Showing posts with label lime juice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lime juice. Show all posts

Sunday, June 7, 2015

A “Brilliant” Cocktail Keeps a Roomful of Book Critics Happy

The “Brilliant” cocktail shines with the flavors of spicy ginger, lime, and Junípero gin. Make our spicy ginger syrup and you’re ready to dazzle your guests at your upcoming spring/summer party. Photo by Steve Schul.

We’re thrilled now that warm weather has returned — especially after such a long, cold winter. To combat memories of the abominable blizzards, we came up with a “Brilliant” solution. This drink was created for the National Book Critics Circle spring cocktail party 2015, held at the Center for Fiction, in East Midtown. Sarah Russo — a terrific publicist and advocate for the NBCC — gave us only one requirement for the cocktail: we must use Junípero gin, by Anchor Distilling Company of San Francisco. We love this juniper-heavy dry gin, laced with many other herb and bark flavors, and were thrilled to have it as a starting point. The evening’s forecast was warm and very humid, so a cool refreshing drink was in order. We started out with the French 75 as inspiration, and as the basis for the proportions. Lime juice with ginger sounded tropically thirst quenching—a good pairing for the gin. We mixed up a batch of our own Cocktail Buzz spicy ginger syrup, added gin, squeezed some fresh lime juice, shook it up with ice to chill, and topped it all with champagne. Delicious and refreshing—a new summertime favorite! We served it that night to the thirsty literary crowd of book critics and might have heard a murmur, or perhaps the review . . . “Brilliant!”

Paul and Steve mix up some “Brilliant” cocktails for the National Book Critics Circle spring cocktail party. Photo courtesy Sean Sime.
“Brilliant”
(created by Cocktail Buzz for the NBCC)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Junípero gin (or one redolent with juniper)
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce Cocktail Buzz spicy ginger syrup*
2 ounces champagne

Method
Shake gin, lime juice, and ginger syrup in an ice-filled shaker for 15 seconds. Strain into a champagne flute or highball glass. Top with champagne. (You can add an ice cube or two if it’s a particularly close night.)

*Cocktail Buzz Spicy Ginger Syrup

Ingredients
6 ounces fresh, unpeeled ginger, washed and diced (or sliced with a mandoline or pulsed in a food processor)
3 cups of water
1 1/2 cups sugar
pinch salt

Method
Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool completely. Strain mixture into a jar and store in refrigerator for about a week.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Casa Noble Tequila Delivers The Organic Goods in All of Its Expressions

Choose your favorite Casa Noble tequila expression: Crystal, Reposado, Añejo, Single Barrel Reposado, or Single Barrel Añejo.

July 24 marked National Tequila Day. No stranger to a celebration, Laura Baddish of the Baddish Group invited a selection of online media guests to sample the mighty fine Casa Noble Tequila in four of its expressions at the aptly named Agave in Greenwich Village. The staff delighted us with countless small bites — succulent albóndigas (meatballs); cheesy, savory quesadillas; piquant and rich guacamole. Honestly, there was too much good food being passed around the intimate back-room dining table, but who are we to turn down a fiesta, especially when accompanied by some of the smoothest and mixable tequilas on the market? Jay Silverman, Agave’s beverage director, after a few introductory words about the production of Casa Noble tequila, offered us a classic margarita made with the youngest expression, Casa Noble Crystal. The agave plants, from which tequila is distilled, are not harvested until they are at least twelve years old, so the plants have had more time to to grow and develop fuller flavors. Jay asked us to sip the Crystal by itself, so when we did, we discovered full-roasted agave flavor. It went down easy and was utterly delightful. The margarita allowed this agave flavor to shine through, and it paired perfectly with the guacamole and chips, only whetting our appetites for more cocktails. But until then, we sipped the other two standard expressions: reposado and añejo. We were shocked — in a good way — by the reposado’s natural candylike sweetness. This expression will be finding its way on our shelves so we can craft some original cocktails with it during the rest of the summer. What surprised us even more, though, were the sweet and smooth sips from the añejo tequila. This aged beauty makes for a wonderful after-dinner digestivo, and was a favorite among the reporters and writers present.

Casa Noble Organic Margarita
For those of you unfamiliar with Casa Noble, Jose “Pepe” Hermosillo Brooks, a co-owner and master distiller, had a mission. He wanted his tequila to, in Laura Baddish’s words, “speak of luxury, of refined pottery and architecture.” Many of us came to tequila downing shot glass after shot glass of the not-so-pure stuff. Casa Noble aims much higher. It is relatable to those in search of refinement, and flavor that’s not compromised by unthoughtful distillation and aging. The bottles, in their array of noble colors such as silver, purple, deep blue, black, and sky blue, glow with the promise of something very special. One limited-edition expression, an aged single-barrel extra añejo mind-blower, is sponsored by the one and only Carlos Santana, a board member who approached Casa Noble with the idea of selling this special tequila with profits going to Milagro, his charitable children’s foundation. Five hundred bottles were sold at $500 each. That’s a lot of dinero. Very special indeed.

By the way, our second cocktail proved to be a winner. Made with joven tequila (aged for six weeks in French white oak barrels), this collins-sized drink buzzed our taste buds with tangerine juice, chipotle, lime, and sage. We all wished we could have another, but by the end of the tasting, we could barely text and tweet.

Casa Noble Organic Margarita
(courtesy of Casa Noble)

Ingredients
2 ounces Casa Noble Crystal Tequila
1 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce La Sierra Agave Nectar
lime wheel, as garnish
salt rim (optional)

Method
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake, strain and serve up or on the rocks, Garnish with a lime wheel. To salt rim, moisten rim of glass with lime, gently roll in a plate of kosher salt.


Casa Noble joven tequila, with tangerine,
lime, chipotle, and sage


Casa Noble Paloma
(courtesy of Casa Noble)

Ingredients
2 ounces Casa Noble Reposado Tequila
fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
splash of fizz (soda, seltzer)

Method
Pour the the Casa Noble Reposado Tequila into a glass and squeeze in the fresh lime juice. Add ice and fill with the fresh grapefruit juice and fizz. Stir and enjoy.


Casa Noble Añejo Casa Royal
(courtesy of Casa Noble)

Ingredients
2 ounces Casa Noble Añejo Tequila
1/2 ounce triple sec
2 ounces fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce champagne or prosecco

Method
Shake first three ingredients in ice and strain into a margarita or rocks glass filled with ice with an optional salt rim. Float champagne on top.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Meet Troy & Sons, Three New Expressions of Moonshine and Aged American Whiskey

We welcome you to the bar.

Recently, we attended the New York launch of Troy & Sons small batch moonshine at the neo-speakeasy Flatiron Room. Laura Baddish, PR spirits queen, hosted the event in the dining aerie that overlooks the main room and bar, where patrons flock to get their boozes on amid the din of other postwork-I-need-to-de-stress martini swillers. After some yummy small bites of mini pizza and meatballs, with middle eastern flavors, and sips of Manhattans, Laura presented Troy to us. Now, that image that pops into your head when you think of “Troy” the moonshiner — just throw it out the window. This Troy was blonde, beautiful, and much much younger than that grizzled man that just disappeared from your mind.

A former Texan, Troy Ball moved with her family to Asheville, North Carolina, to distill moonshine, namely the smooth stuff that the old-timer mountain men dub the “sweet spot,” the best-tasting, smoothest part from the distillation process. She distills three expressions at her Asheville Distilling Co., and all offer unique aromas, undertones, and mixing possibilities.

Blonde, Oak Reserve, and Platinum, three expressions of American whiskey.

You can smell the hushed sweet scent of heirloom white corn in the Platinum Whiskey. This smooth white ’shine, distilled from corn rescued from the brink of extinction, makes a mean Margarita-style cocktail [see Sons-Shine Margarita recipe below]. You can also make one with Troy & Sons’ Oak Reserve Whiskey. Deep whiffs of this expression will remind you of toffee and a small taste will bring you deep into the aging barrel with flavors of oak and caramel. Her Blonde Whiskey, although slightly darker than the Oak Reserve, reveals the meaning behind its name in its gentle caramel taste and velvety mouthfeel. This blonde is a softer “kinder spirit,” made from heirloom turkey red wheat and white corn. Even its aroma demurs, whispering to your palate that any drink made with The Blonde will guarantee a smooth ride.

Troy dubs herself the "First woman to found a distillery in modern times.” The spirits’ name comes from the closeness she shares with her three sons. [Check out her story.] As they got older, Troy felt the time was right to start a new venture. Enter “keeper moonshine,” the sweet-spot distillate that the moonshiners all kept for themselves. Now, Troy knew what her calling was: sharing this ’shine with the rest of the world.

We’re excited to visit her at her distillery some day. Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to taste some batches of her 4-year and 8-year reserve whiskey. Normally, it’s aged for two years in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels, but you never know what time will bring. If the taste of all three of Troy & Sons expressions is any indication, we’re predicting winners.

Sons-Shine Margarita
(courtesy of Troy Ball and Asheville Distilling Co.)

Ingredients
2 ounces Troy & Sons Platinum Whiskey
1 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce fresh orange juice
6 drops agave nectar or 1 ounce simple syrup
1 orange slice



photos © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Cocktail Buzz Spicy Ginger Syrup Is Your Best Friend This Summer

Homemade ginger syrup is easy to make and will brighten up your cocktail hour. Try this Ginger Pear Highball, made with Berentzen’s light and fresh-tasting pear liqueur.

Crisp ginger ale and its spicier cousin ginger beer are tried and true mixers at your home bar, and for good reason. They combine so well with so much. We love ginger beer in our Zul Mule or in a simple fizzy Presbyterian. These are the perfect drinks for sunny, breezy days. But if we’ve run out of ginger beer, or have some fresh ginger lying around, we love to make ginger syrup to mix with soda. Our homemade spicy ginger syrup is versatile for both cocktails and nonalcoholic “mocktails.” The best part is it’s simple to make.




Cocktail Buzz Spicy Ginger Syrup

Ingredients
6 ounces fresh, unpeeled ginger, washed and diced (or sliced with a mandoline or pulsed in a food processor)
3 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of sugar
pinch of salt

Method
Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool completely. Strain mixture into a jar and store in refrigerator for about a week.


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Now you can start mixing. Combine the syrup with soda water, to taste, for your own homemade version of ginger beer. It’s really good with some fresh lime juice as well. Or add a little grenadine and the kids have a zestier version of a Shirley Temple we call the Shirley Temple Black.

Ginger Soda

Ingredients
1/2–1 ounce Cocktail Buzz Spicy Ginger Syrup (depending on how sweet you like your drink)
soda, chilled

Method
Fill rocks glass or highball glass with ice. Add ginger syrup, then soda. Stir. You can always add a lemon twist, or perhaps a spring of mint, if it pleases.

Shirley Temple Black
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1/4–1/2 ounce Cocktail Buzz Spicy Ginger Syrup (depending on how sweet you like your soda)
1/4–1/2 ounce grenadine
club soda, chilled

Method
Fill rocks glass or highball glass with ice. Add ginger syrup, grenadine, then soda. Stir. You can always add a lemon twist, if it pleases.

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Now it’s time to make a cocktail. How about a Dark and Stormy: dark rum mixed with ginger beer and perhaps a little fresh lime juice in a tall glass of ice.

Cocktail Buzz Dark and Stormy

Ingredients
2 ounces dark rum (traditionalists use Gosling’s Black Seal)
1 ounce Cocktail Buzz Spicy Ginger Syrup (recipe above)
1/2 ounce lime juice (optional)
4 ounces soda water (to taste)

Method
Shake first three ingredients with ice and strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with club soda. Stir.

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If you desire something less alcoholic, use you’re favorite liqueur, like the light apple or pear versions that Berentzen sent us recently. Their flavors are crisp, not at all cloying. Add a little of our ginger syrup and soda water and you’re ready for some backyard barbecue festivities. Their low alcohol content makes them the perfect choice for when you want more than one cocktail; we’ll be reaching for these liqueurs again and again this summer.

Apple or Pear Ginger Highball

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Berentzen Pear or Apple Liqueur
1 ounce Cocktail Buzz Spicy Ginger Syrup (recipe above)
4 ounces soda
ice

Method
Stir first two ingredients in ice for 15 seconds ice and strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with soda water.




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We’ve also been adding ginger syrup, in lieu of plain simple syrup, to a lot of classic cocktails. One of our favorite iterations is the Ginger Whiskey Sour. Just add a warm summer night. We think it’s a winner.

Cocktail Buzz Ginger Whiskey Sour

Ingredients
2 ounces bourbon or rye
3/4 ounces Cocktail Buzz Spicy Ginger Syrup (recipe above)
3/4 ounces lemon juice

Method
Shake with ice for 15 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

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Pairing Suggestions
Halloumi with Fig Jam
Braunschweiger Spread
Smoked Eel
Sweet Potato Crisps
The Chick’s Peas
Smoked cheeses, such as gouda

photos © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz

Monday, March 31, 2014

Halloumi, Meet Your Best Friend, Commandaria

Our Cookbook Challenge Continues with a Provocative Pairing . . .

by Paul Zablocki

Halloumi, a semihard Cypriot cheese, with dollops of white truffle honey and fig jam, pairs so well with a St. John Sour.

We can’t believe almost an entire year has gone by since we started our Cookbook Challenge, for which we take a collection of cookbooks and use one or more recipes for inspiration to develop our own dishes or small bites. For our last challenge, we were to use two Nigella Lawson cookbooks, Feast and Nigella Bites, as our sources. Perusing her easy, homespun recipes, we noticed that Ms. Lawson seems to love the semihard, brined cheese from Cyprus called halloumi: Grilled Halloumi with Oozing Egg and Mint (what a title!); Halloumi with Chilli (the picture is enough to send you to the store searching for this Mediterranean hard cheese). A decision was made; Steve and I decided halloumi would be the focus, but we agreed to go one step further: come up with a cocktail–party food pairing and make sure the cocktail is low in alcohol. (Who doesn’t want to have a second drink at a cocktail party without getting loopy?)

But first, some words on Mediterranean cuisine.

If asked to name their favorite Mediterranean cuisine, most Americans would answer Italian. With good reason, too. How many of us have begun our evenings with some antipasti, paired with an Americano or a less bitter Aperol and soda? Italian restaurants—or Italian-American, rather—inhabit every city in this nation. You’d be hard-pressed to find one that doesn’t. Even Makawao on the island of Maui boasts a bistro that serves cioppino made with fresh local fish.

But putting Italian aside, let us look into less-explored Mediterranean cuisine, that of Cyprus in particular, and its treasured cheese, halloumi.

But first some words about Cyprus.

I was fascinated by Cyprus as a child. To me, this island nation looked like a fish, with a stingray-like tail. If you gaze at a map, you’ll notice that this “fish” has just broken free from the maw of Turkey’s Gulf of İskenderun and is now swimming freely in the clear blue waters of the eastern Mediterranean. While the average Cypriot eats about forty-eight pounds of fish annually, this staple does not make an appearance in this post’s appetizer. It’s mostly just halloumi. But what we do to it . . . .

For our purpose, we will talk about halloumi that is available prepackaged from the grocery store. Briny and sometimes flavored with a hint of mint, halloumi originated on the island of Cyprus, probably over a 1,000 to 1,500 years ago. It’s rubbery and behaves like cheese curds, so that when you bite into a slice, you can hear a little squeak emanating from your maw. Because it doesn’t melt when broiled, fried, or grilled, this block of semihard succulence delivers supreme satisfaction on both taste and texture counts. How? The Maillard reaction, the one created when heat hits proteins and their ilk, and whammo, countless new flavors are born, making your mouth and brain very happy.

If you slice the halloumi into 1/4-inch-thin rectangles (on the short side of the block), you can fry them over medium-high heat in a nonstick pan, à la Nigella, about 2–3 minutes per side. They should ooze their liquid and then brown a little. Check that they don’t get too brown and flip, browning the other side as well. Remove from heat and spread with a mixture of fig name and white-truffle honey. This pairs beautifully with the St. John Sour. If you don’t have white-truffle butter (and we don’t blame you if you don’t), you can use the fig jam alone, but it would benefit the pairing if you sprinkled on some chopped chives or a few thin slices of scallion greens. You can also make your own white truffle honey by mixing some white truffle oil into some thick honey, preferably natural, and combine thoroughly.

Halloumi with Fig Jam and White Truffle Honey
(adapted from recipes culled from Nigella Bites and Feast)

Ingredients
1 8-ounce package halloumi
2 tablespoons fig jam
1 tablespoon white truffle honey

Method
In a small bowl, mix the fig jam and white truffle honey thoroughly and set aside.

Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Remove halloumi from package and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rectangular slices (your rectangles should be about 1 x 2 inches, so make sure you slice along the shorter end). Add slices to frying pan, making sure not to crowd them (you may have to work in two or three batches depending on the size of your frying pan). Check your slices after 2–3 minutes. When they are golden brown in patches, flip and cook for another 2–3 minutes. remove from heat and arrange on a platter. With a spoon, add dollops of the jam mixture to the halloumi, or arrange the bowl next to the halloumi platter and allow your guests to take as much as they want. Serve with a St. John Sour or a St. John Paddy Sour, two cocktails we created using a very special Cypriot wine, commandaria.

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Commandaria is a nutty port-like dessert wine that originated on the island of Cyprus and is the oldest-named wine still in production. It’s made from two types of grapes, Mavro and Xynestri, which are picked when they have overripened on the vines so that the sugar levels are high. After fermentation and the addition of neutral spirits, commandaria’s alcohol content lies somewhere between 15–20%. That’s especially good for when you want a second drink. And it mixes beautifully with citrus and other bold flavors like ginger. The commandaria shines in these two drinks.


St. John Sour
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces St. John Commandaria (Cypriot wine)
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce ginger syrup*
soda

Method
Shake first three ingredients in ice for 15 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Top with soda. Stir. Add a lemon twist, if you’d like.

*Ginger Syrup
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 piece of fresh ginger, about 8 inches
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of water

Method
Wash then mandolin or thinly slice the ginger (no need to peel). In a medium saucepan combine sugar, water, and ginger. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Be careful not to bring to a roiling boil at this point as this will cause the syrup to harden. Allow to cool with ginger in syrup. Strain into jar. Press down on ginger to get all the syrup out. This keeps for about 1–2 weeks, and longer if you add a tablespoon of vodka or other spirit.

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You might not think that Irish whiskey and Cypriot wine would go hand in hand, but when mixed with some lemon juice, this drink makes for a smooth ride.

St. John Paddy Sour
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces St. John Commandaria
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce Irish whiskey (Jameson)
soda

Method
Shake first three ingredients in ice for 15 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Top with soda. Stir. Add a lemon twist, if you’d like.

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For our next cookbook challenge, we will explore Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (we love this one) and Robert Carrier’s Entertaining, from 1978 (this one should be fun).

photos ©Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz

Sunday, November 24, 2013

LEAF and Chopin Vodkas Express Themselves This Holiday Season

LEAF Vodka greets us with a stunning view of Lower Manhattan.

LEAF Vodka

Sometimes putting aside ones prejudices and saying yes to something that normally we would not give a second thought to can be a good thing. Take for instance a few weeks ago. We were invited to a vodka tasting at a location that promised a nonpareil view of the city. Being suckers for a grand view, and some sips of free booze, we decided to accept LEAF Vodka’s invitation to attend its NYC launch in the sky. We are happy to report that both the view and the vodka were breathtaking.

Since vodka is made up of mostly water, the folks at LEAF Vodka decided to focus on that one ingredient in its two expressions, and this proves to offer rewards most satisfying. LEAF’s solution is to the point: Make vodka using better water, but at an affordable price. So while the bottle will only set you back a little more that $15, you can relax and focus more on the content. Clean, pristine water can be found throughout the globe, and LEAF decided to focus its quest in the United States.

LEAF Vodka’s two expressions: green for Alaskan Glacial Water Vodka and Blue for Rocky Mountain Mineral Water Vodka.

First try the Rocky Mountain Mineral Water Vodka. This will taste most traditional to vodka aficionados; it is smooth and has a hint of natural mineral sweetness that occurs from aeons-old water trickling through layers and layers of stone. It is a true delight and will mix up well in a variety of traditional vodka cocktails. Try the Rocky Cucumber [SEE RECIPE BELOW], which is a riff on a classic Gimlet.

The other expression is distilled from the water of four glaciers that wends its way down Alaskan mountains into Blue Lake. We were floored by how different this expression tasted compared to the Rocky Mountain version. A little smoother and a little sweeter, you begin to wonder whether or not some sugar was added to the distillate, sort of the way some sugar is added to Champagne to alter its sweetness. But rest assured, there is no additive. It is pure and simple and exquisite. Try it in a Pink Glacier [SEE RECIPE BELOW], a variation of the classic Cosmopolitan. You’ll swear there’s no alcohol in the drink at all (until of course you start to feel a little giddy).

Pink Glacier
(created by LEAF Vodka)

Ingredients
2 ounces LEAF Vodka made from Alaskan Glacial Water
1 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
3/4 ounce pink grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce cranberry juice
1 lime wedge

Method
In a cocktail shaker, combine grapefruit juice, lime juice, simple syrup, vodka, and ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Add cranberry juice for color. Garnish with a lime.

Rocky Cucumber
(created by LEAF Vodka)

Ingredients
2 ounces LEAF Vodka made from Rocky Mountain Mineral Water
1 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
4 cucumber slices
3 dashes hot pepper sauce
club soda
ice

Method
In a cocktail shaker, muddle 3 cucumber slices, hot pepper sauce, lime juice, simple syrup, and vodka. Shake and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Top off with soda. Garnish with a cucumber slice and an extra dash of hot pepper sauce.

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Chopin Vodka

Wheat, Potato and Rye
Chopin Vodkas
They used to say in an old commercial, “When it rains, it pours.” Well, it’s been pouring vodka recently at Cocktail Buzz. We were very curious about all the different expressions of Chopin, the famous Polish vodka named after one of the greatest composers of piano music, so we sampled all three of its expressions, each distilled from a different plant: potato, rye, and wheat.

If you ask, most people will tell you that vodka is distilled from potatoes. But really, vodka can be distilled from any plant, and the distinguishing characteristics of each distillation will taste different from one to the next.

Trying the potato vodka reminded us of being reunited with an old friend. Its taste is traditional, smooth and creamy, with a slight sweetness that plays pleasantly with your taste buds. Chopin (the distiller, not the composer) suggests you pair it with a dirty martini when eating a classic steak. Try the Chopin Extra Olives “CEO” Martini [SEE RECIPE BELOW]. You’ll notice that not a trace of dry vermouth is present. Why? Well, we’re certain the people at Chopin know full well that dry vermouth and vodka do not make a good match, and, after all, they want you to enjoy the vodka, not a vodka that tastes of dry vermouth. We couldn’t agree more.

Next up was the rye vodka. After sipping it, we immediately looked at each other in disbelief. How could this vodka taste so different from the potato one? Its flavor spicier and less sweet and smooth. Intrigued, we looked to see what Chopin suggested making with it. The Chopin Splash [SEE RECIPE BELOW] is simple enough to make year-round, and Chopin suggests pairing rye vodka cocktails with a red-sauce pasta dish. Give it a whirl and see what you think.

Following that, we tried the wheat vodka, which turned out to be the most different vodka we had ever tasted. Its taste and consistency were like water-thinned honey, so we decided that this would be the perfect vodka for those who are uninitiated in the world of mixology and spirits, and would like to dabble without the fear of alcohol-burn. Chopin suggests pairing this expression of vodka with roasted chicken. Try it with the Chopin Bohemian Luxury [SEE RECIPE BELOW].

Of course, no holiday season is complete without a spirited cocktail, so the fine folks at Chopin have created a Christmas Cosmopolitan using the potato vodka, a cocktail that is sure to make you happy, before, during, or after a few hour of caroling, or perhaps shopping for the perfect cocktail shaker set for your office Secret Santa. And despite its moniker, we’re certain you can imbibe a few during Thanksgivukkah this Thursday. L’chaim.

Christmas Cosmopolitan
(created by Chopin Vodka)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Chopin Potato Vodka
3/4 ounce mulled cranberry juice *
1/2 ounce lemon juice
dash of Grand Marnier
a 3-clove–studded orange twist

Method
Shake all ingredients with cubed ice

* Heat cranberry juice with 2 crushed cloves; add nutmeg, cinnamon, and almonds to taste. Allow to cool and infuse. Sieve the juice and use accordingly.

Chopin Bohemian Luxury
(created by Chopin Vodka)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Chopin Wheat Vodka
1 ounce pineapple juice
1/2 Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
5 large ice cubes
1 ounce Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Rosé
orchid, as garnish

Method
Shake first three ingredients in ice. Strain into a chilled Champagne flute. Top with Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Rosé. Garnish with orchid.

Chopin Splash
(created by Chopin Vodka)

Ingredients
2 ounces Chopin Rye Vodka
1/2 ounce Aperol
1 ounce fresh pink grapefruit juice
3 ounces club soda

Method
Build in a tall glass with ice. Garnish with 1/4 slice pink grapefruit.

Chopin Extra Olives “CEO” Martini
(created by Chopin Vodka)

Ingredients
2 1/2 ounces Chopin Potato Vodka
3 extra large or blue cheese-stuffed olives

Method
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Add garnish

Optional: Add olive brine to taste to make a Dirty CEO [even though the world is filled with enough of them].

top photo © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Behold the Teeny-tini and The Chick’s Peas, a Healthy Cocktail and Party Food Pairing

The Teeny-tini was featured on The Joy Fit Club segment of Kathie Lee and Hoda’s fourth hour of The Today Show.

Cocktail Party fun doesn’t always mean calories. Our pairing of a ginger-laced Teeny-tini, accompanied by the crunchy limy Chick’s Peas, will surely bring a smile to your waist.

Our friend Kate Chapman just reminded us of a cocktail-and-snack-food pairing we came up for her a year or so ago, when we were all searching for ways to eat healthier, but still wanting to have a little fun. Kate, a Broadway musical actress, currently practicing her new vocation as a health coach, requested a low-calorie cocktail she could have anywhere.

This proved challenging. After all, “anywhere” implies anywhere that serves alcohol. What could we possibly come up with that would be easy enough for any bartender to make, but be full of remarkable flavor? One good enough for our beloved broadway belter?

Kate did give us a few parameters to keep us grounded. “I adore bubbles, but not too sweet,” was one of her earliest pronouncements, followed by “I love love LOVE chick peas.”

Andre Gide, the famed French novelist and activist, famously said that art thrives when working with constraints, and having Kate nudge us in a direction her taste buds were telling her to take made life so much easier in the test kitchen. We immediately thought champagne. Its bubbles, as well as its ubiquity, are legendary. And to accompany the champagne, we thought gin (what bar doesn’t have gin?) would be just the thing to make this baby shine like it was opening night.

The drink definitely needed more that a little gin and some fizz; it was screaming for a more pronounced flavor enhancer that would give the two spirits some sex appeal.

And that’s where we turned to fresh ginger. Talk about potency! It packs a punch in such small amounts that a quarter of a teaspoon is all that was needed to breathe some kapow into the cocktail, along with the same amount of low-glycemic-index maple syrup to add just a hint of sweetness.

But how could we guarantee that any bar Kate moseyed on up to had fresh ginger juice and maple syrup? That’s where a dropper comes into play. Pick one up at a container store and fill it with equal parts ginger juice and maple syrup. Just two squirts into your champagne flute will bring you low-cal high-flavor bliss. As for the name, Kate decided that Teeny-tini would fit the bill nicely. We couldn’t agree more.

With the cocktail now completed, it was time to turn our attention to the beans. Chick peas are packed full of protein. You see them offered as little bar snacks, baked to a delicate crunchiness and bathed in various seasonings. We decided after several attempts at finding the perfect pairing that cinnamon and cumin, blended with a little salt and grape-seed oil, brought out a balanced savoriness to the beans. When they came out of the oven smelling of toasted spices, we squirted some lime juice and dusted the chick peas with lime zest and more salt. One nibble confirmed what we already knew: These will pair remarkably with Kate’s cocktail.

The calorie count for this pairing is such that if you would like to indulge in more that one drink, two would not be sinful. (They rack up about 113 a pop, and the chick peas, about 80 calories a handful.)

Teeny-tini
(created by Cocktail Buzz for Kate Chapman)

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 ounce gin
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger juice*
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
8 ounces champagne

Method
At home:
Shake the first three ingredients in ice for 15 seconds. Strain into two champagne flutes. Top with 4 ounces champagne each.

On the go:
Mix quadruple (or more) the amount of ginger juice and maple syrup with a few drops of water and store in a glass dropper. When you are out and about, request champagne and 1/2 ounce gin (or a splash) from the bartender. Squirt one full stopper amount into the champagne and gin, and give it a little stir (you may have to request a stirrer from the bartender). Imbibe. Enjoy with chick pea snack.

* Ginger juice is easy to make if you have a ginger grater or a juicer. Just make sure to peel it first.

The Chick’s Peas
(created by Cocktail Buzz for Kate Chapman)

Ingredients
1 16-ounce can chick peas, rinsed and patted dry
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Saigon cinnamon)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for finishing
1 lime (for zest, then juice)

Method
Spread chick peas on a paper towel–covered rimmed baking sheet to dry (preferably for 60–90 minutes, but if you are in a rush, make sure to pat them dry thoroughly).

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Mix oil, garlic, salt, and spices in a bowl. Add chick peas to bowl and stir, coating evenly. Spread the chick peas on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30–35 minutes, stirring the chick peas, or shaking the pan, every ten minutes. The chick peas should be browned and crisp-looking. Remove from oven and top with a generous amount of lime zest and the juice from half the lime. Transfer to a serving bowl and a add a pinch of salt to taste. Mix and serve warm with a Teeny-tini. (If you are taking them on the go, allow them to cool completely and transfer to a sealable plastic bag.)

Note: Some chick peas will be crunchy, others may have a soft interior. We like the textural combination of the two.

Take some with you for an on-the-go protein boost.

photos © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz
tini-tini tinitini tini tini

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Cocktail Buzz Twelve Favorite Things of 2012

“Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”  
— “A Christmas Dinner,” Charles Dickens
Old mixing guides, cocktail pamphlets, and cookbooks can be the inspiration for your your next cocktail party.

Well after New Years’ midnight chimes had run their course, and all the festivities of “Holiday” had evaporated into the wintry night, we sat back with our favorite cocktail, the Manhattan, and reflected over the year. We asked each other, “Dear, what were some of your favorite things throughout 2012?” Limiting ourselves to the realm of the kitchen and bar, we compiled a list of twelve things (one for every month of the year) that gave us quite a lot of pleasure. Hopefully, our descriptions of these lovely indulgences will induce immediate sal[i]vation, followed by a trip to the grocery, liquor store, App store, and Tucson.

1. Vintage Cookbooks, Culinary Magazines, and Product Pamphlets

The simple act of reflecting on the year triggered in us a sense of nostalgia, churning up memories from way way back in time. A simpler, more “vintage-y” time, if you will. We both grew up rummaging through old barns and antique shops, beginning what would become our lifetime collection of objets. In the same way we mine thrift stores for a whimsical tableware pattern, we now scour old cookbooks for the recipes to fill those vintage dishes. And not just old cookbooks. We’re certain, if you raid Mom’s (or Grandpa’s) attic, you’ll come across some yellowed, faded promotional pamphlets for, say, Bacardi or Arrow cordials, or recipes for the family’s venerable standing mixer. These searches aren’t just physical acts: In pining for the past, we seem to be searching for an era when food wasn’t processed, but actual, real food — when the ingredient list on packaging consisted of five ingredients or less [see Favorite Thing No. 3, for more on this].

Making the following Mexican-inspired dip from an old compilation of Food and Wine recipes is a healthy alternative to buying a prepackaged one. Yes, it takes a wee bit of time, but less than a Cooking Channel episode.

Pumpkin Seed Dip
(adapted from The Best of Food and Wine, 1984)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) hulled, unsalted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3/4–1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
hot pepper sauce, to taste (we like Cholula Hot Sauce, Original)
3/4–1 teaspoon salt (depending on saltiness of hot sauce)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Method
In a small skillet, over medium heat, cook the pumpkin seeds until they pop and turn golden brown, stirring occasionally (2–3 minutes). Add seeds to a blender and puree until finely ground. Meanwhile, heat oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Pour oil and garlic into blender. Add 3/4 cup chicken broth and lime juice, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Puree, scraping down the sides occasionally. If the mixture is too thick, add broth one tablespoon at a time, and puree until it achieves desired consistency. (We like it as smooth as possible, but not runny.) Transfer dip to a serving bowl, cover, and chill, or serve immediately, garnished with scallions.

Further Exploration 
Our friends and fellow travelers Paul and Noah love exploring the past, as is evidenced by their excellently curated Web site, The Way We Ate. We share their love of Gourmet Magazine, once considered the nonpareil of culinary monthlies. And speaking of monthlies . . . .

2. iPad Magazines

Behold the iPad. It costs more than most people’s weekly salary, but, honey, when it does a job right, you repeatedly thank your lucky stars for every penny you plunked down for this precious jewel. Magazines that have taken full advantage of its techno capabilities, such as linking, pop-ups, alternate views, videos, and nonlinear page-turning, stand out as the best. Our favorites right now are Bon Appétit, Martha Stewart Living, and Whole Living. One of the recipes we keep returning to in Whole Living is for an unusual toasted muesli with coconut, pistachios, cranberries, and millet (a mild-tasting, old-world, protein-rich cereal grass). Once it’s jarred, it never lasts the week.

Further Exploration 
For a nonculinary change of pace, try Architectural Digest on the iPad. It’ll blow your mind with its alternate room views and one-click captions, and trigger real estate envy. Don’t take it to bed with you or you may stay up all night.

3. Healthy and New Alternatives

When our five-year-old godson Cole shouted to the heavens, “I hate quinoa,” before a sumptuous dinner of his mom’s chicken tagine, we couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Here was a five-year-old (five-year-old!) who knew not only what quinoa was, but knew he did not like it. (It is considered health food after all, the bane of many a child.) Luckily for us, and everyone else at the table, we do like quinoa.

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) are seeds from an annual herb found in the Andean highlands, and are considered a complete protein, providing us all nine essential amino acids necessary to keep us happy and healthy. Use it in lieu of rice or couscous. Its light, fluffy texture takes well to sauces, and its nuttiness complements so many flavor profiles. Just make sure when you buy it, and the package does not read presoaked, you must do the soaking yourself or the results will be a tad bitter.

Another trendy and healthy (but delicious) favorite this past year is kale, in all its forms. Curly, Tuscan (aka Lacinato or dinosaur), rape, Jersey. Once relegated to the lowly position of salad-bar filler, it’s now esteemed not only for its bittersweet flavor, but for its health properties. It appears that some of its chemical compounds can block the growth of cancer cells and help boost DNA repair. Not bad for something we used to not give a second thought to. Dan Barber, the highly respected Blue Hill Farm chef, celebrates this leafy green in his recipe for kale chips. For extra credit, you can infuse beets in vodka in preparation for a cocktail that pairs perfectly with these crispy leafy delights.

Kale Chips
(adapted from a recipe by Dan Barber, Bon Appétit, February 2009)

Ingredients
12 large Tuscan kale leaves, rinsed, dried, cut lengthwise in half, center ribs and stems removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 250°F. Toss kale with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange leaves in single layer on 2 large baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 30 minutes for flat leaves and up to 33 minutes for wrinkled leaves. Transfer leaves to rack to cool.

Ruby
(adapted from a recipe by Lucy Brennan, Hip Sips)

Ingredients
3 ounces beet-infused vodka*
1/2 ounce fresh lemon-lime juice (half lemon juice, half lime juice, both fresh-squeezed)
1/2 ounce simple syrup**

Method
Shake in ice for 15 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

*Beet-Infused Vodka:
3 red beets (1 1/2 pounds), trimmed, peeled, and cut into quarters
1 bottle (1 liter) vodka (Lucy recommends Monopolowa)

Put the beets in a wide-mouthed glass jar with a lid. Add the vodka and seal the container (reserve the vodka bottle for refilling.) The mixture will immediately turn a bright ruby color. Store in a cool dark place for three days, stirring each day. The infused vodka will be a deep purple color with a strong, earthy beet taste. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the beets. Place a funnel in the reserved vodka bottle and pour the infused vodka into the bottle. Cap and store in the refrigerator for up to six months.

**  To make simple syrup, dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Let cool. Transfer to an airtight container. May be refrigerated for up to a month.

Further Exploration 
Kale chips also pair well with an Americano [see Favorite Thing No. 12, for the recipe].

4. Fast-Food Favorites at Home

BLT & Egg Sandwich
It’s hard to ignore cravings. We’d be lying if we told you we ate healthy all the time. After all, we are cocktail people, and everyone knows bacon goes so well with a lot of the drinks we make. So when we need to take a break from the salubrious, we make real-food alternatives to the fast food that’s been detrimentally mutating our genes for the past five decades or so. For breakfast, there’s the poached egg (or neutral oil–fried egg) on English muffin with natural cheddar and uncured bacon we love to make, slathered in mayonnaise, with crispy lettuce. A hybrid Egg McMuffin–BLT, if you please.

Homemade Big Mac
For a weekend late lunch with friends, we’ve been know to build a sandwich made with two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions, piled on a three-tiered sesame-seed bun. Executive Chef Dan Coudreaut from McDonald’s Canada shows you how to make a homemade Big Mac. We like to grind our own meat, though, since it is much healthier than the big agribusiness pre-ground beef sold in most supermarkets. Try a ratio of 2/3 sirloin steak to 1/3 skirt, hangar, or flank steak. 50/50 works well too. Remember, a little fat here is important since the patties are so thin.

Another favorite sandwich that has caused big controversy is a certain chicken sandwich you can find at a chain restaurant known for its donations to antigay causes. So instead of us haranguing you for patronizing this establishment, which is desperately and pathetically trying to prevent us from achieving the rights we gay American citizens deserve fully, you can make your own. The lovely and informal Hilah will show you how to make a Chik Fil-Gay.

Now that we’ve finally gotten your attention with these three sandwiches, you must remember that balance is key. Do not make these every day. Have a salad with dark leafy greens, such as kale, instead. Balance is also the key to our next favorite thing . . . .

5. Rums with Lime

For many years we eschewed rum. Not because we don’t like it. On the contrary, its an ingredient in some of our favorite cocktails. Rather, we feared it. So many choices in a dizzying array of categories: light, dark, amber, aged, spiced, agricole. Well, this year, we finally took the plunge and focused on balancing one our favorite flavor combos, rums and fresh limes, in two cocktails: the Mojito [photo right] and the Daiquiri. Limes give you an aliveness in a drink, especially when you muddle them to release the essential oils in the peel. Add some rum, especially light (or white) rum, and the aroma begins to take you on a journey of nirvanic bliss. Plus, adding lime juice makes rum easier to pair with food. Think about how a TV chef will advise you to add citruses and vinegars to a dish so that the acids will commingle with the other ingredients, thus melding flavors that’ll make your taste buds scream with excitement.

Further Exploration 
We’ve recently discovered the joys of spiced rum, a dark amber–colored rum predominantly flavored by vanilla bean and caramel, but, depending on the brand, you can detect a host of other spices. Our recent favorites have been Shellback and BlackBeard. Shellback is smoother at 80 proof, and mixes well with sodas and lime juice. BlackBeard is higher in proof with more insistent flavors.

6. Chef Addam Buzzalini, Maynards Market & Kitchen

Chef Addam Buzzalini (love the
name) with Paul, at Maynards
Market & Kitchen, Tucson.
Chefs and Bartenders, as you already know, are the current celebrities. When we patronize a well-regarded restaurant, we try to obtain a seat at the bar to watch the bartender work her magic, and hope to catch a glimpse of the chef as he scans the dining room, trying to analyze his guests’ levels of contentment. With the proliferation of shows like Top Chef and Chopped, and the popularity of the Food Network and Cooking Channel, these men and women, who have dedicated endless hours of truly back-breaking labor to delight your senses, deserve the praise and notoriety they’ve been receiving.

On our recent and brief trip to Tucson, Arizona, we scanned the Internet for the perfect place to have a fresh and seasonal dinner with drinks, and decided that Maynards Market & Kitchen would fit the bill nicely. A long well-stocked bar on one side of the room balanced the relatively small and comfortably chic sunken dining room, which overlooked the railway station with its full-sized windows. It was a chilly desert evening, and two Maynards Manhattans warmed us up instantly. The meal was exquisite: formidably crafted, redolent and sapid with the late-fall flavors of apple, fennel, pomegranate. We licked our plates of oysters, foie gras, scallops, and butter lettuce clean. We asked Robert our server if we could call upon Chef Addam Buzzalini to prepare a special multicourse birthday dinner, paired with cocktails, for Paul on the following night. Chef Addam was completely game, and when we arrived the following night, 8:00PM sharp, we ran into him before entering the building. “I hope you both are hungry,” he said with a devilish grin, as we opened the door and were whisked to our table.

Foie gras sous vide paired with an infused apple brandy cocktail.

Sous vide duck, paired with
Bulleit rye Manhattans
We immediately hit it off with Alana, our server (the waitstaff is beyond excellent). She assured us that the kitchen and bar were buzzing with excitement at the prospect of creating new dishes, each with a cocktail pairing, and that Chef would come out with each course to explain what he and his staff created. All in all, we had six courses. Raw oysters topped with a piquant bloody mary–style tapenade paired beautifully with a specially prepared bacon fat–washed vodka rocks cocktail that was hard to put down. (We knew we had five more to go, so we decided to take sips.) Sous vide foie gras bathed in a gastrique of pomes and berries melted in the mouth as it was washed down by an apple brandy cocktail that was so layered, we cannot for the life of us remember what those layers were. The charred endive and stinky cheese with pear sauce naturally paired with a cocktail of pear-infused armagnac and Belle de Brillet pear liqueur. That was followed by a to-die-for sous vide duck over a bed of pear and lentils and a side of red beets and root veggie crisps. Pairing this with one of our favorite cocktails, a Bulleit rye Manhattan, was dangerous. By this point, we could only muster a few sips (we had a little drive back to the hotel), and knew that we needed to pare down our pairings. The fifth course was an oxymoronic study in simple excess: steak au poivre paired with stout laced with a shot of espresso. By this point, our bellies were begging us to stop, but one cannot stop when there’s dessert coming.

The glow of these pear-centric cocktails beckoned us with their redolent allure.

Grapefruit tart and dark chocolate
bark with hazelnuts
We managed to save a little room for the insanely flavorful vanilla custard tart crowned with sweet-tart candied grapefruit, plus a generous side of dark chocolate bark with hazelnuts. And if that wasn’t enough, Alana returned with a burning birthday candle aside a coupe filled with one of Paul’s favorite ice cream flavors, honey lavender. A perfect ending to a magical meal at a place where everyone’s smile was genuine. Palpable joy wafted from the kitchen through the dining room, letting us know that those within loved their craft. With toques off, we raise a glass to Chef Addam Buzzalini, his staff, and Maynard’s mixologist, Eddie Pain, who gave us so much to cherish over those two nights in late December.

7. Bulleit Rye

We’d be remiss if we didn’t talk a little about one of our favorite spirits last year, Bulleit rye. We already had a passionate affair with Bulleit bourbon, so we knew we’d love the rye. Less sweet, more vegetal — a different flavor altogether — this rye found its way into many of our Manhattans during 2012. What we love most about mixing cocktails is coming up with new recipes and sharing these with fellow travelers. When we found out that friends Matthew Lawrence and Jason Tranchida, of Headmaster magazine fame, loved Bulleit rye, we were quick to offer our services to come up with a special cocktail for their Magazine’s fourth issue launch parties. Instead of one, we came up with two, the Headmaster 4 and The Pupil. The Headmaster 4 is a riff on our Bulleit rye Manhattan, but uses the bitter Fernet-Branca liqueur instead of bitters. The Pupil is a lighter affair — a ginger ale highball that also uses Fernet-Branca. Together, they are well-served at any party.

Another beauty we found ourselves making time and time again with Bulleit rye is the Manhattan-like Marianne Cocktail. It combines rye with another of our favorite things of 2012, Byrhh quinquina [see Favorite Thing No. 8].

Further Exploration 
We realized that bottles of rye had surpassed bourbon on our shelves this past year. Perhaps it’s a direct result from drinking Manhattans as frequently as if the city were giving them away. Some other ryes we recommend are Templeton, Redemption, and the new George Dickel. Rittenhouse, bonded at 100 proof, has, and always will be, another favorite.

The Marianne Cocktail combines rye with Byrrh, a fortified wine reintroduced to the U.S. after a 70-year absence. Welcome back.

8. Byrrh

If you can find it, do pick up a bottle of Byrrh, a quinquina, or fortified wine laced with quinine. A little sweeter and more luscious than sweet vermouth, Byrrh (pronounced BEER) will win you over not only for its grapiness, but also for its versatility in the realm of mixology. Use it in lieu of sweet vermouth or Dubonnet rouge in cocktails and you’ve come up with an entirely new drink. The Marianne and the Rye Byrrh are good places to start.

9. Signature Cocktails

Daddy Gives Rosie a Buzz
Besides the Headmaster 4 and The Pupil cocktails we created for our friends’ launch party [see Favorite Thing No. 7], we had a swell time working with another friend, the incomparable burlesque performer Rosie 151, on a signature cocktail, Daddy Gives Rosie a Buzz. This summer highball combines fresh watermelon juice with Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine, plus a little gin and lime juice to bring it all together. We were especially excited by this drink because we got to introduce Rosie to the makers of Catdaddy, Piedmont Distillers, who now sponsor Rosie at her shows. If you haven’t seen Rosie 151 perform, and you’re in town, do check her out. Her versatility knows no bounds, and she has since started making her own cocktails with Catdaddy. And if you do live in town, bring some friends with you to see her perform. They’ll be happy you did.

Further Exploration 
If you’d like for us to come up with a signature cocktail for you or your special event, please give us a shout. We’d love to mix and stir up some trouble for you.

10. Cocktail Time with Friends

Speaking of friends, sharing cocktail hour with those who love the interplay of food, drink, and wild discussion makes for a gay old time. We cherish the countless late afternoons and evenings we’ve gotten together for eats and drinks with our downstairs neighbors, Curt and Theo. Recently, we rode out the destructive superstorm together, and were inspired to come up with a Hurricane Sandy drink, using ingredients we had plenty of (apple brandy, Southern Comfort, and limeade) for that scary and unforgettable night.

Paul, Steve, Danny, and Matthew enjoy a Hawaiian lunch with local flavor–inspired drinks.

Five thousand miles away, on our beloved island of Hawai‘i, live our friends Danny and Matthew, who love to cook and create in the kitchen. When we come a’visitin’, we’re inspired by local flavors to create some tantalizing cocktails. One we came up with this summer also used limeade plus local amber rum from the guys’ stash. Its other ingredients, a Key lime cream liqueur called Ke Ke and Kahana Royale macadamia nut liqueur (discovered in Hilo at the well-stocked Kadota’s Liquor), were doled out in various ratios, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice was added before a big stir in tall glasses with lots of ice. A fun way to share a lunch of locally smoked brisket and garden salad.

Paul watches and Jon puts the finishing
tie on some homemade sausage links.
Getting together with Cousin Barbara and hubby Jon is always fun; they are consummate foodies who are always searching for the perfect combination of stimulating and satisfying flavors. One time we all got together to make pierogi; another time, we gathered to make three kinds of homemade sausage (breakfast, sweet, and spicy) using our Kitchenade standing mixer and big hunks of pork from Jon’s dad’s butcher shop, Ottomanelli & Sons Meat Market, in the West Village (285 Bleecker Street). Even though we did that in 2011, the sausages continued to feed us throughout the early months of 2012 in so many different preparations. We always look forward to what our next kitchen adventure will produce.

Sara-Kate, Penny, and Steve share
a hug and some Sidewinders
Two things we love to make for friends, and made quite a few times during 2012, are Thin-sliced Roasted Pork with Southwestern Spices we discovered a few years back on thekitchn.com and a basic mule (who doesn’t love a good mule? — the spicy ginger beer tickling our tongues, opening up our taste buds) [see recipe below for a whiskey mule]. Pile some of that seasoned roasted pork on top of fresh rolls with some mojo sauce or barbecue sauce, pair that with a round of whiskey or tequila mules (aka Sidewinders), and you’ve got yourself a happy little shindig. The last time we made the roasted pork at Curt and Theo’s, we had none other than friends Sara-Kate (the creator of thekitchn.com [very serendipitous]), Penny, and Amy by our sides, sipping some mules and Cut Flowers, dining on some roasted pork, and swapping It-can-only-happen-in-New-York tales of the city. Mules are the perfect beasts to help you entertain at your next small gathering.

Whiskey Mule
(adapted by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces your favorite whiskey
3 ounces ginger beer (the spicier, the better)
lemon peel (optional)
Angostura bitters (optional)
ice

Method
In a highball glass (chilled, if you can), add the whiskey and fill with ice cubes. Top with ginger beer. Add bitters and lemon peel, if you so desire. Stir until cold.

A visit from Cousin Barbara and some chairs inspire an early-fall terrace party, and a new tall drink called the Zul Mule.

11. Zul Mule

Of course we had to come up with our own mule. After Manhattans, they’re our next most-drunk drink. So when Cousin Barbara and Jon had a bunch of wooden outdoor chairs on their hands, we decided that they would fit perfectly on the terrace. We would turn it into a celebration of these sturdy handsome chairs and invite some of our local friends. An Early-Autumn Kiki, if you will allow us the indulgence. So we had to come up with a perfect cooler for a Sunday afternoon visit and were inspired by the classic Pimm’s Cup, and our love of mules. Pimm’s is a red amber–colored gin liqueur that tastes subtly of spice and citrus. A traditional Pimm’s Cup includes lemon-lime soda and a slice of lemon. For our Pimm’s Cup–Mule hybrid, we knew we had to use ginger beer. After all, that’s what makes a mule, a mule. But instead of the citrusy tang you get from lemon-lime soda, we opted for the more floral–fruity combination that L’esprit de June wine-blossom liqueur offers. It has a delicate, sweet aroma and tastes predominantly of strawberry essence. It’s quite lovely, and is a great substitute when fragoli (wild strawberry liqueur) is too thick and sweet. We were going to call it a Pimm’s Mule, but decided that Zul Mule was more fun to say (Zul is a combination of our last names, and we like it because it sounds like the demon gatekeeper in Ghostbusters).

Zul Mule
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Pimms No. 1
3 ounces Reed’s Extra Ginger Beer (or another spicy ginger beer)
1/4 ounce L’esprit de June liqueur
cucumber slice*
lemon peel
ice

Method
Fill highball glass with ice. Add Pimm’s and L’esprit de June. Top with ginger beer. Stir until chilled. Add cucumber slice and lemon peel, as garnishes.

* Steve loves this addition, and many love a cucumber slice in a traditional Pimm’s Cup. Also, if you have some borage blossoms, cut them at the stems long enough to support themselves in your glass, as an additional garnish. Their blue beauty will stand out against the amber-red hue of the Zul Mule.

12. Campari in Cocktails

Our friends Paul and Noah enjoy a Negroni Fizz.
Last year, we watched our appreciation of Campari turn into love, and found ourselves making cocktail after cocktail using the glowing scarlet amaro. Some of our favorite drinks are the Negroni Sbagliato (check out Joaquín Simó’s recipe), Negronis and Negroni Fizzes, Americanos, and a new favorite, the Old Pal. The Old Pal works much the same way as a Negroni, except that traditional Canadian whisky takes the place of gin. We go a step further and use higher-proof rye (Americans use to refer to Canadian whisky as rye back in the Mad Men days, and you can sometimes hear servers and old-time bartenders refer to a bottle of Canadian Club as rye) instead of Canadian whisky, and bump up the amount (traditionally these drinks use equal parts) to tame the sweetness and bring out rye’s inherent barrel-aged flavors. This Old Pal gives you more of a whiskey punch. But feel free to play with the ratios of all the ingredients to find your very special Old Pal.

Traditional Old Pal
(adapted by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 ounce Canadian whisky
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth

Method
Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glass or coupe.

Cocktail Buzz Old Pal
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 1/4 ounces rye (try one at 90–100 proof)
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth
lemon or orange twist (optional)

Method
Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glass or coupe. Add twist.

Negroni Fizz
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
3/4 ounce London dry gin
3/4 ounce Campari
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
soda
orange twist, as garnish

Method
Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into ice-filled double rocks or highball glass. Garnish with orange twist.

Americano
(adapted by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth
soda
orange slice, as garnish

Method
Stir Campari and sweet vermouth in ice for 15 seconds. Strain into an old-fashioned or rocks glass. Top with soda. Add orange slice.

Pairing Suggestion
Blue Cheese on thin wafer crackers (especially a brioche-tasting cracker), with fresh raspberries.

Further Exploration 
The Rosita is another cocktail that combines a main spirit with Campari and sweet vermouth, but this time it’s silver tequila, plus some dry vermouth. Its bold flavors may take some getting use to, but it’s a road worth taking.

photos © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz