Drinks - - Page 13

by BS

Cocktail O’Clock: Spicy Paloma

Is it me, or this week already looooooooooooong?

Today’s cocktail o’clock comes courtesy of The Roof at Viceroy New York and with a jalapeño-meets-tequila kick, is sure to snap you out of any midweek slumber.

The Spicy Paloma

Mix together:

2 muddled slices of jalapeño pepper
2 oz Casamigos Blanco tequila
.75 oz Aperol
1 oz grapefruit juice
.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz simple syrup

Shake with ice. Strain over ice in highball glass. Add club soda float. Garnish with a grapefruit slice.

by snebbu

Endless Beers: Happy IPA Day!

You may not know it, but it’s National IPA Day! Donut day, coffee day, ice cream day…why not have a day for those of us who take pride in the name “hophead”? Well today’s that day. Many consider the IPA (India Pale Ale) to be the brew that really made a name for craft beer. The IPA is a bold, typically strong in alcohol content, and bitter (in a good way) brew that includes strong notes of citrus. Regardless, today is a day to try an IPA for the first time, try out a crazy new IPA flavor, or crack open your favorite IPA. In the spirit of this wonderful holiday, we worked with some of the best breweries in the nation to bring your our “National IPA Day Roundup.”

Sierra Nevada 2014 Hop Harvest: 6.5 % ABV

Sierra Nevada brings out this annual 5-bottle series that features a single hop, wet hop, fresh hop, and wild hop brews. I had the Equinox Single Hop IPA. Single hop meaning they used only one kind of hop to highlight the aromas and the bitterness. The brew is an easy drink that will put you in the mood for fall. The IPA has typical hop flavors you would expect and then the taste of fresh peppers and spices from the garden comes through.

by BS

Cocktail O’Clock: Head Above Watermelon

My liquid obsession lately has been 21st Amendment Brewery’s Hell or High Watermelon Wheat beer. While some people might scoff at the idea of adding fruit to your beer, it’s actually only a little bit sweet — but has just enough watermelon flavor that it’s about the most refreshing summer beer I’ve ever had. It’s perfect for a picnic or barbecue…we even served it at my recent summer wedding.

So I was delighted to find this recipe, which turns the idea of watermelon wheat beer on its head a bit, crafting a watermelon-tequila cocktail that’s finished with a little hefeweizen. Genius! Hailing from THE LCL: Bar & Kitchen in Manhattan, it even keeps the watermelon pun game going too.

Head Above Watermelon

2 oz Fresh Pressed Watermelon Juice
1.25 oz Casamigos Blanco tequila
.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
.5 oz Simple Syrup
2 oz Alagash Hefeweizen

Shake all ingredients together except the Hefeweizen, pour into chilled brandy snifter, add Hefeweizen and garnish with a mint leaf.

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by snebbu

Endless Beers: Stone Coffee Milk Stout

ABV: 4.2%

Born a limited release, the Stone Coffee Milk Stout survived longer than many other suds offered at the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens. Brewery Trainer Brian Gallagher brewed the ten-barrel batch with Brewing Manager Kris Ketcham. The brew is made with milk sugar and whole coffee beans at a low alcohol content. While session beers are increasingly popular, session stouts are rare to find. The Stone “Coffee Laced” Milk Stout is released nationally on August 4. Here’s the taste!

Stone Coffee Milk Stout Profile:

Appearance: Black and dark – opaque

Aroma: Coffee hits the nose first, followed by flavors of chocolate and even a little bit of licorice

Taste: First taste is roasted coffee bitterness followed by semi-sweet chocolate. Then, sweet and creamy malty flavors come through.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and light going down. However, the brew finishes dry and crisp.

Overall: This is a pleasant surprise for a session brew. The brew has the light texture of a session brew, but the full flavors of a stout. The creamy and sweet notes of a milk stout come through from beginning to end of the drink. The bitterness of coffee beans begin the sip and chocolate follows. The beer is a good drink after dinner, or even during the day.

Suggested Pairings:

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by snebbu

A Very Dogfish Vacay: The Brew Pub

Next stop in Delaware: the Brew Pub. The Brew Pub is located in Rehoboth Beach, DE. While the pub serves some tasty foods, let’s be honest—it’s all about the beer. The Brew Pub is where Sam Caglione started the brewery. While the main “flagship” brews are made at the brewery in Milton, every beer starts as an experimental in the Brew Pub. This means that here you are likely trying a beer that you may never be able to have again. You are helping decide the fate of the precious suds we’ve all learned to love and enjoy.

When we visited, there were several rarities for us to try. The best bet is going with a flight and picking either the most outrageous brews available, or those that you’ve never had before. From there, you can decide which brews you’d like to have again and again before you leave the pub. While it is home of many rarities, it also has just about everyone of their seasonal and flagships. But you can get those just about anywhere. Go for the ones that you may never be able to get again. The brew pub also has signature beer cocktails that are worth a try.

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by snebbu

A Very Dogfish Vacay: The Inn

Many think of Delaware for its fun, party-hopping beach towns. I think of beer. We went down for a long weekend to enjoy the beaches and of course – Dogfish Head Brewery. As I looked into the trip, I noticed that the Dogfish Inn just opened and we decided to try it out for a night. Dogfish Head is slowly taking over the entire territory of Delaware Beaches. The Inn is located in Lewes, DE, which is conveniently between the brew pub and the brewery. Originally, Dogfish started a “360 Experience” where customers could stay at a specific hotel and were given preferential treatment at both the brew pub and the brewery. Then, one day Sam Caglione (Founder of Dogfish Head Brewery) noticed an Inn up for sale and took advantage of the opportunity. Now, the experience is truly 360 from beginning to end.

We didn’t know what to expect except for what the reviews said. I read early on that the Inn does not supply or sell beer. I was disappointed to begin with, since I am staying at an Inn created by the mind behind Dogfish Head Brewery. One of the first questions I asked is why they don’t sell or provide beer. The innkeeper, Andrew (who has a very admirable and thick beard) explained that Sam did not want to open up further competition in the town of Lewes. Since Sam is a resident of Lewes, he wanted to promote business at the local eateries and bars. Every night, the inn posts which local bars and restaurants have what Dogfish brews on tap. We asked the staff about several of the restaurants, and they were very knowledgeable about the best food and best prices. They will also call ahead if you want to eat at the Brew Pub, or if you want to take a tour. The Inn will make the arrangements for you.

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by snebbu

Cigars and Beers: The Perfect Pair

One of the perks of being a craft beer fan is that breweries are always doing crazy, interesting things. For instance, Flying Dog introduced an old bay beer, Stone collaborates with everyone and their sister, and Telegraph Brewing Company is even helping a band release their album ON their label. That being said, it should be no surprise that Flying Dog collaborated with CAO Cigars to create a suggested Craft Beer and Cigars pairing. Together, the two determined which Flying Dog beers would pair the best with which CAO Cigars. Then, they packaged the cigars and published the pairings for all to try. Turns out they were pretty spot-on. Check out the pairings, the beers, and the cigars. If you can’t find either in your area, take the style of each and pair them together.

Here’s what you can expect from the Flying Dog/CAO pairing:

Flying Dog Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout and CAO Mx2

The oyster stout carries the typical malty sweetness, but finishes dry and includes earthy and bitter undertones throughout. It’s definitely an interesting stout worth trying. Be warned – this is not a breakfast stout style, so the sweetness is not as strong as it is in other stouts. The Mx2 cigar is paired well with this stout. The cigar complements the dry and bitter finish of the stout. The Mx2 is a darker cigar, but not as bold as you may think. Instead, it has a medium strength with a smooth smoke from beginning to end. The flavors of the cigar include some herbal spice characteristics as well as those of coffee and bitter chocolate.

Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA and CAO Sol

Hoppy meets Spicy. The snake dog delivers the promised citrus and hop flavors throughout the brew. Nice crisp mouthfeel makes it a refreshing brew with a bitter and sweet bite. Not sure what to expect, I lit the CAO Sol and was pleasantly surprised with the spicy taste that went with the IPA. The cigar had a peppery flavor throughout the smoke. Moving through the smoke, earthy notes and even some citrus were included. Another medium cigar, but it complemented the IPA well. Possibly a tie for first place in this pairing list…

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