It’s time to get your buzz on and for once we don’t mean with booze (but, honestly, coffee and booze are a pretty good combo). September 29th is National Coffee Day so it’s time to get caffeinated!
In honor of National Coffee Day, we have been scouring our minds and the web for some fun coffee facts!
The top coffee drinkers in the world are the Americans, French and Germans. According to Yahoo Answers, the … Read more
Recently, I had the honor of judging not one but two events. Needless to say, I was thrilled with the opportunities and learned so much. The first of the events was judging a United States Bartender Guild, known as USBG, Pisco Sour competition sponsored by Gran Sierpe Pisco at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic. The second was judging a number of spirits categories at the International Wine and Spirits Competition just outside of London. The two … Read more
For any of you movie buffs, the 1976 battle between French wines and their upstart American counterparts entitled the “Judgment of Paris” was chronicled in the highly fictionalized movie Bottleshock. While Bottleshock was certainly entertaining and spotlighted the super cute Chris Pine, it didn’t exactly stick to the story. If you are interested in how the tale actually unfolded, pick up George Tabor’s Judgment of Paris.
Before reading Judgment of Paris, I assumed that most … Read more
Each September marks Bourbon Heritage Month. While there are other spirits with connections to America – think colonial rum and apple brandy – no spirit is as quintessentially American as bourbon. Bourbon is an amber colored whiskey that must be made from a mash consisting of a majority of corn, matured in charred American oak barrels and bottled at no less than 80 proof.
Bourbon is often associated with Kentucky but bourbon can be made … Read more
The folks at SF Cocktail Week have given us 2 All Access Passes to giveaway to our readers!
For those of you not from the Bay Area, San Francisco Cocktail Week, is a week long celebration of the Bay Area’s liquid culture, cocktail heritage and bar industry. continuing the opportunity for Bay Area patrons to experience, imbibe, enjoy and educate themselves on all things cocktailian from some of the country’s best bar experts.
Some event … Read more
Long live soda! Or, maybe I should say long live elixirs, potions and concoctions. Long before Coca Cola and Pepsi ruled the “soda scene”, there were local pharmacists, soda jerks and soda fountains that were slinging their wares. And, many people acted as their own alchemists at home brewing up concoctions. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, Andrew Lynn in the The Artisan Soda Workshop harkens back to these days. Ms. Lynn does a terrific job of … Read more
Ingredients:
1/2 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Tequila Don Julio Anejo
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup plum tomato, chopped
2 teaspoons mole negro
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup shredded piloncillo, Mexican brown sugar (Substitute: 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and 1 teaspoon molasses)
1/3 teaspoon Mexican hot sauce (Tamazula, Valentina or Búfalo)
2 pounds chicken, cut … Read more
Ingredients:
2 cups Makers Mark
1 bunch cilantro – cleaned and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¼ cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 rack of peeled pork spare ribs
3 tablespoons butter
½ white onion, peeled and diced ½”… Read more
Maker’s Mark Ice Cream
Makes 1 1/2 pints
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean split lengthwise and scraped
4 large yolks
½ cup sugar
1 pinch salt
¼ cup Maker’s Mark®
Instructions:
1. Combine the milk, salt, scraped vanilla bean and seeds in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover with plastic wrap, and infuse 10 minutes.
2. While the milk is being infused, whisk together the … Read more
I was a spectator at the Macallan Ice Ball Plunge at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail when I was struck with an epiphany. The booze industry is even more philanthropic than I thought. Almost every person in the industry we know has donated time, booze, classes, swag and more. Even DOTW has gotten into the act, sponsoring the Martini Luge at the Silicon Valley Humane Society’s Fur Ball and donating multiple classes as fundraising … Read more