The Only Espresso Martini Recipe You'll Ever Need

Just a few weeks ago I was in Iceland for a quick tour of Icelandic glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, and, vodka.  Jetlag set in quickly on this trip, as it does on most 3 day trips across the pond, but fortunately we were soon turned on to the world's best Espresso Martini. 

This recipe was created by Dev Johnson of Employees Only in New York City.  Reyka Brand Ambassador Trevor Schneider ordered (and made) round after round of this amazing caffeinated boozy concoctions, powering this particular press trip with espresso, simple syrup, and Reyka. 

It would be nothing less than sacrilege to keep this delicious tipple from you, so without further ado, here is the recipe:

Espresso Martini
Created by Dev Johnson

2 oz Reyka Vodka
1 oz Espresso
3/4 oz 1:1 Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. 

Cheers!

Glenfiddich 1978 on Robb Report & Photos!

In April of this year, I was invited to Dufftown, Scotland to be part of an exclusive selection committee to help select the Glenfiddich Rare Collection Cask of 1978 Single Malt whisky sold exclusively to the American Market.  It was an unbelievable trip filled with more delicious whiskeys than I could count, amazing food, great cheeses, epic landscapes, and of course, more whiskey.

Head over to Robb Report to read more about the selected cask, No. 28121, the experience of selecting the barrel, and my tasting notes!

Below are some of my favorite photos from the journey.  Enjoy!

Huntly Castle

Glenfiddich Distillery and Visitor Center

Bacardí Triangle - 3 Rummy Days

It may be frigid and icy here in NYC, but today I'm reminiscing on a recent trip to Puerto Rico for the Bacardí Triangle.  At the end of October, I was invited to what was to be a massive 3 day party celebrating all things rum and electronic dance music with pool parties, endless cocktails, and a concert on a private island.  It did not take much convincing.  I was in. 

A Day in the Life of a Bonacker…. Or Clamming Next to One…

Bonacker: the name for a native people of the Springs Area of East Hampton, New York.

One might be familiar with the Springs as the home to influential American painters, Jackson Pollack and Willem de Kooning, but the root of the community as home to baymen, fishermen, and farmers go way back some hundreds of years…or so this story begins…

Set to meet my clamming partner at daybreak…errr, 9am (it was a Sunday, give me a break, a girl needs her beauty rest), I made it out to the waters a little after 10am. Not fully awake, wading waist-high through Gardiners Bay, off of Three Mile Harbor, jolted me back to life. Al Lester welcomes me (aka Albie, aka Swampa is a true Bonacker, as well as a craftsman, contractor, jokester, and a real deal swamp man) and has gotten a head start.

He has jerry-rigged a rake attached to a belt, attached to a basket, combing the bay floor for clams and dropping them into another cleverly jerry-rigged basket that sits in hole of a cut out boogie board, keeping the clams cool in the water. As a commercial clammer, he has a order to fill of 800 clams for his family’s farm stand, Round Swamp, which also has incredible pesto pasta salad among other homemade prepared dishes.  By the afternoon and he makes it seem more like meditation than work.

Heading Out

Keepin the Clams Cool

Not so fast, all you eager clammers out there, everyone digging needs to be a local and licensed (read: pay taxes). However, with new rules, resident license holders can bring a guest (Thanks, Mom!). Also in the rules, each person cannot exceed more than 100 clams per person, but, that’s getting ahead of ourselves.

A few tips and how-to’s:

 -   Hold the rake with one hand and with light pressure
 -   A slight bump in the seafloor will indicate a buried clam
 -   Dig by moving the rake back over the bump and scratch the surface back and forth to wiggle the little guy free
 -   Pull the rake directly up towards you and gauge your findings


After a few pulls resulting in only some rocks and barnacles, I felt something suctioning to the bay floor. With a slight tug-of-war, I pried the little sucker free. A buried treasure, an Easter egg of the sea,  I found a clam!

Before chucking him into your basket, as we were told,  measure him against the gauge and toss any that are under size back to the bay. Next summer they will be prime for the plucking.

Al offered some other boy scout tips and tricks of the trade: if you stumble upon a “hot spot” of clams your first expert move is to “take a range” (unsure if that is a nautical or a Bonaker original term). From where you are standing in the water, line up two points on the shore with another two points at another angle of the shore. The intersecting point is where you stand (Consider this post a modern day topography class) and, in other words, a clam haven. Another power move is to rake 360 degrees from that point. As we know from social situations, friends like to hang out in groups, same goes for clams.

This Girl Found a Hot Spot!

Through the midday sun, I was equally worked on my Bonaker’s tan, filling up my basket with bounty and finding more peace than my yoga practice. Chatting with other clammers, you start to feel as if you are inducted into a community. Everyone chats with Al, as he is THE guy and nothing short of famous in these parts. Let’s just say if there was a clam club, he would be VIP (No euphemisms here). Al even regulates the area, quelling drama on the seas when a group of Long Island guys with heavy inflections when they had come back for another round after poaching their allotted amount. A jocular teacher even called out to me for “cheating” when I substituted the rake for my hands to pry a clam loose. Even the novice over here gets her chops busted.

Boat Full of Bounty

Over four hours traipsing and traversing the waters, I gathered a basket full of little necks, cherrystones, chowders, and even a random oysters! 

Here’s a rundown of the different types of clams:

Little Necks: The smallest of the clams. Great eaten raw or placed directly on the grill for a few minutes until they open and served with lemon and garlic
Cherrystone: The midsize guys. Best in Italian dishes like baked clams or linguine a la vongole.
Chowders: The big suckers. Perfect for cooking in dishes like the aptly named clam chowder soup and the Hampton’s Classic, Clam Pie.

With pruned, water-logged fingers and an upper body workout to rival that of any yoga class, I drag my bounty ashore. A day as a true Bonaker, or next to one, I enjoy the fruits of sustainability and the peace of the waters. Until Fall’s scallop season, Om Shreem Maha Lakshmiyei Namah.

Traditional to the East End of Long Island is the Clam Pie also know as a Bonac Clam Pie. Here is a recipe adapted from my Mom’s clam pie. Her words, “a little of this, a little of that, just go by feeling”.  Thanks again, Mom!

East Hampton Clam Pie recipe by my Mom

Pie Crust. An easy way to cheat is to store-buy your pie crust.  And I’m into the idea of cheating, especially after a full day of clamming. If you are feeling ambitious, follow your favorite pie crust recipe, but there’s no need to pre-bake the crust.

Mom's Clam Pie!

Pie Filling

3 C. of Shucked Clams, about 18-20 Clams 
1/4 C. Clam Broth (Clam Juice from Clams)
3 Small Red Potatoes
1 Onion
2 Stalks of Celery
6 Bacon Strips
1/4  Tsp. Oregano
2 Tsp. Flour
1/4 C. Cream


Preparation

Rinse clams well under cold water.
Steam clams open and reserve clam broth to add to mixture
Cut the potatoes, celery, and onions and the clams in bite size pieces.
Saute vegetables in clam broth, and once cooked, add the clams, bacon, cream, flour, broth, and oregano (and any other of your favorite spices). 
Once cooked, transfer filling into pie crust
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes

xx Erica Schwartzberg

48 Hours in Oaxaca - A Mezcal Tasting

I recently jetted on down to Oaxaca City, Mexico, well, to drink Mezcal. Oaxaca is an amazing city in South Western Mexico, nestled in a lush valley, and surrounded by magnificent mountains.  The city is a mash-up of indigenous people and Spanish Colonialists - meaning bright colors, soaring churches, and awesome molé.  To name a few things that the we can credit the Spanish for: impressive architecture (said churches), and the art of distilling (mezcal).

Casa Armando Guillermo Prieto - Home of Zignum Mezcal

We landed in Oaxaca, battled traffic through the brightly hued streets, and finally made it to our hotel,  Camino Real, a former convent of Santa Catalina, built in 1576.  We were whisked off to the main dining event of the evening, which was held in what was the church adjacent to the convent.  A feast was already in place - enormous clay vessels full of beautifully prepared rice, vegetables, tortillas, and 3 different kinds of molé.  Be still, my heart.  There was a yellow molé with beef, a red molé with pork, and the traditional black molé with chicken.  (Apology for the lack of photo here - molé rarely photographs well).  Not surprising to you, dear reader, a Mezcal Margarita swiftly arrived into my hand, and one of my favorites - spicy, sweet, and smoky!

On the stage were dancers in traditional dress whirling about, and a band played in one can only imagine used to be the altar.  The dancers came out in many different styles of costume - each from the different regions of Oaxaca - covered in elaborate embroidery, intricate knits, colorful patterns, and shimmering ribbon.

After dinner we went over to a neighborhood watering hole - Los Amantes Mezcalería - where bartender/mezcal guru León poured tastes of his favorite Mezcals from massive, glowing glass vessels.  A guitar player sang in the middle of the small tasting room (working for a tipple, I'm sure), and I let my eyes devour every inch of the walls as I sipped on my Lemon Tea infused Mezcal - smoky yet sweet with the essence of citrus.  The walls of the tiny room are covered in Mezcal artifacts, traditional masks, paintings, and odd sculptures, the shelves painted a minty green reminiscent of Deyrolle in Paris. What a gem.  Praise the gods who made Mezcal there is a tasting room by the same owners here in nyc! 

Los Amantes Mezcalería

Mesmerizing, no?

Then for a night time stroll around the zócalo, which was full of people out celebrating on a Friday evening.  Street vendors were out tempting the air with the smells of delicious late night treats, and the young and restless were off to their next destination of the evening. 

Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán Surrounded by Agave

But this girl was exhausted, so back to the hotel I went, tickled with the mere thought of sleep.  And yet, on my bed, was not only a little taste of that legendary, spicy Oaxacan Chocolate, but this:

The Way to This Girl's Heart

  
The morning I woke refreshed, and practically ran down for breakfast.  I had heard rumblings the night before that the breakfast in the hotel was incredible - and let me tell you - it was.  Sweet corn tamales, molé tamales with sweet prunes wrapped in banana leaves, fresh pastries, fruit, cooked up sausages, beef, and eggs with spinach, salty Oaxacan cheese, and a full selection of fresh juices from guava, to pineapple, to cilantro.

Breakfast of Champions

We had a big day ahead of us - and we were off to Monte Albán, the archeological site up in the mountains overlooking Oaxaca Valley.  Monte Albán is believed to have been founded in 500 B.C., and was abandoned as late as 1000 A.D. .  At the city's peak, it was believed to have had a population of 17,200 people, making it one of the largest cities in Mesoamerica.

Central Plaza

The site is impressive - a city of residential and civic structures built for games, ceremony, and science.  The central "plaza" of Monte Albán is built like a stadium for large ceremonies, with areas for smaller ceremonies within the complex.  There were places for worship, an observatory to keep track of the calendar by tracking the alignment of the sun, ball courts, and ceremonial tombs.  The site is lush with grass, and overlooks the fertile valley surrounding it.  There is a serene calm to the place, but one can still imagine it filled with people, watching elaborate performances, heated games, or just going about their daily lives.

But we came here for Mezcal, no?  Yes!

A quick primer on Mezcal.  Mezcal is distilled from the maguey plant, a type of Agave plant.  There are over 200 different species of maguey all of which used to make the spirit.  Mezcal's more famous relative, Tequila, is made from blue agave and must be made in the state of Jalisco and a few other limited regions, by tequila law.  Oaxaca, is famous for Mezcal, tequila's strong, smoky, badass older brother, which for the most part is made today exactly the same was it was made 200 years ago.

Myth has it that a lightning bolt struck an agave plant, which cooked the center, and released the agave juice.  This "elixir of the gods" was reserved for priests and holy men.  Then, the Spaniards arrived, bringing distillation technology with them.  They were looking for something stronger than pulque (an indigenous alcoholic beverage made from the agave plant), and Mezcal was born. 

First to the Traditional Palenque:

As we drove into Matatlan, Oaxaca, "Capital Mundial del Mezcal", the first thing I noticed were all of the Palenques with their massive stone wheels used to mash the agave plants that lined the road as we started getting closer to our destination.  They were literally next door to one another - each shop making its own type - with tasting rooms and their specialty aguadiente (firewater) for sale!  The excitement!  If only there had been time to visit all of them! 

La Piña

This, in a quick summary, is how they prepare mezcal:  First the agave plants are stripped of their leaves, which are reserved for the smoking process.  About 100 piñas are smoked in a gigantic hole for three days, which is covered in agave leaves, wood, and hot rocks, and left to smoke.  The piñas are then cut up further and mashed using the iconic stone wheel, turned by a horse or a donkey.  The broken down pieces are moved to large wooden barrels, water is added, and they are left to ferment for another three days.  This is where mezcal gets wickedly exciting; there are traditional recipes that include adding pineapple, red bananas, cinnamon, and even a chicken breast or a turkey breast during distillation to impart more flavor.  (Note: the pechuga - chicken - mezcals are amazing.)  After fermentation, the juice is separated, and distilled using a copper still or sometimes a clay still, which too affects the flavor profile.  They then add water to the 120 proof Mezcal to get it back to 80 proof for legal consumption. 

Piña Pit

Mashing the Smoked Agave

Fermenting Agave

Distilling, and More Palenques Across the Street

120 Proof Mezcal

Traditional  production methods inherently make Mezcal small batch, and thus, the quantity is highly limited.  It continues to be a handcrafted spirit by nature, and the plants themselves take seven years to mature.  In recent years, there has been a more international interest in mezcal, and appropriately so, production techniques are changing to keep up with the demand.  Facing much controversy is Zignum, which uses modern industrial methods to make its mezcal, and instead of smoking the piñas, the mezcal is barrel aged at the end of the process.  The result is a milder, smoother version of the husky traditionally prepared mezcal, and yet is quite tasty.  I prefer the joven to the reposado - for I enjoy the clean spicy, almost sharp, smoky flavors. 

Barrels and Impressive Fermentation Equipment at Casa Armando Guillermo Prieto

Slightly Obsessed with this Awesome Label

Thankfully, at this point, it was time for lunch.  We were first greeted with a delightful round of Mezcal to sip, I started with a joven, it was lunch after all.  Followed by an even more delightful round of Mezcaltinis - why, I would like one - or one of each that is! 

Muddled Passion Fruit with 2 oz Zignum Reposado, Agave Nectar, Ice, Chapulin and Salt Rim

Hello, Friend

 
Lunch was pretty amazing - a spread of local flavors, and most ubiquitous of all were the citrusy, crunchy, chapulines (grasshoppers) a local delicacy.  Those little guys were in everything - the nuts, the tacos, the cocktail rims, the dessert!  It was quite a feast, squash blossoms stuffed with corn and cheese, Tongue Memelitas, filet of fish with capers and tomato marmalade with rosemary and honey, shrimp, a beef filet with mojo de chapulín (garlic grasshopper sauce), and chocolate rolls stuffed with Oaxacan chocolate mousse and guanábana, topped, with grasshoppers.

Totopos con Chapulines y Guacamole & Camarones con Yempura de Pitiona

Filete de Pescado al Limón con Alcaparras, y Mermelada de Tomate con Romero y Miel

Rollitos de Chocolate Rellenos de Mousse de Guanábana y Chocolate Oaxaqueño

And what else arrived at our table?  Zignum Añejo.  The Añejo is also made with Espadin Agave, and is aged for 12 months in oak barrels, compared to the 4 months of a Reposado.  This stuff is like the delicious freak child of Bourbon and Tequila.  A good portion of the smoke is softened by the caramel and vanilla from the aging process, it is extremely smooth, round, and yet has that spicy kick that I've been craving lately.  This, my friends, is a fine bottle of Mezcal.  Certainly not traditional, but sure to be a favorite in my liquor cabinet. 

12 Months of Aged Deliciousness

We had a few hours to ourselves - and I took to the streets.  For I, was not returning without a colorful momento of this amazing city.  After much negotiation, I victoriously purchased a handsome red Jaguar to hang on my wall - but here are a few of my other favorite finds:

Corazón with Milagros

Hand Painted Animals

 

Colorful Tin Corazóns

Time for Dinner you say?   

Off to Pitiona, a wonderful restaurant run by chef José Manuel Baños in the Historical Center of Oaxaca City.  We started off with a delightful sage cocktail with Zignum joven, and a plate of appetizers that featured Lengua, Totopos, a razor thin carrot taco stuffed with briney vegetables, a handsome filet of fish served with Chichilo-Mole, and Pork with Salsa de Chicatanas.  For those of you who aren't privy, Chicatanas are flying ants that are harvested for 2 weeks a year, and because their harvest requires timing, patience, and skill, they are very expensive - 400 pesos per kilo.  Although this dish was not my favorite dish of the evening, it was such an honor to taste this Oaxacan delicacy.

Sage Mezcaltini

Puerco con Salsa de Chicatanas

After dinner we decided to venture out for more fun - we hopped over to Café Central, by the same owners as Mezcalería Los Amantes.  Ok, truth, one of my cohorts had acquired a bottle of Mezcal from Los Amantes earlier in the evening on loan, and we were off to the second venue to deliver pesos to the man.

Café Central - Late Night Hot Spot

Did we find said man? No.  Did we dance until the wee hours of the morning? Yes.  This place was alive - stylish Oaxacans dancing to a range of music from traditional mexican to late night dance music.  At some ungodly hour I fell into bed, grateful for such an incredible day. 

Although we were off to the airport pretty early in the morning - I did get a taste of that legendary Oaxacan Hot Chocolate for breakfast - creamy, spicy, and nutty.  If only I could start every morning with such a delicacy...

I can't wait to return to Oaxaca again - I would love to have spent more time in the city, getting to know the people, the back alleys, and tasting more mezcal.  Mezcal the spirit, like Oaxaca, is a bit wild - born from different cultures, creative, colorful, spicy, and that smoke - oh that smoke - how you will crave it once you've tasted it. 

xxG

Want More? Go!

Eat:

Restaurante Pitiona Cocina de Autor
Allende 108, Centro Histórico
Oaxaca 68000, Mexico
01 (951) 51 40690 y 51 447

Drink:

Mezcalería Los Amantes
Allende #107, Centro Histórico
Oaxaca 68000, Mexico
Miércoles a Sábado
17:00-22:00 hrs

Los Danzantes
Macedonio Alcala No. 403-4,
Oaxaca 68000, Mexico

Café Central
Hidalgo 302, Centro Histórico
Oaxaca 68000, Mexico

Stay:

Camino Real Oaxaca
Calle 5 de Mayo 300, Centro Histórico
Oaxaca 68000, Mexico

Tales from Tales - 2012

It has taken us a week to recover.  Truth.

The city of New Orleans is taken over by Tales of the Cocktail every year, which brings in the cocktail elite from all over the world.  Mixologists, Writers, Master Distillers, Brand Ambassadors, Bar and Restaurant Owners, as well as enthusiasts of all things libation.  In our time in New Orleans, which was regrettably short, we met so many wonderful and creative people it left us bubbling with inspiration, not to mention our heads throbbing from numerous days of excess.

New Orleans is really the perfect place for this event, in fact we couldn't event imagine Tales in any other city. There is something intoxicating about the NOLA, and it's not all the Sazeracs we had either.  The city is alive with creativity - artists, musicians, chefs, bartenders, writers - all of whom thrive on the history of the city, the good and the oh so bad.

Tales of the Cocktail just finished its tenth year (yes, tenth), which demands a serious toast to creator Ann Tuennerman and her incredible staff.  While some may think that Tales is a big party, it is a non-profit educational event that has a most incredible lineup of talks and seminars focusing on the craft of the libation.  There were so many seminars that we wish we could have attended - Spiritual Brews from India, Cocktails on Tap, From Cocktail Napkin to Cocktail Bar: How to Open Your Own Bar, The Drunken Botanist, Handmade Bitters Lab, The Emperors New Nose, just to name a few.  But there are only so many hours in the day, and we did (and drank) just about as much as physically possible.

We were supposed to start of our Tales adventure on Thursday afternoon, a few tasting rooms, and then the Life and Times of Tom Bullock event on the Creole Queen Boat (which was amazing, as we've been told over and over and over).  Thanks to Delta, we spent the evening in the Atlanta airport, crying into a sad beer, instead of a sipping on a Four Roses masterpiece poured by bartending legends such as Jim Meehan or David Wondrich.  Delta, It's not you, it's us, but we're done here.

Off to the Employees Only Pop-Up bar at One Eyed Jacks, which was a complete mob-scene, so instead we skipped over to Tonique and got some much needed cocktails.  Ahhhh.

Friday was a busy day, so much to do! Tasting Rooms for Diplomatico, Absolut Bloody Mary bar, Heaven Hill Distilleries, William Grant, oh my!  It wasn't even noon, and we were searching for some water to help slow down the pace.

Speaking of William Grant.  SAGE.  Now there's a spirit we are excited about.  We fell deeply in love with Root, we always enjoy the summer Rhuby, but Sage, now there's a martini we can get excited about.  It tastes like the high desert, open air and freedom.  

Then off to the Taste of Italy, where we sipped on different artisinal Italian liqueurs such as Amaro Lucano, Maraschino Luxardo (which is delicious), and Luxardo Cherry Sangue Morlacco (sour cherry brandy aged two years in oak casks), Pallini Limoncello, and one we've been eyeing at the liquor store for quite some time, Fragoli.

        

Fragoli is made from the tiny wild strawberries that grow in Italy.  We remember eating these sprinkled with sugar on a Roman evening in our youth, oh how magical and delicate they were.  Maybe we can't get them fresh here in New York City, but we can get them in a bottle - the little strawberries are such a nice treat when sipping on this sweet liqueur.  (We bet it would be amazing over ice cream, served with champagne, or strawberry shortcake, just sayin).  Ok, ok, maybe this is a chick drink, but we don't care.  It's delicious.

Then we were off to meet with the master distillers of Jameson.  More to come on that later, but let's just say, we credit Jameson to getting through major life events.  Enough said. Stay tuned.

More tasting rooms - Ile de Re Fine Island Cognac, and over to Loa at the International House for a tasting of Smooth Ambler.

We tasted every mark, from the vodka to the gin, to their bourbons and ryes.  Good stuff we tell you.  We even got to taste a small nip of their barrel aged gin, which was fantastic.  Unfortunately the stuff isn't on the market yet, but when it is, we want some (hint hint).  The Old Scout Bourbon has more rye than most bourbons you'll find (36%), so their products have a spicy kick on top of the traditional caramel and vanilla flavors.  We loved the Gin - aromatic and smooth.  They use vodka as the base spirit (instead of neutral grain spirit) and then hang a selection of herbs & botanicals in the still column to give the gin its flavor.  We might have a new house gin there.

We then proceeded to park ourselves at the bar of Loa - we had to try the Old Scout cocktail made with Lemongrass, Thyme, Mint and Black Walnut bitters.  Divine, we say.  We stuck around for a few more cocktails, one of our favorites was the Dick and Jane, served as a cocktail pairing with some pistachios on the side.

We were pretty enamored with this bar - head bartender Alan Walter makes home made syrups and bitters for the bar, and has quite an impressive and expansive cocktail list (7 pages!).  All the cocktails come in different vintage glasses - it was quite the impressive menagerie of etched crystal in different shapes and sizes.  Dinner at Revolution in the French, got my gumbo and cheese grits fix.  Then back to Loa for more cocktails (no shame, no shame).


Saturday morning was a bit painful.  Even though we had been wearing Bytox hangover prevention patches, we were still feeling the excess from the day before.   We figure, if there's a time to test a hangover prevention product, it's Tales.  The patches probably saved me from a crippling hangover, but honestly, we were still feeling the pain.  Fortunately, everyone knows the best hangover cure is eggs and bacon, so to Surrey's Cafe we went! Bacon, Shrimp and Grits had us ready to go again!

Back to the hotel for more tasting rooms.  Herbsaint, New World Vermouth, and of course, the Absolut Bloody Mary Bar (a girl has needs, after all).  While we squeezed in more than we thought was physically possible, mentally and physically, there were some highlights.  The Beertales seminar with Fancesco Lafranconi, Adam Richard Seger, and Doug Frost was mind blowingly good.  This too deserves its own separate post, so you're gonna have to wait for it, dear readers.  Patience is a virtue.

We had a tasting of Monkey Shoulder Scotch with our friends over at William Grant in the lovely courtyard of the W Hotel, (we wouldn't have minded staying there all afternoon bobbing in a cool pool).  Monkey Shoulder is a blend of Glennfiddich, Balvenie, and Kinivie, which are aged in used bourbon barrels, and then blended from 27 different barrels.   The scotch is then aged again as a blend, and then off to bottling.  Let us tell you, this scotch is smooth, spicy, a little bit citrus-y, and rounds out with vanilla and the fruits of pear and apricot, certainly a nice sipping choice.

              

We also had a taste of Hochstadters Slow and Low, Rock & Rye Whiskey.  It's a blend of Rye whiskey, citrus peel, honey, and rock candy, and is another revival product from the 19th century.  (Side note, with all these revival products on the market, its clear that our ancestors would make booze out of anything, and so will we.)  We're slightly obsessed with the branding of this Rye, but we're not surprised since it's coming from the same company as St Germain, who have that gorgeous bottle that makes us weak kneed every time we see it.

After some amazing drinks with friends, we decided it was time to head over to the Roosevelt Hotel to get a Sazerac.  Great bar, bad lighting.  That said, the signage is unstoppable, beckoning imbibers as though they've found the holy trinity (they have):

We rolled ourselves a few steps away and into John Besh's new restaurant, Domenica.  We saddled up to the charcuterie station, ordered up a meat plate with fry bread (omfg good), and chatted up chef Alon Shaya, who you may or may not have recognized in season two of Treme.

This was an incredible meal.  After an impressive spread of home cured meats, an assortment of pickled deliciousness, and fresh bread, we had Squid Ink Tagliolini with Blue Crab, Roasted Cauliflower with whipped goat feta, and a perfectly executed Wood Roasted Goat with eggs and tomato sauce.  It was a meal to remember.


Sunday morning was also painful, but we got a bloody mary in our bodies as soon as possible to curb said pain.

When it comes to Bloody Mary mixes, we usually think they are a bit of a hoax.  Something that has been packaged for convenience, and is just as easy to create at home.  But this Bloody changed our minds.  Made with Hoosier Momma Bloody Mix, a rim of her Smoked Spicy Glass Varnish, served with a Benny's Beef Straw.  Yes, you read that right, Beef Straw.  Note to self, stock apartment with all of these items.  For survival.

We then headed out of the French Quarter and over to an incredible brunch spot called Atchafalya. First to the Bloody Mary station, which had quite the spread of pickled items, including brussel sprouts, green beans, okra, olives, and a wide array of every hot sauce under the sun.  My creation:

Breakfast was incredible, Eggs Louisianne - Louisiana crab cake, poached eggs, and creole hollandaise.  One of my cohorts had Eggs Atchafalaya with fried green tomatoes, poached eggs, jumbo lump crab with creole hollandaise.  AND the talented Ms Meschiya Lake was playing.  It was one hell of a breakfast, and after which a nap was desperately required.

The Talented Meschiya Lake by Zack Smith - Exhibition at Three Muses

Well rested, we were up and ready to go for the Absinthe Tasting Room at Windsor Court.  We had a few pours by Lucid creator Ted Breaux and enjoyed the beautiful hotel.  We talked to BJ, one of the founders of the Absinthe museum for a long time and got quite a history of absinthe in the process.  Thirsty for more we went over to the Absinthe Room, which proved to be disappointing at best.

Off to Frenchman Street for some live music and more delicious food.  We had to wait a bit at Three Muses, but it was worth it!  Tuna Tartare Tacos with pickled vegetables and avocado wasabi sauce, Kurobuta Pork Belly with apple chutney and scallion pancakes, and the omg-good Duck Pastrami Pizza with onion marmalade, Fontina, Gruyere, pickled vegetables, and topped off with a duck egg, sunny side up.  Everything was served as small plates, tapas style which worked well for the music scene.  Truth be told, we could have ordered another one of those Duck Pizzas it was so fantastic.  The music was incredible, sadly we did not take note of the name of the band that was playing (whoever you are, you were divine).

There's so much life to New Orleans, the food, the music, the people, the cocktails.  Without a doubt, we fell in love with this city, and we hope Tales will have us back next year.

To quote our girl Miss Helen Hollyman, "When New Orleans leaves your blood stream, let's add it back in", time for a Sazerac.

Cheers!

xxG