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Highbrow Highball

Posted in Weekly Dig, tagged , , , , , , on June 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »

*Recently featured in the Weekly Dig.

by Pinky Gonzales + Pink Lady

Count Louis Philippe Joseph de Roffignac fought alongside the British in the Battle for New Orleans, then in the 1820’s became its Mayor. Among many things, he was credited for bringing cobblestone and city lighting to the streets of the French Quarter. He escaped the guillotine and fled his native France for the swampy shores of the Ponchartrain. And like any good Frenchman, Joseph also drank his share of Cognac, which he was known to mix with seltzer, ice, and rich raspberry syrup in a tall glass.

Little did he know this early highball-of-sorts would forevermore bear his name, alongside the classics Sazerac, Ramos Fizz, and Vieux Carré. As with (what many consider to be) the first cocktail, the Sazerac, imbibers grew to swap the more readily available and popular rye whiskey for the Cognac over time. We find Cognac or Brandy still makes for the best Roffignac, while a rye Sazerac is a match made in heaven.

Sip one of these as you prep your liver for Tales of the Cocktail this July.

Cin-cin!

Roffignac Cocktail

2 ounces Cognac, Brandy, or good rye whiskey

1 ounce raspberry syrup

Soda water or seltzer

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the first two ingredients, then top off with soda or seltzer. Swizzle and serve.

(Various raspberry syrups can be found in specialty stores, or make your own: muddle fresh raspberries with simple syrup, double-straining out the seeds.)

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New Orleans on Our Minds

Posted in Weekly Dig, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »

*As recently published in the Weekly Dig.

by Pink Lady

In a little over a month the ladies of LUPEC Boston will be heading down to New Orleans for one of our favorite events of the year, Tales of the Cocktail. LUPEC Boston will join over 10,000 bartenders, cocktail geeks, and spirits professionals for five days of seminars, tastings, and events all in celebration of that great American invention, the Cocktail.

The ladies of LUPEC Boston will be involved in two great events at Tales of the Cocktail this summer. On Thursday, July 21 from 1pm-2:30pm we’ll team up with LUPEC broads from New York for “Ladies’ Choice: Women Behind Bars,” a seminar saluting our spirited forebroads, much as we do in this here column. From mold-breaking saloon owners to current day cocktail mavens, women have had a vital, though often overlooked, impact on the evolution of bars and cocktails. We’ll present an inspiring history of ladies like Ada Coleman, former Head Bartender of the Savoy Hotel and Helen David, who opened the Brass Rail Bar in the midst of the Great Depression.

Then, on Friday July 22 from 12:30pm-2pm, LUPEC will host “Ladies Who Lunch” as part of the Spirited Lunch series to celebrate women in the spirits industry, from bartenders to marketers to distillers. Interested women are invited to come and raise a glass as we commiserate and discuss our unique role in this male-dominated business. All cocktails will feature spirits from companies that have women at the helm; including Macchu Pisco, Ron Zacapa, Cat Daddy Moonshine, Bulleit Bourbon, Pueblo Viejo tequila and Laird’s Applejack. As with all LUPEC events, vintage creative luncheon attire (fabulous hats, gloves, vintage dress, etc.) is encouraged (but not required).

We hope those of you trekking down to NOLA can pop in to one or both of these events. If you’re Boston-bound this summer, mix up one of the cocktails we’ll be serving at our luncheon, courtesy of Meaghan Dorman, LUPEC NYC.

SLEEPYHEAD

.5 oz lime
.5 oz lemon
.75 oz ginger syrup
2 oz Laird’s Bonded Applejack

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into Collins glass. Top with soda and garnish with lime wheel and ginger candy.

CIN-CIN!

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The Gin Daisy

Posted in Weekly Dig, tagged , , , , , on June 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »

*As recently published in the Weekly Dig

by Pink Lady

Could there be a more appropriate cocktail to sip at the dawn of summer than the Daisy, a cool and refreshing drink named for the hardy, innocent flower?

Two versions of this drink were in wide circulation by the time Prohibition rolled around in 1919. The early version appears in the 1876 edition of Jerry Thomas’ The Bon Vivant’s Companion, and is made with spirit (brandy, whisky, gin, rum) lemon, gum syrup, orange cordial and finished with a splash of soda. As cocktail historian David Wondrich chronicles in his book Imbibe, over time that drink evolved into “something of a dude’s drink, a little bit of fanciness em-pinkened with grenadine … and tricked out with fruit.”

Shortly after Prohibition ended recipes for a “Tequila Daisy” started popping up from Mexico to New York State. The drink may have been the earliest incarnation of a popular modern cocktail whose name translates to “Daisy” in Spanish: the Margarita.

The “dude’s drink” is what we suggest sippin’ with gin this month, but please note: all incarnations of the Daisy are delicious. Sip any one you like while soaking up the sun on a patio, stoop, or porch as you toast to summer finally arriving.

GIN DAISY
Recipe from GOOD SPIRITS by A.J. Rathbun

1.5 oz gin
.5 oz lemon
.25 oz simple syrup
.25 oz grenadine
Club soda

Fill a highball glass with crushed ice. Add gin, lemon, simple and grenadine and stir twice. Top off with soda water. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and orange slice.

CIN-CIN!

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Dive Bars to Love

Posted in Weekly Dig, tagged , , , on May 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »

*As recently published in Weekly Dig.

by Pink Lady

We LUPEC ladies consider ourselves classy broads, and in our opinion, that includes being able to hang in a dive bar. As egalitarian imbibers, we believe that there is a time and place for every sort of cocktail and every sort of bar/bartender. Sometimes there’s just nothing better than a beer and a shot, knocked back as far away as you can get from a cocktail den.

That’s why we’re thrilled to give a shout out to local cocktail writer Luke O’Neil whose new book Boston’s Best Dive Bars: Drinking and Diving in Beantown debuted this spring. The book highlights 90 of Boston’s finest and we are sure it will become essential reading material for visitors looking to tie one on the cozy corner of a favored local dive.

Haven’t you ever wished for such a tome? We certainly have. Luck has led us to some amazing divey watering holes while traveling, such as Max’s Club Deuce in Miami, Zeitgeist in San Francisco, or Von’s in New Orleans. But what’s a lonely traveler to do without the recommendations of wizened locals? Beers & shots of Jamo just aren’t the same when swilled at the bar at Holiday Inn.

O’Neil’s modern classic is a nostalgic nod to the long gone days when dive bars were the only bars in Boston, the backbone of the city’s drinking culture, emblematic of our image in the country at large. We may have classed things up in the past decade, but we shall never forget our humble roots. We salute them—and Luke—with an old B-Side favorite.

WINDSOR HIGH LOW
Jack Daniels neat with a baby Bud can.
Serve with the can perched atop the rocks glass.

CIN-CIN!

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Healthy Cocktails

Posted in Weekly Dig, tagged , , , , , on May 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

*As recently published in the Weekly Dig.

by Pink Lady

Later this week, yours truly will team up with Holistic Health Coach Kendra Strasburg of Crave Health to present a seminar at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic called Beyond the Hangover Cure: What to Eat, Drink, and Do to Combat Your Boozy Lifestyle.

Do healthy cocktails really exist? Kind of. Alcohol dehydrates the body and stresses the liver and we know we shouldn’t drink if we want to be health nuts. But would you be reading this column if that was your jam? No. The good news is there are strategies for developing cocktails that will ultimately be healthier for you than others.

When building your cocktail, reach for a natural sweetener such as honey or maple syrup over a sugar-based one, such as the ubiquitous simple syrup. You can’t always swap out honey simple for regular since it has a unique flavor profile of its own that will ultimately affect your drink. But it sure is fun to play around with.

Coconut water might not be a wise choice for churning out bar volume cocktails given the price, but when drinking at home, this mild, super hydrating, potassium-filled nectar can make for a lovely way to top off your cocktail.

Love ginger? Put it in your glass. This root has been said to have many therapeutic properties, including antioxidant effects. “And, it strengthens and tones the immune system as well—keeps us from getting sick after all the boozing!” says Strasburg. We’ll drink to that. Muddle some ginger, combine with a little gin or vodka, some honey simple syrup and lemon or lime juice and voila! A lovely gingery sour.

See how easy that was? Now, if you’re all about drinking healthy out in the field but hesitant to annoy your bartender or your friends with your quest, just ask for a Bee’s Knees. It’s a classic you can sip proudly, and no one ever has to know.

BEE’S KNEES
2 oz Plymouth gin
.75 oz honey syrup
.5 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and serve.

CIN-CIN!

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LUPEC takes Manhattan!

Posted in Weekly Dig, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 4, 2011| 1 Comment »

*Recent ruminations from the ladies of LUPEC, as originally published in the Weekly Dig.

by Pink Lady

In a few short weeks several of the ladies of LUPEC Boston will take Manhattan by storm at the Second Annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic. Part festival, part fête, part conference, part cocktail party – the Manhattan Cocktail Classic (MCC) is an annual celebration of the myriad points of intersection between cocktails and culture.

From May 13-17, thousands of bartenders, brand ambassadors, cocktail lovers and nerds will convene in New York to learn and party. The MCC features over one hundred events two of which are fantastic seminars offered by ladies of LUPEC.

On Saturday, May 14 at 7 p.m. LUPEC Boston will team up with Holistic Health Coach Kendra Strasberg of Crave Health to offer Beyond the Hangover Cure, a seminar on what to eat, drink, and do to combat your boozy lifestyle. Studies have shown that simply going to bed later than 10 p.m. each night takes a serious toll on the liver. What does that mean for the bartender, whose shift ends 2, 4, even 6 hours after optimal bedtime has come and gone? Between 12-hour shifts greasy, carby staff meals and copious consumption of alcohol, the odds seem stacked against the bartender who seeks a balanced, healthy life. We’ll discuss how to find balance through nutrition and movement, despite drinking four cocktails (or more) a night, while drinking healthy cocktails. Yes, they exist.

On Tuesday, May 17 at 2:30 p.m., LUPEC will bring the Science of Taste Through Cocktails, a seminar originally presented here in Boston with the Science Club for Girls, to the Big Apple. Why does Campari taste delicious to some and make others gag? How can a sweet liqueur taste divine to one palate and cloying to another? Taste is very personal and the way people experience it seems a bit magic but can be decoded through science. We’ll explore the scientific aspects of taste and flavor through cocktails from LUPEC Boston, NYC, and Seattle representing the 5 facets of taste (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami.) Don Katz, a Professor specializing in Chemosensation from Brandeis, will speak about the science of taste and flavor, and Chemist Graham Wright will explain how these concepts are applied in the glass.

Sound interesting? Manhattan is just a short train/Megabus ride away. Mix up a Punch Fantastique at home as you ponder making the trip.

LE PUNCH FANTASTIQUE

Developed by Lynnette Marerro, LUPEC NYC to represent SWEET for Science of Taste Through Cocktails

1oz club soda

4 sugar cubes

1/2 oz Carpano Antica vermouth

1/2 oz lemon Juice

1/2 oz Cherry Heering

1/4 oz Fresh ginger syrup (pressed ginger juice 1:1 sugar)

2oz Hine cognac VSOP

1/4 oz all spice dram

2 dash Angostura bitters

1oz Champagne

In a mixing glass dissolve the sugar cubes in 10z club soda.  Add all ingredients except Champagne. Stir with ice to bring to temp.  Strain into a highball over ice and add Champagne.

Cin-cin!

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Royal Cocktails

Posted in Weekly Dig, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 27, 2011| 2 Comments »

*Recent ruminations from LUPEC Boston, as originally published in The Weekly Dig.

by Pink Lady

In a few short days, HRH Prince William will marry Kate Middleton, making royal history as can only be done once a generation. What better way to toast this occasion than with a cocktail with a royal pedigree of its own? This Friday, the ladies of LUPEC will be sipping The Prince of Wales’s Cocktail.

The current Prince of Wales is Charles, the longest serving heir apparent in history (he was only nine when he became as such). Prince Albert Edward was once in Prince Charles’ shoes, during which time his Queen Mum Victoria pretty much excluded him from political activity. With all that free time on his hands Edward did “what anybody else would have,” writes David Wondrich in Imbibe: “He got grumpy and he got loose. Mistresses and mischief ensued.”

Prince Albert Edward was something of a playboy, to be sure, and came to exemplify the leisured elite in his day. His accession to the throne ushered in the Edwardian era, the exact opposite of the buttoned up Victorian period: a time of increased social mobility, loosened bodices for women, and scientific and technological innovation. Leisure sports became all the rage with the upper classes, and let’s not forget that ultimate game-changer—the automobile.

In his many years as Prince of Wales, Albert Edward had many occasions to imbibe. We’re thrilled he came up with this, his namesake take on the newly evolving genre of libation: The Cocktail.

The Prince of Wales Cocktail
Adapted from Imbibe! By David Wondrich

1.5 oz rye whiskey
Crushed ice
A small square of pineapple
Dash Angostura bitters
Lemon peel
.25 tsp maraschino
1 oz Champagne
1 tsp sugar

Put the sugar in the bottom of a mixing glass with bitters and .5 tsp water. Stir to dissolve. Add rye, maraschino, and pineapple chunk, fill 2/3 with cracked ice, and shake brutally to crush pineapple. “Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, add the cold Champagne, and deploy the twist. And smile.”

CIN-CIN!

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Spring Sipping*

Posted in Weekly Dig, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 19, 2011| 2 Comments »

*Recent ruminations from LUPEC Boston, as originally published in the Weekly Dig.

by Pink Lady

Welcome to Boston, spring! We look forward to raising a glass in your honor, inspired by a winter jaunt this LUPEC lady took to San Francisco in March.

San Francisco is the land of eternal spring, it seems. Consistently crisp, rainy and damp, even on a bad weather day, the visit was a refreshing and reviving respite from our frozen home. My internal clock still said “hibernate” but it only felt right to drink according to our environment. A trip to the legendary Bourbon & Branch speakeasy in the Tenderloin district resulting in some delightful seasonal sipping at the hands of mixologist Darren Crawford.

The spot now occupied by Bourbon & Branch was a legit speakeasy from 1921 to 1933. First listed in the San Francisco Telephone Directory as “The Ipswitch — A Beverage Parlor,” it was purchased by industrious businessman John J. Russell in 1923, and operated from then on as “JJ Russell’s Cigar Shop.” His connections to notorious Vancouver bootleggers kept the alcohol flowing and snooping Prohibition Agents at bay. Vestiges of the venue’s sordid past still remain, including five secret tunnels. One of which, dubbed the “Ladies Exit,” granted safe passage to an exit a whole block away.

Next time you find yourself in the City by the Bay, you must pay this spot a visit—even if you’re over the Speakeasy thing and are tempted to order an illegal Cosmo just to be a pain in the ass. Don’t do that. Do be a polite guest and allow your arm-garter-clad bartender to make you a delightful concoction.

Bourbon & Branch and San Francisco’s eternal spring days are 3,000 miles away. Fortunately we can relive the moment here, with real spring and this refreshing, herbaceous libation.

BLACK ROSE
Created by Darren Crawford, Bourbon & Branch

A few sprigs rosemary
2 oz. gin
.75 oz. Lemon Juice
.5 oz. Honey Syrup
1 dash Black Pepper Tincture

Gently muddled rosemary with honey in a mixing glass. Add other ingredients and shake. Serve on the rocks in an Old Fashioned Glass. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

To make Black Pepper Tincture: macerate black peppercorns in grain alcohol until desired spiciness is achieved.

Cin-cin!

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Cocktail Dress

Posted in Weekly Dig, tagged , , , , , , , on April 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Ruminations from the ladies of LUPEC Boston, as originally published in The Weekly Dig

by Pink Lady

The ladies of LUPEC understand the importance of matching a stylish outfit to your stylish cocktail. We spend a good deal of time educating about the bygone era. Cocktail Culture, a new exhibit at the Rhode Island School of Design’s Museum of Art will explore the rest: the clothing, accessories, trends and culture that developed around these delicious libations.

From the Flapper to the “little black dress” to the spangled pantsuit of the disco era, Cocktail Culture will trace the influence of the cocktail hour on fashion and design in the 20th century. The exhibition includes more than 220 objects in all: clothing, textiles, decorative and fine art. Cocktail attire by major designers will be featured, including Chanel, Dior, Oscar, Givenchy, Pucci, Elsa Schiaparelli and more. We’re just as excited the see the sleek Art Deco celluloid barware and 1940s Tiki bar from Japan that will accent this exhibit.

For the serious cocktail enthusiast, Cocktail Culture will give context to the drinks we casually order. Modern ladies can order a Bee’s Knees at their whimsy, but “Urban Nightlife (1920-1930s)” illuminates the experience of sipping one in a Harlem jazz club while wearing a beaded French evening dress, designed to free the body for movement and dance. We’ve all sipped dry martinis in skinny jeans, but “The Rules (1950s)” allows us to imagine sampling one while sporting the newest post-war trend combining the elegance of evening wear with the informality of the day dress, the cocktail dress.

It is well worth a day trip to Rhode Island for a look. After all, without cocktails, there would be no cocktail dress. Sip on one of these as you plan your trip.

NEW FASHION
Created by Victor Broggi
1 small dash Angostura bitters
1/6 Grand Marnier
1/6 pale brandy
2/3 brown (Amontillado or Oloroso) sherry

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled vintage cocktail glass. Garnish with a small piece of pineapple.

[Cocktail Culture at Museum of Art at Rhode Island School of Design. Opens Fri 4.15.11. 224 Benefit St., Providence, RI. 401.454.6500. Until 7.31.11. risdmuseum.org]

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Cocktail Wars

Posted in Weekly Dig, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 7, 2011| Leave a Comment »

by Pink Lady

Who doesn’t love a good head-to-head battle, especially when it comes to cocktails? This spring the Woodward at Ames will resurrect Cocktail Wars, one of our favorite industry events, back again after a long, cold winter’s break.

Cocktail Wars is an Iron Chef-style bartending competition that will take place every Sunday from now until May 15. Two of Boston’s best mixologists will go head-to-head to create the best cocktail using a series of secret ingredients (typically a spirit, a fruit, an herb, or a vegetable) in the allotted time. The creations will then be judged by some of Boston’s biggest industry experts (which on one magical upcoming Sunday will include a LUPEC lady).

Thirty-two bartenders from Boston’s different neighborhoods will compete during this seven-week tournament for an amazing grand prize: a weekend in New York including roundtrip airfare, swanky hotel accommodations at one of the Morgan’s Hotel Group properties and some cold, hard cash. The stakes are high for these bar stars. For the rest of us, the event means a killer party featuring snacks, a DJ and inexpensive cocktails with some of our favorite beverage industry folks.

Next up on the docket: Asher Karnes – KO Prime (Beacon Hill)
Domingo Barreras – Market at W Hotel (Theatre District)
Chris Majka – The Citizen (Worchester)
Mark Vandeusen – Tico (Back Bay)

Loryn Taplin – Coppa (South End)
Eric Smith – Mezcal Cantina (Worchester)
Jon Parsons – Sam’s at Louis Boston (Waterfront)
Don Wahl – Deuxave (Back Bay)

And mix up one of these, created by New York’s John Pomeroy when the US Bartender’s Guild of New York went head-to-head with Boston as you wait with baited breath.

LA PAROLA ULTIMA
by John S. Pomeroy, Jr.
Omnibibulous.com

1 oz dry gin
1 oz Galliano L’Autentico
1 oz Maraschino liqueur
1 oz fresh lime juice
Fresh basil

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a flamed lime disc.

[Cocktail Wars. Sundays at Woodward at Ames. 1 Court St., Boston. 617.979.8200. 5:30pm/21+/free. woodwardatames.com]

CIN-CIN!

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