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Happy Hour: Firefly Mint Tea Vodka

YumSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:00:38 -0700

Last week, Party and I attended a tasting showcasing winners of this year's San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The high moment of the day occurred when I got a taste of something I've been dying to try: sweet tea-flavored vodka made by South Carolina-based Firefly Distillery. I'm a fiend for Southern cuisine, and that includes sweet tea, a drink so ubiquitous that it's just referred to as "tea." Southerners also love to spike their tea, so it seems natural that someone would come up with tea-flavored vodka. That genius would be Jim Irvin, a distiller based in Wadmalaw Island, SC. Irvin, also a winemaker, distills the vodka four times, imbues it with tea grown from a plantation five miles away, and sweetens the finished product with sugarcane from Louisiana.

We tried one of the distillery's newest vodka flavors, Mint Tea, which won a Double Gold Medal in the competition. It has a natural minty finish that tastes both soothing and refreshing. It was so easy to drink alone that I'm almost certain I could enjoy an entire pitcher before realizing the product's full effects. I can't wait to buy a bottle for myself!

Have you tried Firefly's tea-flavored vodkas? What did you think of them?

Yummy Link: Bacon Vodka

YumSugar — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 05:18:31 -0800

Love bacon? Love vodka? That means you're going to love bacon vodka right? It sounds a bit crazy, but I can't wait to give it a try. - Brownie Points

A Conversation With Diddy

partysugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:00:03 -0800

Rapper and mogul Diddy was in San Francisco last week promoting Cîroc, his vodka brand. I was lucky enough to sit down with the musician, and we chatted about entertaining. Not surprisingly, he consumes a lot of Cîroc and his signature drink is a Cîroc and lemonade - say it fast and it sounds like a lyric in one of his songs, "ci-rocking lemonade." To find out what the Diddy had to say, read more.

PartySugar: What’s new with Cîroc?
Diddy: The newest thing with Cîroc is our success. Our success and our appeal. The sales went up 1,000% and just the appeal is becoming more recognizable to the consumer.

PS: Aren't you coming out with some new flavors?
D: Yeah. In the world of Cîroc, one of the biggest differences is the flavors. Red Berry and coconut. Now most flavors, to be honest, in the vodka industry, most flavors just haven’t been done right. They taste like cough syrup. I went down with the innovation team, and I was like, whatever we do I want to make sure that this doesn’t taste like cough syrup.
And then also make something that really tastes like what it says. If it says coconut, let’s make sure it tastes like coconut. If it says red berry, let’s make sure it tastes like red berry.

PS: Do you ever cook?
D: I cook breakfast.

PS: What music do you recommend for cooking?
D: Music for cooking? Marvin Gaye’s always good for cooking.

PS: What are your guilty pleasure foods?
D: I would probably say jello. Strawberry jello.

PS: If you had to drink one type of alcohol for the rest of your life what would it be?
D: Vodka. Cîroc.

PS: Besides yourself, who are some celebrities that know how to entertain/host a good party?
D: I never seen anybody do it how I do.

PS: What was the first alcoholic drink you ever drank?
D: Peach schnapps and orange juice, before I was enabled.

PS: What do you think will be the next big thing in cocktails?
D: Jello shots.

Stay tuned for Diddy's tips for hosting the ultimate party!

Library Book Returned With Bacon as a Bookmark

YumSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:30:41 -0700

Over the past year, bacon has turned multifunctional as the trendiest ingredient around. We've seen it in vodka, as a flavoring for mayonnaise, and even as a savory take on dental floss. But bacon, as it turns out, is even more useful than one could've ever imagined. It also happens to makes for a very handy bookmark.

Dan Thompson, a librarian and collector from the UK's seaside town of Worthing, discovered a thin slice of bacon that was being used to bookmark a page in a returned book. Apparently, such an occurrence isn't as uncommon as it sounds; The Argus, which first reported the story, references a similar website that lists locales where other people have found rashers, or slices of bacon, in books.

I would jump on the bandwagon, if it weren't for the fact that I'm partial to my favorite bookmark, an asparagus spear. Have you ever heard of this phenomenon?

Source

Happy Hour: Peach Donkey

partysugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:00:34 -0700

Although this cocktail recipe has a weird name, the ingredients are pretty ordinary and the flavor is absolutely sublime. It's similar to the classic bellini - because it combines peach puree with effervescence - but, thanks to the addition of vodka and Canton, it's much more potent. When blended together, the sweetness of the peach offsets the subtle heat of the ginger. The final cocktail is refreshing and easy to drink. For a rustic feel, serve in mason jars! If you can't find ginger beer, simply substitute sparkling water. Sound interesting? Get the recipe when you read more.

Peach Donkey
From Food & Wine Cocktails 09

Ingredients

1 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce ginger liqueur
3 ounces peach puree or nectar
Crushed ice
1 ounce chilled ginger beer
Peach slices, for garnish (optional)

Directions

In a highball glass, combine the vodka, ginger liqueur and peach puree; stir.
Add crushed ice and stir again. Top with the ginger beer and swizzle by spinning a swizzle stick or bar spoon between your hands. Garnish with peach slices.

Makes 1 drink.

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Know Your Ingredients: Pimm's

partysugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:15:37 -0700

A couple of weekends ago, for FabSugar's technicolor luau, I made a batch of Pineapple Pimm's Cup. Created by Duggan McDonnell of Cantina, this punch recipe consisted of pineapple vodka, Pimm's No. 1, ginger beer, ginger syrup, and fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juice.

The refreshing and unexpected cocktail was a major hit and everyone was inquiring about the ingredients. While I was able to tell them what was in the drink, I wasn't able to answer when they asked, "What's Pimm's?" My lame reply, "Oh it's a liquor popular in England." But really, I had no clue what it was!

Until now. Pimm's, an aperitif, is a brand of alcoholic beverages that was created in London in 1840, with the most popular being Pimm's No. 1 Cup. Each number of Pimm's has a different base spirit; No. 1 is a gin-based, No. 2 is scotch-based, and No. 3 is brandy-based (only No.1 still exists). Other elements (spices, citrus, etc.) are added to the base spirit to achieve a characteristic floral flavor and rich tea color. Pimm's is often mixed with soft drinks or as in the classic Pimm's Cup, with lemonade, cucumber, and fresh fruit. Do you enjoy Pimm's?

Happy Hour: Pink Torpedoes

partysugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:00:54 -0700

Inspired by a cocktail class I recently attended, I decided to make my own strawberry-infused vodka. The technique is simple: all you have to do is slice a bunch of strawberries and combine them with the vodka and a little sugar. Then you let it sit for a couple of days until the vodka has a vibrant pink color. Unlike store-bought-infused vodkas, this homemade variation has a sweet-tart berry flavor that's neither syrupy or cloying. Once the vodka is ready, you can sip it solo or make a pink torpedo like I did.

This fizzy-girlie drink combines the vodka with limoncello and sparkling wine. If you don't have sparkling wine, you can substitute sparkling water. It's a fabulously refreshing concoction perfect for enjoying on a warm afternoon. To look at the recipe, read more.

Pink Torpedoes
Modified from Everyday With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

2 cups vodka, chilled
1 1/2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Limoncello
One 750-ml bottle sparkling wine or sparkling water, chilled

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together the vodka, two-thirds of the sliced strawberries and the granulated sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the vodka turns pink, about 6 hours. Refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.
Fill 6 glasses with ice. Strain the vodka and divide among 6 tall glasses.
Add a splash of limoncello to each glass and top off with the sparkling wine or sparkling water. Garnish with the remaining strawberry slices.

Makes 6 drinks.

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Learn How to Make Your Own Bar Ingredients

partysugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 10:15:08 -0700

Last week it was Cocktail Week here in San Francisco and I was lucky enough to attend a bunch of the events. The highlight was Thursday's bar school - a day of education. Since I'm an avid home mixologist, I checked out the House-Made Ingredients How-To taught by Jeff Hollinger, general manager at Absinthe, and Neyah White, bartender extraordinaire at Nopa.

In the drinks industry, both Jeff and Neyah are pioneers when it comes to creating bitters, cordials, tinctures, syrups, etc. The duo has made it its mission to bring back the craft of cocktail making one bottle of bitters at a time. To check out their tips for making bar ingredients at home and see a gallery of images from the class, read more.

The class started with a quick rundown of basic bartender terminology. A simple syrup is a mixture of water and sugar that is the foundation of an endless variety of syrups. A cordial and liqueur are spirits that have been infused with a flavoring agent (a fruit, herb, or spice) and are then sweetened. A tincture is a super-concentrated flavoring agent that is made from one specific ingredient. Bitters are like tinctures, but are made from a variety of ingredients.

Don't rely on recipes. Instead White recommends lots of creative experimentation.
Never throw anything away. Hollinger uses everything that comes out of the kitchen - including pickle juice leftover from one of Jamie Lauren's dishes - to make drink flavorings. White reserved the tops and bottoms of a season's worth of oranges in a large jar. After months of macerating in a high-proof alcohol, he had a complex and flavorful orange bitters.
Use in-season fruit to make syrups and shrubs (a mixture of fruit, sugar, and vinegar).
When making bitters and other highly concentrated flavoring agents, don't use the most expensive alcohol. Select an affordable pot-stilled alcohol.
It doesn't matter which type of alcohol you use. Rum, vodka, and everclear are all good options.
When working with citrus peel, be sure not to use the white pith. It will make the liquor or cordial bitter.
Be patient. The longer a mixture sits, the more flavorful it will become. Hollinger and White leave bottled flavorings in dark, cool cabinets for up to a year.
Strain and strain again. Once the liquid has reached the desired concentration, strain several times in cheesecloth. The final mixer should be clear and clean.
Make small batches. You can experiment with more ingredients that way.

Now I'm excited to get started on making my own bitters and cordials! Have you ever made your own bar mixers? What kind? How did they turn out?

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Happy Hour: Tito's Vodka

partysugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:00:32 -0800

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of meeting Tito Beveridge, the creator of Tito's vodka. Before meeting Tito, I'd never heard of the Texas-based American vodka company. However, I was impressed with Tito's ambition - before getting into the spirits business, he was a geophysicist, oil driller, and mortgage broker - and pleasantly surprised by his vodka's pure, bite-free flavor. The handmade corn vodka is distilled six times in an old-fashioned pot still. This sort of still is typically used for making fine single malt scotches and high-end cognacs, so naturally it provides the vodka's incredible smoothness. At $18 a bottle, the best thing about Tito's is that it's a premium-style vodka that won't break the bank.

The worst thing about this exceptionally clean vodka is that it's very easy to drink, which could potentially be dangerous! Have you ever sipped Tito's vodka?

Come Party With Me: Memorial Day - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:50:39 -0700

No Memorial Day celebration should be without strawberries. The plump juicy berries are at the peak of their season now, so take advantage of them! You could incorporate them into an appetizer, salad, or dessert, but why not use this luscious fruit to mix up a tantalizing cocktail? This punch recipe serves a crowd (18 people!) and is packed with vibrant flavors. Vodka is combined with Cointreau and ginger ale to make a drink that is fizzy and refreshing. Although it calls for frozen cherries, if they have already popped up at your farmers market, substitute fresh.

Don't forget plenty of beer, wine, water, and sodas - it is a party! For the recipe to the jewel punch, read more.

Jewel Punch
From Every Day With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

1 liter ginger ale, chilled
Three 12-ounce bags frozen cherries
1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
3 cups purple grape juice, chilled
1 1/2 cups vodka
1/4 cup Cointreau or triple sec
Ice, for serving

Directions

Combine the ginger ale, cherries, strawberries, grape juice, vodka and Cointreau in a punch bowl or large pitcher and stir well.
Pour into ice-filled glasses and enjoy!

Serves 18.

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