Oh my. This is definitely not the Kahlúa you might be used to. This is delightful, eye-rollingly yummy and goes down so very very smoothly.

I love my coffee, and will drink it at almost any time during the day. Nothing suits aromatic, freshly brewed coffee like fresh cream. As a nod to the art of java and to whet the appetites of coffee connoisseurs, comes Kahlúa Coffee Cream.  This
limited-edition premium coffee liqueur combines Kahlúa, which is made from handpicked Arabica coffee beans, along with fresh, natural cream; a simple yet bold way to add a little indulgence to the coffee-drinking experience.

You can, of course, drink your Kahlúa Coffee Cream in your coffee, served neat or on the rocks, but also in cocktails. Cocktail recipes by New York City-based mixologist Julio De Los Santos:
Kahlúa Cognaccino
1 part Kahlúa Coffee Cream
1/2 part Amaretto
1 part Martell V.S. Cognac

Combine all ingredients into cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a flute dusted with nutmeg.
Kahlúa Mexicano
1 part Kahlúa Coffee Cream
1 part Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur
1/2 part Sambuca
Combine all ingredients into cocktail shaker. Serve over ice in a coffee mug.
The Curious Russian
1 part Kahlúa Coffee Cream
1 part Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur
1 part Absolut Vanilia
Lightly shake and strain over ice in a rocks glass. Vanilla bean garnish.

Woodford Reserve scoured the country for the single-most well-crafted Manhattan in the nation. Just recently, Woodford Reserve bourbon and Esquire magazine have crowned Jeromy Edwards from Louisville, Kentucky and his “Cider Manhattan” as the “Master of the Manhattan” for 2009.

Seems only fitting that Jeromy is from Louisville - home to Woodford Reserve.

Jeromy’s cocktail was reviewed by a distinguished panel of experts along with the seven other bartenders creations from across the country. Edwards and the other participant’s cocktails were critiqued on creativity, ingredients, presentation and taste. The judges included Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris, Executive Chef Christopher Lee, Mixologist Julie Reiner and Spirits Journalist Jack Robertiello.

The Cider Manhattan along with the other seven recipes will be featured in a Woodford Reserve advertisement in the January edition of Esquire, but you, dear readers, get a sneak peek at Jeromy’s Cider Manhattan:

Cider Manhattan crafted by Jeromy Edwards

• 2 oz. Woodford Reserve® bourbon
• ¾ oz. Cider Reduction
• ½ oz. Antica Vermouth
• Dash Angostura® bitters
• Grand Marnier flambéed cherry (preferably Rainier Cherries)

Flambée cherry in the martini glass, allowing it to caramelize. Place drink in shaker and turn - don’t shake. Pour into glass after it has cooled.

Celebrate earth-friendly lifestyle options at An Evening of Sustainable Food, Wine and Fashion Design November 19^th at Terminal City Club.  Hosted by The Beat 94.5 FM’s Kid Carson and Nira Arora, with special guest Lindsay Coulter, the David Suzuki Foundation’s Queen of Green.

Tickets are $75 at the Terminal City Club concierge 604.488.8643.

All proceeds go to the David Suzuki Foundation.

Included in Ticket Price:

Fabulous Food, Wine and Cocktails

Sample local and sustainable food, wine, and cocktail options from local Vancouver restaurants including Terminal City Club, The Refinery, Doi Chaang, and more.

Lauren Mote of The Refinery will be sampling her signature David Suzuki Cocktail, created specially for the event.

Live Entertainment

Performances by Devon & Kevin, Briana Stewart and the Madman’s Gospel, Brazilian Samba dancer Andrea Monteiro, One World Drum Company, Karen Flamenco, and a fashion show featuring local earth-friendly designs from Vancouver Fashion Week.

Silent Auction

Bid on amazing silent auction items donated by:

Saul Good Gift Co. – A sustainable corporate gift and green gift basket business in Vancouver, BC.

Dream Designs – Vancouver’s premier destination for your natural lifestyle.

Ecocessories – Accessories to sustain your style.

Eco-Shed – Bowen’s deep green getaway.

Solart Glass Studio – Traditional, original hand-blown glass.

Fortune Sound Club – Vancouver’s only venue built for sound and sustainability.

Nat’s Nursery – LiveRoof Licensed Grower.

Science World – Igniting minds for 20 years.

Schramm Vodka – Ultra premium organic potato vodka.

Mills Basics – Offering Environmentally Preferred Products for your office.

Zip Car – The world’s largest car sharing service.

Cactus Club Café – Ocean Wise and Green Table restaurants.

Special Thanks

Terminal City Club

The Refinery

Karen Flamenco

Vancouver Fashion Week

Milestone Events

Showmax Events

Sustainability Television

Oh my. I know it’s usually considered bad form to post the “I’m so sorry I haven’t been here in ages!” post, but here it is! I feel dreadful that I dropped a bomb of an announcement about the Drinks after Dark Tastemakers event and then simply disappeared off the face of the earth for a while.

You see, summer time for me is more about being outside in the sunshine, basking on beaches, camping, going to the Calgary Stampede with one of my hands down favourite women ever, drinks on patios and wine tours than it is trying to write everything down and document it all.

(continue reading…)

I love vanilla. When I reach for ice cream, I reach for vanilla (well, ok, I reach for the perfect peppermint first, but if I can’t get a really good peppermint, I go directly to vanilla); my fudge, vanilla. My cake? Yeah, vanilla. (wow, all of my examples are desserts).

Right, anyways, where was I? Oh, Yes.  Vanilla.

I recently received a bottle of NAVAN Vanilla by Grand Marnier, and I started playing. I looked first at Cocktails by Flavor by Salvatore Calabrese, and since I had a lovely cognac to try out, and some Cointreau - I started playing with the idea of the classic Sidecar.

The first recipe for the Side-car appears in 1922, in Robert Vermiere’s Cocktail. It was very popular in France, and first introduced in London by MacGarry, the famous bartender of Buck’s Club.

The original SideCar recipe:

Fill the shaker half full of  ice and add:

• 1/6 full of fresh Lemon Juice.
• 1/6 full of Cointreau.
• 1/6 full of Cognac Brandy.

Shake well and strain into a rocks glass (my preference, but choose your vessel).

What I’ve ended up with, I’m not 100% sure. It might be a Vanilla Side Car. It might be a Navan Sidecar. It’s based on a Sidecar, but has grown and developed, as many drinks do.

What I have here is yummy, and it’s a drinker’s drink. “Drinkers” prefer the flavour of alcohol, and respect and understand the options. The true connoisseur will want to know what the alcohol tastes like, the drinkers will want something yummy. Yummy has a different meaning depending on what kind of consumer you are. Someone who likes to drink is a different person - they likely want something that just tastes good, which usually means they want a Cosmo, or something safe - they don’t trust their bartender to make them something fantastic. It’s sad, really.

Regardless, I started playing with NAVAN and a few other ingredients. I started with a classic sidecar, which is coming back, big time. All of the classic cocktails are enjoying a revival. So, here’s my recipe:

Put:

A splash of cointreau
2 splashes of brandy
3 splashes of Navan Vanilla
1/8th wedge of lime

Shake over ice; strain into a glass. Taste it, see what you think (welcome to my mixology world), if it needs more oomph, float Navan over top the glass (pour carefully over a small spoon (regular, not soup, and not cocktail); if it needs more dillution, add some soda water (I use a soda fountain).

The end result about cocktails? Trust your gut. Trust your palate. You know what tastes good together and what doesn’t;  your gut will lead you to happy cocktail places.

Anyone who drinks martinis is very particular about their olives - the number, the kind, all that kind of thing.

But what about those of you who don’t like traditional martinis? The new chocolate olive the “cholive” takes a regular chocolate martini and makes it something a little more …chic.

Made from premium 55% dark chocolate and filled with whole cream ganache, the olive-shaped chocolate treat adds a certain je ne sais quoi to cocktails that olives just can’t manage to live up to.

Try adding a cholive with some gorgeous tawny port, some smooth brandy, a juicy red wine or perhaps a good chocolate stout. If you feel a little silly drinking a rich chocolate stout with a chocolate shaped like an olive, the company also makes “Chruffles” in 16 decadent flavours from Black Forest to Butter Pecan through to Tiramisu.

Dessert cocktails can make a lovely nightcap. Try your hand at a couple of these!

XOXO

2 oz. Raspberry Vodka
½ oz. Dark Chocolate Liqueur
½ oz. White Chocolate Liqueur
½ oz. Half & Half
1 Skewered Cholive

Sexual Chocolate

2 oz. Cherry Vodka
1 oz. White Chocolate Liqueur
½ oz. White Crème de Cocoa
½ oz. Half & Half
1 Skewered Cholive

Buttered Up

1 skewered Cholive
1 part Vanilla Vodka
1 part Kahlúa
1 part Butterscotch Schnapps
1 part Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 part White Crème de Cocoa

Find more ideas at the Cholive site.

This Friday, I’ll be sitting down with a couple of guests at Morton’s, The Steakhouse in Vancouver BC to enjoy some Hill’s Absinthe and experiencing the amazing event that is the ritual of Absinthe.

Absinthe is an old old spirit, but if you don’t drink it properly, the end result is a not very palpable cocktail. In fact, many people’s first experience with absinthe is in shot form - hands down the worst way to drink absinthe!

The traditional ritual involves dripping ice water very slowly over a sugar cube placed on a slotted absinthe spoon (though, in a pinch, two carefully balanced chopsticks will work as well) into a glass (an ounce or two) of Absinthe. The water drips through the sugar and into the glass, clouding the liquid. The clouding is the result of the anise coming out in the absinthe and making the drink actually taste good!

The event on Friday will feature Hill’s Absinthe, served in three cocktails, as well as in the traditional way. Guests will also enjoy Oysters Rockefeller made with Absinthe, Crab-stuffed mushrooms,  sliced tenderloin on Crostini and Morton’s famed Mini Prime Burgers (which is quite seriously worth the price of admission right there!). Guests will also receive a special gift.

Tickets for this amazing event in the Morton’s Private boardroom are available for just $40, and can be reserved by calling 604-915-5145.

[Image courtesy Hills]

I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for versatile spirits, and Tuaca (pronounced Two-aww-ka) fits that bill perfectly. It’s also one of the most difficult spirits to describe. In fact, I’ve gone as far as pulling the bottle out of the fridge, read the back of the bottle and also looked through all the literature I have on it. I’m still not exactly sure how to explain it.

There’s notes of vanilla, orange, brandy, and citrus, and it sometimes has been described as a Grand Marnier type spirit.

Let’s just put it this way, Tuaca is really good.

Legend has it that the origins of the secret family recipe for Tuaca dates back to the Renaissance. It was apparently crafted for Lorenzo the Magnificent, a patron to Botticelli and Michelangelo.

The Washington Post called Tuaca the “new Jagermeister” and said that it’s a “shot of a generation”. This is certainly true - one of the best ways to drink Tuaca is icy cold and either shoot or sip it.  However, in my opinion, it’s more complex spirit for just a shot.

When I’ve got all the ingredients in stock, I prefer a “Tuaca Twister” or a “Consigliere”  (recipes below) and if I don’t have everything on hand, I go simple and have Tuaca and ginger ale. There’s a million different things you can do with Tuaca though, so experiment. There’s very little that you can’t mix with Tuaca. It mixes amazingly well with Bourbon or Tequila, and provides a soft edge to drinks.

Tuaca has been available in the States for ages, and has recently launched in Canada, which just makes me happy. I don’t know what you’re doing tonight, but I’m going to have dinner, and go get the ingredients for a Tuaca Twister, and if I can find Giffard Citrus, an Italian Sour as well.

Italian Sour

In shaker filled with ice add:
2oz Tuaca
1oz Giffard Citrus Syrup
1oz Egg white
2-3 dash old fashioned bitters
Shake hard and pour into double rocks glass

Tuaca Twister

1.5 oz Tuaca
1 oz Finlandia Lime Vodka
1 oz Midori Melon Liqueur
Splash of Sprite or 7-up
Pineapple Juice

Pour the Midori  into the bottom of a rocks glass. Add ice. Shake tuaca, vodka, soda and pineapple juice over ice. Carefully pour into the rocks glass, ideally, not disturbing (too much) the Midori.

Consigliere

In Double Rocks glass muddle orange peel (no flesh) with brown sugar (1/3
tsp) and 2-3 dash old fashioned bitters
FIll Glass with ice.

In Shaker filled with ice:
Add 1.5oz Tuaca
Add 0.5oz Jack Daniels
Stir until very cold
Strain into double rocks glass.

I just finished fighting a nasty cold, and as soon as people hear me speak, they figure it out pretty quickly and then tell me to go curl up and create myself one of many Old Wive’s Tales to cure the common cold.

So, what are these ‘cures’? They mostly centre around the Hot Toddy. There’s tons of different ways you can make a Hot Toddy, from everything to Whiskey, Rum or Gin. The prevailing theory is that a hot toddy’s mixture of piping hot water, rum, and lemon can provide a lot of relief. Alcohol has an anti-inflammatory effect on mucous membranes and can help reduce fever.

(image source: CartoonStock)

Well, ok, sure. I’ve also heard that whiskey will take away a cough (though I’m unsure as to how this works, but go with it), and that shots of tequila taken in a hot bath will speed your recovery from a cold.

Whatever you believe, whether these will really work or not,  you stand the chance to at least forget you have a cold for a little bit.

Gin, honey and lemon
2oz of Gin
2 tbsp of honey
Juice of one lemon

Pour it all in a mug and top it off with boiling water, breathe vapors deeply while drinking, sleep.

Cure All Toddy
1-2 oz Scotch whiskey
1-2 tsp lemon juice
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
2-5 whole cloves
honey to taste (optional)
Hot water

Put the lemon juice, cloves and whiskey in a glass or mug. Fill the glass with hot water. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey, if used. Stir. Sip slowly, and inhale the vapors if you have head or chest congestion. Substitute rum for the whiskey if you prefer.

If i told you that Castries Peanut Rum Creme tasted like alcoholic peanut butter, you’re either going to love it or hate it, almost right off the bat.

This is probably the creamiest, richest rum liqueurs I’ve ever tasted. It’s a lovely blend of Madagascar vanilla, cream, peanuts, spices and St Lucian rum.

At first, I wasn’t sure how this would taste, and whether I’d actually like it, but this is ridiculously mixable. For that matter, I can imagine pouring this over a really good vanilla ice cream for dessert.

The best thing about this liqueur has got to be the versatility.

My three favourite cocktails from using Castries have got to be:

Castries PB & J
Shake a couple of ounces of Castries Peanut Rum Creme over ice, pour it into a martini glass, and finish it off with a pour of Chambord raspberry liqueur. The Chamboard sinks to the bottom of the glass and ends up looking very pretty. You can leave it there for a fruity finish or give it a stir for a more complex flavour.

Peanut Butter Cup
1 oz Godiva chocolate liqueur
1 oz premium vanilla vodka
2 oz Castries Rum Creme

Shake vigorously over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. If you really want to impress your guests, drizzle chocolate sauce on the insides of the glass.

Crushed Velvet (this one might surprise you)
1 oz tawny port
2 oz Castries Rum Creme

Shake lightly over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Float two dollops of whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg.

[image source: Castries Peanut Rum Creme]