Archives for July, 2008

Spirited Dinner at the Bourbon House in New Orleans

July 17, 2008

Join John Martin at the very special “Spirited Dinner” of “Tales of the Cocktail.”

Executive Chef: Darin Nesbit
Chef: Neil Mockovak
Special bar chef: LeNell Smothers

More information: Bourbon House Spirited Dinner (PDF).

Bourbon House
144 Bourbon Street
New Orleans LA 70130
www.bourbonhouse.com

07/14/2008 | Events, Food, Spirits | No Comments

Houston Wine Geeks at Divino Wine Bar

July 9, 2008

littlerestaurantleft2.jpgScared of WineSpeak?

Embarrassed when you have to read and order from a wine list? Want to know more about wine and how to enjoy it?

Houston Wine Geeks is an informal group of wine enthusiasts focused on the ins-and-outs of wine appreciation and wine education.

  Interested? Sign up and RSVP for our next meeting. Come every week or come when you can!

FYI: We use www.meetup.com as our RSVP/Membership tracking tool. It’s free for you!

This Meeting

Join us at Divino as we sample their extensive wine by the glass menu.

Divino Wine Bar and Restaurant
1830 West Alabama
Houston TX 77098
(713) 807-1123
www.divinohouston.com

About Divino Wine Bar and Italian Restaurant

Established in 2001 by father and son team of Jim & Patrick McCray, divino offers an authentic food and wine experience in the tradition of Italy’s much loved trattorias and enotecas.

Divino’s wine program is highlighted by an eclectic, Italian heavy wine list, with as many as thirty wines offered by the glass. A user-friendly pricing policy allows diners to enjoy fine wines for significantly less than at many of Houston?s restaurants.

The kitchen offers both classic and modern dishes that represent the best of regional Italian cooking. Specialties include housemade pastas including the signature “Emily’s Goat Cheese Ravioli,” seasonal specials and exquisitely prepared seafood. A special emphasis is given to the cooking of Emilia-Romagna where Patrick trained as a chef.

07/09/2008 | Events, Wine | No Comments

The Great American Cocktail

Here’s a little ditty I found in Google Books.

The Great American Cocktail

Since Dionysius blithe and young inspired old Hellas air
  And beat the muses at their game, “with vine leaves in his hair;”

Since Wotan quaffed oblivion to Nieblungen gold,
  And Thor beside the icy fjord drank thunder-bolts of old;

Since Omar in the Persian bowl forgot the fires of hell
  And wondered what the vintners buy so rare as that they sell —

What potion have the gods bestowed to lift the thoughts afar
  Like that seductive cocktail they sell across the bar?

Perhaps it’s made of whiskey and perhaps it ’s made of gin;
  Perhaps there’s orange bitters and a lemon peel within;

Perhaps it’s called Martini and perhaps it’s called, again,
  The name that spread Manhattan’s fame among the sons of men;

Perhaps you like it garnished with what thinking men avoid —
  The little blushing cherry that is made of celluloid;

But be these matters as they may, a cher confrère you are
  If you admire the cocktail they pass across the bar.

page 480
Beverages, Past and Present: An Historical Sketch of Their Production
by Edward Randolph Emerson. Published 1908

07/04/2008 | Spirits | No Comments

The Trinidad Spritzer

I arrived at Vietopia twenty minutes early. Now, arriving early is normal for me, it gives me time to case the place. I sat down in the bar to wait for my group to arrive and for me to get ready for a relaxing evening out.

Vietopia Vietnamese Cuisine
5176 Buffalo Speedway
Houston TX 77005
(713) 664-7303

“What would you like to make for me?” I ask Victor, the barman, a stylish young man who looks like he might be tending bar at night and attending college during the day.

“Oh, anything you like. I know them all,” is Victor’s confident reply.

“Negroni, up,” I say, not wanting to task his skills or threaten his confidence.

“Sure, What’s in it?”

He and I talk a little and it seems that Victor, the barman, had set my expectations a bit high. It also seems that Victor, the barman, has no Campari.

“You have a nice bottle of Woodford Reserve, so how about a Manhattan, up?” I ask.

Angostura Bitters

“Sure, no problem.”

Turns out that Victor can make a nice Manhattan. So I sit and sip as my friends arrive, one by one, each also asking Victor for a drink that he might be able to make. Some he knows, some he doesn’t. (The request for a sazerac blows him away completely.)

My Manhattan has gone dry. Now, here’s a trick that I learned long ago, although it’s not always one that I abide by. It’s called “One strong. One weak.”

“Victor, I’ll take a Trinidad Spritzer.”

“Sure. What’s that?” is Victor’s well-anticipated reply.

“A Trinidad Spritzer is club soda from your gun, topped with about four or five healthy dashes of Angostura bitters.”

Trinidad Spritzer

5 ounces club soda
1 teaspoon Angostura bitters (4-5 dashes)

Pour soda over ice in a rocks glass, top with bitters.
Do not stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Serve with a straw or swizzle stick.

“One strong. One weak. That’s my secret for a long night out. I’ll be here another three hours and I’ll want to drive home when I’m done.”

07/02/2008 | Food, Spirits | 1 Comment