Entertaining Guide - New Years Eve Fête

So you want to throw a New Year's Party?  Here's our best tips to make yours a festive and fun bash, from cocktails to nibbles, and recovery strategies on New Years day.  

1.  Send out festive invites in the mail to get people excited - we love these Pop Clink Fizz hand engraved stationary cards from Kate Spade.  $24

2.  It's New Years!  There's no better way to ring in the new year than with a Negroni.  They are one of the world's easiest drinks to make at home, and perfect for a cocktail party (ie. they will impress your friends, and they won't take too much work).  Make sure to grab one of Campari's limited edition holiday art bottles designed by Ugo Nespolo for extra style points.  

Negroni

1 oz Campari

1 oz Beefeater 24 Gin

1 oz Dolin Sweet Vermouth

Build over rocks, swipe cut lemon around the rim of the glass, and garnish with a lemon peel.  (A traditional Negroni calls for Orange peel, but we like ours with lemon).  

3.  A handsome bar cart not only brings the room together, but it brings the bar to the party!  We love this vintage brass and perspex bar cart designed by Karl Springer.  

4.  Always serve your cocktails in beautiful glasses - we love these 14k gold triangle glasses that remind us of confetti! $63

5.  Holidays are a perfect time to bring out those amazing jewelry pieces - we're lusting after this vintage Cartier jaguar cuff with yellow gold and blackened silver.

6.  New Year's Eve is the night when all women want to wear sequins.  Go for it.  We suggest a classic black sequin number that you can wear for years to come, like the Sequin Lightbox dress from Madewell.  $158

7.  Gents, dress up.  Your lady looks nice, that means you should look nice too.  Invest in a pair of handsome specs like these Dita frames.  You will thank me when all the ladies swoon over your style!

8.  I learned this trick from Miss Daphne Duquesne - serve caviar on purple potato chips & creme fraiche.  It's easy, fancy, yet approachable.  Don't forget to have plenty of bottles of bubbly on hand to toast at midnight!

9.  I have never enjoyed watching the ball drop, for many reasons.  This year, have your own pinata party at midnight with Confetti System's gold pinatas, and fill it with all kinds of fun treats like candy, toys, and mini bottles of booze!  $140

10.  Sick of all the chit chat?  Play card games instead!  Poker, Gin, Slaps, whatever, but use chic playing cards like this set of gold cards!

11.  Ask your guests to bring bottles of bubbly, and keep them cold in an epic champagne cooler.  Nothing says party like a giant bowl filled with chilling champagne.

12.  Retro champagne coupes add extra flare to a New Years toast - we are smitten with these milk glass coupes from France.

13.  Finish off the evening with Champagne Truffles and Frangelico Truffles by MarieBelle.  $32

14.  So you're the guest to a fabulous fête?  Make sure to bring a memorable gift like this cast bronze bottle opener by Iacoli & McAllister.  $48

15.  Brutal New Year's Hangover?  Cure it with a little hair of the dog.  We always go for a trusty Bloody Mary, extra spicy, with lots of garnishes.  We love Hoosier Momma's Bloody Mary Maker, Absolut Vodka,  pickled okra, celery, lots of worcestershire sauce, a LOT of tobasco, and topped off with a Benny's Meat Straw.  Pre-order and be prepared.  No one wants to be poorly provisioned in the New Year!

Cheers to 2012, and welcome to 2013!!

xxG

Historic Cocktails with David Wondrich

So you want to mix up some historical cocktails this holiday, but have no idea where to start?

Luckily, you can simply watch this video featuring the acclaimed cocktail historian, David Wondrich, make four historic cocktails from Jerry's Thomas' book, How to Make Cocktails: Or, the Bon-Vivant's Companion (available to download for free on Google play!!)  Mr. Wondrich teaches us how to make a Brandy Crusta, a Sherry Cobbler, Egg Nogg, and the awe-inspiring Blue Blazer.

Ever since we read Imbibe, we've been dying to see the Blue Blazer put into action.  It is a cocktail we will not try at home, as we are not interested in burning the house down... Thankfully, we can watch the skilled master perform this gorgeous lost art without any risk of burning our selves.  

Enjoy!

Gastronomista Gift Guide - R(h)um

1.  We recommended this delicious rum last year, and we will again this year.  Santa Teresa 1976 is an excellent sipping rum for anyone who loves the dark spirits. $35

2.  When mixing and shaking, you might need a little kick in your cocktail.  We recommend Brooklyn Bitters Spicy Charred Pineapple bitters to add some fire to your libation.  Buy local!  $20

3.  We're smitten with Owney's white rum, made right here in Brooklyn.  Buy local, ya'll.  Sips great, and mixes well too.  (Read us wax on about our lady crush on founder, Briget Firtle, here)  $35

4.  Want to take that Dark n' Stormy to a new level?  Use Cruzan Black Strap Rum - it's Navy Strength and guaranteed to put some hair on your proverbial chest.  $18

5.  Dark chocolate rum cordials?  Yes, please.  $35 for 5 lbs

6.  It may be kitch, but we love all things tiki.  We love coconut cocktails, anything with an umbrella in it, and fabulous retro tiki dresses and hawaiian shirts.  

7.  People, tiki drinks are delicious.  Add Bittermans 'Elemakule Tiki Bitters to your rum cocktails, manhattans, or even a light cocktail of sparkling water.   Instant happiness.  $25

8.  The best cocktails have fresh squeezed juices in them, so a juicer is essential.  Get a good one, like the Breville 800JEXL (sounds professional, no?) $225

9.  Cacao Prieto in Red Hook, Brooklyn is making an incredible chocolate liqueur made with a rum base.  It's got a hint of coffee to compliment the chocolate and the round sweet notes of the rum.  Buy local!  $52

10.  Rum was definitive in the formation of both New England, and America.  It was a main player, once considered to be matched with the gold standard.  How's that for liquid gold?  Learn about the History of the New World (and rum) through ten cocktails.   $11

11.  Plantation White Rum is a delicious white rum made from a white rum from Barbados, a 3-year aged Trinidad rum, and a Jamaican rum that is 12 years old.  It's a nice, light rum with flavors of sugarcane, vanilla, tropical fruits and banana.  $25

12.  What says holiday better than Rum Cake?  Nothing.  Serve with fruit or vanilla ice cream.  $36

13.  Looking for a good white rum that you won't feel guilty about mixing?  We love Denizen - smooth from aging in bourbon barrels, a bit of funk from the Jamaican rum, and it mixes like a champ.  $17

14.  Goslings Old Rum - the ultimate sipping rum packaged in old champagne bottles and dipped in that extra sexy black wax.  Swoon.  $90

15.  Ok, maybe we're tiki obsessed (can you blame us?), but we love vintage tiki mugs.  They come in so many different shapes, themes, and colors, they are sure to liven up any bar.  

Gastronomista Gift Guide - The Agaves

1.  This is a bottle we are obsessed with - Zignum Anejo - an aged mezcal that tastes like a hybrid of tequila and caramel sweet bourbon.  We're jealous of whoever you gift this to.  $50

2.  Looking for a new margarita incarnation?  Try La Pinta Pomegranate infused tequila this year to add some holiday flare.  $35

3.  For the tequila lover who loves to take shots - these are shot glasses made of Himalayan salt blocks.  No salt rim required.  Genius, we say.  Genius. $30

4.  A dear friend gave us one of these Margarita ornaments last year, and now it is the one lone ornament pulling down on a our leafy house plant.  Very charlie brown's christmas, but boozier.  $11

5.  Margaritas always taste better out of hand blown glasses - something about the thick glass to keep them extra chilled.  $30

6.  Like an extra spicy salted rim?  Ghost Pepper Salt is your solution.  (Pro tip: It goes nicely on everything, just be careful, it's wicked hot).  $12

7.  We love silver tequila - something about the clean crisp agave always makes us happy ladies.  Corzo is a handsome bottle that will warrant oohs and ahhs - slick packaging and delicious sipping tequila!  Double win!  $57

8.  Espolon is another nice silver tequila, but with more citrus notes.  Fantastic for mixing or sipping.  $20

9.  The best place to drink tequila is Mexico.  And when in Mexico, every lady needs a fabulous swimsuit and a fabulous pair of sunnies.  Shakuhachi Suit $200, Tom Ford Nikita Sunnies $200

10.  Want to show off your knowledge about mezcal?  Give Pechuga mezcal - made by hanging chicken breasts from the cap of the still and infusing quince, apple, banana, pineapple and guava in the still during the triple distillation process.  It's delicious - savory, smoky, and sweet.  We love this one from Fidencio. $85

11. TEQUILA!  T-shirt with Pee-wee's iconic dance.  $30

12.  Hair of the Wolf, indeed.  Montelobos Mezcal  $50

13.  Again, with the amazing silver tequilas - Patron Platinum.  An impressive bottle of tequila - triple distilled and aged 9 years, it's incredibly smooth to sip.  If this bottle arrived under the tree, we would not be disappointed..  $159

14.  An essential tool for making icy margaritas - a blender.  $60

Art in the Age Gift Pack - Giveaway - CLOSED

Day two of our awesome giveaways, this one from the Art in the Age team, filled with goodies covered in awesome graphics.  There is so much from the Art in the Age store that we've been lusting after for years, handsome tees and totes and hand made treats - swoon.  We would love to keep this one for ourselves...just sayin'!  The best part?  Free-dollars!

Comment Below to enter!

: : : THE GIVEAWAY : : :

Art in the Age Gift Pack

Gifts from the Age of Mechanical Production

ROOT mug, SNAP mug, Whiskey Disks, Art in the Age Tote bag, Mens and Womens AITA tees, Field Notes, Tomr's tonic, Royal Rose syrup, Gift package of Hella Bitters, ROOT soap


: : HOW TO ENTER : : :

1. Leave a comment on the post answering: your favorite Art in the Age spirit - Root, Snap, Rhuby, or Sage. 

2. *Extra entry* Tweet #ArtintheAge @xxGastronomista

3. *Extra entry* “follow” Gastronomista and/or “like” us on Facebook.

The contest closes in one week (12 pm EST). Winner will be selected on Friday, December 21th, and will be emailed that day.

For those of your still doing your holiday shopping - the Art in the Age store is pretty awesome.  Lots of goodies for everyone on your list! 

Good luck, and many thanks to Art in the Age!


xxG

Holidays on Ice

Last night we did fun holiday entertaining special with Miss Helen Hollyman of U Look Hungry on the Heritage Radio Network!  I was joined by Jen Pelka, known around these parts as Miss Daphne Duquesne, to discuss all things holiday - entertaining, to eggnog or not to eggnog, survival techniques, family traditions, gifting, and hangover cures.

Give it a listen over at the Heritage Radio Network (and give them a few bucks, while you're at it, they are a non profit, after all).

Enjoy! 

Spodee Gift Pack - Giveaway - CLOSED

We've got a a couple awesome giveaways for you this week!  Today we've got an awesome gift basket from Spodee - the red wine that tastes like....chocolate milk!  (It's delicious).  We can't technically give away the said libation, but we can give you a goodie bag of their awesomely branded merch.  And the best part?  Free-dollars!

Comment Below to enter!

: : : THE GIVEAWAY : : :

Spodee Gift Pack

Wine With a Kick

2 Spodee T's, 2 Spodee tank tops, Spodee stickers,  Spodee magnet, Spodee cups, Spodee cap, Spodee recipe cards, & 1 8-oz. bottle of coca cola to mix.


: : HOW TO ENTER : : :

1. Leave a comment on the post answering: your favorite wine cocktail. 

2. *Extra entry* Tweet #SpodeeGiveaway @xxGastronomista

3. *Extra entry* “follow” Gastronomista and/or “like” us on Facebook.

The contest closes in one week (12 pm EST). Winner will be selected on Thursday, December 20th, and will be emailed that day.



Good luck, and many thanks to Spodee!


xxG

Gastronomista Gift Guide - Table Gifts

Every year when the holidays come around we have the tradition of table gifts at holiday meals.  Small useful and inexpensive gifts opened before the meal that continue to bond our family together year after year.  I've received some amazing table gifts, and some not-so-useful ones, but they always warm my heart and remind me of the holidays.  Today we bring you our favorites for this year's table.

1.  Milkshake Straws. $17

2.  Blood Orange Candy Canes. 12 for $30

3.  Mini Bottles of Booze - our favorite!

4.  Cinnamon Coal Candy - for the naughty! $4

5.  Brooklyn Bitters Black Mission Fig Bitters - great with bourbon or in a fig milkshake!  $18

6.  Underberg digestives.  $25 for 5

7.  Heart shaped mini cake pans $17

8.  Ampersand Bottle Openers $10

9.  Homemade Cookie Stamps $16

10.  Hip cocktail jiggers $24

11.  Portable Citrus Juicers $7

12.  Stanley Flasks $18

13.  Filthy Black Cocktail Cherries $9

14.  Cast Iron Bottle Openers $20

A Drink With Something In It, By Ogden Nash

A Drink With Something In It

by Ogden Nash


There is something about a Martini,

A tingle remarkably pleasant;

A yellow, a mellow Martini;

I wish I had one at present.

There is something about a Martini,

Ere the dining and dancing begin,

And to tell you the truth,

It is not the vermouth -

I think that perhaps it’s the gin.

Entertaining Guide - Last Minute Party

Ok, so you decided, today that you want to throw a last minute holiday party.  Congratulations, you might be crazy.  Here's the Gastro Girl guide to throwing a last minute cocktail party and keeping your guests talking about it for years.

1.  Make a Punch.  Punches are fantastic - they keep themselves cold and allow your guests to help themselves so you're not running around shaking cocktails for everyone all night.  Also, everyone likes to flirt over a gorgeous punch bowl.  Pro tip: spring for a vintage punch bowl for extra styling points.

Pomegranate Champagne Punch

2 bottles chilled champagne or sparkling white wine
1 1/2 c. Brugal white rum
1 1/4 c. pomegranate juice
1 c. Simple Syrup
1 lemon sliced
Pomegranate Seeds
Fresh mint leaves
Ice block (freeze water in a large ziplock bag the night before)

Recipe modified from Bon App

2.  Make a Cheese Plate.  Everyone loves a good cheese plate - especially when you pick really delicious creamy cheeses.  We always serve St. Agur and Delice which is a triple cream (read, heavenly).  Pick up a few baguettes, a jar of savory cranberry jalapeno jam, and some curry cashews and you've got yourself one delightful spread.

3.  Pick Stylish Platters.  This might be a simple concept, but it often gets over looked.  Have some nice platters on hand so when you put things out, they look nice and styled.  These walnut trays by Teal and Gold with brass details will look significantly more handsome than your ikea plates, trust me. 

4.  Pick Delicious Booze.  Always ask your guests to bring wine, and you select good spirits that will impress.  White rum for the punch, anejo rum for sipping.  We recommend Brugal 1888 for all lovers of brown spirits.  It is double distilled and double aged, first in American oak barrels and then in sherry barrels.  Sips like a bourbon but is sweeter and full of flavors of caramel, toffee, licorice, chocolate, and dried fruit. 

5.  Meat Pies.  Party food should not mean a veggie tray from key foods, nor do you have to stress out about making a ten course gourmet meal for your guests.  Order up some Nuchas Empanadas for your party - they come in a range of scrumptious flavors from Short Rib to Jambalaya to Shiitake Curry.  We recommend 2-3 per person. 

6.  Accessorize!  Quickly putting on some festive jewels is a great way to look holiday without wearing sequins head to toe (which is difficult to pull off when you're not on a red carpet).  We are absolutely in love with the holiday 2012 collection by Wanderluster - our picks are the Smoketree Earrings and the Amargosa X Necklace.

7.  Cocktail Ring.  No Cocktail party is complete with out a statement cocktail ring.  We are smitten with this vintage Jean Vendome tourmaline ring from the 1970s.   

8.  LBD (Little Black Dress).  We love black dresses because you can wear them all year and they are versatile to wear to lots of different types of events.  A black lace dress is great to dress up and dress down, perfect for cocktail parties or even work functions.  This one is by Diane Von Furstenberg, one of our favorites. 

9. Red Lipstick.  Always.  Why?  Because you're the boss.

10.  Wear Flats.  One of the best party tips we've ever received is to be dressed 30 minutes before your guests arrive, and to put your shoes by the door.  When the doorbell rings you can quickly slip into them and be ready to greet your guests.  But we're going to take this a step further.  Wear flats.  Since you'll be running around all night, start out in flats so you're not forced to retire into your shearling slippers at 9 pm.  (But if you do, make sure said slippers are black).  We love these McQueen Silver Studded Flats with brass studs on the heels.  Yes, please. 

11.  Retro Tunes.  Why not break out your parents' record collection on a cool retro Crosley record player.  Guests love picking out music to play, and you never know what treasures you'll find in that old stack of vinyl.

12.  Boozy Ice Cream Floats.  Hit two birds with one stone - dessert and night cap.  We love to serve mini ice cream floats in shot glasses with vanilla ice cream, Patron XO Cafe Dark, and a bit of sparkling water.  Prep a big tray early so they are quick and easy to serve!

 Mini Boozy Floats

1 1/2 T. Patron XO Cafe Dark
6 t. Vanilla Ice cream
2 T. Soda Water
 

Cheers!

xxG

Gastronomista Gift Guide - The Oenophile

1.  These days good wines come in all forms - bottles, boxes, bags, but so unsightly for the table!  We love this House Wine Carafe made from hand blown glass to present your house wine in style.  It even comes with a glass funnel to help you fill it.  Genius, we say.  $58

2.  18th Century inspired pocket corkscrew that folds up!  $54

3.  Simple and compact decanter / aerator.  $20

4.  We here at Gastro HQ love colored glass - especially these black wine glasses.  $43 for 4.

5.  Any onephile knows that one of the best things to serve with wine is cheese.  Keep your cheese fresh with a fromage cloche.  $54.

6.  We hate those terrible black plastic bags from wine stores - bring your own tote - this one with two compartments perfect for a bottle of red and a bottle of white.  $22

7. Mid-century wine rack that looks just as handsome empty as it does full.

8.  Learn more about wine!  Wines of the Southern Hemisphere by Mike Desimone & Jeff Jenssen is an epic encyclopedia of incredible wines from the southern half of the globe.

9.  Another tasty treat to serve with wine - chocolate!  Go with the best - Mast Chocolate.  $40 for 5.

10.  Hand crafted bent walnut carrying case perfect for a bottle of wine, glasses, and snacks.  Great for outdoor concerts, picnics, and excursions into the countryside!  $475

11.  For when you need to transport a bottle by bike.  $34

12.  Handsome agate cheese plates. $60

Gastronomista Gift Guide - Whisk(e)y

1.  No more drinking whiskey out of coffee cups - class it up with these silver rimmed tumblers.  $25

2.  Looking for something unique to add to your bar?  Flaming Heart scotch is a wonderful blend - spicy, smokey, and sweet with well rounded fruit.  And the bottle is mighty handsome, sure to be a crowd pleaser.  $90

3.  Bowmore 18 is one of our favorite bottles we tried this year - we've fallen hard for all of the Bowmore marks to be honest.  Somewhere in the smokey peat and the salt of the Atlantic - we are in love.  You should be too.  $120

4.  Out in Utah amazing things are happening, specifically at High West Distillery.  They've got some amazing bottles - Rendezvous Rye and Campfire Whiskey being two of them.  But we're into smokey whiskey this year - so we opt for the campfire, a blend of bourbon, rye, and scotch into a bottle that reminds us of the big sky over the wild west.  $52

5.  December 1 marks the countdown to Christmas - keep track with the Masters of Malt Advent Calendar.  One awesome dram every day.  $240

6.  Really aiming to please this year?  Get your beloved VIP tickets to WhiskyFest Grand Tasting 2013.  Yes, we know you will have to wait until October to cash in, but trust me, it's worth it when you taste some of the amazing bottles that are poured during the event.  This year some of the supreme pours included Gold Bowmore ($7,000), Glenmorangie 1963 ($1,500), Brora 30 Years Old ($400), Glenlivet Cellar Collection 1983 ($300), and Balvenie Islay Cask 17 Years Old ($150), to name just a few.  It's an epic event, to say the least.

7.  What whiskey will not cure, there is no cure for.  Truth, in poster form.  $20

8.  We love Jameson - we've said it before, and we'll say it again.  But sometimes one needs an upgrade - we recommend Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel.  Delicious.  $41

9.  Looking for something different for your whiskey lover?  Try Hillrock Solera aged & blended bourbon, a method that blends bourbons in the barrel, and then a final aging process in sherry casks.  It's a tasty bourbon that is spicy, caramel-y, and fruity.  $88

10.  Whiskey like water, it helps bring out the complex flavors, as well as keeping it cool.  We like our ice to melt slowly, so we prefer big, impressive spheres of ice that make a pour that much more enjoyable.  $12

11.  Barreled cocktails have been a thing for a few years now, but thanks to High West, now you can buy "The 36th Vote" Barrel Aged Manhattans by the bottle and enjoy at home.  No shaking required.  $56

12.  Three words.  Leather.  Flask.  Holster.  $20

13.  Whiskey stones may be popular, but we like a little water in our whiskey and those stones are a little disruptive in a nice glass.  Here's the solution - whiskey stone glasses - keeps your whiskey cold and you can still enjoy a little ice in it.  $40