Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
Back when I was first learning to make drinks, bartenders weren't overwhelmed with a gazillion competitions to prove their skills. Everywhere you turn now, some liquor brand is sponsoring a cocktail competition. As a result, bartenders and mixologists feel the pressure to expand their resumes with accolades and titles.
Last year, B&B celebrated its 70th Anniversary with a Master Mixologist Showcase. I realized I had judged several competitions, but never actually been in one, so I thought this experience would be good to humble an old dog like me. My drink didn't come in first place, but in the words of my British pals "my chat was on fire." What's the use of a bartender if she can't entertain you and make a decent drink at the same time?
The competition took place in New York's historic 21 Club where bartenders first served up a mixture of equal parts brandy and the herbal liqueur known as Bénédictine in the 1930s. Eventually this drink became so popular, Bénédictine decided to start bottling their liqueur with brandy themselves -- in 1937. I named my cocktail after the abbey where the liqueur was born in Normandy, France.
Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
Whiskey and wine consume me as well as I them, but coffee must have captured my heart. Unfortunately, my household move from New York City to Mexico has been held up by the restoration of my antique Faema "Urania" espresso machine. Thank the java gods who inspire rare folks such as the Italian gents at Omnipak Imports in New York to work their magic and lovingly bring back to life such old monster machines. How can I ever serve guests at Casa Cóctel with my dignity intact without a proper machine to make lovely coffee drinks? Coffee is just yet another ingredient in the cocktail pantry.
Sean Muldoon is the mastermind behind the award-winning bar menu of the Merchant Hotel in Belfast. When I say award-winning, I mean they took the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail Spirit Awards by storm, with World's Best Drink Selection, World's Best Hotel Bar and World's Best Cocktail Menu. I had my best ever Irish Coffee in this gorgeous historic bar with the sweetheart, Mr. Muldoon, as my host.
Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
I drink rosé year round. Get over the idea that it's a flimsy soda-pop wine meant for picnics. When in doubt for food pairing, I often go with the pink. Rosé can be so versatile, even as an ingredient in a cocktail.
You can still find Bordeaux bottles every now and then, labeled claret, that are dark, dry, "serious" rosés. For my cocktail feature this week, I strongly suggest picking up a bottle. If not Bordeaux, look for a rosé made with Bordeaux grapes like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc or a malbec that's so dark, it's almost a light red.
Rosé ain't for wimps. Neither is this cocktail named after Rosie, the American icon who represented the many women who went to work in factories to help us make it through World War II. Toast all the beautiful and strong women in your life who make this world a better place!
Get the recipe for Rosé the Riveter after the jump. ...
Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
Hotel bars have the potential to serve as a haven while you are on vacation, but often they are just places to get ripped off for a mediocre drink. When you're lucky enough to happen upon that truly special hotel bar where no detail has been overlooked, the sticker shock on the cocktail menu might just melt away into your highballs.
I had the quintessential hotel bar experience in London's lovely Connaught Hotel. The barmen were as beautiful as the surroundings, but the drinks were the showstoppers. After the most divine martini service ever, the barman suggested I try a margarita.
Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
Do you ever get a little argumentative when you've imbibed a little too much? Alcohol consumption often does loosen up the tongue. After a few drinks with my best friend Ben, I recently got all belligerent about Scotch cocktails.
Anybody who knows me knows I love my American whiskeys: bourbon, rye, wheat, even corn whiskey. I'll always prefer bourbon over Scotch -- although, I do enjoy plenty of Scotch whiskeys too. But I've rarely had a Scotch cocktail that made me want to come back for more.
Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
My man and I just closed on a cozy little house in La Paz, Mexico that we lovingly named Casa Cóctel. While working on the lettering for the Casa Cóctel logo, I was reminded of a cocktail my pal Ben and I made up several years ago called the CiCi -- a blend of cachaça and Campari.
Sweetness often pairs well with bitterness so we went for the pure cane sweetness of a well-made cachaça but added in a touch of Campari, an Italian bitter aperitif made with orange.
Margarita made with Partida Elegante tequila. Photo: Winemeup, Flickr.
Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
Is a spirit ever too good to use in a mixed drink? My answer to this question is inspired by Julia Child, who taught us that, when cooking with wine, use a wine you would be happy to drink, not just some cheap plonk.
And just because you are making a margarita doesn't mean you should grab the cheapest rot-gut tequila. I'm not saying that you have to break your family savings to drink well, but I am saying that I feel no guilt when I use a rare spirit in a cocktail.
My man and I recently closed on a cozy little house in La Paz, Mexico. To celebrate, we popped a bottle of Partida Elegante tequila. Priced upwards of $300, this is not an everyday sipper for most of us.
Been seduced by "Mad Men" yet? Have Frankie Valli on repeat on the Hi-Fi? Find yourself buying dusty vintage TV trays decorated with mallards? Drinking a gin martini, up, for dinner?
OK, we're projecting. Half the Slashfood staff is enamored with the show (see New York Magazine's handy primer) that is about to plunge into its third hard-drinking, heavy-philandering, Gotham-glamorizing season this Sunday. We are over the moon about the style, the cocktail culture, and those insane retro recipes.
It's the perfect excuse for a cocktail party (especially a costumed one), so bust out the pearls and heat up the curlers -- or grab the fedora and tiepin -- because it's totally OK to drink with friends on a Sunday night. No one batted a heavily lined eye at such a thing back in the day.
Our party primer, with tune selections, deviled eggs and LeNell's perfect martini, after the jump.
Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
Back when my little liquor store LeNell's was in operation, my buddy Ben and I would experiment with cocktails during those last few late-night hours working at the shop. He was at my side during the opening of the store right up till the closing. As I shed tears during the process of losing my lease and having to shut down, he reminded me that it's all about the circle. We had built it together, and we were shutting it down together. I was reminded through the tears to keep finding joy and laughter.
Now I'm leaving town for Mexico; my man Demian and I are talking of big-life stuff like marriage and kids, and just bought a house. As for my best friend, he's gonna make me a great man of honor someday.
This is a cocktail of Ben's that reminds me of being a carefree kid in the summer, hearing that "ding ding" of the Good Humor ice cream truck, and running out with my change in hand to get an orange sherbet push-up pop.
Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
I'm not above a little hell-raising, but I swear I was not doing anything illegal a few weeks ago in Mexico when my sweetheart Demian and I got pulled over by the police on the way to the beach.
Demian was accused of drinking and driving.We were eating homemade pesto while driving, but last I checked that wasn't illegal anywhere in the world.We did have an unopened bottle of Champagne iced in a cooler.Demian showed the officer the pesto and the bottle of bubbly.In the end, the cops accused Demian of speeding. His excuse?
Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things, most recently the owner of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
I've been in the mood for tequila of late. Perhaps it's Cinco de Mayo still lingering in the air -- or more likely that week-long vacation in Baja -- but I've got tequila on the brain and on my lips. I love the stuff in my fizzy drinks, and especially in my Dré Fizz Affair.
Ever heard of the Dreyfus Affair? It's a bit of French history involving the wrongful conviction of an officer. The whole ordeal inspired Emile Zola to write "J'Accuse!", a letter addressed to the French President printed on the front page of the newspaper L'Aurore that caused a stir worldwide. And I've got a friend named Dré whom the ladies love almost as much as Dré loves tequila. He is a Numero Uno Tequila Fanatic.
Thus, after the jump, the Dré Fizz Affair, aka Dreyfus, aka what you'll be drinking all summer. You're welcome.
Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
Rock and Rye is an American classic. Rye whiskey sweetened with rock candy and flavored with pieces of fruit and sometimes horehound was among the remedies used to treat colds in the early part of the 20th century. As we roll into June, most of us have avoided swine flu but not "the crud," a seasonal-change head cold or some other lurgy.
With Derby Day racing round the bend and summer hot on its tail, it's mint julep time. Considering the current rage for infusing one's booze, it's only natural to combine bourbon with mint before the two even hit a glass.
Some folks just toss the two together, steeping a few handfuls of leaves in a glass jar. Here's a slightly more precise recipe: Combine about 2 cups loosely packed mint leaves with 3 cups of bourbon, cap tightly and let sit for 4 to 5 days. If short on time, steep overnight (though another cupful of leaves will be necessary -- perhaps more if a very minty taste is desired). Once the liquor is infused, it's a quick jump to mint julep time: Just mix with simple syrup and pour over crushed ice, no messy muddling required. Some prefer to combine liquor, mint and sugar for an all-in-one infusion, but this mint-only rendition allows more flexibility for various levels of sweet tooths. The concoction also makes for a fine Jack n' Ginger (be wary of bourbon purists!), or an excellent Manhattan.
OK, OK, so we're a littleobsessed with bourbon right now. But Derby Day is just around the corner, the sun is starting to make a cameo and, well, bourbon is absurdly delicious.
While at a whiskey-and-barbecue eatery the other night, the bartender stopped short when he heard me order Woodford Reserve, mistaking me for some high-rolling aficionado (I'm new to the cult and have never even tried Pappy Van Winkle). "You like bourbon?" he asked, smiling. With a flourish, he produced this bottle of Vintage 17-year-old bourbon. I laughed when I saw it. Look at that photo! It was like someone saying, "You know what's a high-quality nail polish?" and dramatically presenting you with an old bottle of cherry-red Wet & Wild with its insanely '80s script. How could this be tasty stuff?
One sip shut me straight up. My companion crowed, "It's incredible! It coats the palate with caramel!" All I could muster after a long day writing about food was a sober, "Yeah," and a deep sigh -- the sigh of a woman who had just acquired a very expensive new habit.
New Year doesn't just mark a clean page on a new calendar -- it evokes nostalgia for the times that led to that point. For many, New Year's Eve is a clash of impressions of confetti, champagne corks, standing in the freezing cold (18 degrees in Times Square this year) in hopes of jockeying for a couple of seconds of nationwide camera time. But for some, the best New Year's Eve is not on the streets but in a swank nightclub several stories above, where matrons in furs peer disdainfully at doxies in sequins, where a gentleman's black tie is correctly understood to be quite enough sartorial splendor for his role as escort, where the jewelry is platinum and the hair is marcelled, and where, although champagne is popped at midnight for an obligatory sip, the drink of the evening is the martini.
Into the world of chic, artisinal gins, enter New Amsterdam. Like the pre-code New York of its name, this gin bypasses the cheap sentiment of retro to be outright old-fashioned, without the speakeasy sting of bathtub gin. Soft citrus notes open the palate much as happens with a good sauvignon blanc, but then a strident bite of juniper marches forward, lockstepping like a Busby Berkeley kickline. As a pure sip, the juniper mid-note lingers on the palate; with vermouth or lime, a final spicy note surfaces, very lightly crowned with waft of minerality.
Alabama-born 
New Year doesn't just mark a clean page on a new calendar -- it evokes nostalgia for the times that led to that point. For many, New Year's Eve is a clash of impressions of confetti, champagne corks, standing in the freezing cold (
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