Chester’s Rum Punch Developed by Chester Browne Mount Gay Rum Global Brand Ambassador and Mixologist
4 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Angostura Bitters
12 oz Grenadine Syrup
19 oz Mount Gay Eclipse Rum
13 oz Sugar Syrup
1 tsp Nutmeg
18 oz Water
In a punch bowl, mix all ingredients together, allow to rest for two hours, serve over ice and garnish with a cherry.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tales of the Cocktail 2010:Bigger, Better, Boozier & Bonnie-less
I am just back from New Orleans and the 2010 Tales of the Cocktail. I am still marinating in the swirl of all that swizzling. I am starting to emerge from the fog of summer steamed French Quarter streets and sampling sips from the now ubiquitous little plastic Tales of the Cocktail logo cups(think little Mardi Gras "Go" cups). My Grandmother called it "thawing out".
I use this moment of mid-thaw as an opportunity. While in this foggy little Dame state, the drinks that will come most immediately to mind are the best ones. These are the ones that made the strongest inpression upon my seeking palate. The ones that stood out and were most delicious. The ones that if it was offered to me right now I would gladly accept.
I suggest that you try this too. If you were at Tales 2010 and like Camper English journaled without a trace of irony "Every Drink I Had at Tales 2010" http://www.alcademics.com/ , I instruct you to put the tasting notes away and listen to your gut. Quick, what was the best thing you tasted?
I was surprised by how delicious 4 drinks were. I would sip any of them right this minute.
They are:
1. Greenmarket Melonball (at Cafe Adelaide spirited dinner)
2. Rear Admirals Grog ( at my seminar w/ Camper English)
3. Ramos Gin Fizz made by Lu Brow at the Swizzle Stick Bar at Cafe Adelaide
4. Maximillian Affair ( by Misty Kalkofen)
5. Honorable Mention goes to Lu Brow again for her PERFECT! Old Fashioned.
I use this moment of mid-thaw as an opportunity. While in this foggy little Dame state, the drinks that will come most immediately to mind are the best ones. These are the ones that made the strongest inpression upon my seeking palate. The ones that stood out and were most delicious. The ones that if it was offered to me right now I would gladly accept.
I suggest that you try this too. If you were at Tales 2010 and like Camper English journaled without a trace of irony "Every Drink I Had at Tales 2010" http://www.alcademics.com/ , I instruct you to put the tasting notes away and listen to your gut. Quick, what was the best thing you tasted?
I was surprised by how delicious 4 drinks were. I would sip any of them right this minute.
They are:
1. Greenmarket Melonball (at Cafe Adelaide spirited dinner)
2. Rear Admirals Grog ( at my seminar w/ Camper English)
3. Ramos Gin Fizz made by Lu Brow at the Swizzle Stick Bar at Cafe Adelaide
4. Maximillian Affair ( by Misty Kalkofen)
5. Honorable Mention goes to Lu Brow again for her PERFECT! Old Fashioned.
Monday, April 12, 2010
WSWA 2010 Headlines, Highlights, Highballs & High Hopes
In advance of our trip to Tales of the Cocktail, I offer the following re-posting of our trip to WSWA. Are the trends holding true?
I have just returned from Las Vegas where the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America concluded their 2010 exposition, conference and convention. This was the 67th version of this thirstquenching event. Attempts at full disclosure require that I went as the guest of this fine organization. This event took place at Cesars Palaceand some Imperial Imbibing did indeed take place. Not in an excessive way but rather in quality sense. On display and debut were wines and spirits of such exceptionally rare and fine quality that one might easily believe that they were destined for the Emperor's lips alone. There were some astonishingly delicious things presented there that I hope to meet in a glass again somewhere in my lifetime.
Craig Wolf, WSWA President & CEO was our host and was as welcoming and accessible an ambassador as one could hope for from a multi-billion dollar industry leader. He did not have an easy task. Wolf was charged with balancing the challenging economy, "persistently high unemployment" and all the effects of a deep recession. This event managed to strike a balance between the market driving innovations, new products, luxuries and classic brands that bode well for us tipplers in the year to come.
The Wine & Spirits Tasting Panel:How to Win a Double Gold Medal
There is a Spirits judging that takes place at WSWA. Expert & esteemed judges assemble for a "blind" tasting. Products compete in different categories in the preliminary rounds and advance to broader category winners. Best gins, vodkas, and rums all compete for "Best White Spirit" and the best Scotch, Rye, Bourbon, Cognac and Irish Whiskies all compete in the "Best Brown Spirit" competition. Flight after flight arrived in identical clear round rocks glasses, identified only by a black sharpie block letter , sans ice, ready to be quaffed; the "blind" nature of the tasting.
For most of us professionals, we sample and review almost everything. Each sip we taste with a freakish taste memory and signature spitting action. Like the pink elephants these lovely sippers can lead to, we never forget. Many of us can identify by aroma alone or by aroma and taste the blind samples. Things we have fallen in love with are the easiest to spot in the crowd. Curiously though, so are the worst things we taste each year. Classic St. Pauly Girl beer ads once promised 'You never forget your first girl." For spirits industry professionals, journalists & judges this gets translated into "you never forget your worst sips."
Spirits judges are a lot worth befriending and following. Want to know what is worth trying, just ask what they have in that glass marked with a black block letter upper case F. You know something is worthwhile when the judges ask to keep a sample at the end of a flight session. Something worth revisiting is the first badge of honor among the jurists. Keeping it for personal consumption is the second. More than a few sips were kept for personal consumption good. These were the ones that were, by and large, good enough for the emperor too. Judges know when to sip and when to spit. It is a survival skill honed over years of educational tastings and peddlers introducts ( and pleadings). So I let them lead. The F it turned out was a noble Scotch whiskey later revealed to be the Double Gold medal winning Highland Park. Yum. Score one for the professionals.
I was fortunate to sit in with the judges for several rounds of this historic tasting. let me be the first to say that not everything was delicious. But before you think about quitting your day job to become a "spirits judge" let me warn you this;like all competitions, judging is fraught with unforseen perils. I know from personal experience. I was asked to be a judge in the National Pie Championship in Celebration, Florida. Over 2 days I tasted over 80 "bites" of pie. Do the math. That is a lot of pie and sadly it was a lot of shitty pie. I am sorry there was just no other way to put it. I was assigned to the Nut Pie category. On Day 1, I personally tasted over 63 really bad, cheap, commercial, food service, "must be destined for a prison or nursing home because no free person would ever eat this bad pie" pies. I will also offer that I tasted one "perfect pie" during Best in Show Judging alongside industry experts. The winner was a cherry pie, and I don't even like cherry pie, but this was head & shoulders better than everything else. During this round of judging I gave zero points to a crowdpleasing entry that was a cake not a pie, created in a spring-form molded high sided pan. I let my law school training get a little too aggressive in defending my point that if you asked 100 Average Americans ( ala Family Feud) what this creation was, no one would say " oh that is a pie". I staked my pie judging reputation on it. I was not asked back. But I stand by my honor and judgement that day. See it for yourself some late late night on Food Network during the oft re-run show. Mine are the perfectly manicured hands holding each slice for the cameras.
Oh back to the booze. Let me just offer that Judging is really hard. There were lots of really bad sips that "had to be tasted". Nothing can prepare the judge for what is bad to come. Loust does not always look sinister in the glass. Aromas can be decieving. Sometimes one can look at characteristics like neon color, or viscosity and guess about what horror lurks in the glass. Not always. The bad stuff can sneak up on you and then whango, that'll be it. Suckerpunched.
But on this day in Las Vegas, Ann R. Tuennerman aka Mrs. Cocktail, co-founder of Tales of the Cocktail, and her four gentlemen tablemate judges, including the the charming Aidan Demerest of First and Hope,made it look easy. So at the risk of not having learned my lesson, I offer this. My first sip of the tasty Adult Chocolate milk and the first sip of the horrible PB& J cream liquor, so bad I will not name it. Afterwhich I became more cautious. I watched the judges, listened and follower their lead. A glass of clear liquid was immediately enjoyed by all the judges and voted gold. I tasted the sample from the glass marked A and fell in love instantly all over again with what I knew was Vermont Spirits Gold, a Vodka produced in small batches from Maple Syrup. This heavenly stuff is what I call the world's most perfect vodka.
I have just returned from Las Vegas where the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America concluded their 2010 exposition, conference and convention. This was the 67th version of this thirstquenching event. Attempts at full disclosure require that I went as the guest of this fine organization. This event took place at Cesars Palaceand some Imperial Imbibing did indeed take place. Not in an excessive way but rather in quality sense. On display and debut were wines and spirits of such exceptionally rare and fine quality that one might easily believe that they were destined for the Emperor's lips alone. There were some astonishingly delicious things presented there that I hope to meet in a glass again somewhere in my lifetime.
Craig Wolf, WSWA President & CEO was our host and was as welcoming and accessible an ambassador as one could hope for from a multi-billion dollar industry leader. He did not have an easy task. Wolf was charged with balancing the challenging economy, "persistently high unemployment" and all the effects of a deep recession. This event managed to strike a balance between the market driving innovations, new products, luxuries and classic brands that bode well for us tipplers in the year to come.
The Wine & Spirits Tasting Panel:How to Win a Double Gold Medal
There is a Spirits judging that takes place at WSWA. Expert & esteemed judges assemble for a "blind" tasting. Products compete in different categories in the preliminary rounds and advance to broader category winners. Best gins, vodkas, and rums all compete for "Best White Spirit" and the best Scotch, Rye, Bourbon, Cognac and Irish Whiskies all compete in the "Best Brown Spirit" competition. Flight after flight arrived in identical clear round rocks glasses, identified only by a black sharpie block letter , sans ice, ready to be quaffed; the "blind" nature of the tasting.
For most of us professionals, we sample and review almost everything. Each sip we taste with a freakish taste memory and signature spitting action. Like the pink elephants these lovely sippers can lead to, we never forget. Many of us can identify by aroma alone or by aroma and taste the blind samples. Things we have fallen in love with are the easiest to spot in the crowd. Curiously though, so are the worst things we taste each year. Classic St. Pauly Girl beer ads once promised 'You never forget your first girl." For spirits industry professionals, journalists & judges this gets translated into "you never forget your worst sips."
Spirits judges are a lot worth befriending and following. Want to know what is worth trying, just ask what they have in that glass marked with a black block letter upper case F. You know something is worthwhile when the judges ask to keep a sample at the end of a flight session. Something worth revisiting is the first badge of honor among the jurists. Keeping it for personal consumption is the second. More than a few sips were kept for personal consumption good. These were the ones that were, by and large, good enough for the emperor too. Judges know when to sip and when to spit. It is a survival skill honed over years of educational tastings and peddlers introducts ( and pleadings). So I let them lead. The F it turned out was a noble Scotch whiskey later revealed to be the Double Gold medal winning Highland Park. Yum. Score one for the professionals.
I was fortunate to sit in with the judges for several rounds of this historic tasting. let me be the first to say that not everything was delicious. But before you think about quitting your day job to become a "spirits judge" let me warn you this;like all competitions, judging is fraught with unforseen perils. I know from personal experience. I was asked to be a judge in the National Pie Championship in Celebration, Florida. Over 2 days I tasted over 80 "bites" of pie. Do the math. That is a lot of pie and sadly it was a lot of shitty pie. I am sorry there was just no other way to put it. I was assigned to the Nut Pie category. On Day 1, I personally tasted over 63 really bad, cheap, commercial, food service, "must be destined for a prison or nursing home because no free person would ever eat this bad pie" pies. I will also offer that I tasted one "perfect pie" during Best in Show Judging alongside industry experts. The winner was a cherry pie, and I don't even like cherry pie, but this was head & shoulders better than everything else. During this round of judging I gave zero points to a crowdpleasing entry that was a cake not a pie, created in a spring-form molded high sided pan. I let my law school training get a little too aggressive in defending my point that if you asked 100 Average Americans ( ala Family Feud) what this creation was, no one would say " oh that is a pie". I staked my pie judging reputation on it. I was not asked back. But I stand by my honor and judgement that day. See it for yourself some late late night on Food Network during the oft re-run show. Mine are the perfectly manicured hands holding each slice for the cameras.
Oh back to the booze. Let me just offer that Judging is really hard. There were lots of really bad sips that "had to be tasted". Nothing can prepare the judge for what is bad to come. Loust does not always look sinister in the glass. Aromas can be decieving. Sometimes one can look at characteristics like neon color, or viscosity and guess about what horror lurks in the glass. Not always. The bad stuff can sneak up on you and then whango, that'll be it. Suckerpunched.
But on this day in Las Vegas, Ann R. Tuennerman aka Mrs. Cocktail, co-founder of Tales of the Cocktail, and her four gentlemen tablemate judges, including the the charming Aidan Demerest of First and Hope,made it look easy. So at the risk of not having learned my lesson, I offer this. My first sip of the tasty Adult Chocolate milk and the first sip of the horrible PB& J cream liquor, so bad I will not name it. Afterwhich I became more cautious. I watched the judges, listened and follower their lead. A glass of clear liquid was immediately enjoyed by all the judges and voted gold. I tasted the sample from the glass marked A and fell in love instantly all over again with what I knew was Vermont Spirits Gold, a Vodka produced in small batches from Maple Syrup. This heavenly stuff is what I call the world's most perfect vodka.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
El Charro Cafe Celebrates 88 Years of Family and Flavor
Last night, the incomparable Carlotta Flores, Madrina of the Flores/Flin/Charro clan and de facto keeper of the flame of family legend, channelled her Aunt and El Charro founder, Monica Flin. Carlotta held a dinner at the Ventana location of El Charro on Kolb Road in Tucson, Arizona. The evening featured a mix of sipping and storytelling, eating and nostalgia. An original menu was created that revived three fabulous dishes from each "era" of El Charro's nearly 90 year run.
El Charro cuisine has in many respects stayed the same over the years. The original ground beef Taco i enjoyed last night was "authentic" according to the several "old timers" in attendance at the event. A home made corn tortilla was filled with the ground beef mixture, redolent with mexican oregano and a beso of garlic, the sealed linto a half-moon shape and deep fried. The entire thing. Fried. Until the crispy corn tastes like the greatest Frito you ever had, and the meat is sealed in a juicy state of corn suspension. Loaded on top are fresh crispy lettuce, cabbage, radish slices and nits of tomato. Heaven. I was hooked. I was also unashamed to ask for seconds. I did not grow up with this food. If I had, who only knows what would have happened.
Patron Tequila was the official co-host for the Tequila tasting portion of the event. With each course aa Patron Tequila sip was offered to showcase the natural and harmonious marriage that can be created when the shared roots are respected and highlighted.
It was a magical evening. For those whose families have called Tucson home for up to 5 generations, it was a trip back in time. The most charming moments came when the bone china tea cupsa were brought to the table for each guest from which the final Patron sip would be taken. Back in the Day, Monica Flin would invite her ladies club card players over to the original Charro and sip from lovely bone china cups. Every one thought it was tea. In reality, it held a much stiffer brew. Gracias Carlotta fro sharing so much so generously with us.
El Charro cuisine has in many respects stayed the same over the years. The original ground beef Taco i enjoyed last night was "authentic" according to the several "old timers" in attendance at the event. A home made corn tortilla was filled with the ground beef mixture, redolent with mexican oregano and a beso of garlic, the sealed linto a half-moon shape and deep fried. The entire thing. Fried. Until the crispy corn tastes like the greatest Frito you ever had, and the meat is sealed in a juicy state of corn suspension. Loaded on top are fresh crispy lettuce, cabbage, radish slices and nits of tomato. Heaven. I was hooked. I was also unashamed to ask for seconds. I did not grow up with this food. If I had, who only knows what would have happened.
Patron Tequila was the official co-host for the Tequila tasting portion of the event. With each course aa Patron Tequila sip was offered to showcase the natural and harmonious marriage that can be created when the shared roots are respected and highlighted.
It was a magical evening. For those whose families have called Tucson home for up to 5 generations, it was a trip back in time. The most charming moments came when the bone china tea cupsa were brought to the table for each guest from which the final Patron sip would be taken. Back in the Day, Monica Flin would invite her ladies club card players over to the original Charro and sip from lovely bone china cups. Every one thought it was tea. In reality, it held a much stiffer brew. Gracias Carlotta fro sharing so much so generously with us.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
2010 Olympic Mixlympics in Vancouver
Amid the glorious competition that is a winter Olympics, the Vancouver 2010 Games saw the first ever world Mixology elite compete in the Mixlympics.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
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Wellness. It could be the official motto for Tucson, Arizona. Tucson is known worldwide for its healing. For decades many relocated to Tucson with an asthmatic child, a sick spouse or other loved one to the healing climate and culture of this beautiful desert oasis called the Old Pueblo.The sunshine, warmth and powerful geography combine with Tucson's "magic" to soothe and heal those who come here, whether it is a visit or a lifetime. Today visitors seeking wellness from all over the globe come to Canyon Ranch & Miraval spas, seek the advice of integrative medicine guru Dr. Andrew Weil (a Tucson resident) and to soak up the vitamin D rich sun.Tucson, is the perfect home for Flavorbank Spice Market. As a physician, I believe that we are what we eat. A comprehensive wellness plan must include a healthy diet. Healing can happen through one's choice of foods. With the right components, you can eat yourself healthier. Flavorbank Spice Market is one of the treasures of Tucson. It is a powerful, positive, inspiring sensory oasis of a spice market. I find exquisite whole spices for my own recipes. I am drawn to the "Culinary Apothecary" where freshly ground ginger, turmeric, cinnamon sticks as long as my arm and other exciting aromatics are displayed in a spice salon like setting. I have been all over the world and never seen anything like it anywhere else.Every time I go, I am inspired. Not only by the offerings, but by the culture and generousity of the owner to each and every one of us customers.Owner, Cancer survivor & MS patient Jennifer English lives her mission and her passion to help others achieve a path to wellness through her hands-on education. She takes time to help every customer discover the items that will be right for them. She helps you tate the love. "What's for dinner tonight"? I have heard Jennifer ask on many visits. She really means it, and will help you turn your chicken breasts, or veggies, or ribeye steaks into the best you have ever had with her Santa Maria Rubs, Afrikya by Marcus Samuelsson Berbere(my favorite) or exquisite Sarawak black peppercorn and Brittany Sea Salt ( no wait these are my favorites). I give gifts of cinnamon sticks to make cinnamon water to my own friends for their water bottles & dinner partes because it is really healthy for us.Jennifer usually gives away cinnamon sticks to customers too, as if to make sure they are doing that which is most easy and healthy to add to one's diegest.A picture or some words can not fully communicate and dimensionalize the soul, feeling, aroma and inspiration that is Flavorbank Spice market. Taste the love for yourself, visit Flavorbank.
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