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Gin Haters: Right Will Prove You Wrong

partysugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:00:20 -0700

Gin can be a polarizing spirit. With the exception of a few gin and tonics, I've always avoided it; however, a bunch of new gins on the market have converted me into a gin lover. One such gin, Right gin, is my current favorite.

Recently, I was invited to a seminar hosted at the brand's loft, here in San Francisco. The event was put on by Nirvino, the awesome social-drinking website that let's you rate cocktails and wine, and led by bad-boy bartender Josh Harris of 15 Romolo. Harris discussed the essentials to building a home bar and walked us through a blind gin-tasting.

To find out more about the tasting and check out all my images from the event, keep reading

Happy Hour: The Last Word

partysugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:00:11 -0700

On Monday night I headed over to my favorite bar, 15 Romolo, to be a guest judge for a Gong-Show Karaoke competition. The event was sponsored by Chartreuse, an aromatic French liquor with a vibrant green color. It just so happens that my current favorite cocktail - The Last Word - uses Chartreuse. I ordered one and asked my bartending buddy, Aaron how to make it.

The Last Word is a classic concoction that dates back to prohibition. It's an expertly created cocktail with four simple ingredients that mix perfectly. The Last Word is not sweet or bitter, but wonderfully balanced and smooth. Don't be intimidated by the gin, because the portions are equal, you won't even know it's there! A last word of warning though, drink too many of these and you may end up hungover. To look at the simple recipe, read more.

The Last Word
From Aaron Smith of 15 Romolo

Ingredients

3/4 ounce gin
3/4 ounce Chartreuse (green)
3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
lime wheel, optional for garnish

Directions

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the ingredients. Shake.
Strain into a martini glass or Champagne coupe and garnish with a lime wheel. Enjoy!

Makes 1 cocktail.

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Would You Eat This Crispy Dog?

partysugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:15:28 -0800

My favorite bar in San Francisco, 15 Romolo, recently got a makeover where they installed a kitchen. Now, they not only offer innovative cocktails, but they're making scrumptious bar snacks as well. The best dish on the menu are the crispy dogs.

They take a hot dog, stuff it with cheese, wrap a tortilla around it, deep fry it, and serve it with a spicy chili sauce. The result is insanely tasty. It's spicy, crunchy, salty, and porky - everything you need in bar food. After taking one bite, I knew I could chow down multiple crispy dogs in minutes, especially when paired with a Rio Grande cocktail. How about you? Do these dogs sound delicious or disgusting?

Happy Hour: November

partysugar — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:30:48 -0800

Although we are almost at the end of December, I highly recommend you wannabe mixologists make a cocktail entitled November. Created by Scott Baird, a dear friend, owner of 15 Romolo, and one of San Francisco's foremost bartenders, this concoction won the Nirvino Navan cocktail competition at Swig.

If you've never tried Navan, a natural vanilla liqueur, get your hands on a bottle stat! It's a great mixing liquor that can be used in both sweet and savory applications. This well-balanced, delicious cocktail balances out the Navan with a smoky scotch, while apple juice adds freshness.

To look at the recipe and check out a fabulous exclusive video of the bearded Baird making the cocktail, read more.

Nirvino Presents: The November from Nirvino on Vimeo.

November
From Scott Baird of 15 Romolo

Ingredients

3⁄4 oz. Navan Natural Vanilla Liqueur
1⁄2 oz. Benedictine
1 1⁄4 oz. cognac
1⁄2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. unsweetened apple juice
1/8 oz. Scotch (recommended: Laphroaig)
Dash of Fee Bitters
Dash of cinnamon tincture
1 1⁄2 oz. dry apple cider
Lemon Twist

Directions

Combine Navan, Benedictine, cognac, lemon juice, apple juice, scotch, bitters, tincture, and ice in a cocktail shaker.
Shake for 10 seconds and strain into a Collins glass.
Add apple cider and fill to the top with ice.
Finish it off with a twist of lemon.

Makes 1 drink.

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12 Days of Edible Gifts: Homemade Kahlua

partysugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:20:43 -0800

While it might be too late for you to make Kahlua and gift it next week on Christmas - it takes three weeks for the coffee beans to infuse the vodka and rum mixture - I highly recommend you make this and give it to someone as a hostess gift in early January.

People are always surprised that liquors can be homemade, so it makes for an unexpected gift. What most don't realize is that the best bartenders are busy mixing up everything from homemade Baileys to fresh grenadine. The techniques they use to make these superior mixers are easily adaptable for the home.

A few weeks ago when I decided to make this, I spoke with friend and master mixologist Scott Baird of 15 Romolo in San Francisco. Although most recipes call for simply a clear spirit like vodka or light rum, Baird insists on a mixture of vodka and dark rum for a rich flavor and thick syrup-like liquid. To look at his recipe, read more.

Homemade Kahlua
From Scott Baird of 15 Romolo

Ingredients

1 750 ml bottle vodka or white rum (I used Stoli)
1 1/4 cups dark rum (Scott recommended Pampero, but I couldn't find it)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 pound whole coffee beans
1 tablespoon cocoa nib (optional)
1 vanilla bean
cinnamon stick, slice of orange peel (optional)

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a sealable container. Shake hard to combine.
Label with the date and let sit in a cool, dark place for three weeks. Shake or stir the mixture several times of week.
Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer into a clean vessel. Use like you would Kahlua or any other coffee liquor.

Makes 1 bottle of Kahlua.

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Would You Eat Fried Mealworms?

partysugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 05:30:29 -0800

A couple of weekends ago, I attended a deep-fry party at my favorite bar in San Francisco, 15 Romolo. The fiesta was celebrating the inauguration of their new deep fryer and everyone was asked to bring an ingredient to fry. There was a delicious assortment of crispy goodness including Snickers, game hens, cheesecake, bacon (my contribution!), arancini, and crab cakes.There was also a selection of more outlandish items like fried durian, oranges, squab, and mealworms. Typically used for fishing bait, mealworms are the larvae of a beetle. They are perfectly OK to consume, so being an adventurous eater, I popped a few in my mouth. They tasted earthy, with a chewy texture similar to calamari. If you had been attending the party, do you think you could have stomached them?

Happy Hour: Sweeney (Hottie) Toddy

partysugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:00:02 -0700

Now that Fall is here we can start to think about cold-weather cocktails, especially the warming toddy. With its burnt orange color, caramelized sugar rim, and creative name, this modern variation of the classic drink is not your grandmother's nightcap. Made with rum and Canton Ginger Liquor, it's delicious and surprisingly easy to drink. Created especially for my birthday party, by superstar bartender Aaron Smith, of 15 Romolo, the Sweeney (Hottie) Toddy is also a wonderful concoction for a Halloween party. Lighting the glass on fire to caramelize the rim makes for a fabulous party trick! Learn how it's done and read more.

Sweeney (Hottie) Toddy
From Aaron Smith at 15 Romolo

Ingredients

sugar, for caramelizing rim of glass
1/4 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 ounce Canton Ginger Liquor
1.5 ounces Pampero Anniversario Rum
1.5 ounces hot water
orange twist, optional for garnish

Directions

To create the sugar rim, lightly wet the rim of a wine glass, and dip in a plate of sugar. Then, using a lighter with a handle or a kitchen torch, light the sugar on fire. Be sure to use a glass that can withhold heat. The sugar will melt and caramelize. Turn the glass while the flames burn to ensure even caramelization. Set the glass aside to cool.
In a cocktail shaker combine the orange juice, Canton, rum, and hot water. Stir to combine.
Strain into prepared glass, garnish with an orange twist, and enjoy immediately while the mixture is still warm.

Makes 1 cocktail.

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Behind the Scenes: Drink Me Magazine Launch

partysugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 05:50:42 -0700

On Tuesday March 31st, I helped create the look for Drink Me magazine's launch party at San Francisco's 15 Romolo. Since I conceptualized the decor for Drink Me's first party, they gave me full creative liability at the launch! The Alice in Wonderland theme was alcohol-centric, clean, and fun. Here you will find a closer look at the event and learn how I decorated the stylish speakeasy.

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Simple Tip: Juice Citrus The Right Way

partysugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:23:16 -0700

I had an embarrassing moment the other day when bartender Aaron Smith of 15 Romolo was teaching me how to make The Last Word. Apparently, the reason my citrus juicer is really hard to close has nothing to do with the juicer being faulty and everything to do with me using it incorrectly! All this time, I've been inserting lemons and limes upside down.

To properly use a handheld juicer and extract the most juice, you should always insert the citrus cut side down. As you squeeze the gadget closed, the citrus will turn inside out.

Now that you know the right way to use a juicer, tell me: anyone else make this mistake?

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Come Party With Me: My Birthday - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:19:08 -0700

Hard to believe a whole six months has passed since my half birthday party, but it has! This week I'm planning what I consider to be the most important party of the year: my birthday party. Last Thursday I secured the location - 15 Romolo, an under the radar and up-and-coming hot spot on the San Francisco bar scene - and this week I have to make and send the invitations. Since 27 isn't a milestone birthday, I'm keeping things chic and simple. There is no theme, but pink and flowers will play a big role in the look and feel of the invite. To see how I made these pretty invitations, read more.

To make a similar invite you will need the following supplies:

two pictures of flowers in your favorite color
scissors
colored cardstock
glue
printer and computer

To assemble the invite:

Open the images of flowers in Photoshop. Select one to be the front of the invite and the other to be the back of the invite, keeping in mind that the bulk of the text will go on the back.
On the front page write: "27: Life Continues to Blossom." Print out on plain paper and check for grammar mistakes.

On the back write the details of the party. I used Zafiro font in size 12 to write

Please join me in celebrating my 27th year
Saturday, October 4
9:00 PM

15 Romolo
North Beach, SF

regrets only:
415.555.5555

Print and check for errors. Once satisfied print both the front and the back out on separate pieces of paper.

Cut down to size.
With the glue mount the front onto the colored cardstock. Cut the cardstock down to size.

Turn over and glue the back text to the back of the cardstock
Slide into an envelope and send.

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