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Happy Hour: Whiskey Sour

partysugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:00:34 -0700

It's Whiskey Week here in San Francisco and to invite you along for the fun, I thought I'd share an easy and classic cocktail, the whiskey sour. According to Dale Degroff in The Essential Cocktail, the standard recipe is a combination of spirit, egg white, simple syrup, and lemon juice. The recipe I like jazzes it up by throwing in a small amount of orange juice. The resulting drink is far better than anything made with store-bought sour mix. It's not too sweet but not too strong. To learn how to make this refreshing, surprisingly light concoction, read more.

Whiskey Sour
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

Ice
2 ounces Canadian whisky
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce fresh orange juice
1/2 ounce Simple Syrup
1 tablespoon pasteurized egg white (optional)
1 orange wheel and 1 maraschino cherry

Directions

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the whiskey, citrus juices, Simple Syrup and egg white and shake vigorously.
Strain into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with the orange wheel and cherry.

Makes 1 drink.

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Happy Hour: Whiskey Lemonade

YumSugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:00:43 -0700

Uncouth as it may sound, whiskey and lemon was the combination that first opened my eyes to the world of alcoholic beverages.

It was freshman year of high school, and the only drink in the world that I hated more than coffee was anything with alcohol in it. Then I developed a nighttime cough that no medicine would cure, and my mother started making me a drink of hot lemon juice, honey, and a splash of whiskey. The whiskey was warming on the way down and had a musky, smoky scent; the lemon left a tart, tongue-puckering finish.

That experience turned out to be just the beginning. Flash forward a decade and a half, and while I now appreciate everything from Campari to absinthe, the combination of whiskey and lemon still holds a special place in my heart. I especially love it in an icy, lemonade-like version for picnics or other Summer outings. See a recipe for warm weather refreshment when you read more.

Happy Hour: Canadian Club 30-Year Reserve Whiskey

partysugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:15:37 -0700

This Father's Day why not surprise dad with a premium, limited-edition bottle of whiskey by Canadian Club ($200)? In celebration of their 150th anniversary, Canadian Club has released a 30-year reserve whiskey in a special collector's bottle. I was lucky enough to get a bottle and was wonderfully surprised by the smooth, rich tasting spirit. It has a smoky nose with hints of honey, vanilla, and caramel on the tongue. Unlike other whiskeys, there is no biting aftertaste: the finish is lush and subtly spicy. This whiskey is very easy to drink and although I enjoyed it after dinner on the rocks, it would make a lovely Manhattan. Since my dad is a whiskey drinker, I plan on sharing the bottle with him. Do you drink whiskey? What's your favorite label?

How to Taste Fine Whiskey

partysugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:00:47 -0700

While downing green drinks or beer cocktails is a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, sipping a fine, Irish whiskey is a low-key way to mark the occasion. Like wine, there is a special technique to enjoy the potent caramel-colored spirit.

Here's how:

Make sure the whiskey is at room temperature. Pour into a clear glass with a narrow mouth and wide bottom.
Examine the color of the liquid. The darker the whiskey, the longer it has been aged.
Warm the glass with your hands and smell the whiskey's aroma. Note any fruit, spice, or other flavors, like butterscotch.
Before tasting, add a tiny bit of water to dilute the concentrated spirit. You will be able to better taste the whiskey without a harsh burn from the strong alcohol.
Finally, sip the whiskey like you would a wine, and be aware of its body and flavor.

Do you enjoy whiskey? Have you ever been to a whiskey tasting?

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Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:50:14 -0700

To get in the mood for St. Patrick's Day, set up a "Make Your Drink Green" bar and let the girls help themselves. Fill one ice bucket with bottles of a light Irish beer (such as Harp) and another with bottles of white wine. Arrange beer and wine glasses and green food coloring nearby. Have everyone tint their drinks green.

Also set out the ingredients for a specialty cocktail and write the recipe for the drink, so your guests can play bartender. This interesting cocktail features Irish whiskey making it wonderfully appropriate for the holiday. It combines the whiskey with fresh ginger, lemon juice, apricot jam, and orange liquor.

To look at the recipe, read more.

Tommy Gun
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

2 thin fresh ginger slices
1 teaspoon apricot jam
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
Ice
2 ounces Irish whiskey
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
1 lemon twist

Directions

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the ginger with the jam and lemon juice.
Add ice and the whiskey and Grand Marnier; shake well. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Makes 1 drink.

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Noteworthy Nibbles - Nov. 11-17, 2008

YumSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:00:57 -0800

Oenophiles, rejoice: This week is packed with wine tastings around the country. Perhaps everyone's gearing up for the holidays, or brainstorming early pairings for Thanksgiving. I'll take the wine, whatever the reason. In fact, we'll be at SF Wine Week - maybe we'll see you there!

Boca Raton, FL: Taste of the Grape - Nov. 11
San Francisco, CA: SF Wine Week - Nov. 11-15
Kona, HI: Kona Coffee Cultural Festival - Nov. 11-16
Springfield, MO: Wingapalooza - Nov. 12
San Diego, CA: San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival - Nov. 12-16

To see the rest, read more.

Bryan, TX: Messina Hof's Wine Premiere Weekend - Nov. 13-15
Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh Whiskey and Fine Spirits Festival - Nov. 14
Longboat Key, FL: Stone Crab, Seafood, & Wine Festival - Nov. 14-15
Portland, OR: Northwest Food & Wine Festival - Nov. 15
Crowley, LA: Rice Capital Championship Gumbo Cookoff - Nov. 15
Atlanta, GA: Midtown International Wine Crawl - Nov. 15
Rochester Hills, MI: Corks For Quest Wine Event - Nov. 15
Hermann, MO: Holiday Fare Wine Trail - Nov. 15-16
Sioux Falls, SD: Feast of the Great Chefs - Nov. 16

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Meet the World's Largest Irish Coffee

partysugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:09:10 -0800

Earlier today, at 1 p.m. PST to be exact, history was made at the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco. Irish coffee making champion Frank Silletti, in conjecture with the staff of the Buena Vista, made the world's largest Irish coffee. I was there to witness them break the Guinness World Record.

To check out my firsthand account and a bunch of pictures from the event, read more.

It was a cool but clear sunny day in San Francisco, perfect for enjoying a coffee spiked with whiskey and topped with a thick, creamy head. The bar was packed with fans, old and young, waiting to watch as the oversize cup was hoisted onto the bar. The three-foot tall glass - that can hold up to 15 gallons - was blown specifically for the occasion. A case of Tullamore Dew filled the glass one-third full as the scent of whiskey permeated the air. A box of confectioner's sugar and countless pots of fresh-brewed, sustainably grown organic coffee was added to the gigantic glass as the crowd cheered in anticipation. Just-whipped heavy cream topped off the concoction to create the world's largest Irish coffee.

After the drink was made, the staff worked quickly to transfer the concoction to smaller glasses which they then passed out to everyone in attendance. The atmosphere was lively and the people friendly. Since the drink was created 56 years ago, the cafe estimates it has served 37,010,000 Irish coffees; that's roughly 2,000 a day. It's only natural that they hold the record for the world's largest drink.

It was very exciting to be a part of the bar's history.

Have you ever experienced a world record being broken? Do you enjoy Irish coffee?

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Come Party With Me: Kentucky Derby - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:31:29 -0700

The mint julep - a refreshing mint whiskey cocktail - is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. Naturally, one should offer guests the potent concoction at a watching party. This classic recipe features a mint-infused simple syrup so don't wait until the last minute to make it.

Traditionally mint juleps are served in special silver glasses, but they're equally delicious in any festive glass. For the mint julep recipe, read more.

Mint Julep
From the Kentucky Derby

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint
Crushed ice
Whiskey
Silver Julep Cups

Directions
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight.

Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of whiskey. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

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Everyone's a Critic, But It Takes an Expert to Be Good

YumSugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:18:51 -0700

Sure, anyone can be a critic, but isn't the info always a bit more intriguing when it's coming from an expert? The folks at Good magazine thought so, and they've enlisted several experts to help critique select foods.

So who did they bring in? A teacher to talk about apples, a pilot to talk about airplane food, a cop to talk about doughnuts, and a rock star to talk about whiskey. Here are some of my favorite excerpts.

Andrea Peterson, teacher, on apples:

I absolutely love apples, and believe it or not, several times a year, a student actually does give me one. . . . If I had my pick, though, instead of apples, I’d love to be getting Starbucks gift cards.

Patrick Smith, pilot, on airplane food:

People don’t want a fancy French restaurant at 30,000 feet; they just want something to eat, and a distraction on a long flight. . . . Economy travelers don’t want to live out some bourgeois fantasy of the 1940s. Give me a damn sandwich or some pasta.

Two more, just read more.

Andrew Smith, cop, on doughnuts:

I think the cop/doughnut thing came around because cops, working late at night, need coffee to stay awake, and the only way to get coffee in the wee morning hours is at the all-night doughnut places. . . . The only thing I would say cops like more are sunflower seeds, based on all the damn seeds I find on the floor of my police car.

Patterson Hood, rock star, on whiskey:

You can go anywhere in the world, it’s always the same. A McDonald’s hamburger may be different in Amsterdam, but the bottle of Jack Daniel’s is exactly the same as the bottle of Jack Daniel’s in Nashville or Singapore.

To read the entire quotes - some are quite funny! - be sure to check out the full feature at Good magazine.

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Happy Hour: Homemade Baileys

partysugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:03:33 -0700

A couple of years ago I stumbled upon this recipe for a homemade version of Baileys Irish Cream. I love Baileys - it's an exceptional dessert drink -and this frothy version is to die for. I've made it for parties, given it as a hostess gift, and simply enjoyed it by myself.

It's one of my most treasured recipes and I highly recommend you make it. All you need is a blender and it comes together in minutes. For best results, chill the ingredients before making. To take a look at how it's done, read more.

Homemade Baileys
From Gail's Recipe Swap

Ingredients

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 pint whipping cream
3 eggs
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 oz. Irish whiskey* (suggested Jameson)

Directions

Mix all of the ingredients in blender and refrigerate.
Shake before using
Enjoy chilled over ice.

Serves 6-8.

*I used American whiskey instead of Irish because that is what I had in my liquor cabinet.

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