Herbsaint | Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails

Posts Tagged ‘Herbsaint’

Low Alcohol Sips

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged French Vermouth, Half Saint, Half Sinner, Herbsaint, Italian Vermouth, lemon twist, Low Alcohol Sips on May 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »

*As recently published in the Weekly Dig.

by Pink Lady + Hanky Panky

Memorial Day is nearly upon us, marking the beginning of summer (even if we’ve been having lousy, rainy weather). For the ladies of LUPEC that means its time to turn to light, refreshing cocktails. As the days become longer and warmer we like to focus on those spirits that are a bit lower in alcohol, making them perfect for the social occasions of summer that can sometimes span an entire day … such as that barbeque you’ll be hitting this Monday. Here’s a primer on some of our favorites.

Campari is a bitter Italian aperitivo. The full recipe is a closely guarded secret, but we do know that it is flavored with, among other things, rhubarb, bergamot and orange peel. When the temperature rises, pour it over ice and top with soda. If you find this too bitter, split the Campari half and half with sweet vermouth and enjoy your Americano.
Widely known for its role in James Bond’s cocktail of choice, the Vesper, Lillet Blanc is a refreshing French aperitif from Podensac in Bordeaux. It’s a blend of Bordeaux wines, fruit liqueur and quinine. At only 17% alcohol by volume, Lillet is the perfect fit for afternoon drinking on the porch. Serve Lillet on the rocks with a twist of orange. Or try the recently available Kina Lillet.

We usually associate vermouths with Martinis and Manhattans, but in the summer these fortified, aromatized wines are the perfect sip for a warm afternoon. A good choice with which to begin is Martini Bianco, a blend of dry white Italian wines flavored with vanilla and aromatic herbs.

Salut—here’s to summer!

HALF SINNER, HALF SAINT
2 oz French Vermouth
2 oz Dry Vermouth
.5 oz Herbsaint
Lemon twist
In a rocks glass, combine the vermouths over ice. Float the Herbsaint. Garnish with the lemon twist.

CIN-CIN!

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LUPEC BOSTON GETS A HANGOVER: TAKE TWO*

Posted in Events, Weekly Dig, tagged Bourbon, Campari, Herbsaint, Ken-Tiki, lemon juice, LUPEC Boston's Tiki Bash, passionfruit, Velvet Falernum on November 18, 2009| Leave a Comment »

*LUPEC Boston’s latest ruminations, in case you missed ‘em in this week’s Dig.

by Pink Lady

Did you wake up after the LUPEC Boston Tiki Bash with dry mouth, a pounding head and a bad case of UPDA (unexplained paranoid drinking anxiety)? It’s OK, so did we. If you’re the lucky recipient of one of the gift certificates we raffled off, we hope you chose to spend it on a little hair of the dog, as that is truly the only way to reset your off-balance nervous system once afflicted with a hangover.

The winner of a $100 gift certificate to Eastern Standard, for example, had many delicious brunch beverage options from which to choose. Roll right from our 1950s tiki party into the swingin’ ’60s with classic morning sips, like a Greyhound or a Harvey Wallbanger. When’s the last time you had Galliano?

Brunch cocktails at Toro are offered in pitchers, which is exactly what the winner of that gift certificate needed for the morning after. The Blood Orange Mimosa is a lovely, dark pink take on the classic that looks oh-so inviting in large quantities. And a pitcher of Bloody Marys is packed with nourishing Vitamin C and lycopene, which has been extensively studied for its possible antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties. There’s got to be a hangover cure in there somewhere, too.

For the recipient of a gift certificate from the Franklin Café, we’d suggest brunch at the Franklin Southie over an Improved Toxic Moxie Cocktail, featuring Rittenhouse Rye, Fernet Branca, Moxie and angostura orange bitters. True New Englanders know Moxie makes everything better … as does the bacon that we suggest you add to your hangover-snuffing sirloin burger.

Can’t make a move without coffee? Lucky news for the lucky winner of 4 pounds of coffee from the 1369 Coffeehouse. If only it came with a personal barista/masseuse to rub away the pain.

Did you sleep till 4pm? There, there. Sleeping in is the best way to sleep it off. No one needs to know your early-bird dinner at Hungry Mother is the first meal of the day. The lucky winner of that gift certificate had a smorgasbord of rich, Southern-style, hangover-healing comfort food to choose from. Baked grits with tasso ham and cheddar and a bowl of potlikker soup with turnips, braised greens and ham hock should do the trick. Wash it down with a No. 56—gin, Aperol, sour and cava—the bitters and bubbles are sure to settle your stomach.

Perhaps the luckiest winner of all received a free round-trip ticket to anywhere JetBlue flies, allowing a chance to run from their hangover with real-life escapism. Actual sand and surf, and some R&R, could make you forget bitter, cold Boston and our faux tropic Tiki Bash. And Bloody Marys always taste better at 30,000 feet.

Tiki cocktails are potent stuff, but you can’t say we didn’t warn you. Thanks to all who turned out for donating your dollars—and your livers—to help support our fall beneficiary, On the Rise. We hope you had fun … perhaps enough to relive the night—maybe in a few weeks—with this modern tiki creation, a LUPEC Boston original.

KEN-TIKI