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Beverage

House Cocktails: The Better Part of Valor

By: Jenny
15-03-2013
Beverage

What do Scrappy’s Bitters, “Fox Zilla,” and Shakespeare all have in common? Each shares a fondness for the complex. We might never know what the Bard of Avon himself preferred to drink. Surely though, he was fond of his character Falstaff, the cowardly knight who recited the famous line this week’s House Cocktail is named after. Attributed to Allison Webber (aka Fox Zilla), The Better Part of Valor balances bitter, sweet, and herbal notes in one of my favorite sip-it-slow drinks.

Head of a Falstaff statue

Photo courtesy of shotsbystevo. Some rights reserved.

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House Cocktails: To Sip with Soup

By: Jenny
22-02-2013
Beverage

A few weeks ago, I was on the prowl for drinks that used lime. I juiced a few too many for the meal I was making and thought, “No way can I let good citrus go to waste!” My aim was to find a libation suitable to sip with the layered flavors of Tom Yam Gai, the chicken version of a spicy soup from Southeast Asia. The one I chose has a name that might offend some.

Classic ingredients for the Oriental Cocktail

Classic ingredients for the Oriental Cocktail
Photo courtesy of Mike Russell. All rights reserved.

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Fair Trade: Will Splintering Bring Solidarity?

By: Jenny
11-12-2012
Beverage, Non-Fiction

I interviewed five fair trade activists earlier this year about the meaning of the movement in the coffee sector now, nearly a quarter of a century after the first seal was launched. The split of Fair Trade USA from Fairtrade International and this year’s launch of the Small Producers Seal increased the number of certification bodies to four in North America. Will this increase in the number of players bring a return to solidarity about what it means to trade fairly?

Coffee in bags

Photo courtesy of puuikibeach. Some rights reserved.

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House Cocktails: The Last Word

By: Jenny
30-11-2012
Beverage, Story

Wine was always my drink of choice until a few years ago. That’s when I started doing double duty as sommelier and service bartender at Ray’s Boathouse on slow nights. It’s also when I began to associate the onset of the rainy season with trying new (to me) cocktails. As I developed my palate for booze, I struggled with gin. The strong flavor that juniper imbues to this base alcohol was usually too much for me. That is, until I put myself in the hands of Murray Stenson.

Murray Stenson

Photo courtesy of Scott Heimendinger. All rights reserved.

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Search Bot Gots: High Class Hooch

By: Jenny
29-11-2012
Beverage, Meme

Doing investigations for House Cocktails is fun and not just because there is drinking involved. Many drink creation stories have the same veracity as fables or parables. Maybe they hint at the truth of where a drink originated but no one can say for sure who thought it up. Even when a particular drink can be attributed to someone, other interesting history about its ingredients or where it was developed can often be found. This week, my search bot got two stories that make mention of some New Orlean classics while tracking “cocktail history.”

Ramos Fizz
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House Cocktails: Bourbon, Bubbles, and Bitters

By: Jenny
23-11-2012
Beverage, Non-Fiction

Already, dear readers, you know I have a fondness for putting bubbles and bitters together. Sometimes, the occasion calls for something a bit stronger and more nuanced. This week, I’m drinking another favorite cocktail that combines bubbly with bitters. This one features Kentucky whiskey and is sweetened by an orange-flavored liqueur. Top that all off with a healthy pour of champagne and garnish it with a twist of lemon to complete this pre-prohibition classic.

Seelbach Cellar

Photo courtesy of Brian Hoffsis.

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House Cocktails: For the Acid Hounds

By: Jenny
16-11-2012
Beverage

I am a sommelier. Not only am I a sommelier, I am among those restaurant wine-slingers who consider themselves “acid hounds.” Alcohol, tannins, and viscosity in a wine of high intensity flavors is often not enough to be able to pair it with food. Such wines can be great fun to sip on by themselves. But to go with many sauced, rich, or spicy dishes, a wine needs acidity to give it a little lift. Liking that brightness is why I also like sour drinks. And why the Sidecar is in the top five for cocktails I make at home.

Flaming Orange Peel

Photo courtesy of Mike Russell. All rights reserved.

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House Cocktails: From One Bitter to Another

By: Jenny
09-11-2012
Beverage

I was a teetotaler for all of my 20s, typically a formative period for those who like to imbibe a little alcohol now and then. That didn’t stop me from learning the tradition of drinking an aperitivo during a series of trips I took to Italy. An Italian friend introduced me to Sanbittér so I could participate in the tradition of “opening” one’s appetite before dinner. (Aperitivo is derived from the Latin form of “to open,” aperire.)

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Coffee and Indonesia: A New Chapter for Fair Trade?

By: Jenny
29-08-2012
Beverage, Place

I write therefore I drink coffee. Yes, yes, many fellow wordsmiths manage to face down the blank page through sheer determination or with the aid of other caffeinated beverages. But me? I prefer the rich, dark flavors of a good cuppa joe to start my day.

Seattle skyline at sunset

Photo courtesy of Mike Russell, all rights reserved.

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Blog Roll: Meet Brian Neely

By: Jenny
03-06-2012
Beverage, Blogroll

Brian Neely is a talented fine art photographer currently living in Kabul, Afghanistan. He works with digital and film cameras, loves single-origin coffees and microbrews, and is the only person I know who has run the Athens Classic Marathon in Greece.

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