TALK DRINKS

How About A Little Fluff? - What Happens in Vegas ....

Happy New Year!!! Foams are a big trend in cocktails nowadays and thankfully are pretty easy to do. They can be as diverse as a nutmeg non-alcoholic foam for coffee to being as high as 20% ABV. Whatever type you use, it’s a great addition to any cocktail program.
First, you have to decide on what cocktail you want to enhance with a foam then pull a flavor component out of the drink and make a foam out of it. A great example is the Margarita using the standard 100% Blue Agave Tequila, fresh lime juice, agave nectar recipe and put the orange curacao in the foam. I like to use Grand Mariner. It has a natural sugar content and a powerful orange flavor that will stand up in the mixture. All you would do is make the cocktail as usual and leave the Grand Mariner out. Then apply the foam to the top and you’re in business.
There are quite a few methods for making foams the easiest way is to use egg white. Here is a basic formula for making a Grand Mariner foam.
4 oz pasteurized egg whites
1 oz simple syrup
1 table spoon of powered sugar
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
1.5 oz Grand Mariner
Mix all together and put in an ISI whip cream dispenser and charge with No.2 gas. You can add a little more fluff by charging it twice. Remember this is just a starting formula you will most likely have to adjust amounts depending on temperature, altitude, PH levels and sugar content. Also you can add gelatin to the mix to help stabilized it if it won’t hold up. Just follow the directions for the gelatin.

Another way is by using Soy Lecithin. There are 2 types that I play around with and both can be found at GNC. It comes in liquid and granules and I use this for higher proof foams. The main thing is you need some kind of emulsifier (egg white, gelatin or lecithin) a stabilizer (sugar) PH or citrus (lime or lemon juice) and a flavor. Whatever you do, remember that it will end up loosing its fluff so make sure when you get your recipe down to test it and let the cocktail sit for a few minutes. Drink it down slowly to see how it looks after being handled and drank. You don’t want this great looking libation that will turn into something that resembles a swamp pond in 2 minutes. So go and see what foam can do for your cocktails! Cheers - Anthony Alba, Liquidity Global

Happy New Year!!!

From all of us here at TALKDRINKS, we would like to wish you a very Happy (and safe) New Year. Our New Year's resolution is to bring you even more tasty cocktail recipes, useful bartending tips, and interesting stories from both sides of the bar. Cheers to a Great 2009. 

Freedom

I have been officially blessed with the opportunity to be a free agent. I'm going to use my time to focus on my cocktail recipes, mixology competitions and most importantly, my photography. More adventures to come! Cheers - Elba

A Christmas Cake Recipe - Welcome to Miami

My friend emailed this recipe to me and I thought it was really cute. Try it out and enjoy. ;) Merry Christmas!!! - Marita, Ortanique on the Mile

Christmas Cake Ingredients:
* 2 cups flour
* 1 stick butter
* 1 cup of water
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 cup of brown sugar
* Lemon juice
* 4 large eggs
* Nuts
* 1 bottle tequila
* 2 cups of dried fruit

Steps:
Sample the tequila to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the tequila again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat.

Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the tequila is still OK. Try another cup... Just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the tequila to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the tequila. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or some fink.

Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the tequila and wipe counter with the cat.

Bingle Jells!

Winter Wonderland Cocktail Soiree - The Windy City Post

Two weeks ago, I attended the Winter Wonderland Cocktail Soiree at the Architectural Artifacts Atrium with my good friend Matty Colston of Blackbird Restaurant. Yelp.com - Chicago gathered together the crème of Chicago’s culinary scene, such as MK, Uncommon Ground and Zed 451 just to mention a few, and invited 1,000 of their elite Yelpers to sample signature dishes and cocktails. Blackbird's Chef Mickey served a cool Rabbit Sausage with Jasmine Cornbread and a White Cream Sauce. Mixologist Matty Colston created the "Añejo Smash" made with Partida Anejo, muddled kumquats, toasted sesame seed and a Japanese herb garnish. The evening culminated with a cocktail contest and it came down to the wire. The judges were all the Yelpers who attended. Matty's Anejo Smash took 3rd place just 4 votes shy of top prize!!! Cheers - Alex, bartender, Moonshine 

Cranberry Spice Margarita - The Wild West

Here is a great new cocktail courtesy of Trudy Thomas from the Camelback Inn Resort & Spa. The Camelback Inn is an Arizona landmark set on 125 acres of lush desert landscape nestled at the base of Mummy Mountain. They recently completed an extensive renovation and, now with their new garden, are able to grow their own herbs to be used in their cooking and cocktailing. Trudy created this special holiday cocktail, which is being featured resort-wide. I tried it on my last visit there and it is fantastic. Stephen, Bartender, Roaring Fork

Cranberry Spice Margarita
1 1/2 oz Partida Reposado
3/4 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1 1/2 oz house made lime sour
11 cranberries (8 muddle 3 for garnish)
1 teaspoon superfine sugar for rim
In a mixing glass, muddle fresh cranberries with lime sour and add remaining ingredients then shake with ice. Strain over ice into a Margarita glass rimmed in sugar. Garnish with a pick of cranberries.

Pranna's 1st New Year's Eve Bash!!!

We will be celebrating our first New Year's Eve at Pranna. Ring in the New Year from 9:30pm-2:30am with hor d'oeuvres, food stations and a premium open bar. To reserve your table please contact Grace@prannarestaurant.com. Hope to see you there. - Elba

Wednesday, December 31 from 9:30pm-2:30am
Pranna Restaurant
79 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 696-5700
www.prannarestaurant.com

Holiday Parties Galore - The Wild West

I love this time of the year because of all the great events and parties that are being thrown in Scottsdale now. A few weeks ago, I blogged about a great restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale called The Mission. Last Wednesday, Rick Philips of Desert Living Magazine hosted a terrific cocktail party here. The gorgeous of Scottsdale's and Phoenix's social elite gathered to try specialty cocktails served by the Mission's talented bartenders and yours truly. Since my interview on Teq Talk, some people have made me into the resident Tequila expert. I was happy to do Tequila tastings with the guests and talk to them about the history and evolution of this great spirit. There were both experts and beginners in the crowd, but all came away with a true understanding of how Tequila has become a super-premium sipping spirit. Salud - Stephen, Roaring Fork

(PS - I'm a bit of a shutterbug and photography is one of my favorite hobbies.)

Warm Tequila Recipe for the Cold Winter Months

The Ginger Snap - Welcome to Miami

After reading an article that said ginger is going to the be hot ingredient for 2009, it gave me some ideas and I decided to experiment over the weekend. This cocktail is very refreshing with a light fruity flavor and the ginger adds a unique ting. Happy Cocktailing - Marita, Ortanique on the Mile

The Ginger Snap
2 oz Reposado Tequila
1/2 oz ginger simple syrup
1/2 a lime (cut into smaller slices)
Ginger Ale
8 - 10 red seedless grapes
3 inch sprig rosemary
Muddle lime, grapes and rosemary in a shaker. Top with ice and add ginger simple syrup, Reposado Tequila and shake. Strain over ice into a highball glass and top off with ginger ale. Garnish with a grape and sprig of rosemary.

Ginger Simple Syrup
2 palms of fresh peeled ginger
2 quarts of super fine sugar
2 quarts of water
Preparation: Bring water to near boil in a medium sauce pan and stir in the sugar until it is fully dissolved. Place in pre-peeled and chopped fresh ginger and crushed nutmeg. Let pot simmer for about 30min. Take it off the heat and let it cool. Once the mixture is cool throw it through a blender and strain the liquid through fine strainer. The syrup is now ready for use.

Premium Grappa Education

I just came back from a 2 week adventure in Europe where I was very fortunate to be in Alba, Italy just after the white truffle festival this year. The truffles were fantastic but even more importantly, the region around Alba is the DOCG home to Barolo and Barbaresco wines, which is when the Marolo family comes into the picture. What to do with the grapes after they have been pressed to make wine?
There are 4 distilleries in Alba and the Marolo family has one just outside of the city on the road to Canale. I met Lorenzo Marolo on a trip to the US earlier this year and mentioned I would be in Italy later, so we made plans to meet. Lorenzo's father Paolo has been distilling single varietal Grappa since 1977, and his father before him. The process of fermentation to distillation when making Grappa is very tricky. The white grapes, typically Moscato, have not yet been fermented before they arrive. The red grapes of Nebbiolo are well on the way as they are left in the pressed grape juice to add colour and texture or tannin structure to what will be wine. These must be handled carefully and either distilled straight away or sealed in the bags to avoid further oxidization
Lorenzo took us on a tour of the distillery from the must piles (bags of pressed grape skins waiting to be distilled), to the stills where the real work is done and then finally the tasting room. Hooray! Unfortunately we could only look at the cellar from outside a cage. The cellar is under lock and key by DOCG law to control the quality and integrity of the final product. A representative must be present during tasting and refilling of the barrels.
The family distills over 40 different types of Grappa and fruit Brandy, including a few aged 9, 12, 15 and 20 years!!! They also have a Grappa that is flavored with chamomile, make chocolate truffles flavored with the Grappas and a Panettone (Italian Christmas cake) flavored with their Moscato Grappa.

What’s in a name? - What Happens in Vegas ....

I’ve had many a nights with intense cocktail discussion from original recipes to Tom Cruse. One subject in particular stands out just for its unique nature. The cocktail name is a very interesting subject; take for example the parallel of food. Now a steak is a steak is a steak right? It changes from sauce to cooking methods but if you have red meat it most likely will be called steak. Now a Margarita for example, can have many forms as well, and some will tell you if you don’t put their exact list of ingredients it’s not a Margarita anymore. Since we are talking about the Margarita, let's take the Daisy Cocktail. There were Whiskey Daisy’s, Brandy Daisy’s and Gin Daisy’s. The recipe for a Daisy is; Spirit, Orange Curacao, lemon juice, and sugar (aka Sweet and Sour). Sound familiar, here is something else most don’t know, the Spanish word for Daisy is Margarita! So is the Margarita a Tequila Daisy? I say yes, but there are many that put orange juice in margaritas so does that mean its now an Orange Margarita? That’s for you to decide.

More straight forward names include the Long Island Iced Tea, made in Long Island and sometime in the 1970s by bartender Robert (Rosebud) Buttu, at the Oak Beach Inn, in the Town of Babylon, Long Island. Now that name makes sense, a cocktail that looks like Iced Tea from Long Island. There are other provocative and vulgar names that in certain places can be appropriate but you don’t want to go to the Starlight Room atop the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco and ask for a Audios Mother Fucker. You might want to order a Cable Car (created by Tony Abou-Ganim there in the 1990’s) You’ll also look a little out of place asking for a Champagne cocktail at the Double Down Saloon, one of the most famous dive bars in Vegas, try asking for an Ass Juice. There is a time and a place for everything and for Gods sake drink what you like!

I’m going to share a little known fact about me, the first cocktail I ever created was called the 700 Club. Here is the recipe
0.5oz Bacardi 151
0.5oz Hana Bay 151
0.5oz Stroh 80 (a 160 proof butterscotch flavored rum based Liqueur)
0.5oz Pussers Blue Rum
0.5oz Lahaina Dark rum
0.5oz Goslings Black Seal
1.5oz Pineapple juice
1.5oz Sweet and Sour
Shake and pour in a hurricane glass, garnished with 3 cherries skewered on a straw.

Sounds yummy right.....wrong! This cocktail (700 Club) gets its name by adding up all the proofs on the spirits in the cocktail, it equals 702. Hey, go easy on me, this was the year 2000 and I was a brand new 21 year old bartender working a one of the hottest clubs in Vegas at the time, Rum Jungle. I made a lot of people happy with this libation and made a few others promise God they will never drink again. Cheers - Anthony, Mixologist, Liquidity Global

Happy Repeal Day!!!

Happy Repeal Day!!! Today is a very important day, especially for us bartenders. Come celebrate it with us tonight at the historic City Tavern Club in Georgetown, Washington. Cheers - Elba

P.R. Super Star Luis Fonsi - Welcome to Miami

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Holiday, because we definitely did in Miami!!! To kick off the holiday weekend with a spicy Latin flair, MySpace Latino held a free concert on Nov 25th featuring Puerto Rico singing sensation Luis Fonsi. He performed a special acoustic set to an intimate crowd of 300 adoring fans at The Gibson Showroom in Miami's Design District. We sipped on Tequila and margaritas all night while lounging on sofas and pillows and listening to favorite hits such as “No Me Doy Por Vencido”. It was music to our ears. - Marita, Ortanique on the Mile

The 75th Anniversary of Repeal Day Celebration

The 75th Anniversary of Repeal Day is less than a week away...Are you ready? On December 5th, join me, my good friend Derek Brown and 300 of our closest friends at the historic City Tavern Club in Georgetown, Washington. We'll be whipping up hundreds of delicious cocktails, including Derek's feature cocktail the Tequila Orchard (Partida Reposado, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur, organic apple juice, fresh lime juice, The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters). We will celebrate with live music, dancers, temperance ladies and bootleggers. There will be toasts! There will be flowing booze!! It'll be beautiful!!!  Salud - Elba, Pranna Restaurant