Matrimonial Leave

Hello Dear Readers!

Pardon the brief interruption from your regular scheduled programming, but I’ve got an announcement to make. I’m taking off tomorrow for a pretty eventful week.

My wedding is Sunday!!! Cross your fingers for good weather in Eastern CT, because I courageously/foolishly planned an outdoor ceremony. After that, the Mr. & I are headed to Cancun for a week of relaxation, which is just what I need after these hectic months of planning.

No worries—I’ve got a few posts in the queue to be automatically added here, but I just wanted to let you know I’ll be out of touch for awhile. I hear the internet will be conveniently down in Cancun from October 5^th to October 12^th. Shucks! Looks like I’ll just have to relax, then! 🙂

Adios!

What’s so Wrong About a Cosmo?

For me?— nothing. I know many people dismiss the cocktail, which probably saw its peak about 5-10 years ago thanks to the ladies of Sex and the City. Since then, bars across the U.S. have continued to push the drink, with wild fruit variations in every color of the rainbow. What was once a good, simple cocktail has been so bastardized it’s now a punch line for cocktailians everywhere.  That fact, combined with the small uprising against all-things-vodka taking place on the internet and in speakeasy-style bars the world-round, has helped to feed a campaign to crush the Cosmopolitan. I just wanted to voice my humble opinion that it’s a rather fine drink, if made properly, and should not be entirely overlooked by cocktail lovers.

I liken a Cosmopolitan to the band Kings of Leon, and I’ll tell you why. I think Kings of Leon is a fantastic band—I enjoy their music and have heard wonderful things about their live performances. But for some reason, I feel a compelling urge to hate them. Why? Because they’re a bit played out. They’re getting too popular. Every time I turn on the radio—they’re there. They’re at every awards show, and on the lips of every super celebrity. I’m getting tired of them—just like so many of us got tired of Cosmopolitans after being served too many icky-sticky sweet ones.

But should something be hated just because it’s popular? I think not. So fix yourself this Cosmopolitan (recipe below), add some KOL to your playlist (oh c’mon…you know it’s there already…) and live without shame. Have a lovely weekend! Cheers!

*Cosmopolitan

1 ½ oz. Vodka (some people prefer citrus-flavored vodka-your call)

1 oz. Triple Sec (Hiram Walker)

½ oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

¼ oz. Cranberry Juice

Garnish with an orange peel and Enjoy!

*Cosmopolitan recipes should never call for sour mix or grenadine. They shouldn’t be garnished with a cherry, and shouldn’t have more cranberry juice than Triple Sec. If you’re cocktail came out blood-red, try, try again!

Gary Regan’s Everest

This cocktail, taken straight from my Beefeater 24 cocktail recipe book, combines flavors of citrus, tea, & curry. That’s right—curry. Named after the Indian restaurant in Gary’s hometown, this one delivers as a unique and well-balanced drink.

Everest by Gary Regan

2 ½ oz. Beefeater 24

¾ oz. Coconut/curry paste

½ oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Mix 1 tsp. curry powder with 1 ½ oz.Coco Lopez to make a paste. Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice and strain into an iced filled glass.

Enjoy!

Drink This: Sidecar

Because Michael Dietsch, over at A Dash of Bitters just called it the perfect starter cocktail, and Camper English over at Alcademics is going to be covering Cognac for some time to come, I figured I should post this classic cocktail—the Sidecar. For me, the richness of the cognac combined with the light, citrus flavors of the Triple Sec & lemon juice also make this drink ideal for autumn sipping (and what d’ya know?-it’s the first day of fall!).

It’s also super easy to make (which is a real plus for me right now). I haven’t had a whole lot of time for cocktail experiments—being that my wedding is in twelve days and I’m working on my best Bridezilla impression. But with a drink as simple and enjoyable as the Sidecar, I can easily find a quick escape. Oh, and the recipe might just be simple enough for the banquet hall to handle on the big day. Here’s it is—Enjoy!

Sidecar

(this is how I make it but feel free to work on the balance until it’s to your liking)

1 ½ oz. Cognac (something like Martell VS)

¾ oz. Triple Sec (like Hiram Walker)

¾ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

Shake over ice and serve in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon slice (which I like to dip in sugar first). Cheers!

Kahlua Coffee Cream in New York

It’s just been one event after another here at Cocktail Culture—last week I had the pleasure of attending the official NY launch for the brand new Kahlua Coffee Cream. The after-work cocktail party was held at Saturdays Surf down in SoHo and featured a Calexico cart dishing out Mexican fare and a few barmen slinging Kahlua cocktails.

Mixologist Julio de Los Santos created a few signature drinks for the evening:

Kahlua Cognaccino

1 part Kahlua Coffee Cream

½ part Amaretto

1 part Martell V.S. Cognac

Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a flute dusted with nutmeg.

Kahlua Mexicano

1 part Kahlua Coffee Cream

1 part Kahlua Coffee Liqueur

½ part Sambuca

Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Serve over ice in a coffee mug.

The Curious Russian

1 part Kahlua Coffee Cream

1 part Kahlua Coffee Liqueur

1 part Absolut Vanilia

Lightly shake and strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a vanilla bean.

I also tried a different take on the Curious Russian (sub Absolut Rasberi in for Vanilia) which was excellent & really enjoyed the product when added to a tall iced coffee.

Make sure and check out the wrap-up from our recent Kahlua Coffee Cream-sponsored Thursday Drink Night for more fun recipes. And remember, this product is limited edition, so get your bottle before the end of the year or you’ll be missing out. Cheers!

Beefeater 24 Boston Launch

Last week, Beefeater 24 took Boston by storm, and sponsored a tea party/launch event at Drink. Beantown’s own Misty Kalkofen joined the likes of Dan Warner and others as mad hatter-mixologists, serving up delish drinks. Check out the photos below as well as the recipe for Drink’s take on the Barbara West cocktail.

The Barbara West Cocktail

1 1/2 oz. Beefeater 24 gin

3/4 oz. Amontillado Sherry

1/2 oz. Fresh LemonJuice

2 dashes house orange bitters

Cafe Flip

Here’s a closer look at Chuck Taggart’s contribution to last week’s Kahlua Coffee Cream Thursday Drink Night event–The Cafe Flip (photo by Chuck).

2 oz. Kahlua Coffee Cream

3/4 oz. Fernet Branca (The bar didn’t have Fernet, so he subbed in Angostura)

1 whole egg

3 dashes Fee’s Old Fashioned Bitters

3 dashes Fee’s Aztec Chocolate Bitters

Separate the egg and dry shake the white. Add other ingredients and the yolk. Shake and strain into a wine glass. Top with freshly grated nutmeg.

Yum!

Mixing at Malo: Kahlua Coffee Cream TDN

What a night! Last Thursday, Kahlua Coffee Cream hosted the Mixoloseum’s Thursday Drink Night. I joined a group of cocktail bloggers & enthusiasts at Malo Restaurant out in L.A. and had the opportunity to try a few tasty tipples. A few notables in attendance included Matt Robold of Rumdood, Marleigh Riggins-Miller of Sloshed!, Chuck Taggart of Looka!, and Natalie Bovis-Nelsen of The Liquid Muse. All-in-all it was a great group and they contributed some awesome cocktails over the course of the evening (keep reading for recipes).

We started the evening by tasting Kahlua Coffee Cream straight. It’s a new product and some of the folks in the bar had yet to try it. We also did a quick taste comparison with Bailey’s coffee-flavored product and discussed the differences and similarities. There was quite a bit of praise for Kahlua Cream straight and it’s natural cream and coffee flavors—but also a little bit of curiosity about how the product would perform in cocktails. Cream liqueurs aren’t always the easiest to mix with—they curdle when added to fruit juice and the consistency can be tricky to balance.

But our crew (and, of course, everyone who joined in online) were up to the challenge. And they came through with some winners. Here were a few of my favorites of the night:

Stamos Gin Fizz by Frederic Yarm

1 ½ oz. Gin

1 ½ oz. Kahlua Coffee Cream

1 tsp. Cinnamon Syrup

1 Egg White

Shake with ice and strain into a highball glass. Top with soda water. Dust with muddled coffee bean.

(In addition to having the best cocktail name of the night, Frederic came through with this beauty, which lightened things up a little bit with the soda water topper.)

Nahuatl by Darcy O’Neil

1 oz. El Dorado

½ oz. Kahlua Coffee Cream

½ Egg White (can use whole if desired)

¼ tsp Angostura Bitters

Root Beer

In a cocktail shaker, put the rum, Kahlua, Angostura, egg white, and a single large ice cube (ping pong ball sized). Shake vigorously until the ice is no longer rattling around inside and the egg white is really frothy. In a tall 8 oz. glass, fill 1/3 with well-chilled Root Beer. Pour the contents of the shaker into the glass and top with more Root Beer if necessary. Grate some nutmeg on top and serve.

(I didn’t get to try this one but I am so intrigued by the use of Root Beer…it is most definitely on my list.)

Mother’s Milk by Chris Carlsson

1 oz. Scorpion Silver Mezcal or Mijes Joven

1 ½ oz. Kahlua Coffee Cream

1 tsp. Agave Syrup

Dust with grated nutmeg or cinnamon.

(Some thought it was too smoky but I absolutely loved it.)

Café Flip by Chuck Taggart

2 oz. Kahlua Coffee Cream

¾ oz. Fernet Branca

1 whole egg

3 dashes Fee’s Old Fasnioned Bitters

3 dashes Fee’s Aztec Chocolate Bitters

Separate egg and dry shake the white. Add other ingredients and the yolk. Shake and strain into a wine glass. Top with freshly grated nutmeg.

(The bar didn’t have Fernet, but Chuck found a fine substitute-delicious.)

Pisco Caliente by Josh

2 oz. Pisco

1 oz. Orange Juice

½ oz. Kahlua Coffee Cream

1 Egg White

1 dash old fashioned bitters

Top with dash cayenne pepper

(Sounded a bit strange to me but I ended up loving it.)

A huge thanks goes out to Rachel (our gracious bartender for the evening) and the rest of the folks at Malo. And thank you to all who participated, both online and in person. Happy drinking, all!

Playing with a New Product: Kahlua Cream TDN

Remember when I told you about Kahlua’s brand new cream-based liqueur—Kahlua Coffee Cream? Well, if you were curious about what to do with it or how to mix with it, we will definitely have some answers for you soon. Tomorrow night (September 10^th) Kahlua Coffee Cream will be sponsoring Thursday Drink Night at the Mixoloseum. Participating members will be among the first to experiment with this brand new product, which won’t officially hit shelves until later this month.

In addition to the online action, which you can become a part of by logging in to the Mixoloseum chat room, Kahlua Coffee Cream will also be hosting a live event out in Los Angeles, with yours truly! We’ll be setting up at Malo Restaurant with more than a couple of La-La Land’s cocktail enthusiasts on hand to share in the fun. Of course, we’ll have a web cam set up, but we’re also having a video of the event made so we can share it all online! I’ll be updating here with photos and drink recipes, but if want to really be a part of the event, you need to join us tomorrow, beginning at 7pm EST (we’ll be live from LA beginning at 9pm EST). See you there!

Beefeater 24 Boston Tea Party

As I mentioned in a previous post, Beefeater 24 is spreading its wings and expanding its horizons. The product officially launches in Boston this week, with a tea party tomorrow evening at Drink. Master Distiller Desmond Payne will be on hand to officially introduce his newest baby, and brand ambassador Dan Warner will be slinging drinks for all.

In honor of Beefeater 24’s arrival in Beantown, the fine folks at Drink have created a few new cocktail recipes to feature it. Here’s the first of three, which I’ll be sharing over the course of the next few weeks.

Gin Old Fashioned:

Created at Drink in Boston

2 oz. Beefeater 24 gin

¼ oz. gomme syrup

1 dash bergamot bitters

1 dash angostura orange bitters

No word yet on whether or not Ben Affleck will attend, if clam chowder or Boston Baked Beans will be served, or if the Sox game will be on. But you can bet it’ll be a wicked cool place to share a drink with a few of Boston’s best.