How to Drink Absinthe

If you’ve already snagged a bottle of Absinthe for yourself and your friends but still have no idea what to do with it, check out Liquor.com. It’s a new site on the web with articles and posts from some esteemed contributors. Jim Meehan of NYC’s PDT (also known as the guy who cleaned up at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirits Awards last year) recently wrote a short piece entitled “An Adult’s Guide to Absinthe” (SPOILER ALERT: It doesn’t involve Red Bull).

Of course, I’m pleased to see Pernod Absinthe made mention, alongside St. George & Pontarlier, the latter being news to me. But whatever brand you’re drinking, you’d be wise to heed Mr. Meehan’s advice. He kind of knows what he’s talking about…

Winter Wonders

The countdown to spring continues here at Cocktail Culture, but Winter does have a few redeeming qualities. It makes great weather for drinking the following: Mindas Touches, Fireside Sippers, and Chrysanthemums. Curl up with a good book and one of these in your hand and you won’t be disappointed!

Fireside Sipper – drink and photo by Cheri Loughlin

1-1/2 part Premium Single Malt Scotch Whisky

3/4 part Hiram Walker Peach Flavored Brandy

1/8 part Hiram Walker Amaretto Liqueur

1/4 to 1/2 part Filtered Water to taste

Place liquids in a mixing glass – no ice.  Stir gently to blend.  Pour into snifter.

Chrysanthemum

2 oz. Dry Vermouth

1 1/2 oz. Benedictine

1/4 tsp. Pernod Absinthe

Stir Vermouth and Benedictine with cracked Ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Add Pernod and garnish with an orange twist (flamed, if you prefer).

Mindas Touch

1 oz. Chivas Regal 12yo

1/4 oz. Apricot and Butterscotch Syrup

1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir and serve in a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with dark chocolate shavings.

Create Something Brilliant! Quick!

Pernod Absinthe’s “Creator of” contest deadline is right around the corner- January 31^st! Want to win $1,805 (1805 for the year Pernod Absinthe was founded)? Here’s how:

To enter, submit an original work of art that somehow includes the year/number 1805. Categories include Painting, Illustration, Photography, Video, and Digital/Animation. First prize is $1,805, second place is $500, and third is $250, plus all three will be included in PR and promotion.

Your work will be judged by the likes of Jason Gaulton from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Young Hah from the Pratt Institute, Manish Vora from Artlog, Benoit Lagarde from Splashlight Studios, and Leah Taylor from Flavorpill.

If I had even the slightest bit of artistic skill I’d be on this! So please join if the think you have something to contribute and spread the word to all your artsy-fartsy friends!

For more info or to submit your piece, visit: www.facebook.com/pernodabsinthe

Drink This: January Cocktail

The holidays are over but we haven’t even hit the halfway mark on winter. Here’s a take on a Blood and Sand, just a little something to get you through one of my least favorite months–the January Cocktail.

January Cocktail

3/4 oz. Chivas Regal 12 yo
3/4 oz. Lillet Rouge
3/4 oz. Cherry Heering
3/4 oz. Passionfruit Juice

Shake ingredients in over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Triumphant Toast!

Happy New Year cocktail lovers! Cheers!

Triumph by Cheri Loughlin

photo by Cheri Loughlin

1/2 part Hiram Walker White Peach Schnapps

3/4 part Armagnac VSOP

3 parts Brut Champagne

Long Orange Zest Twist

Combine Hiram Walker White Peach Schnapps and Armagnac VSOP together in a cocktail shaker.  Zest orange peel over the liquid mixture to capture the essential oils and then place twist as garnish in champagne flute.  Add ice to mixture.  Shake to chill.  Strain into champagne flute.  Top with Brut Champagne.

The Big Bad Christmas Post

This time of year cocktail blogging can become a little overwhelming. There’s just so much to cover and not nearly enough time to cover it all. So rather than write-up a million little posts on great holiday cocktails (hey…I need time to wrap gifts too!) I figured I’d bite the bullet and put down everything you need to know about holiday drinking right here in my BIG BAD CHRISTMAS POST. Ready? Here we go…

Keep warm with this simple coffee cocktail. It makes for a great fireside sipper or dessert tipple.

Irish Winter

1 part Kahlua Coffee Cream

1 part Jameson Irish Whiskey

Freshly brewed coffee

Combine ingredients in a mug and stir. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Scotch is wonderful in seasonal cocktails—this one has the simple, warm flavors of brown sugar, hazelnuts, and vanilla. Great stuff from the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) Distiller of the Year—Chivas Regal.

Vanilla Hazlenut Blazer

2 oz. Chivas Regal 12 yo

2 tsp Brown Sugar

2 Hazelnuts

2 drops Vanilla Essence

Heat a brandy balloon over hot water with the whisky, sugar, vanilla and nuts. Set liquid aflame and twist glass to soften ingredients (about 30 seconds). Meanwhile, fill an Old Fashioned glass with ice. Pour flaming liquid over the ice. Garnish with 2 Hazelnuts & 2 Almonds.

The Beefeater Shrub takes a bit of work, but it’s well worth it for this well-balanced fresh cocktail.

The Beefeater Shrub

Beefeater 24 Gin

2 punnets Raspberries

2 punnets Blackberries

8-10 tbs caster sugar

Cloudy apple juice, lemon juice and nutmeg

In a saucepan muddle together the raspberries and blackberries. Add a little water and gently heat through adding the sugar as it warms up, simmer for 5 minutes. When cool place into an empty bottle and add equal parts of gin to the mixture. Leave this to stand in at room temperature for a day or two giving it enough time to marry together. Pour into a wine glass 3 oz. of the mixture, fill the glass with ice, squeeze and discard a piece of lemon and top with apple juice. Give it a quick stir and finally grate some fresh nutmeg over the drink.

Last but not least, give this new cocktail from Cheri Loughlin a try. It’s a decadent drink that just as appealing to the eye as it is to the taste buds. Absolutely the perfect drink with which to impress your holiday guests!

Minted Snowfall – created by Cheri Loughlin

Photo courtesy of Cheri Loughlin

I part Espresso Vodka

3/4 part Hiram Walker Peppermint Schnapps

1 part White Chocolate Liqueur

1 part Heavy Whipping Cream

Crushed Peppermint Rim

Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Stick Garnish -optional

Rim Old Fashioned Glass with white chocolate liqueur. Dip rim of glass in crushed peppermint.  Set aside.  Combine liquids in cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Strain into peppermint rimmed old fashioned glass over fresh ice.  Garnish with chocolate dipped peppermint stick.

Whatever your drink of choice this season, be sure to have a safe and happy holiday! Best wishes & cheers!

The Hemingway Bartender’s Companion

If you know anything about classic cocktails you probably know that Ernest Hemingway sure liked to drink ‘em. Last month, Phil Greene hosted a seminar in the great author’s honor titled ” To Have and Have Another: The Hemingway Bartender’s Companion.” You can read up on the event, including classic cocktail recipes and cocktail-related Hemingway passages, over at the Museum of the American Cocktail’s blog. While you’re there, take a look around-it’s a wonderful organization!

The event even featured the classic Hemingway’s Death In the Afternoon cocktail, with Pernod Absinthe. An excellent cocktail for New Year’s, if I do say so myself. Check out the recipe below:

Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon:

1 1/2 oz. Pernod Absinthe

4 oz. Brut Champagne

Pour Absinthe into a flute and top with Champagne. It’s as simple as that!

Kahlua Coffee Cream Video

Check out the video below. It’s from the Kahlua Coffee Cream-sponsored Thursday Drink Night event in Los Angeles. You’ll remember I attended the event and did a full wrap-up back in September. Take a look!

Pernod Updates

Lots going on with our Absinthe of choice lately. Pernod Absinthe has enhanced their label design and packaging. The new design more clearly differentiates Pernod Aux Plantes d’Absinthe Superieure  from Pernod® Anise, a favorite in France for more than 200 years. The clean and sophisticated new label is easier to read and is more in line with absinthe category packaging. The new gift box includes a specially designed absinthe spoon at no additional charge. The unique absinthe spoon replicates the design of the popular spoons used by absinthe aficionados in the 19th century and allows consumers today to experience Pernod’s absinthe in an historic and authentic way.

They’ve also got a new U.S. website up and running, which you can check our HERE.

And last but not least, there’s a wondeful Pernod-sponsored “Creator Of” Art contest running which asks artist to submit original pieces for the chance to win $1,850 (for the year Pernod was created). Learn more about the contest on Pernod’s Facebook Page.

Scotchtails!

Has anyone trademarked that word yet? I like it. Here are a few scotch cocktails to get you through a long holiday weekend spent with the in-laws.

The November Cocktail

2 oz. Chivas Regal 12 yo

Tsp. Vanilla Sugar

Dash Whisky Barrel Bitters

1 Star Anise

Place sugar and bitters in the bottom of an old fashioned glass. Add one ice cube and whisky. Stir until the ice cube has melted.

Regal Roy

1 ½ oz. Chivas Royal 18 yo

½ oz. Dubonnet Rouge

2 dashes Orange Bitters

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

UPDATE: As one reader pointed out, the Regal Roy recipe is essentially an “Arnaud’s Special”  cocktail, albeit with different measurements of the same ingredients. According to Ted Haigh, the cocktail was first featured in the 1951 “Bottom’s Up” by Ted Saucier. Apparently it was the signature drink at Arnaud’s restaurant (my favorite in New Orleans!) before they switched their focus to the French 75. You can read more about it HERE.