"frappe" news and stories

Happy National Frappé Day!

Our Starbucks generation might be immediately thinking about their frothy java fix, but a frappé covers a much broader range of sips: It refers to any potable mixture frozen to a slushy texture. According to The New Food Lover's Companion, "It can be sweet or savory and served as a drink appetizer or dessert." The term also refers to any liqueur digestif poured over crushed or shaved ice.

Recipes range from fruity (strawberries and cream), to coffee-flavored (a copycat Starbucks' frappé) to dangerously boozy (one absinthe variety uses strictly four ingredients: "sugar, Herbsaint, ice and a long spoon-and what home is without these?"), but there's a frappé to suit every palate. What's your favorite? Share the recipe for your favorite sip in the comments.

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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.