"Lenell it all" news and stories

My grandfather grew watermelons, and one of my fondest childhood memories involves chilling a melon in the brisk running water of a creek and later sharing it with friends and family with nothing but a fork and a salt shaker.

You won't find watermelon called for in many classic cocktail books. The watermelon martini grew in popularity at the turn of this century. I will never forget my first watermelon martini (made with equal parts citrus vodka and watermelon juice and a teaspoon of simple syrup) in a patio garden bar in Manhattan in 2000.

Watermelon is practically the essence of summer itself, so take a hot, hazy happy hour to the next level by serving a watermelon punch in a carved out watermelon.

I began bartending many moons ago when hardly anyone had heard of a cocktail competition. I've judged a few, but only ever competed in one, so I sometimes feel quite old when the young whipper snapper bartenders boast how many competitions they've won.

My initial training in Birmingham, Alabama came from a bartender who used to take me to T.G.I. Friday's so I could see how the "serious bartenders" worked. The flashy, bottle flingin' bartenders there competed to see who had the best flair -- and I'm not just talking about the number of decorative stick pins and message buttons on their suspenders. Friday's actually held the first ever "flair bartending competition" in the mid 1980's, inspired by one of their pourers who had a knack for juggling bottles. A few years later, they held the first world championship bartending competition. Fun fact: The winner trained Tom Cruise for the movie Cocktail.

Flair competitions now occur worldwide with large liquor company sponsorship. However, the cocktail competition world has also taken a turn towards actual mixing talent and not just showmanship. Perhaps the Japanese culinary show Iron Chef (with a cult US following) is partially to blame for the rise in competitive drink mixing.

For years whiskey lovers like me have begged the big bourbon distilleries to bottle their unaged whiskey. Sometimes when taking a tour, the distilleries will allow you to taste the spirit right off the still. This fiery, high-proof liquor destined to be bourbon cannot legally be called bourbon until it hits the new charred oak barrel. Up to that time, you'll hear it called a variety of things: white dog, new make spirit, bourbon distillate. You won't hear the distiller call it moonshine.

The term moonshine supposedly goes back to a time when folks avoiding liquor authorities made their booze by the light of the moon. This illicit spirit has also been called mountain dew (yes, now you understand the soda reference) and white lightning. For some reason, though, the term "moonshine" has a romantic, naughty ring to it that reminds you of two strappin', good lookin' country boys in a souped-up orange car called The General Lee helping out poor ole moonshinin' Uncle Jesse. I guess this sexy outlaw connotation is why so many in the press these days are using the term moonshine incorrectly to refer to legal unaged spirit made by licensed distilleries. Moonshine ain't legal and is often made from granulated sugar and not even grain.

No matter how "gourmet" you might consider yourself, at some point in your life you've probably filled your face from a can of commercial whipped cream. Now you can do it all adult-like (or not) with the world's first alcohol-infused whipped cream, Whipped Lightning.

Lightning is the most appropriate term for this grain-alcohol–infused product. A total of eight flavors (a natural and artificial combo) are offered to top your desserts, drinks and body parts. You can't expect real amaretto for $10 a 375ml can, but you will find amaretto flavor in addition to orange, spiced vanilla, white chocolate raspberry, cinnamon, tropical passion, coconut and macadamia.

Created by some wild and crazy guys from Atlanta, Ga., Whipahol (as they affectionately call it on the website) flavors weigh in at a hefty 36.5 proof. You might think alcohol, whipped cream and nitrous oxide is the perfect product for underage antics. However, the creators have opted for Whipped Lightning to be considered solely an alcohol product, not an FDA-regulated food product, so get your identification ready at the check out counter.

Several years ago before it was so hip, bartenders like Alberta Straub took the fresh-juice cocktail movement a notch higher by incorporating organic fruit, vegetables and syrups into creative drinks. Organic spirits followed the return-to-the-earth movements. Now you can even find the world's first certified organic bar in the New York restaurant Gustorganics.

Buying organic spirits often means a premium price for the feel-goods like packaging made from renewable resources and grains and fruit sourced from small farms with low yields.

Some claim that organic spirits are healthier and better tasting without the taint of pesticides and herbicides. Science argues that alcohol evaporates at lower temperatures than chemical residues that might be contained in non-organic liquid, so these residues are left behind anyway. Handcrafted products may or may not taste better. Overindulge even in an earth-friendly spirit, and your head will still pound no matter how good you feel supporting sustainable agriculture.