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by BS

Who Mixed It Better? Sex and the City Cocktails

Congrats to last week’s Who Cooked It Better winner, Plaid Ninja, whose shot of Joe’s Best Burger was voted tastiest hamburger on the Internet. Anyone have Memorial Day burger stories to share? Do tell.

Moving on – if you are an American woman or gay male between the ages of 16 and 64, you’re fully aware that the Sex and the City movie premiers in theaters this weekend. And if you’re dating anyone who fits that description, you’re painfully aware of it. While I’m hesitant to promote the pop culture phenomenon that almost single-handedly turned my hometown into a stiletto-heeled amusement park, it’s safe to say this thing is gonna be pretty inescapable. Fortunately, Skyy Vodka has invented four Sex and the City cocktails to help us revel in the excitement and/or dull the pain. The only question is, which one of these sugary alkie concoctions should we whip up a batch of to get us through the weekend?

In the top left corner is the Carrie, aka the New Cosmo, vodka mixed with mango nectar, lime juice, simple syrup and triple sec. Perhaps one step over the line from sickly-sweet to just plain sickly, but the dried mango garnish adds some trendy points.

Top right is Charlotte’s rich bitch drink. Frangelico, Amaretto, Godiva dark chocolate liqueur (who knew that even existed but I’m sure it is great), mixed with half and half and vodka. This one’s more dessert than cocktail, but it’s hard to imagine how it isn’t tasty

Bottom left is Miranda’s power-woman drink, which uses the mixer of the moment, pomegranate juice, plus campari, vodka and lemon. Still girly, but this one actually sounds like a real drink. Almost.

Last up is Samantha’s slutty syrup, which mixes vodka with tequila (really?), lime juice and simple syrup. That combo of alcohol sounds like a recipe for puking in your mouth, although as a food snob, I have to love the white pepper garnish.

Oh, and in case you’re not into the drinks-as-candy thing, there’s also a man drink, albeit a very girly man drink. The Mr. Big dulls up your whiskey shot by adding some vermouth and peach bitters. Strained through a martini shaker and served chilled.

All the recipes can be found here.

Photos: Skyy Vodka

Find more cocktail ideas in Endless Cocktails

by BS

WTF?

Earlier this month, good-friends-of ES Vi and Jerry Sizzler visited me in Brooklyn, and of course the weekend was focused on food-related activities, including a visit to Sahadi’s. This 60-year-old mostly Middle Eastern market is Brooklyn’s answer to Zabar’s – a sprawling complex of meats, cheeses, breads, and unique food items from around the world.

The bulk section is the most intense – a crazy array of nuts, beans, dried fruit and snacks. You can’t serve yourself, but instead have to take a number and wait in line, which assures plenty of pre-purchasing salivating time.

Clearly, Vi and I had to sample the weirdest-looking thing we could find, which turned out to be the “half-citron,” the sweet and slightly tangy dried fruit pictured above that looks like it came out of Ghostbusters. It was quite the moment, the servers said “Really? You want the half-citron?” and other customers applauded our bravery, demanding to know what we were going to do with this mysterious fruit.

Clearly, I have no idea what to do with it. It can be easily sliced with a knife or shaved off with a potato peeler, and is pretty tasty, but I’m not about to eat that whole giant thing plain. Any insight/advice would be greatly appreciated.

in Food Travel 7 comments

by BS

The ES Chat: John McCain

As you know, the reporting team here at Endless Simmer makes it our business to inform you of the presidential candidates’ food-related platforms and pitfalls. With the general election campaign just around the corner, the ES Editorial Board is still deadlocked on whether to endorse a candidate. While you might suppose our liberal, big-bacon tendencies have us gunning for an Obama-Clinton dream ticket, GOP-er John McCain isn’t letting us take anything for granted.

Despite several decades in the limelight, the 71-year-old senator’s views on foodie issues are still mostly unknown. Luckily, after a pizza-fueled swing through Brooklyn last week, the presumptive Republican nominee agreed to sit down for one of Endless Simmer’s signature g-chat interviews.

Our (imaginary) chat with Johnny Mac touches on his pizza preferences, Top Chef, the Capitol Hill eating scene, and of course, the secrets to a great passion fruit mousse.

BS@ES: Thanks for agreeing to g with us, Senator. Let’s get right down to business. In a visit to Brooklyn earlier this week, you made one of the toughest decisions facing any candidate visiting New York: where to eat pizza. Walk us through your thinking.

MacIsBack2k8: That’s a fair question and I should admit to some indiscretions in my past. Last time I was in New York, my young staffers took me to one of these new-fangled fairy places in Williamsburg. Supposed to be great or something.

BS@ES: Fornino?

MacIsBack2k8: Some crap like that. It’s hard to believe this is what passes for a pie in this day and age. Decent cheese and sauce, but you should see what these people put on their pizza. Truffle oil! Lamb! Pistachios, for crying out loud. In my day, people didn’t call that pizza.

BS@ES: You might say the variety of toppings was a little too liberal?

MacIsBack2k8: Here’s some straight talk for you, BS. When I visited New York in the 70’s, you could get a decent slice on any street corner in all five boroughs. Today, half of this fancy pants garbage they’re serving in Manhattan and Brooklyn doesn’t deserve to wipe my ass. But if you want a true old school pizza – quality sauce, plenty of mozz., and a stand-up crust that makes the perfect fold – you’ll still find it out here in Bay Ridge – which, I might add, also happens to be the most Republican neighborhood in all of Brooklyn. Not a coincidence, I don’t think.

BS@ES: Are you suggesting Republicans make better pizza than Democrats?

MacIsBack2k8: Look, unlike some of my liberal opponents, I don’t make any grandiose claims. All I’m saying is, you go to Soho, the Upper West Side, Park Slope, you get a a pussy little pie with flimsy crust and all kinds of high-falutin toppings. You go to Bay Ridge, Staten Island, even Long Island, you get a slice. That’s what I’m talking about.

BS@ES: What about toppings then, sir? I notice you opted for ‘ronis.

MacIsBack2k8: Brb.

MacIsBack2k8: After consulting with my press secretary, I want to be sure to state on the record that the tastiest pizza in America happens to come from my home state, the great state of Arizona. Spinato’s in Phoenix is a personal fav.

BS@ES: LOL – tasty pizza in Arizona – that’s a good one, Senator. But let’s be serious. I’m headed to D.C. later this month. Any power lunch spots you recommend?

Artsy Photo of the Day

First thing Gansie asked to see in BS’s Brooklyn apartment this past weekend?

The Spice Rack.

in Photos 15 comments

by BS

How Wheat It Isn’t

Living in New York, I could care less about skyrocketing gas prices – I can count the number of times I’ve driven a car on on my fingers. And to be honest, I’m about ready for this city’s real estate bubble to burst already (got half a mil? you can be the proud owner of a tiny apartment in the middle of a crappy neighborhood!) But this developing wheat crisis is threatening to hit me where it hurts – in the stomach.

That’s right, the pillars of the New York City food chain are about to topple, because rumor has it pizza is heading up to $3 a slice! But that’s not all – next up: bagels for more than a dollar a pop. And no, that doesn’t include cream cheese.

As a rough estimate, I’d say I eat a bagel for breakfast about 17 days a month, and grab a slice of pizza for lunch or dinner maybe 10 times a month. That means the monthly expenses associated with being a New York City bottom feeder just jumped by about $15. Let’s not even think about pizza bagels, which I can only assume are now going for the price of white truffles.

The reason? Bad weather around the globe has hit wheat crops hard, sending prices through the roof. So let’s start praying for some sunshine, people, because if this starts screwing with wheat thins in any way, I am just going to explode.

in Uncategorized 1 comments

by BS

That Barack Obama Sure Knows the Key to Our Heart (Hint: It Contains Alcohol)

Can Barack Obama get any cooler?

As we work our way through the Endless Simmer endorsement process, we’re trying very hard to be perfectly non-partisan political analysts and endorse the candidate who will do the most for food issues, but that sweetheart Barack Obama just isn’t making it easy. Not only does the Great Biracial Hope have his own ice cream – it’s from Ben and Jerry’s and the name is a pun, I think I just might be a fan – but now there is Obama beer. Sixpoint Craft Ale (a great local discovery upon moving to Brooklyn) has introduced “Hop Obama.” Here’s the lowdown, via Brownstoner:

“In keeping with the Illinois senator’s unifying theme, the ‘Hop Obama’ is an indefinable ale that doesn’t adhere to traditional style guidelines.” The beer is being offered for a limited time at select bars in New York and Massachusetts, and the 4th Avenue bar Pacific Standard is one of the places that’s scored some kegs. (Ed. Note: Pacific Standard, near my house, is another new and noteworthy find. They have a long rotating selection of rare brews, with a nifty printed menu that describes the attributes of each. Plus they have a blog. Obv. I can get on board with any bar that has a blog.) The bar’s blog notes that “this beer is about hope and a rejection of beer as usual.”

That makes Barry two-for-two on our “What Not to Waste” list. Your move, Hillary.

in Contests / Desserts / Drinks / Politics 9 comments

by BS

Hott Links: Has Anyone Heard About this Top Chef Show?

Sorry to hit you with the back-to-back Bravo action, but Top Chef 4 starts in Chi-town this evening, and, hey we’re excited. As always, you can count on ES for all your TC gossip, ramblings, and of course, our world wide web famous Padma Lakshmi photo gallery.

– Bravo has a completely unnecessary and completely amazing “Which Top Chef judge are You?” quiz. I won’t tell you which one I matched up with, but let’s just say “though always graceful and poised, I can be playful when the time is right, and I bring a zest for life to everything I do.”

– There’s only one interesting question in this Grub Street interview with Padma Lakshmi, and it’s the last one.

– Time Out NY has the lowdown on Top Chef 3 winner Hung and his latest restaurant stint in NY (they also explain why he’s wearing a yarmulke).

Photo: Time Out NY

in TV 6 comments