just came back from a long weekend in Winter Park, Colorado.
Jen and I went to visit our rockstar culinary Shana who’s cooking in kitchens and snowboarding every chance she gets. [photos by JH]
we went for her 23rd birthday
along the way, we fought off nature,
warmed ourselves by a bonfire,
attempted to bake,
and french-braid,
but mostly caught up on sleep.Indy, the cutest dog ever, joined us one ridiculously lazy afternoon
but quickly resume drinking.
one great thing about winter park, CO: $1 shots
there are perhaps too many pictures of these, i claim the right one, jen has the left
it was a good time had by all.
Colorado was beautiful, it was nice to go someplace where everyone knew everybody, food was delicious (homemae bagels, which you can’t even get in DC!), drinks were cheap and people just hung out to chill and have a good time. it was a most relaxing, gluttonous and fun reunion. i really like how much we’ve stayed in touch, and made an effort to see each other after graduation, despite all of us living in different places of the country and the world. these are the girls i’m hoping to open the B2 bakery/bar with – Shana in the kitchen, Jen having designed the space, and me being the bar, of course.
100 Places to go before you die, 100 drinks to try before you die -> what is it with humans needs to list and compartmentalize everything?!?! that and our obsession/fear with dying. and also large numbers easily divisible by 5: 100, 25, 75, etc. Perhaps even more than the Imbibers100, this is a list I can get behind, or make it my next year’s mission to get behind. I remember reading about a blog where the writer simply stated she kept a blog b/c it was a place to keep things interesting to her, instead of on a piece of paper where it could be lost and wasteful. i like this list because it’ll be a great reference for my current ‘cocktail apprenticeship’.
I’m intrigued by Anvil, the design of the list is great, and i love that they’ll provide you with a card to get stamped after you try each one. just reading up on the comments in the Houston Press food blog, it seems to be a cocktail nerd’s wet dream, but then equivocally pretentious to everyone else. i’ll admit, if you can’t already tell, that i fall into the former category. Perhaps i’ll reconsider University of Texas Public Health program because of its Houston location, if anything, it’s at least worth a visit now.
despite my aspirations to become a full-fledged bartender, i still have trouble ordering drinks. i never know what to get – what drinks are common knowledge (a manhattan), and which are specialty (a negroni). when i first started drinking, it didn’t take long for me to get over vodka. after a couple of shots of it in some college dorm room, i was done. i understand the appeal in making a drink alcoholic without tasting the alcohol: after some rough whiskey or goldschlager stints, i distinctly remember ordering cosmos for a week straight, plus sometimes you just need to drink out of a martini/cocktail (so you feel like you’re drinking alcohol, so you feel like you’re an adult -> probably a combination of both).
after i decided i was ‘too cool’ for vodka, i turned towards other spirits. i like alcohol that you can actually taste. perhaps Lil said it best in coyote ugly when a bar patron asked, “So, basically you have…?”, she responded with “, Jack, Johnny Red, Johnny Black, and Jose; all my favorite men. You can have it any way you like it, as long as it’s in a shot glass.” <- a woman after my own heart. but a bar that only serves alcohol in shot glasses and no water is another story, not to mention completely unrealistic – somehow hollywood had to exaggerate and glamorize the world of bars, drinking and beautiful women drinking & dancing on bars. i’m becoming a bourbon conoisseur. in my mixed drinks wardrobe, jack and cokes have been a dependable, and comforting favorite. jack daniel’s may evoke frat parties and witty logo t-shirts, but i attribute the bourbon as one of the first to get me interested in the world of spirits. i have a deep admiration for spirit distillers. a toast to Jimmy Bedford: Thank you, sir, for making Jack look and taste the way it does.
From Sips & Apps by Kathy Casey, Chronicle Books 2009
Fresh basil lends a fun flavor note to the classic combination of strawberries and lemonade. Soda water introduces a lively sparkle.
Makes 1 drink
1 to 2 large sprigs fresh basil
1/4 cup Sugared Strawberries, with juice (recipe follows)
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
3 to 4 ounces chilled soda water
For garnishing
Fresh strawberry
Small basil leaf
In a cocktail shaker, press the basil and strawberries together with a muddler to release the basil’s flavor. Fill the shaker with ice. Measure in the vodka and lemon juice. Cap and shake vigorously. Pour into a large glass, top with soda water, and stir. Garnish with a strawberry and basil leaf.
Sugared Strawberries
From Sips & Apps by Kathy Casey, Chronicle Books 2009
Makes enough for about 6 drinks
1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Mix the ingredients and let sit for 15 minutes before using.
reasoning:
strawberries and basil make the best combination, so perfect for summer.
Office Max/ 2480 Briarcliff Road, Suite #13/ Atlanta, GA 30329
sent:
‘Yes We Cran’
mixed by Marcus of the Hilton Garden Inn- Downtown Atlanta
- vodka
- cranberry juice
- splash of pineapple
add ice. suck the goodness down
reasoning:
tonight, at the opening reception for the annual meeting of the Abortion CareNetwork, Marcus (our bartender) put his own spin on the vodka cranberries so many of the women were ordering. it’s a simple spin -> splash of pineapplejuice/ but it got rave reviews for not being too tropically sweet, but tasty enough that you cannot taste the alcohol. people in this reception (many OB/GYNs, medical clinic staff) joked that because having cranberry juice is an additional health benefit, that’s an excuse to drink more. however, they did not have a name for this drink that was basically just vodka-cran+pineapple. what did they come up with? yes we Cran, because Obama’s slogan has been catching on, and ‘yes we can’ also works for the reproductive justice movement. either way, invented by a hotel bartender named marcus and second-wave feminists who run abortion clinics who aren’t entirely sure of all the facebook capabilities, but have have heard of twitter – here’s a drink that’s so girly delicious, you can’t taste the alcohol but it’s not over the top sweet, either.
Will Coughlan, co-host of Political Lunch, has written this great piece about the beer President Obama should stock in the White House. it’s hard to believe Bush didn’t have anything ‘harder’ than non-alcoholic Buckler. i always imagined there were bottles of scotch in secret compartments all over the Oval Office (which apparently isn’t actually in the White House, it’s an addition attached to it). i don’t think Barack Obama did too well in a poll that asked whether you’d like to share a beer with him, but if there’s a good selection of IPAs and regional brews in the White House fridge, maybe his numbers will go up in 2012. woo for the Yuengling (Pottstown, PA) shoutout!
getting my daily dose of DCist, i came across Food and Drink editor Jamie R. Liu’s personal blog. she posted her own Imbibers 100, which led me to the original Art of the Drink post that was inspired by The Omnivore’s Hundred on Very Good Taste. that list will be a bit more difficult to complete – lots of meat and lots of things that aren’t readily available in smalltown USA. but drinks should be easier. here’s my list.
Instructions:
1) Copy this list into your blog, with instructions.
2) Bold all the drinks you’ve imbibed.
3) Cross out any items that you won’t touch
4) Post a comment here and link to your results.
OR
If you don’t have a blog, just count the ones you’ve tried and post the number in the comments section.
List of Drinks You Must Try Before You Expire
Manhattan Cocktail
Kopi Luwak (Weasle Coffee)
French / Swiss Absinthe
Rootbeer
Gin Martini
Sauternes
Whole Milk
Tequila (100% Agave)
XO Cognac
Espresso
Spring Water (directly from the spring)
Gin & Tonic
Mead
Westvleteren 12 (Yellow Cap) Trappist Ale
Chateau d’Yquem
Budweiser
Maraschino Liqueur
Mojito
Orgeat
Grand Marnier
Mai Tai (original)
Ice Wine (Canadian)
Red Bull
Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Bubble Tea
Tokaji
Chicory
Islay Scotch
Pusser’s Navy Rum
Fernet Branca
Fresh Pressed Apple Cider
Bourbon
Australian Shiraz
Buckley’s Cough Syrup
Orange Bitters
Margarita (classic recipe)
Molasses & Milk
Chimay Blue
Wine of Pines (Tepache)
Green Tea
Daiginjo Sake
Chai Tea
Vodka (chilled, straight)
Coca-Cola
Zombie (Beachcomber recipe)
Barley Wine
Brewed Choclate (Xocolatl)
Pisco Sour
Lemonade
Speyside Single Malt
Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
Champagne (Vintage)
Rosé (French)
Bellini
Caipirinha
White Zinfandel (Blush)
Coconut Water
Cerveza
Cafe au Lait
Ice Tea
Pedro Ximenez Sherry
Vintage Port
Hot Chocolate
German Riesling
Pina Colada
El Dorado 15 Year Rum
Chartreuse
Greek Wine
Negroni
Jägermeister
Chicha
Guiness
Rhum Agricole
Palm Wine
Soju
Ceylon Tea (High Grown)
Belgian Lambic
Mongolian Airag
Doogh, Lassi or Ayran
Sugarcane Juice
Ramos Gin Fizz
Singapore Sling
Mint Julep
Old Fashioned
Perique
Jenever (Holland Gin)
Chocolate Milkshake
Traditional Italian Barolo
Pulque
Natural Sparkling Water
Cuban Rum
Asti Spumante
Irish Whiskey
Château Margaux
Two Buck Chuck
Screech
Akvavit
Rye Whisky
German Weissbier
Daiquiri (classic)
53/100 – just barely half. i’m dying to try a caipirinha. i’m headed to the bar, there’s more work that needs to be done on my list.
it’s interesting to read a research study being directly applied into state policy. though i talk about drinking a lot, i’ve never drank enough to become drunk drunk, the interest in alcohol is because i want to be a bartender and mix. seriously! it’s a good thing i’m not a heavy drinker, and putting this in writing may be bad luck, but if i were to fall into any category, i think it’d be the re-bonding, and border dependent,maybe also the community and de-stresser… what most of the comments reiterate is that people can fit into many of the types in a drinking progression/binge or at different times. i find mrs. b of bedfordshire’s remarks interesting: “This type of stereotyping known as ‘behavioural segmentation’ is all the rage in government nowadays. They seem to have missed the ‘I drink because I enjoy wine and being a bit drunk is enjoyable’ segment – the starting point appears to be that all drinking is a problem. What a miserable, preachy, interfering bunch” i wonder what other examples of “behavioral segmentation” she is referring to -any ideas? also, know of anyone who falls into one of these 9 groups?
i’ve been a huge sam mason fan ever since i discovered these Dinner with the Band podcasts, and was super excited when SL considered my suggestion of Tailor for dessert. check out the DWTB videos where sam creates tasty and interesting combination foods like miso butterscotch halibut, olive cobbler and avocado margaritas for indie musicians (matt and kim, tokyo police club, pela, el-p) who then play in his brooklyn apt – it’s hipsters rocking their craft and making me wish i didn’t have an office job. everyone expected this place to be fancy schmancy and super tasty. it was fancy and tasty, but the menu threw a lot of people off – scallops with red papaya, maple-poached snails, bell pepper cake, and beet parfait.
to assuage the skepticism, i kept telling everyone that sam mason is a rockstar who used to be the pastry chef at WD-50 where wylie dufresne deconstructs food with science (molecular gastronomy) – coffee-flavored gnocchi, coconut milk in a gel, grapefruit molasses. dufresne been on top chef a couple of times and i saw this interview with him on epicurious, and while i can’t necessarily tell the difference or appreciate ‘fine cuisine’, WD is doing really cool stuff. pastry chef sam mason took rockstar mixologist eben freeman (also of WD-50 methodology) to open Tailor.
been reading up on the new restaurant for awhile, so when we cabbed it there and were kind of lost, i immediately recognized the entrance and excited pulled open the large wooden door. i was all flustered b/c i had to buy ‘proper’ clubbing shoes and was running around manhattan at 9PM looking for a store that was still open. and another reason we were in such a rush to make our 10PM reservation was if we didn’t show on time, they’d charge $25/head – so for our party that’d be $250 on my already-beyond-capable-spending-limit credit card. we all got there on time, and were made to wait downstairs at the bar for 45 minutes. i kept waiting for sam mason or eben freeman to walk by – of course it didn’t happen, but if it did, i’d be able to forgive everything that happened after. we ordered 4 desserts – manchego cheesecake on graham cracker ice cream, mango ravioli with cilantro and coconut, strawberries with celery ice cream, and chocolate with sesame ice cream & mole. i tried to order their solid cocktails – you get an 3 for $12: cuba libre, gin fizz and white russian. i knew getting that would have put everyone’s skepticism and gripes to rest when they saw how cool it was. unfortunately they ran out for the night. LAME. (more…)
reasoning:
after a couple of shots of it in some college dorm room, i was done. i understand the appeal in making a drink alcoholic without tasting the alcohol: after some rough whiskey or goldschlager stints, i distinctly remember ordering cosmos for a week straight, plus sometimes you just need to drink out of a martini/cocktail (so you feel like you’re drinking alcohol, so you feel like you’re an adult -> probably a combination of both).
juice/ but it got rave reviews for not being too tropically sweet, but tasty enough that you cannot taste the alcohol. people in this reception (many OB/GYNs, medical clinic staff) joked that because having cranberry juice is an additional health benefit, that’s an excuse to drink more. however, they did not have a name for this drink that was basically just vodka-cran+pineapple. what did they come up with? yes we Cran, because Obama’s slogan has been catching on, and ‘yes we can’ also works for the reproductive justice movement. either way, invented by a hotel bartender named marcus and second-wave feminists who run abortion clinics who aren’t entirely sure of all the facebook capabilities, but have have heard of twitter – here’s a drink that’s so girly delicious, you can’t taste the alcohol but it’s not over the top sweet, either.
didn’t have anything ‘harder’ than non-alcoholic Buckler. i always imagined there were bottles of scotch in secret compartments all over the Oval Office (which apparently isn’t actually in the White House, it’s an addition attached to it). i don’t think Barack Obama did too well in a poll that asked whether you’d like to share a beer with him, but if there’s a good selection of IPAs and regional brews in the White House fridge, maybe his numbers will go up in 2012. woo for the Yuengling (Pottstown, PA) shoutout!
