Campari Presents the James Beard Awards Chef’s Night Out 2012

Recently we attended Chef’s Night Out, a Campari-sponsored evening of tasty cocktails and tempting nibbles, which acts as a prelude before the final day of the James Beard Foundation Awards at which chefs and restaurants are rewarded for their excellence. Check out the slide show below, as well as a few Campari recipes that are perfect as the temperature starts to rise.

Bar chef Tad Carducci hit us up with some Plymouth Gin Negronis upon entering, and he shared with us a few tips when making Negronis with this one-of-a-kind slightly lighter gin: use a big ice cube for slow dilution, and bump up the proportion of gin to the amount of Campari and sweet vermouth (Negronis are typically 1:1:1) for a more balanced experience. As the ice slowly melted, we commented on how smooth this Negroni was, a little atypical for such a boldly flavored cocktail, but delicious.

Plymouth Gin Negroni
(adapted by Tad Carducci)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Plymouth gin
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth
orange peel, as garnish

Method
Stir in ice and strain into a glass with one large ice cube. (We’re sure Tad wouldn’t mind if you substituted two or three regular ice cubes if that is all that’s available :) Garnish with a swath of orange peel.

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We then moseyed down the corridor through the Chelsea Market, deciding which bites to pair with our Negroni. We stumbled upon some folks serving up Dehesa Cordobesa 100% acorn-fed Ibérica ham. It melted on our tongues like butter. You can actually taste the nuttiness of the acorns. Behind them, Dickson’s Farmstand Meats was serving up the best deviled ham you never thought you needed to have, along with some lardon spread and some of the savoriest red chili–braised beef, with a finishing topper of cilantro leaf that contrasted nicely with the spiciness of the braise.

While in the Campari Red Lounge, we saw one of our favorite bartenders, Damon Dyer, who runs the bar program at The Rum House, pouring some simple Campari and tonics for those who needed a quick jolt of bittersweet bliss. That encounter was followed by a chat with another one of our favorite people behind the stick, Death & Co.’s Joaquin Simo, always friendly and always informative. He was offering Negroni Sbagliatos, equal parts Campari, sweet vermouth, and sparkling wine (sbagliato means incorrect). What a delight. This should be the opening drink at your next cocktail party. Make sure to have some strong cheeses on hand to pair with this effervescent, bittersweet libation.

Negroni Sbagliato
(adapted by Joaquin Simo)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Campari
1 1/2 ounces Cinzano sweet vermouth
1 1/2 ounces Mionetto prosecco

Method
Stir Campari and sweet vermouth in ice. Strain into champagne flute. Top with prosecco.

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It was also a pleasure to see writers Bruce Watson and Laren Spirer, chatting it up with bartender Pamela Wiznitzer of the recently opened Bishops & Barons on East 14th Street. We all realized that we hadn’t yet experienced dessert, so we went in search for some sweetness to bring wider Campari-laced grins to our beaming faces.

Jane Danger, from Jane’s Sweet Buns, offered three bite-sized desserts that all had Campari as an ingredient. As we stood around her table, we debated with other pastry lovers what our favorite was: The shortbread cookie topped with Campari lemon rose buttercream? The strawberry sticky bun with rhubarb bitters? Or the bitter mai tai macaroon? Actually, they were all amazing.

Thanks to Bon Appétit and Hanna Lee Communications for letting us experience the versatility of Campari, and congratulations to all the 2012 James Beard Foundation Award Winners.

photos © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz

Event: Tres Generaciones Tequila Keeps Satisfying

by Paul Zablocki

Last Wednesday I attended an informal yet fun and informative tequila tasting at The Volstead in East Midtown. There I met Jaime Salas, National Tequila Ambassador for Casa Sauza, the distillers who create Tres Generaciones tequila, and fell in love with the Añejo. Jaime was there to share some cocktail recipes and talk about this amazing 100% blue agave tequila that has been around for over 135 years. I got a chance to chat him up for a while before the brief talk began.


His breadth of tequila lore is encyclopedic and his passion for its promotion is infectious. When I asked him what his favorite Tres Generaciones expression was, he quickly answered “Añejo.” So I sidled up to the event’s makeshift bar, smiled at the barkeep, and asked her for a bit of the amber-hued spirit. The aromas emanating from that little glass were bewitching: a sweet, light caramel (Jaime detects vanilla and toffee) that reminded me of some aged ryes and bourbons (the añejo is aged for twelve months in toasted American oak barrels), but of course, after sipping it, I was struck by that one-of-a-kind agave flavor that permeated my taste buds at the finish. I also tried the plata and reposado expressions, both of them slightly sweet and laced with a white-peppery bite, the reposado being slightly smoother and less sweet. The presence of agave was unmissable. These two would make excellent cocktails, I thought, but the añejo, this expression would be perfect for sipping on a cool night after a fiesta (or, hell, after a hard day of paper-shuffling).

I easily downed the two cocktails on offer. First was the Sweet Breeze (mine had Tres Generaciones Plata), a refreshing seasonal alternative to a margarita made with muddled basil, strawberries, and ruby red grapefruit. The nosh served at the Volstead to accompany this drink kept me from becoming a lightheaded mess, and as I chomped on sliders, nachos with salsa, and cheesy hors d’oeuvres, I asked our lovely lady behind the stick to whip me up the second drink. Although not seasonally appropriate for the close humidity that is August, Jaime informed me that this drink would be perfect for the holidays. And indeed it was; the Holy Mole (an apt name) smelled like Christmas: hot chocolate and spicy cinnamon mixed with the heavenly añejo, with a generous dollop of whipped cream to paint one’s upper lip.

John Leguizamo receives the COA Award from Jaime Salas, Tres Generaciones National Tequila Ambassador. (photo: Boden PR)

Talking some more with Jaime in between sips and nibbles, I discovered his other passion: Mexican filmmaking. His work as a Tres Generaciones ambassador has given him the opportunity to present its COA Award (an award created to recognize outstanding achievements in the Latino filmmaking industry, named after the tool that workers use to harvest and dissect the agave plant in the fields) to such notables as director Natalia Almada (the documentary El General) and the insanely talented John Leguizamo (Where God left His Shoes). He loved presenting the award to Leguizamo who was genuinely interested in the work that Salas and Tres Generaciones does for Latino cinema.

If you ever get a chance to shoot the breeze with Jaime Salas, do. He is charming and affable, and you will learn a thing or two about the world’s most popular spirit. Special thanks to Mitch Delaplane of PitchPoint PR for getting everybody to the Volstead to celebrate this exciting tequila, including the likes of Francine Cohen (editor-in-chief of Food & Beverage Magazine) and consultant Jonathan M. Forester (Drinking the World). ¡Salud!

Sweet Breeze

(created by Eddie Perales, Tres Generaciones West Coast Ambassador and Mixologist)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Tres Generaciones Reposado or Plata Tequila
1/2 ounce agave nectar
2 ounces fresh lemon sour (1 oz. lemon juice/1 oz. simple syrup)
juice from 1/2 lime
1 diced strawberry
1 peeled large ruby red grapefruit segment
2 large basil leaves

Method
In a mixing glass muddle the strawberry, grapefruit, and basil. Add the other ingredients and shake. Strain over ice and garnish with a skewered red ruby grapefruit wedge, wrapped with a basil leaf.

Holy Mole

(created by Bobby Gleason, Master Mixologist)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Tres Generaciones Añejo Tequila
1/2 ounce DeKuyper Hot Damn Cinnamon Schnapps
hot chocolate (try one made with Mexican chocolate)

Method
In a preheated coffee mug add the tequila and schnapps. Fill with hot chocolate. Top with whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a cherry.