Entries tagged with 'cocktails'
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"Egg whites lend a buoyant foam and silky texture, adding a bit of extra body to a drink." Silver Fizz cocktail. [Flickr: Susan/The Well-Seasoned Cook] Related Recipes Silver FizzEgg NogWashington FlipClover Club In response to my Wednesday post, "Should the Health Department Crack Down on Raw Eggs in Cocktails?" a few commenters expressed surprise that raw eggs made their way into drinks in the first place. Perhaps some explanation is needed, along with an example to get you started. Eggs can perform several functions in a drink. For drinks such as eggnog or flips, whole eggs provide body and richness, along with a silky texture that softens the initial impact of the booze on your palate and a stomach-filling property...
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Raw egg concerns are nothing new. But now, thanks to the New York City Health Department, the question of whether it's advisable, or even legal, to serve raw eggs or egg whites to a customer is being pushed into the spotlight. What's next, the Caesar salad police?
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[mercaditorestaurants.com] Chicago isn't quite as far along as New York in our imbibing IQ; I'd kill for more spots like Death + Company, Milk and Honey, and the like. Violet Hour is rocking for sure, and Bar Deville and In Fine Spirits are also bringing up the scene, as is Nacional 27's Adam Seger. But we need more. After a recent night—five cocktails and seven sheets to the wind later—I think we have another entrant to the mix. While Mercadito, the New York City-based scenester-style regional Mexican—aka "sex-mex"—spot makes some decent guacamole, it's the killer cocktails at the Chicago location that are blowing my mind right now. The Tippling Brothers, cocktail consultants extraordinaire, have unveiled quite the tequila and mezcal-based...
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Benedictine. [Photograph: finestandrarest.com] In an era when new brands of vodka and tequila pop up like dandelions in an untended yard (only to wither and fail in a year or two) it's refreshing to see a spirit that tracks its history in terms of centuries rather than market quarters. As Jason Wilson notes in today's Washington Post, this year marks the 500th anniversary of the creation of Benedictine, one of the most distinctive liqueurs in the bar. Created as an herbal medicine by a Benedictine monk named Dom Bernardo Vincelli in France in 1510, Benedictine has a dramatic history. Enjoyed for generations as an elixir for longevity, the spirit's recipe was lost when the monastery was destroyed during the...
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Should craft bartenders be cool with making "easy" drinks like Jack and Coke for less experimental customers? Jack and Coke in a retro Ball glass. [Flickr: Will Nickelson | Clueless Photog] If you frequent the cocktail blogosphere, you know there's been a bit of a kerfuffle recently regarding booze and burgers. That would be burgers metaphorically (not as an accompaniment to a drink) over at Alcademics, written by San Francisco journalist and blogger Camper English. It all started right after Christmas when English ran an article in the San Francisco Chronicle where he discussed how craft bartenders are easing up on the attitude, trying to work more positively with customers to find good drinks that will suit their palates, while...
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[Photographs: Kerry Saretsky] Not sure what to sip while humming Auld Lang Syne tomorrow night? Here are ten ideas; many of them involve bubbles. Champagne Cocktail: Simple to prepare and damn tasty to boot. Black Velvet: Some people might recoil at the idea of mixing Guinness with Champagne—ignore them. Champagne Julep: Cognac plus Champagne. Warning: this one has some crazy firepower. The Kir Royale du Bois: Triple-spiked with Champagne, crème de mure (a blackberry liqueur), and berry vodka, all mixed with blackberry purée. Reveillon: Apple and pear brandies with allspice and cinnamon-tinged bitters. The Shirley Temple, All Grown Up: Remember grenadine? And maraschino cherries? Fernet Old Fashioned: Mint and eucalyptus-laced Italian digestivo (after all those party snacks). Nutella Champagne...
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"Enough already with the whole speakeasy schtick." Farewell whiskey, hello vodka and cognac? [Flickr: andym8y] Wow, was that a boozy decade. The martini-lounge craze that was sparked in the 1990s, coupled with a growing culinary awareness that touched everything we eat and drink, evolved into a full-blown renaissance for spirits and cocktails in the first decade of the 21st century. The big question, of course, is now what? Based on what's been happening as the aught decade (did we ever settle on what to call that?) draws to a close, here are six trends we might see in the next decade....
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[Photograph: Lucy Baker] A few months ago I sent my boyfriend to the liquor store to buy bourbon for a party we were hosting. We had decided to serve Maple Leaf cocktails instead of the usual beer and wine. "What kind should I get?" he asked. Southern Cream Liquor View the complete recipe here » "Nothing fancy. Go cheap," I said, figuring he would come back with a bottle of Elijah Craig or Jim Beam. Instead he returned with what can only be described as beneath-the-bottom-shelf liquor. We're talking plastic bottles and screw caps. Convinced that no amount of maple syrup could mask the inferior flavor, I shoved the bottle in the back of a cabinet and sent my...
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I asked myself, flanked by holiday travelers ordering all manner of things from the
Mad Men Joan-esque flight attendant,
why we order what do we when we fly.
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There's more to spicy cocktails than the Bloody Mary. [Flickr: A30_Tsitika] [Photograph: Amazon] We could all use a little warmth this time of year, but sometimes a hot, steaming cup of something just isn't what you're looking for. As Jason Wilson detailed in last week's Washington Post, when a drink can use a little fire but you don't want to dispense with the ice, it's time to reach for the chilis that can push your liquor into Scoville unit territory. As prevalent as jalapenos, Thai chilis, serranos and other members of the pepper clan are in the culinary world, they're notably rare in the realm of drinks. Aside from a souped up Bloody Mary (or its relatives), most drinkers and...
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