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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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Four Spirits Worth Seeking Out

partysugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:30:17 -0700

At the Food Network's NYC Wine and Food Festival, besides the delicious food, there was a plethora of interesting spirits. I waded through the depths of the rums, tequilas, and everything in between, and have picked my top four pours to share with you. If you're into trying out the newest, latest liquors, I highly recommend you seek out these bottles. Cheers!

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Let's Dish: What Do You Eat When Hung Over?

partysugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:50:58 -0700

Note to self: Mondays are not the new Saturdays. After judging a bartender karaoke competition hosted by Chartreuse on Monday night, I was hurting big time yesterday. An excruciating hangover usually comes with an intense craving for nourishment. While sometimes I opt for a bagel and cream cheese or an egg sandwich, this time I was hungry for the salty crunch of potato chips. Luckily I had a bag of Cape Cod's jalapeno and aged cheddar chips at my desk.

Whether it's greasy, spicy, or porky, there's always that one thing you must have to help overcome a hangover. So tell me, what's yours? What foods do you eat when hung over?

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Come Party With Me: Fashion Week Party - The Look

YumSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:45:18 -0700

For a fashion week party, keep the vibe sleek and cosmopolitan. To pair with the New York-inspired menu, the look should be chic and urban with monochromatic tones.

All of my decor will be clear, white, gray, or black - except the brightly colored florals. Since we've been seeing chartreuse on the runway this season, a bright pop of lime green-hued flowers makes for an instant punch of color.

The menu is mostly passed items, like cheesecake minis, so offer them on a modern tray. If you can, choose servingware that's been created by New York fashion designers. Pour the Manhattans into chiseled Calvin Klein martini glasses for a trés fabulous fiesta!

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Come Party With Me: How The Grinch Stole Christmas Watching Party

YumSugar — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 08:46:08 -0800

Looking for an informal yet celebratory reason to entertain this season? Hold a get together where you make a comforting dinner and watch your dearest holiday special/movie/television show. The original cartoon version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas is my choice for this party, but BuzzSugar has a list of other holiday classics and holiday-ish films for you to choose from. To make the menu and get all the party details, read more

Invites: Make an invite that has a picture of the show you are going to watch. To change things up make a long and skinny invite the size of a legal, everyday envelope by folding a piece of evergreen card stock in half. On the front paste a long and skinny picture of the Grinch. On the inside write (or you could print out the info on a piece of colored paper, cut with crinkled scissors for a festive feel, and paste inside the card) the facts of the party (time, date, place, occasion...). Slide the card into a chartreuse envelope and send to your invitees.

Menu: Take a classic concept: the TV dinner, and redo it for a finger-licking, melt-in-your-mouth, lip-smacking good meal (think old school recipes updated). Have shrimp cocktail waiting for your guests to arrive and during the show serve pancetta wrapped meatloaf sandwiches, smoked gouda mac and cheese and green beans with parsley and garlic. For dessert: apple pie with vanilla ice cream.

Decorations: As this party revolves around watching a show on the television and most of us don't have private home theaters, set up pillows, blankets, fur cushions and TV dinner trays in your living room. Light a fire to warm the room and dim the lights or turn off the lights and light a few candles. The number of guests you invite should be proportional to the size of your sofa. Everyone should fit comfortably into your living room. Pile up everyone's plates, fill their glasses and then sit down to relax, eat and watch.

Music: Once again, the point of this party is to watch a show on television so music is not a large part of the equation. Put your iPod on shuffle and let it do the work for you. Turn off the music for the show and restart the playlist for dessert.

Drinks: With the shrimp cocktail offer guests a champagne cocktail in the form of a Kir Royale. During the show drink a Medium-bodied silky red wine (i.e. Chianti, Malbec, Rioja). For a non-alcoholic option offer ginger ale and sparkling water.