Wrapping Up Portland Cocktail Week

What a fantastic trip to Portland, Oregon for the first Portland Cocktail Week and Drink.Write 2010! I had such a wonderful time exploring the food and drink in this city and can't wait to come back for another visit. For those of you not following me along my trip through Twitter (you've unleashed the havoc of THE FAIL WHALE if you didn't...but seriously, hilarious Twitter video linked up here), let me fill you in a bit on some of my happenings on my west coast adventure.

Drink.Write was two days jam-packed of lectures on a variety of industry-relevant topics: blogging ethics, increasing your readership and engagement, making your own ingredients, and website design only reach the tip of the iceberg. But what drew me to Portland was the Welcome Reception the CSOWG hosted on Wednesday evening for its members (they were kind enough to include me as well!) to usher in the beginning of the conference. Mandarine Napoléon sponsored the welcome event at Portland's Bluehour restaurant, a fantastic restaurant and bar where they've got a knack for craft cocktails. If you have a chance to visit Portland this fall, their seasonal cocktail menu boasts a great recipe called the East India Sour that was deeee-lish (Maker's, lemon juice, and house-made cardamom spiced caramel syrup)!

Back on track...Alan Akwai of Bluehour served up four Mandarine Napoléon cocktails to the delight of the crowd, including the Mandarine Sour, whose praises I've sung (well, spoken, you don't actually want me singing...) plenty before. We also served the TDN-inspired Lillet Tomlin (picture on the left from the Mixoloseum Facebook Page), of which I rather unsuccessfully attempted to recreate previously on my own...gosh, I can't believe I'm actually linking to this again!

We also served two other drinks that came out of the TDN hosted in May, the Mandarine Happiness and Napoleon vs. Wellington:

Mandarine Happiness (picture on right from the Mixoloseum Facebook Page)

• 2 oz rye whiskey
• 1 oz Mandarine Napoléon
  
• 1/2 oz Domaine de Canton

Stirred with ice and served on the rocks with a splash of ginger beer.

Napoleon vs. Wellington

• 1 oz blended scotch
  
• 1 oz Mandarine Napoléon
• 1 oz dry vermouth
• 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
  

Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

What a fun and unique way to kick off a weekend dedicated to craft spirits and original cocktail blogging! Thank you to CSOWG for including me in all the fun and thank you again to Bluehour for hosting our event in their beautiful private dining space.

Cheers!
SJ

Tax Day Cocktail

It’s about that time again…tax day is looming and the slackers and procrastinators of the world are scrambling to get everything in order. It’s a stressful time of year, but I’ve got something to soothe your worries or celebrate a fat refund check (depending on your situation).

Check out this cocktail from OVAL vodka—Cry Me a River. If you like Bloody Marys you’ll seriously love this one! Who knows—it could even make a fantastic spring brunch drink. Give it a try and let me know what you think:

Cry Me a River

1 ½ oz OVAL vodka
½ oz Red Vermouth
¼ oz. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
Dash of Tabasco sauce
4 oz. Spicy V-8 juice

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled highball glass. Dust with freshly ground pepper to taste and garnish with a lemon wheel and thin slice of celery. Enjoy!!

Drink O' The Irish

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya & Happy St. Patrick’s Day, readers. With a last name like Harrigan, you can bet I like to enjoy a few St. Patty’s Day cocktails with my corned beef & cabbage on March 17th.

Ok, so I’m not really Irish—the name’s Armenian actually, and was changed from Harrigian to Harrigan when my family arrived in America. But I feel, since I was taunted and tortured with the following song for the majority of my childhood, I should get to reap the benefits of an Irish-sounding last name:



After all, everybody’s got a little Irish in them on St. Patty’s Day. Get in touch with your Celtic roots with a few tasty (and green, of course) cocktails this eve. Cheers!

The Ugly Leprechaun

1 ½ oz. OVAL Vodka
½ oz. Jameson Irish Whiskey
½ oz. Hiram Walker Melon Liqueur
¼ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
½ oz. Simple Syrup
2 oz. Kiwi Puree
Lime wheel for garnish

Chill a large cocktail glass. Shake ingredients with ice in a shaker. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

Grasshopper

¾ oz. Cream
¾ oz. Hiram Walker Crème de Cacao, white
¾ oz. Hiram Walker Crème de Menthe, green

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with chocolate cookie crumbs.

Irish Cooler

1 ½ oz. Absinthe Mata Hari
½ oz. Hiram Walker Peppermint Schnapps
½ oz. Cream

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir. Serve over ice in a rocks glass.

Oscar Night Libations

Oh yeah…I’m that girl. I’m the girl who waits for Awards season all year long. I try to see as many of the nominated films as possible. I have my girlfriends over for cocktails and fancy-schmancy appetizers and we “oooo” and “ahhh” over the glamour of the red carpet. Yep, that’s me.

I’m not ashamed of this fact—quite proud actually and I’m guessing I’m not alone. Yes, I’ve even known a guy or two (straight guys!) who’ve been known to throw an at-home Oscar-viewing party. So if you too are Oscar-crazed, pretentious about film, or just love the fashion, you’ll appreciate these two cocktail recipe ideas for this Sunday.

The Red Carpet:

1 ½ oz. OVAL Vodka
1 oz. Compari
1 oz. Hiram Walker Pomegranate Schnapps
1 oz. Pomegranate Juice
½ oz. Simple Syrup

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Winslet Cocktail: (it’s really the Starlet Cocktail, but I like this name better)

1 oz. Absinthe Mata Hari
1 oz. Orange flavored vodka
1 oz. Hiram Walker Black Raspberry Liqueur
1 oz. champagne

Combine Absinthe, vodka, and black raspberry liqueur in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake thoroughly and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with champagne. Garnish with a raspberry.

1 Day to Go…Valentine’s Day Cocktail Ideas

There’s only one day left to make your plans for Valentine’s Day, but I’m here to help you out. No matter your situation, a cocktail will probably be in order and I’ve got just the thing.
I’ve never been big on celebrating Valentine’s Day with cards, chocolates (though I won’t turn them down, of course) or teddy bears. It’s all just a little too…contrived. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Valentine’s Day-“this-is-just-a-marketing-ploy-fronted-by-Hallmark”-Hater. I think any day that asks you to stop what you’re doing and appreciate the ones you love is a good one.

But rather than buying your sweetie some overpriced heart-shaped pillow that says “Be Mine,” why not show your love with some quality time at home. Nothing says “I love you” like a home cooked meal and a well-crafted cocktail. Or, if you’ve already got reservations for dinner out, set aside time for cocktails at the home bar afterward. Try a few of these tasty tipples and toast to the ones you love on Valentine’s Day!

Ok, this one might take a little extra work but it’ll be worth it in the end, and it’ll show your Valentine just how much you really love them. Oh, and bonus points if you serve it up with a long-stemmed rose on the side (buy two—one for your rose syrup!).

Rose Royce:

1 oz. OVAL Vodka
1/3 oz. Rose Syrup
1/3 oz. Simple Syrup
2/3 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
½ glass Perrier Jouet champagne

Shake all ingredients well over ice and pour into a champagne flute half-filled with Perrier Jouet. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Rose Syrup: C’mon…it’s not that hard

20 (or so) rose petals
Water
Sugar

You can make Rose Syrup the same way you make simple syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water), but first, flavor the water by adding rose petals and simmering for about an hour.

If your sweetie has a sweet tooth, try this Deep Chocolate Cocktail. It’s a wonderful dessert drink to sip by the fireplace this Valentine’s Day.

Deep Chocolate:

1 ½ oz. Leblon Cachaça
½ oz. Jago Cream Liqueur
½ oz. Navan Vanilla Liqueur
4 oz. Chocolate
Whipped cream

Mix all ingredients in a tall handled glass. Pour and thoroughly stir in the hot chocolate mixture. Top with whipped cream and white chocolate shavings.

Keeping with the chocolate theme, the Chocolate Temptress is the perfect cocktail if you’re Valentine is looking to try something new.

Chocolate Temptress:

2 ½ oz. Chocolate flavored vodka
½ oz. Absinthe Mata Hari
½ oz. Simple Syrup
Crushed chocolate cookie for rim
Star anise float for garnish

Rim a cocktail glass with crushed chocolate cookie crumbs. Combine vodka, Absinthe Mata Hari, and simple syrup in an ice-filled shaker. Shake thoroughly and strain into the prepared cocktail glass. Float the star anise on top.

If you can’t afford the rock, you can at least fix up a properly-titled cocktail—the Ruby Diamond.
Ruby Diamond: (photo above)

2 oz. Leblon Cachaça
2 oz. Lychee puree
½ oz. lime juice
Dash simple syrup
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
6 mint leaves

Muddle mint and pomegranate in a shaker. Shake with remaining ingredients. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

And if your boy/girlfriend wasn’t kind enough to wait until after Valentine’s Day to call it off, make yourself a Broken Heart Martini. You can enjoy it curled up at home with a good book, or out with your friends, because there’s no rule that says you have to have a Valentine!

Broken Heart Martini:

2 ½ oz. OVAL Vodka
½ oz. Hiram Walker Crème de Cacao
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 slice orange
1 tsp sugar

Rim a cocktail glass with cocoa powder. Stir together the OVAL vodka, sugar, and Hiram Walker Crème de Cacao with ice in a mixing glass. Strain into the prepared glass and garnish with an orange slice.

*Photo of the Chocolate Temptress photo is from the fabulous Cheri of The Intoxicologist. Go check her out!

Game Time

Super Bowl Sunday is upon us and, as always, I am looking for cocktail & appetizer ideas for a party. While I could care less who wins this year (if the Pats aren’t in it, I’m not interested), I still love to gather ‘round the tube with friends and enjoy a few tasty tipples and yummy treats.

Most people opt for beer when watching sporting events, but for a party you want to make sure there’s something for everyone—even the picky non-beer drinkers (ahem…like me). Here are a few cocktails that should please just about everyone watching the game and go great with nachos, pigs in a blanket, and chili (but then again, what doesn’t?). Enjoy!

Bloody Carioca (pictured):

2 oz. Leblon Cachaça
5 oz. tomato juice
½ oz. lemon juice
Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Pinch each of: celery salt, cracked pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and onion powder.

Shake all the ingredients on ice and pour into a highball rimmed with paprika. Stir well and garnish with a slice of cucumber.

Bonecrusher:

1/2 oz. OVAL Vodka
1/2 oz. Rum
1 lemon
1/2 oz. Gin
1 shot Champagne
1 splash Sprite
1 splash grenadine syrup

Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Serve on the rocks in a Collins glass.

Red Dragon by Katelin Reeves:

¾ oz Absinthe Mata Hari
¾ oz. black cherry vodka
¼ oz. grenadine
splash Sprite

Fill a shaker with ice and add the first three ingredients. Shake well; strain into shot glass. Top with Sprite.

A Taste of Brazil for Thanksgiving

One day to go and I bet you’ve got the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and pies ready to bake. But what about cocktails? Why not try and be a little inventive this year with a signature cocktail or punch? Here are a couple of recipes using Leblon Cachaça (Brazilian Rum). They taste great and your guests will think you went out of your way to please them. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Pumpkin Caipirinha

1 ½ oz. Leblon Cachaça

½ Lime

½ oz. agave nectar (or substitute honey)

1 ½ oz. Pumpkin Puree

½ oz. Canton Ginger Liqueur

Cut lime and place in a shaker with agave nectar and muddle. Add crushed ice, Leblon Cachaça, pumpkin puree and Canton in the shaker. Shake well and garnish with nutmeg, pumpkin flesh twist and lime wheel.

Leblon Punch

1 Bottle of Leblon Cachaça
½ Bottle brandy
¼ Bottle Cointreau
¼ Bottle Amaretto
3 Bottles Medium body red wine
1 lg. Bottle of soda water
½ Cup of fine white sugar
3 Oranges-sliced
20 Cherries – pitted
3 Apples – chopped
10 Cinnamon sticks
8 Cloves
10 star anise

Combine all ingredients except the soda water into a punch bowl. Let stand for two hours. Just before serving add soda water. Serve over ice in a wine glass.