeks ago, Mandarine Napoleón sponsored an evening of conversation and cocktail-conspiring in the Mixoloseum chat room. We saw some great drink ideas emerge from a group of the craftiest spirits and cocktails writers around - if you missed out, you're in luck!
Here is your chance to see some of the great cocktails developed during the evening, coupled with the hilarity of Samantha and myself trying to recreate two of the evening's submitted recipes. We attempt to make Chuck Taggart's Lillet Tomlin and SeanMike Whipkey's Mandarine Cooler. Let the critique of my technique begin (don't be too harsh now, please)!
You can watch the video again by logging on to our Brand Action Team YouTube channel.
Thirsty Thursday is almost upon us this week, and that means another edition of Thursday Drink Night is ready to take place. The Mixoloseum is the site for this weekly online chat and will be sponsored this Thursday by Mandarine Napoleon. Spirits writers and cocktail enthusiasts alike will be suggesting uses for the product in new cocktails, trying the drinks at home, and perfecting their recipes.
Never been to the Mixoloseum before? You haven’t taken part in a TDN yet? You don’t know what you’re missing out on! The event is open to the public and new members are always welcomed. Just grab yourself a bottle of Mandarine Napoleon and log in here (you’ll need to create a user name and password, first). Be sure to bring your best ideas for cocktails using the acclaimed orange liqueur.
The fun starts at 7 pm EST and runs into the wee hours of the night (or morning, if you want to be technical..). Come early if you can because Mandarine Napoleon’s master distiller will be joining us in the chat room from Sweden to discuss the product and answer any questions.
You might have seen my mention about OVAL vodka’s infusion contest in an earlier post and wondered what the heck I was talking about. I got some ‘splainin’ to do.
Earlier this summer, OVAL vodka asked several cocktail bloggers to accept the challenge of creating a unique infusion using a bottle of OVAL and whatever other ingredients they like. The prize? Two nights stay in New Orleans, during Tales of the Cocktail. Many bloggers jumped at the chance to experiment and create and have some of their expensive hobby paid for!
Participants were asked to submit an 8 oz. sample of their infusion, the infusion recipe, and a cocktail recipe that called for their infusion. We got a number of great entries (you’ll see several featured below) and a judging panel (Gabriel Szaszko of Cocktailnerd, Rick Stutz of Kaiser Penguin, and mixologist Chantal Tseng of the Tabard Inn, met at the Mixo House in New Orleans to taste all the submissions and rate them on the following criteria:
infusion aroma
infusion taste
infusion creativity
cocktail taste
cocktail balance
cocktail creativity
One entry stood out among the rest and the judges’ scores showed agreement that Marshall Fawley’s Thai Infusion was the clear winner. Marshall, a DC blogger at Scofflaw’s Den, clearly put a lot of hard work into the process of creating this complex infusion & will now reap the reward! Check out his entry:
Marshall Fawley’s Thai Infusion:
16 oz. OVAL vodka
1 9-inch stalk of Lemongrass, cut into small rounds
Peel of 2 limes
2 quarter-sized rounds of fresh ginger
1 2-inch cinnamon stick
4 cloves
Place everything in a sealed container and infuse for one week, shaking the container once a day. After one week, strain through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth.
And his fantastic cocktail….(seriously I love this one!)
Andaman Sun: (picture by Marshall Fawley above)
1 ½ oz. Thai-Infused OVAL vodka
1 ½ oz. Coconut water
1 oz. Piloncillo Syrup* (1 ½: 1 strength)
½ oz. fresh lime juice
¼ oz. Coconut milk
Shake all with ice and double strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
*Substitutions for Piloncillo syrup- 1 oz. of Dark Brown Sugar Syrup (1 ½ : 1) or ¾ oz. simple syrup & ¼ oz. molasses.
Congratulations Marshall! You created the perfect cocktail for a creative infusion!
I want to thank everyone who participated in the contest, as well as Chris Stanley, who lent a great hand and made all the cocktails for the tasting. Check out a few featured infusion recipes below. I’ll also post featured cocktail recipes later this week.
Cilantro, Peppercorn & Honey Infusion Recipe by Matt Robold of Rumdood:
Steep a handful of cilantro leaves in a 750ml bottle of OVAL vodka for 24 hours.
Strain out the cilantro and then add ¼ cup of peppercorns (uncracked) to the vodka, along with ½ cup of honey and shake vigorously. Steep for 48 hours and then strain through cheesecloth and/or a coffee filter.
Jalapeño Infusion Recipe by SeanMike Whipkey of Scofflaw’s Den:
Slice up three jalapenos, removing the ribs and seeds. Place in a jar with twelve ounces of OVAL vodka. Let sit for twenty four hours, then strain out the slices of jalapeño.
Take leaves from 1 oz. fresh rosemary, add to 8 oz. OVAL vodka, and allow to infuse for one day. Double strain
to remove leaves.
Chip Infusion Recipe by Blair Reynolds of Trader Tiki: (This one’s extremely complex but great tasting-it was ranked #2 by our judging panel—check out the great cocktail recipe that accompanies it on my next post)
750ml OVAL Vodka
2 large brown coconuts
6 oz. Orange Blossom Honey
1 large Plantain
½ vanilla bean
Pinch demerara sugar
Pinch cinnamon
Drill holes in both coconuts, replace coconut water with OVAL vodka. Let sit for three days. Strain OVAL out of coconuts and into a glass container. Open and slice the coconut, being sure to remove the woody inner skin. Briefly chop the coconut and Plantain in a food processor until at a rough chop. Start a pan at medium temperature, and once at temp, add coconut and plantain. Throw sugar and cinnamon over the cocnut and plantain mix while toasting. Toast until coconut is golden brown. Let the coconut and plantains sit until cool (so as not to boil off the alcohol) then add toasted coconut & plantains and ½ a vanilla bean to the OVAl vodka. Let sit for three days.
Strain the vodka into a separate glass container. Add 6 oz. orange blossom honey and shake heartily. Strain through a Brita filter.
Place 2 level teaspoons of lavender flowers and 1 ½ cup of OVAL vodka in a glass container with a lid that will seal. Allow to sit out of direct sun at room temperature for 20 hours. Strain lavender flowers from liquid and return to glass container.
Calendula & Rose Hip Infusion Recipe by Ted Munat of Le Mixeur:
750ml OVAL vodka
1 cup dried calendula
4 tbsp dried rose hips
Combine in a jar and let sit for 24 hours. Strain out calendula and rose hips.
I’m taking off tomorrow, in the wee hours of the morn’ for Atlanta, where Beleza lounge will be hosting a live Thursday Drink Night event, sponsored by OVAL vodka. Jon Flowers, hilarious writer of Drink Planner, will be joining me, as mixologist Adam Fox shakes (or stirs) up your fantastic new idea for an OVAL vodka cocktail. All you have to do is join us in the Mixoloseum chat room at 7pm EST tomorrow night with your brilliant idea. We’ll even have a webcam set up at Beleza so you can see us “ooo” and “ahhh” over (or spit out and criticize) your cocktail. Just kidding—we’ll play nice!
I like the way Rick Stutz of Kaiser Penguin sets up this challenge. Check it out and make sure to stop in and say hi tomorrow:
Vodka alone accounts for over 20% of spirits sales in the U.S. yet gets not play with the cocktail snobs. Think you're so cool only working with ingredients that taste like tree bark and gasoline? How about mixology where you are in charge of all the flavors? No chance to rest your ass with a delicious Gin. No aged whiskey to do your work for you. Want complex flavor? It's up to you captain. Join us and Oval Vodka for this week's TDN.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had the good fortune of visiting our nation’s capital last week—not to partake in the Inaugural festivities (I was two days too late) but to partake in some Absinthe—namely Mata Hari. That’s because this past week’s Thursday Drink Night event was sponsored by Absinthe Mata Hari, and I joined a few bloggers participating live from the Tabard Inn in D.C.
Much to the disgust of Steve, I had never actually been to Washington before. Well, I shouldn’t exactly say that—once, on a family road trip to North Carolina, my father stopped in D.C. at two in the morning and woke us all up to show us the monuments. This was not a particularly good memory, as it involved being awoken at two a.m. and was soon followed by being pulled over by D.C. police for looking sketchy at two a.m. Nevertheless, I guess it would be better to say I’ve never stayed in D.C.
Thankfully, my first stay in D.C. was a great one, as I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Tabard Inn—what a cool place. I have a hard time explaining it to people, but it’s just so funky. It’s a really old building with antique furniture and wood-burning fireplaces, beside which you’d expect to find an old man smoking a pipe (were smoking not prohibited). The whole layout of the Inn is like a crazy labyrinth, with brightly painted walls, dark corners, and loud artwork. I guess that’s not coming out right because it doesn’t really sound that appealing, but trust me, it’s awesome!
That is, except for one thing—the clown. Yikes. If you have an issue with clowns, avoid room number 55 or this is what you’ll see staring back at you all night. Notice the orb in the upper left-hand portion of the photo. Creeeeeeeeeeeeeepy. Needless to say I did not sleep very well at the Tabard, but it was worth it just to taste the hanger steak with gorgonzola mash and their Pisco Presidential Punch—yum!
For Thursday Drink Night itself, I joined SeanMike and Marshall down at the bar, where the fabulous Chantal was working her mixology magic. I owe a huge thanks to Chantal, who let us totally hog her bar the whole night, made more than a couple crazy cocktails, and even helped me snake an extension cord around the barware and over the posi machine when my laptop died. Kudos!
Later, Rick and Nathan joined us, while Owen, our videographer, documented the whole thing with a flip camera (which I am now totally obsessed with, by the way). I should have the final video this week and will definitely post it as soon as possible so you can see us all in action!
Now let’s get down to it because this post is getting long…the drinks. There were so many it’s hard to keep them all straight, but I know I enjoyed how raspberry and Mata Hari played well together in Gabriel’s Zelle’s Betrayal (pictured) and I think my favorite of the night was Rick’s Dead Spy (recipes for both below). For the full list and a transcript of the evening’s activities, keep an eye on the Mixoloseum blog for an official wrap-up. Cheers!
Zelle’s Betrayal by Gabriel Szaszko of Cocktailnerd:
1 ½ oz. Rye ½ oz. Absinthe Mata Hari ½ oz. Orange Juice ¼ oz. Sweet Vermouth ¼ oz. Raspberry Syrup ¼ oz. Simple Syrup 3-4 Mint Leaves
Dead Spy by Rick Stutz of Kaiser Penguin:
Swizzle: 1 oz. Lemon Hart 151 1 oz. Appleton Extra ¼ oz. Absinthe Mata Hari ¾ oz. Lime Juice ¼ oz. Cinnamon Syrup 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Join us for Thursday Drink Night (TDN) this week, sponsored by Absinthe Mata Hari. TDN is a weekly event that takes place in The Mixoloseum chat room. Each Thursday, spirits writers & enthusiasts gather to focus on a single product or category. This Thursday’s focus is, of course, Absinthe Mata Hari, and the participants will be suggesting uses for the product in new cocktails, trying the drinks live, and perfecting their recipes.
If you haven’t taken part in a TDN yet, you don’t know what you’re missing out on. The event is open to the public. Just grab yourself a bottle of Mata Hari and meet us here (create a username/password and you’re in!) with some ideas for Absinthe cocktails in mind.
The fun starts at 7 pm EST. Come early if you can because Gerry Fischer, Mata Hari’s master distiller from Vienna, Austria will be joining us to discuss the product and answer any questions.
I’ll be joining in from the Tabard Inn in Washington, D.C., with SeanMike Whipkey and Marshall Fawley of Scofflaw’s Den, Rick Stutz of Kaiser Penguin, and perhaps a few others. We’ll be filming our participation at the Tabard and I’ll be sure to post the video here afterward.
Brand Action Team is a marketing consulting company which represents for-profit clients and brands.As publisher of this blog we want to clearly disclose to our readers that we have a material relationship with those clients for which we are compensated and whose products are provided as free samples for our tasting and review.We may from time to time distribute free product samples to other bloggers on behalf of our clients.These bloggers in turn may write tasting notes, product reviews or otherwise comment on the products.We communicate with those bloggers to whom we send products that they are obliged by FTC guidelines to disclose to their readers that product samples were provided free to them on behalf of our clients when they write about those products.
Strawberry Daiquiri (via About.com Cocktails)
