Wednesday January 25, 2012
This week's headlines can be enjoyed with a steaming cup of Irish Coffee as today is National Irish Coffee Day and this last week of January is Irish Coffee Week.
Cocktail Competitions:
- Shake It Up! 2012 - This is a tight deadline as I heard about this just the other day. You have until Friday to enter a drink to be considered in this year's Night Club and Bar Convention (March 13) cocktail challenge. Full details are on the website and the grand prize is $15,000. Tip: the drink should grab the attention of the best in the business.
- The Moët Oscar Cocktail Contest - Moet & Chandon returns as the exclusive Champagne of the Academy Awards and this is your chance to create the signature cocktail for the Governors Ball along with backstage access to Oscar night for you and a guest. Tip: this needs to be a star-studded drink. Browse Champagne cocktails for inspiration.
- PAMA Home Bar Star - Here is a contest for the amateur (no pros allowed). PAMA liqueur is looking for the best original drink using their liqueur created by home bartenders. The prize is a trip for two to the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen this June. If you're interested, check out my PAMA profile and collection of drinks for inspiration.
New Spirits:
- Cedilla Liqueur de Açai - Leblon Cachaça has released an açai-flavored liqueur using its Brazilian rum as a base.
- Naga Chilli Vodka - This one is for the daring and comes with strong warnings on the bottle (reported here). It is billed as the world's hottest Chili vodka, hitting a far too spicy 100,000 scovilles. Why, you may ask? I cannot answer that as I'm a firm believer that too much spice in a drink is downright dangerous. Please, please, head the warning and do not try this stuff straight.
- Windmill Rye Whiskey - This new rye will be launching February 3rd and adds to the line-up of products from the new LeClaire, Iowa distillery Mississippi River Distilling Company. If this one is like its small-batch whiskey predecessors in the state (Templeton Rye and Cedar Ridge Bourbon), it will be some very good stuff and worth hunting down.
- Old Smokey Expands - The Tennessee legal moonshiners behind Old Smokey Distillery are expanding to a second distillery. If you haven't heard or tried this shine, check it out at their website. Products include Original Moonshine, White Lightnin', Moonshine Cherries, and Apple Pie Moonshine.
- Concannon Irish Whiskey - This should be an interesting Irish whiskey when it is released (U.S. market in February). It is a blend of malt and grain Irish whiskies that is aged in both used bourbon barrels (like normal) and (this is the kicker) used Concannon wine barrels.
Read More...
Tuesday January 24, 2012
If you are in the San Antonio area and need something to do this weekend, or if you want an excuse to get out of town and fly somewhere with a purpose of some sort, I have a suggestion. This week many of us will be headed down south to the join in the fun of the inaugural San Antonio Cocktail Conference.
All of the things we love about cocktail festivities of this sort are included: seminars, tastings, cocktail parties. Then there is the historic and culture-filled downtown San Antonio to enjoy along with the great food, drinks, shopping, and arts that I've heard so much about and look forward to.
It should be a great time and there are tickets available for those who have not yet committed. Check out their website - SanAntonioCocktailConference.com - for the schedule and tickets and What is the San Antonio Cocktail Conference? for more of an overview of the event.
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Sunday January 22, 2012
If you are seeking a gentle drink to warm up with on a cold winter night I have a new creation to share.
Sweet Adeline began as a desire to change up my tea routine and finished off with a sweet cup of warm goodness. In it I've combined three juices - apple, cranberry, and pomegranate - which are warmed and then steeped with chamomile tea. It is an easy drink to make, almost as easy as brewing a cup of tea and the lack of alcohol makes it an ideal drink for everyone anytime of the day.
A few adaptations:
- I have also tried this with a cinnamon-based tea (namely, Bigelow's Constant Comment), which adds a darker spice aspect.
- The recipe can easily be increased to serve many people at once.
- If you want to add a little spirit to the drink, rum is the best choice.
Sweet Adeline recipe...
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Saturday January 21, 2012
Four teams are left in the NFL playoffs and tomorrow's conference championship games will determine who plays in Super Bowl XLVI on February 5. This means that it is once again time to talk about cocktails for game day.
I decided to bring back drink menus for each of the four teams competing tomorrow. Some years are easier than others when trying to find viable drink options related to each team and this was one of the good years because each of the team's hometowns have a great cocktail tradition. What came out of the New York, New England, Baltimore, and San Francisco related drink search are menus that are classically-styled for the most part, ranging from the New York Cocktail and Boston Cocktail to the Baltimore Banger and San Fransisco Cocktail.
Find these recipes and the full drink menus...
To go along with your drink menu, a few of the About.com Food Guides have chosen game day dishes in their cuisine's specialty for feeding the fans that come to watch the game: Read More...
