The Bronx

The Bronx

I discovered this cocktail at The Ahwahnee Hotel one summer afternoon on the outdoor patio.  Sitting in the middle of Yosemite National Park, with the awe-inspiring rock formations surrounding you, is nothing short of elevating. Add a delicious gin concoction on top of that, someone pinch me.

 I resurrected the Ahwahnee bar's drink menu out of the "stolen menu drawer" and have recreated it for your drinking pleasure. There are a few gems on their cocktail menu that I will be exploring over the summer, stay tuned.

According to the Ahwahnee menu, and some other accounts, the cocktail was originally created at The Waldorf-Astoria hotel in NYC in 1899 by Johnnie Solon, a pre-Prohibition bartender at the hotel and that he named it after the Bronx Zoo.

Other accounts suggest that the cocktail was invented in Philadelphia where it might have remained in obscurity had it not been discovered by a restaurateur from the Bronx, Joseph Sormani. He allegedly discovered it in the Quaker City in 1905. He is mentioned as discovering the cocktail in his obituary which appeared in the New York Times.

The Bronx (makes 2 drinks)
4 oz Gin (Beefeater or Hendrick's)
2 oz Sweet Red Vermouth
7 oz Fresh Orange Juice
2 oz Simple Syrup 

CHEERS!

Bourbon Mint Sweet Tea

Bourbon Mint Sweet Tea

This is as Southern as it gets people so put on some country music, invite your relatives over and get out your mason jars!

Preparation:

The Fancy Ice Cubes
Brew some strong regular or decaf tea, pour in ice cube trays and put a sprig of mint in each cube. Once they are frozen you can store them in a large zip lock bag.

Mint Simple Syrup
heat 2 cups or water on stove, add 2 cups of sugar, stir until dissolved. remove form heat, add a large bunch of washed fresh mint and let sit 15 min. Remove Mint, let simple syrup cool to room temperature and strain into a pitcher or bottle and refrigerate.

The Tea

1. Boil 4 cups of water, take off heat and add 12 tea bags and let steep for 7 minutes

2, remove bags and let tea cool

3. add 1 cup of mint simple syrup and 1 cup of  Jim Beam Bourbon (or your favorite Bourbon)

4. taste and adjust to your taste, you may want it sweeter (add more simple syrup) or stronger (add more bourbon)

5. pour over your ice cubes and garnish with mint

I have not tried this, but you could do all sorts of variations on this idea.  I am thinking you could do lemon herbal tea with gin and make lemon-thyme simple syrup?

If anyone tries a variation with delicious results, please share!
CHEERS!

Calvados (Apple Brandy)

Calvados
Apple Brandy from Normandy, France

I used to sell Calvados when I lived in Philadelphia and was a wine rep. Before that I never knew much about this sumptuous drink. The brand I sold was Boulard Pays d'Auge which was/is divine, so I assumed that all Calvados was this delicious.  Wrong.  Some can be cantankerous little devils.  Harsh on the pallet and lacking the finesse and beauty I have come to appreciate and adore in great Calvados.  This brandy is truly rapturous alongside a rustic apple tart with crème anglaise.  But alas, I am busy and barely had enough time to even sit down to dinner this particular night, much less make a homemade dessert.  So I simply sliced a crisp apple and we really enjoyed this simple combination.
I love the idea of what is called "The Norman Hole" If you have a really long dinner party with several courses you can throw in "The Norman Hole" (a small bit of Calvados served with apple sorbet). Pallet Cleanser with a kick!


 How it is Made:
Calvados is distilled from cider made from specially grown and selected apples, of which there are over 200 named varieties. It is not uncommon for a Calvados producer to use over 100 specific varieties of apples, which are either sweet (such as the Rouge Duret variety), tart (such as the Rambault variety), or bitter (such as the Mettais, Saint Martin, Frequin, and Binet Rouge varieties), the latter being inedible.
The fruit is harvested (either by hand or mechanically) and pressed into a juice that is fermented into a dry cider.  It is then distilled  into eau de vie (water of life). After two years aging in oak casks, it can be sold as Calvados. The longer it is aged, the smoother the drink becomes. Usually the maturation goes on for several years.


Grades of Quality:
The age on the bottle refers to the youngest constituent of the blend. A blend is often composed of old and young calvados. Producers can also use the terms below to refer to the age.

• "Fine", "Trois étoiles", "Trois pommes"—at least two years old.
• "Vieux"—"Réserve"—at least three years old.
• "V.O." "VO", "Vieille Réserve", "V.S.O.P." "VSOP"—at least four years old.
• "Extra", "X.O." "XO", "Napoléon", "Hors d'Age" "Age Inconnu"—at least six years old. Often sold much older.

High quality Calvados usually has parts which are much older than that mentioned. Calvados can be made from a single (generally, exceptionally good) year. When this happens, the label often carries that year.

Watch a short YouTube Video briefly talking about Calvados:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi4k7bXDTB0

May Margarita

May Margarita

 I love fresh margaritas and I have several versions I like to make. This particular version was inspired from a restaurant that my husband and I went to in Seattle a few years ago, Elliots.
 I am sending this version out into cocktail land for making a pitcher with friends this weekend.

There are a few key elements to a really good Margarita...

1.   Really good Tequila (Put the Jose Cuervo down) It does not have to be Patron--someone gave this to us as a gift--Just make sure it is 100% Agave. I like Silver (Blanco) in this recipe

2. FRESH JUICE !!! If you don't have fresh juice, drink a beer or make another drink.

3. Simple Syrup (2 cups water, 2 cups sugar, heat until sugar dissolves, cool, refrigerate, done)

Pitcher of May Margaritas

In a Pitcher mix:

1 1/2 cups Tequila

1 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 1/2 cup simple syrup (for a tart drink) 1 3/4  cup (sweeter)

stir, pour in salted-rimmed glasses, rocks, lime garnish

Drink with Chips & Salsa!

My Version of Vergie's Cuisinart HOT Salsa

blend 1 shallot or a bunch of green onions, 4 garlic cloves, juice of a lime, salt, cracker black pepper & 2 Jalapenos (I also add 2 Serranos because Jalapenos add flavor and the Serrano peppers up the heat. I  keep all seeds in) Zip all ingredients until finely chopped

add large container cherry tomatoes and fresh cilantro, pulse until desired consistency

blend, taste, make adjustments according to your taste, enjoy!

Oh, The other key to a really good margarita is having your husband squeeze all of the juice for you.
CHEERS!

For versions of the history of the Margarita:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margarita

http://bestmargaritas.com/index.php/menus/history-of-the-margarita


For interesting facts about Tequila

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tequila

Mint Juleps

The Kentucky Derby is 2 days away & That means it is time for Mint Juleps!

I am Southern
I love Bourbon
I grow mint
I LOVE everything about the Kentucky Derby and I love a good cocktail....

The Mint Julep --essentially Bourbon over ice with a little muddled mint & sugar is not for everyone, I love it, but it is too "hard core" for most, particularly if Bourbon is not their poison.

So, I have adapted a recipe that not only appeals to a broader range of tastes,  but allows you to make the juleps in batches for your friends.

The recipe is simple, but requires some preparation.

1. Make Mint Simple Syrup. Boil equal parts sugar & water until sugar dissolves and liquid is clear. Turn off heat, throw in a bunch of mint and let sit for 15 min. Discard the mint, let syrup come to room temperature. Once it has cooled,strain the syrup into a bottle and refrigerate for at least several hours up to a week.

2. Get out your juicer because this is KEY. Juice fresh lemon juice beforehand, I freeze it when lemons are juicy and I have the time to juice.

3. Buy your favorite bourbon/whiskey, a smoother version works the best

4. Crush ice into large zip lock bags and freeze.

pinch tiny tops off mint plant, wash and have ready before your peeps arrive.

In 2 separate Pitchers:

Mint Julep (Sweeter Version)

1 part Bourbon
1 part fresh lemon juice
2 parts mint simple syrup

Mint Julep (A mouth-puckering, Less Sweet Version)
(my favorite)

1 part Bourbon
2 part fresh lemon juice
1 parts mint simple syrup

Friends come over, you fill mint julep cups with crushed ice, pour the preapred
juleps and top with mint top. Now you just need to buy your fancy hat and call your bookie. 

Sol Sister

Resurrecting My Sol

 So my husband and I just returned from a trip with five other couples to Puerto Vallarta. While there, I put the cocktail shaker away, put my flip flops on and kept it simple. Mexican Cerveza my friend.  When we ventured to Soriano to buy beer, Corona had the monopoly on cooler space, but there, off to the side, shinning like the sun was the beer from my Freshman year of college.  Sol. My roommates and I even had a large vinyl Sol banner thumb tacked to the bottom of our breakfast bar.  Very classy. No, it didn't exactly go with my Laura Ashley comforter, but I was convinced it made us look cool. Memories.

My freshman year of college was fall, 1987, the year Heineken started the rumor that Corona workers were urinating in the beer. This was later proven false, but I was suspicious. I wasn't taking any chances.  I drank Sol, if for no other reason than to avoid any looming humiliation from frat boys that the "brunette with the big perm" apparently loved "piss beer."

Corona has long been a staple in my grown-up refrigerator.  It is almost always alongside my Mexican meals and in my cooler at the beach. But I enjoyed revisiting my freshman days and drinking the "Sun" in the sun.  I have decided I am bringing it back this summer. Okay, so I bought a red bathing suit and the label matches beautifully. It's only a secondary reason.

On the last day in Mexico I was standing at the pool tipping up my beer, slugging it back if you will.  I hear, Steve, one of the crazier husbands in our group, channeling a Train song by singing out --in this hilariously aspirated, slow-motion voice: "Heyyyy Sol Sissss-ta" --hence the name of this blog entry and a tribute to my Sol Sista's from the trip:  Cath, Virgie, Denise, Amy & Karen. Good times ladies!

Sol was started in 1899, over 20 years after the revolution against the Spanish (& the French) and the year before the democratization of Mexico. It was known as a working man's beer.  So in the spirit of Viva La Mexico, throw one back people.  Add two limes and a pinch of Tajin, just saying.

CHEERS!

Rosé Wine

Don't turn up your Nosé at Rosé!

If you haven't already given Rosé (or Rosato, or Rosado) a chance, it may be because you are understandably jaded, albeit scarred, from your White Zinfandel days. I know, YOU never actually drank White Zin, but maybe some of your "friends" did.  Well, I drank it in my EARLY 20's and, embarrassingly enough, loved it.  My college boyfriend, who read Hemingway and drank chic French table wine or Pernod, was a chef at night and his tolerance for my double bottle of the "pink stuff" was, I suppose testament to how much he liked me.  It goes without saying that now, if I even smell White Zin, it turns my stomach.  But, I have no regrets because it served an important purpose for me, for it was my "gateway" wine.  The day, at age 24, that I walked into Chateau Maison Blanche near St. Émilion, I, and my palate, were changed forever. It was an experience I will never forget. If someone had poured me that same glass of Bordeaux at my apartment in Gainesville, it would certainly not have cast the spell on my taste buds, as it did in that rustic tasting room.  It was a bewitching combination of elements. It was smelling the cavernous cellar on the tour, that earthy smell laced with fermented grapes. And the tour guide passionately talking about the 1990 vintage and finally, me tasting. I was forever changed at that moment. It taught me that so much of our taste is informed by our mood, our expectations, the light, the smells around us.

  After that experience I banished my White Zin days from my memory! How could I have been so gauche?!?   Later that same summer, I met a friend after class one day in Paris. Upon his recommendation, we drank a bottle of Tavel Rosé at a cafe at the base of some domed building that now escapes me in name. It was dusk and the air was balmy. The light was playing on the table and the wine was beautiful in that Prussian blue, late-day light. The Tavel was slightly sour and tart and had a dry, wet rock flavor lurking towards the end that somehow matched the light. I was transported.

And so I kept the "pink stuff" in my wine repertoire and have long enjoyed the beauty of Rosé, especially in Spring, when you get the gift of a warm afternoon. I have not, however, enjoyed the condescending glares I receive at restaurants when I have a glass of what my dining neighbors decide is certainly White Zin in front of me. Being from Alabama originally, as I am, I have really had my fun with this scenario. I can resurrect the back-woods version of my remaining southern lilt and successfully complete the horror of my judge-EEE-ass neighbors. So much fun. I love watching their sanctimonious smiles as they deem themselves superior, while drinking an overly-oaked Pinot Noir that frankly, makes me throw up in my mouth a little. I digress. 

In case you don't know and are wondering, the color in wine all comes from the skins, so to make Rosé, they simply let the juice sit on the skins for a time until they get the pink color in the wine.

  If you haven't already fallen in love, PLEASE try Rosé. there are Portuguese ones, and Spanish ones and French ones, OH MY! There are beautiful ones from the Anderson Valley, the list goes on. The Portuguese one shown in the photo on the left has a hint of fizz which makes it supremely refreshing. The wine on the right is a Spanish Bobol (pronounced BOW-bull) which is a Spanish grape I discovered a few summers ago at a wine tasting in Berkeley. After that tasting, I came home and my favorite wine guy at Trader Joes, Marty, had ordered a Bobol for under $10 and it was/is fantastic. I paired it with tangy goat cheese and berries. Heaven.

I will share my favorite memory of a glass o' pink and then I will relieve you of my loquacious ramblings to go buy some pink wine and make your own memories!   When I was 18 weeks pregnant I found out I was having a girl. I was visiting my friends in Philadelphia and my friend Lizzie served, for a before-dinner toast, Rosé Champagne in tiny pink crystal glasses. Although I could only have a few sips, it was a perfect, lovely gesture and a beautiful moment I will cherish for always.

CHEERS!