April 2020

When you find yourself with a bit of time on your hands, focusing on refining your craft is something to consider—especially when it also satisfies a need to be creative as well.

For dedicated bartenders, and enthusiasts, who want to tackle some cocktail projects at home, here are a few recipes to consider trying.

Coffee-Infused Sweet Vermouth

Coffee-Infused Sweet Vermouth

Since vermouth is lower in ABV, it does not pull an abrasive bitterness from the coffee beans, but rather a gentle, enticing coffee flavor that is perfect in a Negroni-style cocktail.

Ingredients:

• 1 L Sweet vermouth
• 1/4 cup Medium-roast coffee beans

Preparation: Add the vermouth and whole coffee beans in an airtight container and infuse at room temperature for 45mins. Check and taste to make sure it has pulled enough coffee flavor (max infusion should be an hour). Then strain the mix into a funnel and back into the vermouth bottle, and refrigerate. Save the beans for another use.

Coconut Oil-Washed Gin

Coconut Oil-Washed Gin

Gin has long been the underdog spirit of tropical cocktails. Try this coconut oil-washed gin in a Saturn, or add a half-ounce to a Garibaldi for a riff on the classic two-part Aperitivo, and you are in for a treat.

Ingredients:

• 750 ml gin
• 1 cup unrefined coconut oil

Preparation: Add the oil to a sauce pan and lightly temper the coconut oil with a mix of direct and indirect heat—allow the saucepan to get hot, and then remove from the heat and stir until it melts—then mix with the gin. Sous vide the mixture for 4 to 6 hours at 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Freeze for 4 hours and then strain the gin through a nut milk bag.

If you don’t have a sous vide at home, you can heat some water on a stove in a saucepan, then put the mix of gin and oil in a tempered glass jar, and sit the jar in the water bath for a shorter amount of time. Ideally, at least 4 hours for optimal flavor.

Grapefruit Oleo Saccharum

Grapefruit Oleo Saccharum

“Oleos” are versatile sweeteners that provide balance and high-note flavors simultaneously. The spritz is an excellent application for this specific oleo.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cane sugar
• 2 grapefruits (peels)

Preparation: Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the grapefruit, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible. Combine sugar with the grapefruit zest in a bowl. Toss to coat the peels and distribute them evenly through the sugar. Place the mixture in a vacuum bag (or ziplock) and seal the bag. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for up to 24-36 hours, or until all the sugar is dissolved by grapefruit oil. Then strain the grapefruit oleo into a container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Note: You can also add ~1/2 C boiling water to the mix before straining to increase yield.

Lacto-fermented Fruit

This type of fermentation is incredibly easy to do at home, and is a way of creating unique flavors and acid (lactic acid, specifically, which lends a creaminess and roundness to cocktails). You can use the brine from the ferment on its own in a cocktail, use the fermented fruit for a purée or for garnish—the possibilities and uses are very versatile. The most important thing to note here is safety, so definitely make sure to do some additional reading on the subject as well.

Ingredients:

• 300g fruit
• 7 1/2 g non-iodized salt (preferably fine sea salt)

Note: The salt should always be at least 2% of the weight of the fruit. If the weight of the fruit changes, or you’d like to add more, then make sure to adjust the salt content.

First weigh your fruit on a gram scale. To do so, place the container you plan to weigh them in on the scale and “tare,” or set to “0,” then mark the weight of the fruit. Add your desired amount of salt by weighing it in the same way you weighed the fruit, but it’ll be a percentage of the fruit’s weight (preferably between 2-3%). Then mix the salt with the peaches in a bowl to make sure they’re all covered evenly. If you don’t have a vacuum bag and sealer (which is the preferred option), add the mix into a sanitized mason jar and add a weight to keep the fruit submerged in the brine that forms. Make sure you scrape all the salt from the bowl into the jar as it is important for a healthy fermentation. Leave out of direct sunlight and in a warm place for 5-7 days, then strain the brine into a separate jar and use the solids accordingly (i.e. Make a syrup, purée, garnish, infusion, etc.).

See here for more on lacto-fermentation, and consider buying The Noma Guide to Fermented Foods for more information on best practices and safety tips.

Hickory-Smoked Honey Syrup

Hickory-Smoked Honey Syrup

This syrup is a whiskey’s best friend. Bourbon cocktails, like the Gold Rush, get a layer of nuance from this bold honey syrup.

Ingredients:

• 1g Hickory wood chips
• 1qt honey syrup (2:1)

Preparation: Add the chips to the smoking gun. Have your syrup in a container larger than 1qt so the smoke can occupy enough space to properly fuse with the syrup. Light the chips and start the gun, inserting the hose into the container with the syrup and smoke until it is milky white; then remove the hose and close the container. Leave in the fridge and wait until all the smoke dissipates (approx. 1 day) before using.

The post 5 Creative Cocktail Ingredients for Bartenders to Make at Home appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Cocalero, an authentic South American herbal spirit, has teamed up with Chilled Media to offer Chilled 100 members $50 each for their creative cocktail recipes.

Cocalero

During these unprecedented days of “physical distancing,” now more than ever, it is important to stay socially connected and emotionally invested. To do this, the Cocalero Send Our Spirit Soaring Recipe Program is offering Chilled 100 bartenders a creative outlet, with a chance to show off their passion and expertise, wherever it is they are sheltering in place. Each participant received a bottle of Cocalero Clásico with which to experiment. The participants who share their recipes receive a $50 stipend via Venmo.

Cocalero Cocktail

The post Cocalero Recipe Program Helps Out of Work Chilled 100 Bartenders appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

COVID-19 canceled the world. And boy, do we have a lot of time on our hands.

But instead of watching the grass grow, writer Jodi Helmer suggests watching leaves, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and roots grow.

And then blend them into a cocktail! Her new book, Growing Your Own Cocktails, Mocktails, Teas & Infusions: Gardening Tips and How-To Techniques for Making Artisanal Beverages at Home, shows bartenders and greenskeepers of all sorts not only what goes into a world-class infusion, but how grow a proper “infusion garden” perfect for mixologists to tap when developing the new concoctions we will all be hankering for once quarantine is over.

Jodi Helmer

“In cocktails, an infusion often refers to adding flavorful ingredients such as fruits, herbs, or spices into alcohol and leaving them to steep,” says Helmer. “Infused spirits make a great base for creative cocktails. They can be as simple as adding a single fruit to alcohol or mixing multiple herbs and spices to create a custom flavor.”

Infusions are hardly the latest trendy fad: any upmarket grocery will have rows of oils containing fronds of rosemary, thyme, or peppers within for an added culinary kick. Spa water and herbal tea are infusions.

“Any drink that mixes edible ingredients into liquids is considered an infusion,” Helmer notes.

She recommends starting off with a few basics: lemon verbena, basil, strawberries, thyme, and—in what should come as no surprise—mint. When to plant depends on where one is; May is the traditional sowing month for outside gardens, but for southern climes it can be whenever the threat of frost has passed. Indoor gardens have no such prohibitions so long as sunlight, a good five to six hours of it (strawberries generally need eight), and water are available.

Garden Cocktails

But when and where are just the first steps in planting an infusion garden, or any garden. Plants have their idiosyncrasies and varieties; there are three kinds of strawberry plants alone: June-bearing, everbearing, and day-neutral. When it comes to mint, experienced green thumbs will grow it in a pot away from their other herbs; the plant is notorious for taking over gardens wholesale (ditto for lemon balm, another popular herb). Basil needs a lot of water, thyme not as much. Herbs, which grow like gangbusters, tend to die after they go to seed, so clipping any flowers will assure a longer-lasting plant. And the general rule is that the more you judiciously trim the plants, the more flavorful and leafy they become.

Keep in mind that even the fastest-growing herbs will still take time; basil takes about 75 days to mature, strawberries are harvest-ready around 30 days after the flowers are pollinated. Once you finally have your bushels and pecks, the science of infusion kicks in. Like planting a garden, it is a lesson in patience.

Helmer describes one of her signature fruit infusions: “In a sterilized, air-tight container, like a mason jar, mix three cups of washed, chopped fresh strawberries with four cups of vodka. The infusion should sit for three to five days; shake daily, and start testing the flavor after three days; the longer it sits, the more intense the fruit flavor. Remove the fruit from the vodka—straining it through a cheesecloth will filter strawberry sediment—and store in a new, sterilized glass jar with an air-tight seal. Use the infused vodka in cocktails or drink it straight.”

The five chapters Growing Your Own Cocktails covers the intricacies of botany quickly and easily, from climatic zones to garden design, even preservation techniques for your bounty. Helmer even touches on how everyday weeds like dandelions can be used for unique flavors and garnishes. As the country slips further into state-wide lockdowns, gardens will provide a way to break the monotony and give the owner the satisfaction of seeing something grow and progress. If we have the time, we may as well use it constructively.

The post How to Grow Your Own Infusion Garden appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Here are the winners for week 2 of Chilled Media and 375 Park Avenue Spirits Toast to the Service Industry Program!

Thank you to all the bartenders who have participated and we hope you will enter again next week.

Here are the ten (10) bartenders who will receive $500 each via Venmo and a chance at competing for more cash during the Virtual Live Stream hosted and judged by industry veteran Jonathan Pogash in May.

Vodka Pays the Bills

Vodka Pays the Bills

Robin Wolf – The Hatch Rotisserie & Bar, Chicago

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Van Gogh Vodka
• 1/2 oz. Campari
• 1/2 oz. peppercorn honey syrup
• 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
• Barspoon strawberry jam

Preparation: Shake all ingredients with ice for 10 seconds. Pour without straining into glass. Garish with lemon wheel and pink peppercorns.

“Often under appreciated, vodka is a key player of any great bar. Wonderfully versatile, Van Gogh vodka provides a smooth and luxurious base for flavors like strawberry, peppercorn, Campari and a fresh burst of lemon. Enjoy this easy sipper on your porch or fire escape, and let the sun warm your face.”
– Robin Wolf

Apry Showers Bring May Flowers

Apry Showers Bring May Flowers

Alexandria Bowler – Sazerac Bar at The Roosevelt, New Orleans

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Marie Brizard Apry
• 1 oz. Cognac
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. St. George Coffee Chicory Liqueur
• 1 egg white

Preparation: Pour all ingredients in a shaker tin and shake for 15 seconds with ice, strain cocktail off of ice and dry shake for 30 seconds, strain into a coupe, garnish with edible flowers.

“COVID 19 and the sudden collapse of the hospitality industry has brought significant heartbreak to many. This cocktail is a toast to the idea that there is sunshine after the rain and we will all hopefully come out of this resilient as a more united community. This cocktail celebrates the late spring season in New Orleans where the air is rich with the aromas of succulent white blossoms including jasmine, magnolia, and gardenia. The cocktail is classically balanced with sweet, sour, bitter, and floral while the egg white gives it textural richness and a pedestal to adorn local flowers.”
– Alexandria Bowler

Grace & Cutty

Grace & Cutty

Phil Collins – SMT, LA

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Scapegrace Gin
• 1/2 oz. Cutty Sark Prohibition sedition
• 1/2 oz. Lo-Fi Apertif Dry Vermouth
• 1 oz. olive brine

Preparation: Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Stir for at least 60 seconds. Strain into coupe glass. Garnish with green olives.

“One of my favorites to binge on Netflix (especially now a days) is Grace & Frankie. It gives me a glimpse into what my future with my best friend is going to look like, and never ceases to make me laugh my ass off. Flavor wise, the characters are matched by the delicate “Grace”fullness of the Scapegrace and the bold and strong Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition blend.”
– Phil Collins

Journey to Martinique

Journey to Martinique

Derrick Li – Palette Tea Garden, San Francisco

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Saint James 12y
• 1/2 oz. banana liquor
• 3/4 oz. cinnamon pineapple syrup*
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 2 BSP vanilla yogurt (I used Activia yogurt)

Preparation: Combine all ingredients into cocktail shaker, hard shake with regular ice about 8-10 sec, double strain into coupe glass, garnish with flower. *Cinnamon pineapple syrup: Half pineapple, 5 cinnamon sticks,

1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar ½ cup of honey (1:1). Prepare a cutting board and half of pineapple, peel off skin, save the pineapple meat then add everything into a stove with medium heat about 10-15 min then low heat about 5 min, slowly stir to dissolve all the sugar , cool down before double strain and ready to use.

“My inspiration came from my trip to Martinique last year in summer. I was enjoying the weather and Tiki culture there as well as the climate of the island. It was tropical, but the island experiences many different climates depending on altitude and weather, so I wanted to create a cocktail that is refreshing with tropical fruit to enjoy on your day off or also vacation. I’m a huge rum lover.  I love sugar cane and molasses so Tiki cocktails to me are really exciting.  What’s more exciting is the fact the history behind the delicious cocktails. They’re the cocktails for the summer. Mahalo!”
– Derrick Li

The Staycation

The Staycation

Katie Renshaw – Billy Sunday, Chicago

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Paul John Edited Whisky
• 1/2 oz. coconut syrup (recipe below)*
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 90 g diced mango (around 1/2 cup diced mango if you don’t have a scale)
• 25 g greek yogurt (around 1 tablespoon if you don’t have a scale)

Preparation: Add all ingredients to shaker, dry shake for 10 seconds. Add ice and shake again for 10 seconds, strain into glass, express orange peel over top. Garnish with mint sprig spritzed with Paul John Bold Whisky, freshly grated nutmeg, and sliced mango. *Coconut Syrup: combine 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut / coconut flakes, pinch of salt in a pot on the stove. Bring to a simmer, stir, and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool, then fine strain to remove coconut flakes.

“During these times spent at home, I’ve had many moments of fantasizing about a time in the future when I’m actually able to get on a plane again and travel to new places. When I learned about Paul John whisky, I started dreaming about its home by the tropical shores of Goa, India. Paul John is a single malt whisky, made very similarly to all of the scotch whisky I know and love, but it is produced and aged in a tropical climate – Scotland is rainy and cool most of the year while it’s hot and humid all year round in Goa. Aging a spirit in a hotter climate leads to quicker aging, which can bring a different complexity to a younger whisky.”
– Katie Renshaw

Luchador Retirement Party

Luchador Retirement Party

Zach Sapato – Hodges Bend, Minneapolis

Ingredients:

• 30 ml San Matias Blanco Tequila (Tahona)
• 30 ml Tattersall Bitter Orange
• 10 ml lime juice
• 2 dashes Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
• 50 ml ginger beer

Preparation: Add first four (4) ingredients into a tin with ice. Shake briefly and strain into a Tajin quarter-rimmed stemless flute. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with Tajin clasico seasoning.

“There comes a time in the vida of every luchador when they must hang up their mask. This is not an easy decision. The ring has called each luchador and each luchador calls the ring their own. But even the best fighter, the one who could stop any opponent, cannot stop time. Age doesn’t have intro music. Back pain has never heard the fans scream its name. Time slowly chips away at each luchador until the glory of Los Sabados fades into the morning aches of Los Domingos. We celebrate these masked warriors even in their final days. The decision to fight no more is similar to this cocktail. It can be bitter, sharp, and will bring a bit of fuego. But it is also bittersweet, succinctly effervescent, and the fuego? Well, the phoenix cannot rise if there are no ashes. Though their names will no longer sparkle in the neon lights of La Arena, the glint of their glittered masks will shine in our eyes forever.”
– Zach Sapato

Becky on the Beach

Becky on the Beach

Lance Bowman – Maya Hospitality/Monnie Burke’s, Chicago

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Becherovka
• 1/4 oz. Saint James Agricole Blanc
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. Rice Krispies & chamomile syrup*
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a shaker add ice and shake. Strain over crushed ice (from the ice maker is fine, or if you don’t have one put ice in a plastic baggie and crush with a mallet, rolling pin, frying pan, or whatever else you have laying around. Mound a little more ice over the top of the cocktail. *Rice Krispies & Chamomile Syrup: Combine 1 1/2 cups hot water, 1/4 oz. (or 8 bags) chamomile tea and 3/4 cup of Rice Krispies, let steep for 10 minutes, strain, add an equal volume of sugar, and bottle.  Keeps for 4 weeks in the refrigerator. Garnish with dash of bitters over mounded crushed ice on top of cocktail, orange peel studded with clove, lime wheel, and toasted marshmallow.

“I, along with most of us right now, could use a bit of a mental escape, and what better way to do that than with a cocktail, that, even if just for a moment could transport us away to a bright and sunny beach?  Herb and spice notes of cinnamon, clove, ginger and licorice, along with rich chamomile, bright citrus and island spices open a window to a tropical escape. The Rice Krispies syrup and the over the top garnish made with things that are in almost every home pantry, replete with toasted marshmallow add a little whimsical adventure to this momentary escape from these uncertain times. Take a sip and imagine the sound of crashing waves, the sand between your toes, and the warm sun shining upon your face.”
– Lance Bowman

Karma Chameleon

Karma Chameleon

Hannah Scollo – Scotch Lodge, Portland

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Novo Fogo Chameleon
• 3/4 oz. Spent Coffee Honey Syrup*
• 3/4 oz. orange juice
• 1 egg white
• 2 dashes Savoy Chocolate Chicory Bitters
• 2 dashes Scrappy’s Orange Bitters

Preparation:

1. Add all ingredients to shaker, dry shake for 10 seconds.
2. Add ice and shake again for 10 seconds.
3. Strain into glass.
4. Express orange peel over top Garnish with bitters design. I went with a chameleon tail, and coffee beans.

“Practicing little to no waste at home is especially critical right now. I’ve been paying close attention to what I use every day and how to make it stretch further. I make coffee in my French press every day. And every day (as guilty as I feel to admit) I was throwing those grounds right in the trash. So I wanted to figure out a way to use the spent grounds, which still carry so much coffee flavor. I made this honey syrup with them that came out really delicious and I’ve been using it in all sorts of things. This practice of sustainability is what Novo Fogo Distillery exemplifies every day. Their zero waste operation is inspiration for this cocktail. I also believe in the ideology that “what grows together, goes together.” The beautiful, funky, nutty, vanilla notes of Novo Fogo Chameleon goes perfectly with Brazil’s world famous coffee, chocolate and oranges. Save the planet, drink a Karma Chameleon.”
– Hannah Scollo

Quaran-Tea Clipper

Quaran-Tea Clipper

Julio Morales – Strong Water Anaheim

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 oz. Cutty Sark
• 1 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 oz. Amaro Montenegro
• 3/4 o Lucky Falernum
• 3/4 oz. Cinnamon Demerara syrup*

Preparation: Add all ingredients into a shaker tin with ice and shake. Strain into Collins glass with fresh pebble ice and garnish with orange peel. *Cinnamon Demerara syrup: add 8 oz. of water to pot and steep 6 cinnamon sticks at high heat for 15 minutes. Slowly add 12 oz. of demerara sugar into pot and stir until fully incorporated. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Strain into a bottle once cool and let rest. Garnish with orange peel.

“I wanted to make something that was inspired by spices and tea flavors that a clipper like Cutty Sark would transport. The vanilla and citrus notes in Cutty Sark are complemented by the citrus notes in Amaro Montenegro and benefits from the added body. Lucky Falernum helps develop those flavors by adding spices you’d see on the trade routes–cinnamon, allspice, cove, etc. The pineapple juice helps bring all those flavors together, and adds sweetness alongside the cinnamon—demerara syrup.”
– Julio Morales

Yacht Rock

Yacht Rock

J.A. Harrison – The Optimist, Nashville

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. J.P. Wiser’s Deluxe
• 1/2 oz. Montenegro Amaro Italiano
• 1/2 oz. Giffard Banane du Bresil
• 1/4 oz. Saigon cinnamon syrup
• 7 drops Bittermens Xocolatl mole bitters

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir to incorporate and dilute. Julep strain into a Double Old Fashioned glass over a single carved ice cube.

“The concept behind this drink started out in my head a while before it came into fruition. Yacht Rock is a vaguely-defined musical genre and aesthetic characterized by a brand of ballad rock-meets-soul-meets-jazz-meets-disco with carefree vibes that you would hear playing at a surf shop in Malibu. Think REO Speedwagon, Rupert Holmes, Toto. My spouse was the opening bar manager for a bar and restaurant called Stay Golden with an open kitchen floor plan, and the chefs were always playing a Yacht Rock playlist and I would sit at the bar and talk across the pass about music and cocktails with them. I was always drinking a stirred, spirit-forward cocktail while listening to carefree, toes-in-the-sand music and feeling the dissonance between wanting a cocktail that tasted like tropical escapism but without wanting to resort to the tired pineapple/lime/coconut mantra. This cocktail came into existence as a boomerang across a kitchen pass to share with chefs who like myself, preferred stirred, spirit-forward drinks, but wanted to enjoy it alongside Ween’s Bananas & Blow.”
– J.A. Harrison

The post Check Out This Week’s $500 Winning Bartenders appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

The deeply-rooted connections between human and planetary health triggered the first-ever Earth Day in 1970.

Today, we must rise to meet these crises again as we celebrate 50 years of the modern environmental movement.

Our vision for change begins within our local community; simply welcoming others and sharing our values, goals, and objectives amid crises. Greenwich Village’s Osteria 57 follows a vision based upon the belief that our experiences which are tied to what we eat and drink, within a blissful atmosphere, can “facilitate and support the flourishing of our souls.”

Just steps below West 10th street, the charming Italian-inspired eatery proudly supports produce, seafood, wine, and spirits that are conscious of their ethical global and environmental impact. While pasta and seafood dishes are expected at most restaurants, Osteria 57 dives further in on ‘Fish & Vegetarian’ menu offerings—extending from vegetarian to vegan, gluten-free and pescatarian. Owner Emanuele Nigro is committed to sustainability, also a shared mission with executive chef Riccardo Orfino.

The main, meaningful bar encourages guests to sip ‘Cocktails for a Cause,’ an extensive cocktail program powered by mix-master, Wael Deek. The environmentally-friendly cocktail menu features various sweet and savory options that highlight select spirit brands dedicated to safe-guarding the planet through direct actions and global campaigns.

“It [Cocktails for a Cause] was something I wanted to implement as part of our brand ethos at Osteria 57, and my own personal perspective on serving spirits,” says Deek. Each cocktail is perfectly crafted to magnify brands that give back to a corresponding organization.

Elephant Gin Space for Elephants

The Negroni Bianco splendidly stands with Elephant Gin, a handcrafted London Dry Gin, inspired by Africa, but made in Germany; Suze Liqueur, Lillet Blanc, and celery bitters. Inspiring and botanically distinctive, Elephant Gin supports Space for Elephants—hence its name—where 15% of all profits help stop ivory poaching and protect elephants in Africa.

“Elephant Gin is my favorite spirit. We have developed a relationship with the brand founders, they’ve communicated with us fully on how they go around the root efforts in the organization,” Deek adds. Founders Robin Gerlach, Tessa Wienker, and Henry Palmer were equally inspired to produce a spirit after experiencing the African wildlife first-hand. Their vision was to launch a product that would help elephant conservation trusts, as nearly 35,000 elephants die annually due to uncontrolled ivory poaching – that’s one African elephant dying every fifteen minutes.

Noble Oak Bourbon One Tree Planted

The Noble Sour, as Deek describes fresh, sour, culturally-balanced, combines Noble Oak Bourbon, a reduction of Campari and Select aperitif, blood orange puree, fresh lemon juice,

agave, and egg white; garnished with a caramelized orange peel and maraschino cherries – “a perfectly balanced, bourbon-based cocktail with an Italian flair.”

Noble Oak Forest

Backed by The Edrington Group, Noble Oak Bourbon aids One Tree Planted, a non-profit organization focused on global reforestation—every bottle plants a tree in a deforested area. Climate scientists have calculated that there is enough room on the planet for an additional 1.2 trillion trees to be planted, and that planting them would have huge benefits as they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. “The amount of carbon that we can restore if we plant 1.2 trillion trees, or at least all those trees to grow, would be way higher than the next best climate change solution,” mentions climate change ecologist, Tom Crowther.

Noble Oak’s efforts have spanned from the Redwood Forest in California, to Detroit, Michigan, to the Finger Lakes in New York, and everywhere in between. They continue to revitalize the earth, build communities, and of course, enjoy great whiskey (even during a taxing time).

Osteria 57 Bar

Devastatingly, Osteria 57 had to cut operation costs due to COVID-19, furloughing all front-of-house staff members until further notice. They decided to remain open daily for take-out and delivery services—transforming the cozy eatery into an online marketplace, called Fatti in Casa for accessible fresh foods like handmade cheese, oils, sauces, and dry and freshly-pulled pasta noodles. Small proceeds go towards the food chain suppliers who plant and deliver the small items such produce that are vital to fueling Osteria 57. Liquor bottles, like Elephant Gin and Noble Oak Bourbon are available to purchase too, with proceeds going to its fitted, charitable organizations. “We would like to get everyone to stand together as one,” Deek concludes.

In the face of a challenge—that forces us to stay apart—we are driving dual crises to bring the world together this Earth Day.

Negroni Bianco

Negroni Bianco

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Elephant Gin
• 1 oz. Suze Liqueur
• 1 oz. Lillet Blanc
• 2 dashes Celery Bitters

Preparation: Combine ingredients in a mixing glass Stir and strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with baby breath in the glass.

Noble Sour

Noble Sour

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Noble Oak Bourbon
• ½ oz. Campari and Aperol reduction
• ½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
• ½ oz. Agave
• ½ oz. Blood Orange Puree
• 1 egg white

Preparation: Combine ingredients in a canister and dry shake, then add ice and shake again. Strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass, and garnish with orange skin and cherry.

The post Here’s How NYC’s Osteria 57 Honors Earth Day appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

The shifting of our reality is constant now and taxing on our beings.

Humans meet rosemary, rosemary meet humans. Rosemary is an unassuming, sturdy, steady herb that offers quite a story and quite the healing support. For most, rosemary is merely an herb for cooking, used sparingly because of her bold personality. This personality of hers is exactly why she should be used frequently, in many forms, for many reasons.

Rosmarinus Officinalis is her formal name, which translates loosely into “dew of the sea.” She is aptly named as her history traces her back to the seaside regions of North African and Mediterranean coasts. The cultural history of rosemary traces back thousands of years, the ancient Greeks and Romans holding a special place in their stories for this feisty herb. Rosemary was thought to grow in places to ward off evil energy, as well as was an herb associated with remembrance and love. Death and marriage rituals included rosemary across various cultures. Sprigs of rosemary were donned at funeral gatherings, offering respect and remembrance of the recently deceased. In matrimony, rosemary has quite a few traditions.

From the bride and groom dipping rosemary into their toasting wine to honor their love and vows, to the bride giving her groom a sprig on their wedding night in order to secure his fidelity during their marriage, rosemary has been sticking her needled nose into affairs of the heart for millennia. Another purported benefit of this saucy herb is one of youthing.  Writers, poets, healers, and royalty alike have claimed youth-like visages based on the use of rosemary, especially washing one’s face in rosemary water. The stories are many, cultural history has certainly taken a liking to rosemary over the years as a main character in dramatic tales of love and mystery.

Medicinally speaking, this modest mother lode of an herb has an extensive portfolio of beneficial properties. Not only in folklore and ancient herbal documentation is this herb praised, but even in recent times through scientific research has there been fuss made regarding the importance of this plant.  There have been studies conducted on the benefit to the liver, as well as cognitive brain function.  There has been work done with Alzheimer’s patients and rosemary, along with others struggling with cognitive and memory function, tapping into the carnosic acid contained in rosemary that assists in fighting off free radicals within the brain and protecting further damage. Sluggish livers and digestion benefit. Circulation, hair growth, and eyesight benefit from the use of rosemary. The anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory benefits are plentiful. Really, what doesn’t rosemary do?

Rosemary is widely and easily accessible, offering a plethora of opportunities to engage with her healing prowess. Used in cooking is where most people connect with rosemary. Moving deeper, rosemary water (hydrosol), teas, infusions, tinctures, bitters, oils, oxymels are a few more methods of moving the healing from plant to you. Our medicinal mixology inspired rosemary cocktail will include both an oxymel and a hydrosol, allowing two ways to connect with this royalty of herbs.

Keep Thy Youngly

“Keep Thee Youngly…”

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. gin
• 3 bar spoons sage-apple puree
• 3/4 oz. Respiratory Oxymel*
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. simple syrup

Preparation: Shake and double strain into a tumbler filled with crushed ice.

Add 3 sprays of rosemary cocktail spritz (an edible steam distilled hydrosol)

Garnish with a nasturtium flower for a boost on Vitamin C. *Rosemary, lemon thyme, licorice basil, oregano steeped in red wine vinegar and local honey to taste. I used an equal parts ratio for this particular blend.

The post Love Grows Where Rosemary Goes: Use this Healing Herb in Cocktails appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

What is there to do while jamming to Sugar Lime Blue?

Their objective is for every listener to interpret the sound and have it transformed in their brains to raw emotions that are comforting, exciting, and get us up to dance. Sugar Lime Blue is a real band, where the musicians are trying to develop something fresh and unique in every moment. The group was established 1999, when Dave & Ashley Beth first met in Texas. They fell for each other, got married, and considered branching the love they shared out toward a musical direction. Sugar Lime Blue had its first official shows in 2007. In the following years, they went through several musicians while searching for the sound they felt was right.

There came a point in 2010 when the two would consider abandoning the “band” idea and settle as an acoustic duo. This is when they met Russ Dean who had recently moved to the Nashville area from California. After bonding over a shared interest in jam band music (specifically the Grateful Dead), they began playing as a three piece acoustically. Their first album “Far from the Tree” was roughly halfway done at the time, so Russ filled in with bass on the songs that were incomplete.

There was just one small bump in the road. The sound they produced defied genre classification and industry insiders were reluctant to work with the band without a way to market them to a specific audience. During a small recording hiatus, they continued to play out live at a rate of about 60 shows a year (which they keep up today) in the general area around their Nashville base, slowly building a following in the region.

Next in store for the band was to start recording again. So, in 2012, they set up in Beth’s home and recorded five new songs for what was planned as the first half of their sophomore release. At this point the electric band had a steady line-up with Steven Brooks on drums & John Simpson on Pedal Steel/Guitar. Not much time passed, and the band was again without a drummer, resulting in a long period of searching through about a dozen different options over the next two years. Regardless of all the different structures the band has taken a stab at, they never lost their will to make music that is pleasing to the ear, and to this day they persist. “Sugar Lime Blue is a family bound by love and music with the goal to be able to spread that music love around.” Chilled sat down with Ashley from SLB to reveal her drinks and eats of choice.

Chillin’ with Sugar Lime Blue

Tell us about the projects you are working on.

We are currently back in Blackbird studio working on our 4^th album. We also continue to issue the #SundayShoutOut, Sugar Lime Blue’s weekly acoustic YouTube video series dedicated to our fans and followers 6 years running. (YouTube.com/sugarlimeblue)

With your busy schedule, what do you like to do with your downtime?

I love to cook, watch anime with our daughter, play with our fur babies, make jewelry, garden, and put together puzzles.

When you go out to eat, where do you like to dine?

We like to eat at and support smaller local restaurants (Mom and Pop style). So whatever the locals recommend, when we are on tour, we like to try!

What types of dishes do you typically order?

I like a wide variety of food, so it varies. I like sushi, soups, salads, and sandwiches. My favorite is coffee and dessert though!

Chillin’ with Sugar Lime Blue

Any favorite bars?

We’ve played lots of cool venues that I’d consider bars over the life of the band but some cool ones that come to mind are: Smiley’s in Greenville, SC, Gaslight in Huntingburg, IN, Scallop Republic in Port Saint Joe, FL, and Jimmy’s here in our little town of Lebanon, TN!

What drinks do you order when out?

I enjoy dark beers; Stouts and Porters. As well as an occasional whiskey and coke.

Do you prepare drinks at home?

Yes, always the most budget friendly way!

Tell us about your home bar. What is it stocked with?

We have some beautiful stemware that we use for or wine consumption, which we usually have on hand. We also keep whisky, scotch, vodka, rum, and a few other liquors I use for cooking.

Chillin’ with Sugar Lime Blue

What’s your favorite drink?

Coffee—dark; beer—dark; wine—sweet; spirits—whiskey and coke or White Russians.

Have you ever been a bartender?

Nope.

If you could share a drink with anyone, who would it be?

My husband, Dave who is one of my favorite people ever, my confidant and friend. Other than that, it would be fun to do an episode of Drunk History.

The post Chillin’ with Sugar Lime Blue appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

The endless amount of creativity that bartenders pour into the drink-making craft has been greatly appreciated.

As bars shutter (temporarily) to help control the contagious COVID-19 we offer some booze-infused food recipes for at-home bartenders to master.

Thankfully, bartenders will bring home expertise and continue to experiment with different spirits, syrups, garnishes, and glassware. While it is fun to put a jigger to use at home, “sheltering-in-place” is the perfect opportunity to channel creativity into culinary—combining standard kitchen pantry and bar cart items.

From breakfast to baking, here are some easy, boozy culinary recipes to craft in coronavirus self-quarantine. And if you are able to safely get to a store, or have food (and spirits) delivered to you, your boozy meals are even better.

Remember, cooking is a method for coping during a difficult time. You will be back behind the stick in no time.

Baileys French Toast

Baileys French Toast

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. Baileys Original Irish Cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 oz. milk
• 4 slices bread
• 1 ½ oz. butter
• Whipping cream
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Icing sugar, to drizzle

Preparation: Beat the eggs, milk and Baileys together. Pour over the slices of bread on a plate, let it soak for a couple of minutes. Melt butter on a large frying pan over medium heat. Then fry the bread slices for nearly 2 minutes or until golden on each side. Garnish with whipping cream, raspberries, blueberries, and a dusting of icing sugar.

Barrelhead Brie

Barrelhead Brie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 3 tbsp. Woodford Reserve Bourbon
• ¼ cup dried apricots, diced
• ¼ cup golden raisins
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup dried cherries
• ½ cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
• 8 oz. brie cheese, round
• Minced fresh thyme and parsley

Preparation: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Stir in bourbon, dried fruit and toasted hazelnuts. Bring to a light simmer; remove from heat and set aside. Place brie round on a baking dish that can go from oven to table, and also be used for final display (iron skillet used above). Bake brie at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until slightly puffed and warm. Garnish with the fruit syrup mixture and fresh herbs. Serve with crackers.

*Pro-tip: Use any leftover syrup for another brie, or as a garnish for pound cake or ice cream.

Jalapeño Lime Shrimp Tacos

Jalapeño Lime Shrimp Tacos

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. large shrimp peeled and deveined
• 2 tbsp. lime juice and zest
• 3 tbsp. Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 pinch garlic salt
• 1 pinch chili flakes
• ¼ agave nectar
• ½ oz. chopped cilantro
• Ground black peppers to taste

Preparation: Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl until well blended. Add the shrimp, mix to coat evenly. Let it marinate for 30 minutes before grilling.

Tito’s Lemon Pound Cake

Tito’s Lemon Pound Cake

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Tito’s Handmade Vodka
• 1 ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup butter
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. lemon peel
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 ¾ cup flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tbsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Glaze*

• ¼ cup Tito’s Handmade Vodka
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel

Preparation: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bread loaf pan. In a large bowl, mix sugar, butter and cream cheese until very light and fluffy. Add eggs, lemon peel, and vanilla; mix well. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, mix well and add half of the flour ingredients to the butter/egg mixture. Mix. Add all of the wet ingredients (milk and Tito’s Handmade Vodka). Mix. Add all remaining dry flour ingredients. Mix well. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; invert onto serving plate. Slice into 1 inch slices.

*Glaze: In a small bowl, mix sugar and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Gradually add lemon juice until desired consistency; mix until smooth. Stir in lemon peel; drizzle over warm cake. Garnish with lemon slices or lemon peel if desired.

The post 4 Booze-Infused Food Recipes to “Craft” in Quarantine appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Stunning and multi-faceted breakout star, Annie Hägg is the most electric talent to storm into Hollywood.

She was born and raised in New York City and received her MFA in 2016 from the Yale School of Drama. Annie has a gift for languages and is often called for roles that require an accent or fluency in a foreign language. She has played a Swede on Law & Order: SVU, a Ukrainian on FBI: MOST WANTED, a German on The Blacklist and spoke exclusively in Polish, Yiddish, and German on Hunters. It doesn’t end there; she also speaks Spanish and Swedish fluently.

Her most recent prominent role is in the upcoming Amazon original series, titled Hunters, starring Al Pacino and produced by Jordan Peele. It follows a group of Nazi hunters in the 1970’s who seek out justice on their own terms. The eclectic team of “Hunters” set out on a bloody quest to destroy the Nazis and thwart their new genocidal plans. While Annie’s role in the series remains under wraps for now, she went to great lengths for the role, shaved her head on camera, lost a significant amount of weight, and even learned to speak Polish and Yiddish for the role. Chilled chats with Hagg to learn about her upcoming projects and more.

Chillin’ With Annie Hägg

What can you tell us about HUNTERS?

Hunters is the biggest project I’ve worked on thus far. I play Ruth Heidelbaum, the grandmother of the story’s protagonist Jonah Heidelbaum, in a series of flashbacks. Most of the show takes place in 1977, where Ruth (played by Jeannie Berlin) is part of an elite group of Nazi Hunters led by Meyer Offerman (Al Pacino). The show goes back in time to the 1940s to see Ruth’s origin story starting with the night her parents were murdered during the Nazi raid of the Lodz ghetto. It’s difficult to express what an honor it is to play a survivor of the Holocaust. I knew it was important to show how Ruth was always very strong and very brave as a young woman, so we understand what led her to become a Nazi Hunter later in life.

What’s your dream role?

Nora in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.

Favorite movie and why?

Three Colors: Blue by Krzysztof Kieslowski. I watch films repeatedly and I can say in this case that there is no bottom to what Juliette Binoche is exploring in this film. It’s a masterclass.

Chillin’ With Annie Hägg

What advice would you give for any artist that is starting out?

I would say unless your name is Meryl Streep you have no business not being in acting class. Athletes don’t just show up on game day, they are in the gym every day. If you aren’t on set and you’re not on stage, you should be in class.

What would you advise your younger self to do?

Breathe.

If you had a choice to work with anyone in the industry who would it be and why?

There are way too many to list, but Viola Davis, Willem Dafoe, Samuel L. Jackson and Judi Dench, to name a few.

Chillin’ With Annie Hägg

When you go out to eat, where do you like to dine? What types of dishes do you typically order?

My go-to restaurant is a Vietnamese restaurant a block away from where I live. I typically order curries, soups, and stews. I like being warm.

If you could share a drink with anyone, who would it be?

I never got to meet my dad’s mom. She passed away only a short while before I was born. I am named after her and have been told that I’m a lot like her. If I could share a drink with anyone, it would be her.

The post Chillin’ With Annie Hägg appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Social distancing and quarantining is affecting everyone and the struggle to find something to take our minds off the current situation is ongoing.

There are only so many binge-worthy shows out there and downloading all the new releases gets expensive. We’ve compiled a list of movies that will not only entertain but also give you lighthearted insight into the world of wine and the people in it. From wine collectors and sommeliers to rock stars and forgers, there’s something for everyone. Most, if not all, are available on Netflix, Prime Video or YouTube.

Red Obsession–2013

Narrated by Russell Crowe, the film takes us on an extraordinary journey from Bordeaux to Beijing. We get a glimpse into the passion and art of the vineyard and then dive into the notorious counterfeit wine markets of the Far East. Through interviews with wine journalists and chateaux proprietors we learn about the business, its’ ups and downs, the competitions and the wine-mania in China, cutthroat wine auctions in Hong Kong and the sex toy entrepreneur whose wine collection is worth 60 million US dollars.

Red Obsession

Bottle Shock — 2008

This American comedy-drama tells the story of the now infamous wine tasting of 1976, known as the “Judgement of Paris,” when California wine defeated French wine in a blind tasting. The wine, made by Chateau Montelena, became a symbol of the burgeoning California wine scene and how the state became one of the premier winegrowing regions in the world.

While there is discussion in the wine world about some liberties taken by the writers in adapting this true father-son story for the big screen it is entertaining and well worth the watch.

Bottle Shock

Sour Grapes — 2016

An American crime documentary about wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan, a rich Indonesian wine collector who spent millions of dollars on wine and also sold countless bottles of fake wine. It tells the story of how he collected empty bottles and refilled them with cheaper wine and then forged the labels landing him in prison as the first person committed of this kind of crime.  The Hollywood Reporter stated the filmmakers “thoroughly and concisely detailed the progression of Kurniawan’s fraud in a style that merges an Antiques Roadshow-style fascination with rare wines with a Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous-type fixation on the spending habits of the overly affluent.”

SOMM — 2013

This documentary film follows the attempts of four candidates to pass the extremely difficult Master of Sommelier examination, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world. The film takes us through each of their roads to the test including late night study sessions, emotional breakdowns, stress filled study sessions and relationship turmoil with friends and family. The film is considered an entrée into in a little-known world and if you have been in the wine business you know you have met someone who easily could have been one of these four.

SOMM

Blood Into Wine – 2010

A documentary that dives into the unique world of American singer-song writer Maynard James Keenan who launched Caduceus Cellars in Jerome, Arizona with business partner Eric Glomski.  The film explores how this Grammy winning metal band vocalists embarks on a journey to transform a stretch of desert into a vineyard and bring the Northern Arizona wine industry to the forefront. Through a series of interviews and home movies we see how this unique story came to be.

Blood Into Wine

A Year in Port — 2016

This movie is a third in a series following renowned wine importer Martine Saunier. The previous films in the trilogy;  “A Year in Burgundy” and “A year in Champagne” were well received by both the wine community and film buffs in general. In A Year in Port she guides the viewer through the unique world that blends British and Portuguese traditions into a little microcosm in Portugal’s Duoro Valley. There is the expected behind the scenes winemaking tour, but also a focus on the day-to-day activities of the wealthy families that run this industry and the rituals that have been passed down through generations. The movie has received some criticism for being more like a Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous, but it is sure to entertain when viewing with a glass of port in hand.

A Year in Port

The post From the Vine: Top 6 Movies to Watch with a Glass of Wine appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News