Flair Project
I know that we can’t quite call it a winter in California, but I am very excited about the cold-ish weather that we have been experiencing in the last week or so. Now, I know that for those you who have “real” winters (with snow and whatnot), 60 degrees doesn’t necessarily make you dream of curling up on the couch with a hot toddy in hand, watching reruns of Friends in your coziest PJ’s.
I love cocktails…I know, it’s a bit obvious at this point. But everyone who knows me, knows that I also have a sweet tooth, especially when it comes to Italian desserts! Panna Cotta, Tiramisu, Cannoli, you name it, I will eat it. Even though I grew up in Bulgaria, one of my favorite ways to indulge after a meal was to nibble on coffee soaked biscotti cookies.
I know that Halloween is all about creative costumes, trick or treating and allowing yourself to eat candy like there is no tomorrow. But “The day of the dead” is also about spending time with friends, and yes, we are all adults here so I’ll just say it: it’s a day to drink.
With online recipes in the thousands, it almost seemed pointless trying to get on the limoncello tutorial bandwagon. But I have been working in an Italian restaurant for the past nine years, where the owner, Sofia makes homemade limoncello every week.
Yes, when you hear “dream wedding,” you most likely think this was the bride’s perfect wedlock (and we really hope it was), but Lacey and Bill’s wedding was one of our favorite celebrations we have had the pleasure to bartend this year.
If you are anything like me, then you might hate yourself just a little bit every time you use grenadine. I mean, I try to do my best to avoid it, partly because it’s a bit predictable, and partly because of its bad rep (even though homemade grenadine is actually pretty good). But let’s be real, once I see grenadine on that cocktail menu, my mind is immediately taken back to my college years and memories of drinking tequila sunrises with funky orange juice and overly syrupy grenadine dripping down the glass. Well, now, I am most likely skipping to the next page of that cocktail list!
If you asked me what’s the quintessential autumn cocktail, a fluffy whiskey sour would definitely be on the top of my list. And yes, I did say fluffy! Even though you can certainly combine a healthy dose of bourbon with some sour mix and call it a day, I would always vouch for egg whites in my “sour” cocktails.
And while I dig the frothiness the egg whites bring in a shaken drink, it seemed unfair that my vegan friends were stuck on drinking flat whiskey sours, while I was licking the foam mustache off my face.
Classic cocktail videos in under a minute
No no, this is not a typo, and I am not trying to trick you with a catchy title – this is happening! I am not sure who started it first and why, but mustard concoctions have been gaining popularity over the last few years. From mustard seed infusions to actual mustard as a recipe ingredient, these bright yellow and slightly spicy cocktails have been popping up on cocktail menus in bars all over the country, and I love it!
Melon has to be my go to summer flavor. I spent most summers at my grandparents’ farm, where the melon field spread as far as the eye could see. Picking up cantaloupes from my grandma’s garden was one way to earn your “playtime” back then. And even though harvesting them wasn’t exactly a picnic, feasting on home grown melons, wrapped with whatever cold cuts my grandma was able to get her hands on that week, had to be one of the high points of my summers. Needless to say, I can eat melon in any shape or form, but I have always found fresh melon cocktails rather disappointing, often lacking that genuine melon taste.
I’ve always found making summer cocktails with bourbon somewhat challenging, as I usually don’t mix bourbon with what most people presume to be summer ingredients – watermelon, pineapple, mango, passion fruit, etc. When I think of summer cocktails with Bourbon, personally, I think the classic Mint Julep is the way to go.
I hope you can get past the rather unusual title here. When we are talking about cocktails, fat washing might sound bizarre or borderline discussing, but washing” alcohol with fats (and oils) is an excellent way to infuse without over seasoning while adding a unique texture to a spirit.
If you are a frequent reader of our blog, then you might know that we love making, what we call, complex cocktails. And no, I don’t mean overly complicated drinks or using rare ingredients and unusual combinations of flavors that no one has thought of mixing before. I’m talking about paying attention to more than just the initial taste when a cocktail hist your lips.