April 2021

Have a weekend in Washington DC? We’ve got you covered with a non-exhaustive list of the best places to get a drink and enjoy a night in the nation’s capital according to bartenders.

We caught up with several Chilled 100 members to hear about their favorite places to grab a drink.

Maydan

1346 Florida Avenue NW, Washington, DC

This Middle Eastern bar and restaurant has won numerous awards and recognition for its world class food and beverage menu. Bartender Jessica Weinstein recommends ordering the Za’atar Martini, made with oregano and sumac oil. “Personally, I love to drink my martini while snacking on my olives, I grew up watching my grandparents drink vodka on the rocks with a side of olives and it definitely stuck. Let’s be real, a drink & snack will always be better than just a drink,” shared Jess.

---

Service Bar

926 U St NW, Washington, DC

This DC staple features a rotating cocktail menu and no-fuss food options. “This place feels like home and has a lot of good energy and greater staff and owners (all bartenders in their own right),” shared Chilled 100 bartender Rachel Sergi. “I usually get a big ole White Wine Spritzer here. They make it right!” They offer seasonally rotating cocktails, check out their hot cocktails, like the Almond Toddy or head over in summer for their frozen options.

---

Chaplin’s

1501 9^th Street NW, Washington, DC

Modern ramen and craft cocktails, what more can you ask for? The cocktail menu features a wide range of delights including frozen drinks, seasonal warmers, and a weekend special on Bloody Mary’s. Jess recommends the Frozen Tokyo Tea featuring a mix of Reyka Vodka, Riegers Gin, Bacardi Silver Rum, Lyon Curacao, Clement Coconut, Matcha, Coconut, Cream Soda.

---

El Tamarindo

1785 Florida AVE NW, Washington, DC

Since 1982, El Tamarindo has been serving up some of the best Salvadoran and Mexican food and drinks in the DMV area. The drink menu is straightforward – think margaritas and Mexican beer but the quality is high. The Tamarind and Mezcal Margaritas alone are worth the visit.

---

Wine Bar Bin 1301

1301 U ST NW, Washington, DC

Right in the center of DC, Bin 1301 has become a local favorite for fresh, seasonal food and perfectly paired wine and beer. Bartender Dwayne Sawyer recommends their Shinju Whiskey cocktails and the fried salmon bites.

---

Tiki on 18^th Street

2411 18^th Street NW, Washington DC

Modern Tiki meets traditional Filipino food at this bartender launched bar and restaurant. The spirits menu focuses on sugarcane with rum, rhum, ron, and cachaça. Sawyer recommends trying the Quarantine Order, Pagan Idol, William Prestwood Rum made with Blend #16, Lime, Grapefruit, Passion Fruit, Cinnamon, and Angostura Bitters.

---

Last Call

1301-A 4^th Street NE, Washington, DC

Looking for something with a Dive Bar feel that’s light on the pocket? Last call offers up a no-frills food and beverage menu with plenty of cool factor. Rachel Sergi shares, “I love their drink called “169 Bar”, which is a baller, carbonated Old Fashioned named after a rad dive bar in the LES of Manhattan.”

---

The Green Zone

2226 18^th ST NW, Washington, DC

As Sergi says best, “if you have a bad time here, you’re broken.” This unique bar blends modern craft cocktails with the flavors of the middle east. Sergi’s favorite drink on the menu is The Janissary Corps made with Jun Lebanese gin, pistachio syrup, lemon, and spices.

---

Off The Record at the Hay-Adams

800 16^th Street NW, Washington, DC

This old-school hotel bar is a favorite of Washingtonians. It’s known locally as the “best place to be seen and not heard” and visitors can often expect to bump elbows with politicians and local celebrities. Try the Beefeater Gibson of a martini to go with the light fare.

---

St. Vincent Wine

3212 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC

With plenty of outside space to enjoy a cheese plate and a bottle of wine or bottled cocktail, this new addition to the DC bar scene is a great stop now that the weather is warming up. Sergi recommends the White Negroni, a flawless, bitter concoction from the mind of Ernest Jay Apaga.

The post WHERE TO GET A DRINK IN WASHINGTON, DC appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Last year, Easter was spent in a pandemic, where we couldn’t see family or celebrate the holiday.

For those who can gather this year, you’ll need some cocktails to sip on as well. A day that’s filled with chocolate bunnies, bright-colored marshmallows, and candy-filled eggs deserves delicious cocktails as well. Whether you are hosting a brunch or a traditional dinner, mix up one of these rum drinks that are perfect for the holiday. Mimosa and sangria are always a classic choice so surprise your guests with something different this year and offer them a rum cocktail.

Here are rum cocktails that should be on your Easter menu.

Spiced Hibiscus Cocktail

By Shanna Schad

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. Koloa Gold OR Koloa Spiced Rum*
• 1 oz. Cointreau
• 1 oz. Orgeat
• 3-4 Tbsp Hibiscus Syrup
• Bundaberg Spiced Ginger Beer*
• Hibiscus Syrup and Sugar for Sugar Rim*
• Orange Slices
• Dried Sweetened Hibiscus Flowers

Preparation: Pour a little of the hibiscus syrup into a bowl and sugar in another bowl. Dip the rim of your glass into the syrup, let excess drip off, then dip into the sugar, making sure to coat the whole rim. Set glasses aside. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the rum, Cointreau, orgeat, and hibiscus syrup. Shake well. Add crushed ice to the glasses and divide the cocktail mixture between glasses. Top with spiced ginger beer. Garnish with an orange slice and dehydrated hibiscus flower.

*Hibiscus Syrup

Ingredients:

• Dried Hibiscus Flowers or Hibiscus Tea
• Sugar
• Water

Preparation: Combine the dried hibiscus flowers, sugar, and water in a pan and heat on high stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, boil for 3 minutes then, turn off the heat. Let cool completely. Strain into a glass jar and chill completely before using. The syrup can be made ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.  If using Hibiscus tea, steep the tea bags in the boiling sugar water.

---

BACARDÍ Cuatro Remix

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. BACARDI Añejo Cuatro Rum
• 3 oz. Ginger Ale
• splash of Pineapple Juice

 Preparation: Find a highball glass with ice. Build all ingredients directly in the glass. Stir gently and garnish with a lime wheel.

---

Spring Fling

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Zacapa 23 Centenario
• 1/2 oz. Chamomile Syrup*
• 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice
• 1/4 oz. Elderflower Liqueur
• Fresh Chamomile flowers

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with flowers. Makes one drink.

*Chamomile Syrup

Ingredients:

• Sugar
• Water
• Chamomile flowers

Preparation: In a medium saucepan, add sugar and water and cook over medium heat until sugar completely dissolves. Add chamomile and remove from heat. Let steep while the syrup cools to room temperature (about 15 minutes). Staring through a fine mesh strainer and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

The post 3 RUM COCKTAILS FOR EASTER appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

I’m at the pool of The Standard on Belle Isle in Miami Beach.

The snow at back home in New York is a distant, chilly memory. Still, there are signs I haven’t totally left behind reality. As I lounge by the pool underneath the property’s towering palm trees that have appeared in countless Instagram posts (including mine), and try to refrain from listening to Will Smith’s modern classic “Welcome to Miami” ad nauseum, I occasionally glance up to see passerbys in nothing but bathing suits and face masks, along with those tandem face mask tan lines. Indeed, it’s a sign of our current era.

I’m on this reporting trip to see how the typically raucous city is handling, well, everything that’s been thrown its way. Like any other vacation enclave, this region and Florida in general was deeply impacted by the effects of the pandemic. As winter turns to the late spring of 2021 however, vaccines are the nation’s hottest commodity and infection rates are down from previous highs. Here in Miami, everything is not only open, but the properties I visited seem to have a respectable handle on safety. Here at The Standard, they know all too well about the impact the virus has had. (Sadly, their original location in Hollywood, California was forced to close its doors earlier this year.) Despite their Miami Beach enclave closing their doors for six full months, the property is on its way to a renewed heyday.

Later this year, they’re introducing a brand new, classic cocktail bar and a Scandinavian influenced café. The updates come courtesy the property’s original designers, Shawn Hausman Design. According to Bianca Dusic, the Standard’s VP of Food and Beverage: “The original design sought out to create a timeless appeal, so this time around, we didn’t set out to radically alter or redesign the spaces but to enhance what is already there.” When it comes to warding away the virus while at the same time welcoming visitors, the property was uniquely positioned.

While mask-wearing is strictly enforced everywhere, the vast majority of The Standard lies outdoors, whether the pool where I’m lounging, its array of chill spots located in a maze of picture-perfect vegetation, or the open-air hallways guests traverse to hotel’s rooms. There’s also an outdoor restaurant, The Lido Bayside Grill. Named after the previous hotel before The Standard took over this spot in 2006, the spacious outdoor deck serves breakfast, lunch and, among twinkling lights, dinner. From the menu, there were definitie highlights: a massive Impossible Melt on an everything bun or a plate of cauliflower with a tahini I could have eaten by the bowlful. Its cocktail menu also harkens to the hotel’s simple yet breezy past. Try not to relax while gazing at the sea and sipping on a Lido Lemonade (vodka, pink lemonade, mint). Meanwhile, a cliche snowbird like me also couldn’t resist an Endless Summer (vodka, pamplemousse, Campari, watermelon juice).

While The Standard Miami is modern-day chic, The FontaineBleau Miami Beach exudes classic elegance. Open since 1954 and the site of legendary shows courtesy Frank Sinatra and film shoots courtesy the likes of Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard!), the property’s classic vibes can make one feel like they’re on the set of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (which could be because they filmed here on location as well). “We like to say that the Fountainbleau is Miami’s history and culture,” explained Josh Herman, the hotel’s Vice President of Marketing and PR. “We try to pay homage to our past and also stay on the cutting edge of what a modern traveler wants in a vacation. But yes, its history is incredibly important to us.” Driving up to its entryway (obligatory fountain on glistening display), while you might be arriving in a measly Uber, try not to get too envious as many clientele are rolling up in style with a cadre of luxury cars.

Many rooms have an expansive view of the mighty Atlantic and a network of pools lie below of all different shapes and sizes. Despite the eye-opening, tan-inducing sights, it’s the hotel’s lobby bar that is sure to capture the heart of any cocktail aficionado. It’s called Bleau Bar or as Herman refers to it as, “The most famous bar in the most famous hotel in Miami.” Located just off its impressive lobby (think: chandeliers and reflecting marble floors you can almost take a selfie on), unlike other hotels, the lobby bar isn’t just an afterthought but a main attraction.

“It’s one of those iconic centerpieces that everyone should really see when they come to the hotel or Miami in general,” says Hermna. “It’s a main gathering place, or the hub of the wheel. When talking about our history, Bleau Bar is unmatched. There’s even a picture we have of when Sinatra was at the bar ordering a Jack Daniels. It’s that kind of authenticity you can’t recreate.

As the Florida sun continued to beat down and tan lines from my face masks began to appear (I’ll wear them in pride), my last stop was a quick jaunt up South Beach to The Confidante Miami Beach. Smaller in shear size than the Fountainbleu and offering different vibes than The Standard, the property (originally built in the 1940s) offers a place to let loose. Case in point: while waiting for my room, I slurped down a Pina Colada by its pools flanked with more of those ubiquitous palm trees. “The Confidante brings a special flair to Miami,” says Amy Johnson, the hotel’s general manager. “Guests are transported back to instantly be reminded of the glamorous retro-era from our Mid-Century decor to our culinary offerings inspired by the 1940s.”

A major highlight of the property is its vicinity to the beach, with its own reserved sandy section and an army of lounge chairs for the taking. Even better are the hotel’s kind staff who waltz around the sand happily fulfilling drink and food orders.

Meanwhile, its recently launched restaurant Ambersweet pays painstaking attention to every detail. Along with an incredible menu of grub (think: perfectly cooked diver scallops and octopus), its cocktail menu is one of the most impressive in the city. The brainchild of the passionate Pascale Pinault, a veteran of the popular Miami seafood spot A Fish Called Avalon. He’s also no stranger to Michelin Star eateries, counting Daniel Boulud as a colleague. Here at Ambersweet, everything from the house made sweet vermouth in its Negroni to the lemon-infused vodka is lovingly crafted in-house. According to Johnson, a major highlight is the eponymous Ambersweet Margarita. “It’s crafted with the best spirits possible (including Patron Gran Burdeos Tequila and Grand Marnier 1880) and is served inside an oversized Ice Sphere.”

The next day, the sun is blasting as I’m ready for the airport, no doubt bleary-eyed from that final taste of a delicious smoked mezcal Pascale served up. I check out of my room and take a quick jaunt to the beach. It’s time to say goodbye to this Florida sun and head back to my New York winter… But not before I take off my mask for one more selfie.

The post A MASKED TRIP TO MIAMI IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Toronto-based Actor Jeff Teräväinen was born and raised in a small Canadian town.

Although his original career path was in the music industry, (lead singer/bassist in The Life, an award-winning band) the whole idea of acting seemed more suitable for him as time progressed. As a result, he began to plant the seeds of his acting career, with a focus on voicing off the bat . In 2006 he was the Voice of the Olympics for Canada; a role he would re-enact in 2014. He also dabbled in the video game industry, voicing characters from legendary games such as Far Cry, Splinter Cell and Resident Evil. After a long break from the camera while he was the voice of Canadian Broadcaster CBC and FIFA’s World Cup, he ambitiously returned with roles on Beauty and the Beast, Played, and others. Aside from his primary career, Jeff has a verified passion for other hobbies (won the Jim Russell Racing School Scholarship in 1996). Though his favorite sport is MotoGP, you can usually find him on weekends at the cottage or digging for fossils. He is also very fond of paleontology, science, and history.

His most recent spotting on tv was his role in the Hulu original series Utopia Falls, a coming of age story following a group of teens in the distant future colony of New Babyl as they uncover an ancient forbidden archive of historical, cultural and musical relics. In the series, Jeff plays the role of Gerald, father to Aliyah and member of New Babyl’s governing body, The Tribunal. Gerald is dedicated to working for the good of New Babyl. Having lost his wife to illness when Aliyah was only a child, Gerald has grown extremely close to his daughter. Patient, fair, and smart, Gerald plays a supportive role in Aliyah’s life, emboldening her to pursue her dream of winning The Exemplar.

Chilled sat with Jeff to find out what bars he holds to the highest standard, along with what drinks he prepares at home and more.

Tell us about the projects you are working on.

Right now, I am in the middle of a top-secret video game. Lots of performance capture and voice over. They make you sign away your life, so I cannot say much.

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

I have too many interests and not enough time! Video game addiction does not help (Half joking). I love photography, so I shoot a lot. Getting out in nature to the cottage is huge.  Big on Paleontology so often look for fossils with my Daughter. Love watching MotoGP and other racing. Oh, and TV/movies! Perfect time would be on a boat scuba diving with friends and family!

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

I live in a city where food options are limitless. Italian, authentic Thai, and middle eastern cuisines are at the top of the list for me. If you’re ever in Toronto, PAI Northern Thai Kitchen is a place you cannot miss. Their curry is what dreams are made of.

Any favorite bars?

My favorite bar for years has been Le P’tit Caribou in Mont Tremblant Quebec. Fantastic atmosphere. I guess as it’s a ski resort people are there to have fun and let lose. And you have this awesome mix of music. A dance track, followed by a current hip hop track, and then ACDC!

What drinks do you order when out?

Beer for sure.  There is no shortage of options in Toronto. It goes well with everything. I did discover recently that I am starting to enjoy whisky, which clearly means that I’m getting old, but man that stuff goes down smoothly. Bottom line: I like to drink.

Do you prepare drinks at home?

Often and depending on who is over. With my guy friends it tends to be beer. But Whisky Sours are popular.

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

Everything I can fit. We always like to be ready for all tastes. Enjoy it now, before my kid gets older and they start watering it all down!

What’s your favorite drink?

Most times you cannot beat that first cold beer for me. I love GLB’s Blonde Lager probably the most out of a ridiculous amount of choices. As for mixed I would say a whisky sour.

Have you ever been a bartender?

No but I have played one! I would be terrible as I always must look up the recipes! I have huge respect for the good ones though. When I was young, I was background on the movie Cocktail with Tom Cruise. Those guys were something else to watch with the bottles.

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

Living, it would be Neil Degrasse Tyson. The man is epic, and I also read he likes his wine! So how about I pick up a good Rojas and we talk about the universe Neil?

The post CHILLIN’ WITH JEFF TERÄVÄINEN appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Each month, Chilled is bringing you five essential cocktails based on our National Drink Day Calendar.

Don’t forget to reference it so you can prepare for the upcoming holidays.

It’s officially that time of year where we’re taking evening strolls, opening up our windows, and relaxing outside, enjoying the start of the spring weather. Therefore, you will need a cocktail or two in tow.

Here are five essential cocktails you need to try this April.

Brockman’s “What’s Up Brock“

April 4 marks International Carrot Day. A weird day to celebrate but, carrot juice in a cocktail can provide some health benefits like improving skin, heart, and eye health. Mix up Brockman’s “What’s Up Brock” cocktail for the perfect drink to celebrate carrots!

---

The Peach Cobbler

Peach cobbler screams spring and summer so celebrating National Peach Cobbler Day on April 13 makes sense. This cocktail incorporates peach purée so fresh taste.

---

Big Green Bloody

Attention garlic lovers! There is a day for you, and it’s April 19. National Garlic Day is a great way to get more creative when it comes to cocktail making. The spice might seem like an odd thing to mix in cocktails, but in a homemade Bloody Mary mix, it works.

---

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

A whole day to celebrate a cake? I’m in! Sip on this pineapple cocktail on April 20 in celebration of National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day. Such a simple yet delicious cocktail that will allow you to escape to a tropical paradise.

---

Beet Royale Cocktail

Courtesy Aaron Ranf

April 28 is National Stop Food Waste Day and the perfect way to enjoy the day is with a “scrap” cocktail! We are all becoming more conscious of the world around us and instead of throwing away kitchen scraps, try using them in your cocktails.

The post 5 ESSENTIAL COCKTAILS FOR APRIL appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News