Archive for the ‘Cocktails’ Category
November 28th, 2008
Calling all Boston imbibers: This Monday, December 1, a group of Boston bartenders will compete in the semi-finals of the Domaine de Canton 2009 Bartender of the Year contest. The competition will, of course, involve mixing an original cocktail using the exquisite new French cognac-based, real ginger-infused liqueur.
The event takes place upstairs at the Beehive in the South End from 5:00-7:00 (after the judges have made their selection) and features complimentary appetizers and Domaine de Canton cocktails. It’s open to the public, but you gotta RSVP by emailing paul@tipplingbros.com.
The contestants are:
Jennifer Harvey – 33 Restaurant & Lounge
Mike Paquette – Scampo Restaurant
Bob McCoy – Eastern Standard
Josh Caron – Five Fifty-Five
Steven Shur – Boston College Club
Jeff Grdinich – White Mountain cider Co.
Clif Travers – The Beehive
Chris Whitney – Alibi Bar & Lounge
The judges (with their titles quoted verbatim from the invite) include:
John Gertsen. Cocktail Guru – No.9 Park & Drink
Liza Weisstuch. Sprits & Lifestyle Writer – Imbibe Magazine, Whisky Magazine, Massachusetts Beverage Business
Misty Kalkofen. Mixologist Extraordinaire – Drink, Founder LUPEC Boston
See you there!
Tags: bartender, contest, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, mixology
Posted in Cocktails, Events, Liqueur | 4 Comments »
November 18th, 2008
This is the time of year when every culinary scribe in the nation chips in to solve a seemingly widespread problem: What to Drink with Thanksgiving Dinner. Wine writers have made pinot noir a standard tipple to pair with turkey and stuffing. Beer writers are making inroads with the argument that, actually, craft brews offer way more variety for Thanksgiving pairings than wine. Historical purists would advocate drinking water, as that is likely all the Pilgrims had on hand during their 1621 feast with the Wampanoag Indians. I don’t know if hosts are really in as much agony over what to serve with gravy-soaked root vegetables as they’re made out to be, but if they are, I have an easy answer: Plymouth Gin.
Unlike, say, wine, Plymouth Gin actually has a connection to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony. The Mayflower set sail from the original Plymouth, in England. Not only that, the night before they left for the New World, the Pilgrim Fathers lodged in a former monastery dating from the 1400s that is today known as Black Friars Distillery, a.k.a. the producer of Plymouth Gin. The ship that appears on the gin’s label? Yep, it’s the Mayflower.
I learned all this on a little junket I attended recently: a dinner in Eastern Standard‘s private dining room with Plymouth’s brand ambassador, British drinks expert Simon Ford. (For the record, I was a devotée of this crisp, balanced gin before the company plied me with product.) This was a multi-course Thanksgiving of sorts that paired Plymouth Gin-based cocktails with dishes that featured some of the botanicals used in distilling the spirit. Kevin Martin led the Eastern Standard bar staff in mixing up French 75s, Alaskas and Gin Flips, among others. Dishes included a coriander-crusted venison chop, rabbit terrine with juniper berries, and cardamom tapioca pudding. And, believe it or not, before dinner we were given a steamed towel scented with orris root. Fancy!
Reps from the Pernod Ricard company, which owns the Plymouth brand, informed me that Boston is a hot market for this gin. Given that every bar doing classic cocktails stocks the stuff (thanks largely to the pioneering B-Side Lounge), I’m not surprised.
Fun facts about Plymouth gin:
- Not long after it was first distilled in 1793, Plymouth Gin became the official gin of the British Royal Navy. And because the navy shipped it everywhere, it became one of the first global brands.
- Black Friars Distillery is the oldest working distillery in England, with records of spirit-making dating to the 1600s.
- Like Scotch whiskey and Cheddar cheese, Plymouth Gin has its own appellation contrôlée, which means the spirit can only be distilled in Plymouth.
- The pot still in which every drop of Plymouth Gin is made was installed in 1850.
- In 1896 the first printed recipe for a Dry Martini, in Stuart’s Fancy Drinks and How to Mix Them, specified Plymouth Gin.
Tags: eastern standard, Mayflower, Pilgrims, Plymouth Gin, Thanksgiving
Posted in Cocktails, Gin | 19 Comments »
November 8th, 2008
If you were reading drinkboston around this time last year, you may recall the post I wrote about one of the most fun parties ever: the LUPEC Boston Tea Party. The Boston chapter of LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails) took over a riverboat docked near the North End and turned it into a 1920s speakeasy, with vintage cocktails and music, oysters and appetizers from some of Boston’s best chefs, and a bunch of festive people in period dress. The party, along with the This One’s for the Ladies cocktail promotion at area bars, raised $10,000 for Jane Doe, Inc.
On Friday, November 21 (7-11 p.m.), the ladies are doing it all again — 1940s-style — with their second annual fundraising bash, the LUPEC Boston USO Show. This time, we’re taking over a larger, land-based venue, the Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center (85 W. Newton St., South End, Boston), for a party inspired by the USO variety shows that entertained American troops during WWII. Rest assured, like the USO shows, the party is coed.
Entertainment will include swing music spun by DJ Brother Cleve, the burlesque comediennes Two Girls for Five Bucks, a Bob Hope impersonator (Boston comedian-actor Harry Gordon) and the Boston Derby Dames, who will skate around serving chocolates.
Vintage libations, like the classic rum-and-lime daiquiri (one of WWII veteran JFK’s fave cocktails), will be served by some of Boston’s best bartenders, and oysters and apps will again come from some of the city’s culinary stars.
Scour your local vintage clothing shops for 1940s-era attire, and do not — I repeat, DO NOT — miss this party. Unless you hate having fun.
This year’s proceeds from This One’s for the Ladies and the USO Show will benefit women at the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans. Tix are $35 ($45 at the door) and include four cocktails and all the eats. And you can buy them online this year at grandthestore.com (includes a service charge) or in person at Grand, Toro or Tremont 647. Lots more details on the USO Show and This One’s for the Ladies are available on the LUPEC Boston blog. Hope to see you there!
Tags: 1940s, LUPEC Boston, USO show
Posted in Cocktails, Events | No Comments »
October 20th, 2008
This is for the fine folks who attended my Bringing Back the Cocktail Hour session at the Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival yesterday. First: thanks again for coming! Second: that homemade grenadine we had in the Ward Eight? I realized the recipe’s buried somewhere in the 2006 archives, so I thought I’d make it easy for you and republish it here. Just so you know, I got this recipe from Jackson Cannon, who runs the bar over at Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square. And FYI, the French word for pomegranate, grenade, is where “grenadine” comes from.
Real Pomegranate Grenadine
2 parts Wonderful POM pomegranate juice
1 part sugar
orange flower water
Heat the POM and the sugar in a saucepan until boiling, then turn the heat down and let the mixture simmer gently for 5-15 minutes. Let mixture cool, then pour into a sealed container. Add just a drop or two (literally — the stuff is strong) of orange flower water and store in fridge. If you want to keep the grenadine around for more than a week, add a little high-proof vodka as a preservative. You can also freeze the grenadine.
There are a couple of other recipes for grenadine at Cocktail Chronicles, neither of which call for orange flower water. To find orange flower water, look in Middle Eastern, Caribbean or Asian specialty food stores.
Now, here’s the recipe for the Ward Eight using the homemade grenadine. You can also find the Ward Eight on the Boston cocktails-old page and the Can-Can and the Ninth Ward on the Boston cocktails-new page.
Ward Eight
2 oz rye whiskey (if you can’t find rye, use bourbon)
3/4 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 oz real pomegranate grenadine
Shake all ingredients very well (for at least 30 seconds) over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. About the ice: if you’re using standard cubes from your fridge, crack them first in a ziplock bag or dish towel, or get yourself a Lewis Bag. Cheers!
Tags: pomegranate grenadine
Posted in Cocktails | 4 Comments »
October 17th, 2008
I’m heading to the Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival this weekend to host a new session for the event called Bringing Back the Cocktail Hour. As the MVFWF website puts it, I’ll “lead a discussion on the lost art of making and enjoying classic cocktails.” Got my homemade grenadine, a bottle of Peychaud’s and a copy of Embury, so that’s a good start. Oh, I also had to bring my own Old Overholt Rye, as the festival organizers informed me that there was no rye to be found on the island (!). Well, if that isn’t a sure sign that the MVFWF needs a cocktail session, I don’t what is.
I’ll be mixing up two vintage cocktails, as well as two vintage-inspired cocktails created by Boston mixologists. For the former, a classic Martini (3:1 gin to dry vermouth, dash of orange bitters, lemon twist) and a Ward Eight (hey, there’s an election upon us). For the latter, a Can-Can (by LUPEC Boston) and a Ninth Ward (by Brother Cleve). Damn, I’m making myself thirsty. If any drinkbostonians happen to be at Bringing Back the Cocktail Hour, say hello!
And check out the Vineyard Gazette’s preview of my session and the rest of the Festival.
Tags: Martha's Vineyard Food & Wine Festival
Posted in Cocktails, drinkboston in the news, Events | 3 Comments »
