TALK DRINKS

Sip SLOWly

It's time for a taste, for a sip, if you will, of wine classified as "Slow." This idea may be a foreign one for most (ironically, the concept was founded in Italy), but stick with us here! Let's start with Slow Food, and then we'll "pour some wine."

Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization with supporters in 150 countries around the world. They've joined in committing to link the pleasure of good food to community and environment. Slow Food was founded in 1989 to counter the rise of fast food and fast life. This organization seeks to replant the idea and interest of food back into society. By increasing awareness of where food comes from, how it tastes, and how our food choices affect the rest of the world, the importance of the aforementioned factors will spread... slowly, but surely!

Slow Wine is based upon and related to the same core ideals as Slow Food. On January 30 and February 2, Slow Food will launch its first ever wine guide in English, Slow Wine, which adopts an innovative
approach to wine criticism and looks at a variety of factors to evaluate wineries in their entirety. In New York and  Chicago, trade, press, and consumers alike will be able to taste wines from all over Italy. It is the hope that those who taste will have a new appreciation for the "slow" ideal. This ideal takes into consideration the wine's quality, adherence to terroir, value for money, environmental sensitivity, and ecologically sustainable viticultural practices. "Wine" not take a break from spirits to sip on Italian reds, whites, and bubbly for an evening?

To purchase tickets for the NYC tasting on January 30, click here: http://slowwineguidenyc.eventbrite.com/

To purchase tickets for the Chicago tasting on February 2, click here: http://slowwineguidechicago-eorg.eventbrite.com/

 

New Year, New Drink, New Start

We're back to the very beginning of another year... what a very good place to start! By now, you've surely wiped your hands clean of last years failures, promised yourself to abstain from being the glutton that you've been in years past, and you've turned over that heavy stone of calorie-counting in 2012... (at least for a few months)! Presuming the aforementioned assumptions are correct, it's imperative that you don't go waltzing into 2012 calorie-counting and such without a good cocktail to keep you in order. Yes, that's right. Cocktail. What? You didn't know that calorie-counting and cocktails go hand-in-hand? Well, newsflash! They do. It's the allowing yourself slightly to indulge that keeps resolutions going strong. The important thing is to not be such a stranger to the salubrious drinks in life; it's time to make friends with natural ingredients such as citrus peels, vanilla pods, basil, mint, rosemary, and ginger. It's time to make agave syrup a substitute for the sugary messes that oftentimes get dumped into your cocktail. Did you know that agave has a low glycemic index compared to granulated sugars? And because it's about one and a half times sweeter than processed sugars, you don't need as much for drink mixing! 2012 is the year to be creative in a whole new way. This year is the time to put the headaches behind you and to find clarity in the natural drinks. And so, to begin your new venture, start your year off with quite the dandy cocktail, the Grapefruit Daisy.

 

THE GRAPEFRUIT DAISY

2 ounces Reposado Tequila Partida

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

3/4 ounce fresh grapefruit juice

1/2 ounce  Partida 100% Organic Agave Nectar (cut with 1/4 water)

Splash club soda

Fresh basil (optional garnish)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Shake. Strain into an oversized highball. Fill with crushed ice. Add soda, and garnish with fresh basil.

 

The Season For Sparklers

Are you beaming yet? The holidays are here! And coming up is the New Year! There's a lightness in the air... and hope. And doesn't everything have the most brilliant sparkle? Whether you believe "seeing is believing" or like Fred Gailey in Miracle on 34th Street, you believe that, "faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to," it's a sure thing that you've survived 2011. Cheers to that, my friends! Perhaps it's the "spirits" that have pulled you through all the long days, and if that's the case, then cheers to them, too! On this occasion, something sparkly is in order. Now you're probably thinking, "sparklers are for July 4th," but that is just not the case. For this holiday season, there's nothing like the Ginger Sparkler to make you twinkle more brightly than the lights on the trees. So pull out that bottle of champagne that you've been itching to open, don't put up the sugar you were just using to make hot cocoa for the kids, and get some ginger! Prepare to toast the holiday season with an unforgettable spirit!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 bottle (750 ml) dry sparkling wine, such as Cava, Prosecco, or Champagne

Directions

1. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a small bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan, boil ginger, sugar, and 1/4 cup water until syrupy, about 2 minutes. Pour through sieve into bowl, discarding solids. (To store syrup, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)

2. Pour 1 tablespoon syrup into each of 8 tall glasses. Top with sparkling wine, and gently stir.

Glass Half Full

For many reasons the holiday season evokes a sense of nostalgia for all the comforts of home. Childhood memories of Christmas, snowfalls, nights sitting fireside with family and friends, hot cocoa, and the glorious glass of eggnog make spirits warmer and bright. The traditions that we hold close are the ones that make the holiday season. It's not the barbie doll nor the easy bake oven nor the hot wheels set that we remember every season. It's the traditional family meal, the annual trip "to grandmother's house we go," and it's the glass of something wonderful that we pour year after year that makes the season full of good cheer. In a world where everything is constantly upgrading, changing, morphing into something completely new, we have a need for something that remains the same, so don't forget to stick to tradition this holiday season. Make sure your glass is half full with the traditional drink of the holiday season: eggnog!

Egg Nog Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 pint whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 ounces bourbon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 egg whites*

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, bourbon and nutmeg and stir to combine.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.

Cook's Note: For cooked eggnog, follow procedure below.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Then return everything to the pot and cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, pour into a medium mixing bowl, and set in the refrigerator to chill.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites into the chilled mixture.

 

* Raw Eggs

*RAW EGG WARNING
Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs due to the slight risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly refrigerated, clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.

Holiday Spirits are Bright

As December days fly off the calendar, we soon find ourselves with just a few days left until the holidays officially commence. Strings of lights seem to multiply, Santa Clauses pop around every corner, and the need of a good cup 'o cheer increases with every day's passing. The more cheerful the ingredients, the merrier, so when you go to mix up your special drink spirits this season, stop by the tree first, or wherever your nearest candy cane is. Pluck off the striped treat. Then head to the liquor cabinet. Dust off your peppermint schnapps, unscrew your Partida Blanco Tequila (if you haven't heard, Tequila Partida is the Tequila for the holiday season... for all seasons, for that matter!), pour a chocolate liqueur, and finish off with a touch of cream. Don't forget to stir up with the candy cane. Ho Ho Ho! Happy Holidays!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie

 

3/4 oz.Partida Blanco Tequila  
1 oz.Peppermint Schnapps
3/4 oz.Godiva® Liqueur
1-1/2 oz.Cream

Rim martini glass with chocolate syrup and crushed candy canes. Shake ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into martini glass.

That's the Spirit!

Can you feel it? The lull before the storm? It's here. It's brief. Enjoy it while it lasts. Thanksgiving is over (deep-breath-after so-much-food-and-so-much-cleaning-up!), and holiday celebrations are just around the corner. Everyone is making lists and checking them twice. Gifts. Invites. RSVPs. Flights. Travel arrangements. Food. Play dates. School functions. Christmas with one side of the family. Hanukkah with the other. Trim the tree! Deck the hall! Light the menorah. And the advent candle. Oh, and breathe. And drink (in the holiday spirit, that is)! As Jack Frost greets you, it's better to warm up with one spirit to keep the other spirits up! In this case, a hot toddy comes to mind...So drink up and enjoy the last moments of peace and quiet. That's the spirit!

• 1/2 tsp. honey 
or to taste
• 1 1/2 oz. gold rum 
• 1 cup hot tea 
• Candied ginger 
• Lemon slice 
or orange slice
• Pinch powdered cinnamon 

Mixing instructions:

Heat all ingredients, except ginger, in a saucepan until steaming hot and pour into a warmed cup or mug. Garnish with a large piece of candied ginger.

The Twilight Zone

It's that time of year again. It's time for good spirits and great cheer. It's time for family and friends and food abound! But let's be real. It's really time for the new Twighlight movie. Don't act like you haven't been sitting on the edge of your seat the past few months, marking off caldendar days, and watching the clock tick-tock slowly as time inched closer to the release date. Enter: Twighlight Zone. The day is upon us! And to celebrate, it's best to kick off watching parties with spirits (only the good kind, of course). There's nothing like a Twilight-inspired cocktail to get your blood pumping!

New Moon

1 oz I Spirit Vodka

1 oz. triple sec

1 oz. creme de violette

Stir contents in a shaker and serve up in a martini glass. Garnish with a piece of citrus cut out with a star-shaped cookie cutter.

The Edward

1 ½ oz. Plymouth gin

½ oz. Licor 43

½ oz. Plymouth sloe gin

½ oz. lemon juice

Serve on the rocks with a lemon twist.

 

 

Get in the Patriotic Spirit

Salute your stars and stripes, and raise a glass (or two!) today to those military veterans who have served our beloved country. If you're proposing a toast to one who has served, one who is serving, or one whom you have lost, it's important that the drink you're lifing up feels good going down. That being said, a few delicious cocktail recipes come to mind, each with respectable names to honor those men and women for whom we will always remain indebted.

FORGET-ME-NOT

1/2 oz Creme de Menthe

1/2 oz I Spirit Vodka

1/2 oz Jagermeister

Mix together in a shot glass, and take down!

 

UNKNOWN WARRIOR

2 oz  Tequila Partida

2 oz Jagermeister

Mix together with crushed ice in a glass and garnish with mint leaves. Enjoy!

 

 

To Ghosts and Goblins

Let the spirits, libations not ghosts, fill you this spooktacular Halloween.  Shake it up and make some cocktails that are frighteningly delicious and scream Halloween.  The Pumpkin Margarita by Crema Restaurante in New York City and the White Spider by I Spirit Vodka are festive drinks that are treats, not tricks. 

Pumpkin Margarita

2 oz. Partida Reposado Tequila

1 oz. Fresh lime/lemon juice mix

Splash of pumpkin puree

Sesame seeds

Lime wedge

Rim a cocktail glass with lime juice and sesame seeds. Mix ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. - Courtesy of Crema Restaurante, NY

 

White Spider

2/3 I Spirit Vodka

1/3 White mint cream

Time for a Fall Inspired Cocktail

It is finally starting to feel like fall! And with the cooler season, comes more complex and intense drinks, like the Suavecita.  Enjoy this cocktail on a nice, cool evening!

Suavecita

1 1/2 oz. Partida Reposado Tequila
1 dash(es) Angostura Bitters
1/2 oz. Aperol Orange Liqueur
1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz. Sweet Vermouth

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

A Blast for the Ultimate Spirits Enthusiasts

Today is the Ultimate Blast at Marriott Marquis Hotel's Broadway Ballroom in Times Square.  The Ultimate Blast unites spirits enthusiasts for an evening of tasting cocktails, spirits and wine.  From 6:30 (5:30 for VIPs) to 9:30 p.m., you can sample and taste as many different tibbles and wines you want.  Compare spirits within the same category, try a new brand, and be wowed by perfectly mixed cocktails. 

 

Tickets are still on sale: $175 for VIP and $125 for general admission.  Tickets include access to 300 spirits, 100 cocktails, 120 wines, music, book signings and music. We are not promoting or even suggesting you attempt to try 520 libations.  Make a plan before attending and choose your top picks to try, like I Spirit Vodka, and when you are done, hail a cab.

For the Love of Vodka

Yesterday was National Vodka Day, but there is no reason to only celebrate the spirit on October 4.  Today is a great day to continue honoring vodka.  Use I Spirit, an Italian vodka, and make a classic Martini.  Cesare Martini, brand manager of I Spirit and great-grandson of the founder of Martini & Rossi, suggests drinking the Martini Perfetto-- the perfect(o) drink to celebrate vodka.

Martini Perfecto

Pour a few drops of Vermouth into a shaker with ice.

Shake, then strain the Vermouth.    

Fill the shaker with I Spirit Vodka.

Shake until chilled.    

Strain into a Coupette Martini glass.    

Add two drops olive juice.    

Garnish with three olives or a twist of lemon.  

What's Old is New Again

It is the final day of September, the end of the first week of fall, and the close of National Bourbon Heritage Month.  It has been a big week so end it with a classic cocktail turned upside down.  Julie Reiner of Flatiron Lounge in Manhattan created the Anejo Old-Fashioned, which substitutes Tequila Partida for bourbon.  Stir things up, literally, and try the kicked-up tequila version of an Old-Fashioned. 

Anejo Old- Fashioned

3 oz Partida Anejo Tequila

¼ oz Agave Nectar

Dash Angostura Bitters

Orange Peel

In a Old- Fashioned glass, muddle the orange peel, bitters and agave nectar. Muddle orange peel to release the oils. Add ice and Partida Anejo. Stir to mix all ingredients and garnish with brandied cherries on a pick.

Recipe by Julie Reiner – Flatiron Lounge – Manhattan

 

 

One Last Summer Drink

Summer today.  Fall tomorrow. On the last day of the season, you owe it to yourself to have a summery cocktail before the cool weather completely takes over. 

Tequila Partida created a Tequila Mojito, the Yerba Buena.  Like a rum Mojito, the Yerba Buena is cool and refreshing, but with an extra kick thanks to the addition of Tequila.

Yerba Buena (Tequila Mojito)

2 oz Partida Blanco or Reposado 

8 to 10 Mint Sprigs

3/4 oz Fresh squeezed lime juice

3/4 oz Agave Nectar (Cut 50/50 with water)

Club Soda or Ginger Beer

Muddle mint, lime juice and Agave Nectar in a highball glass. Add ice to fill. Add Tequila and top with soda. Stir. Garnish with mint sprig and lime wheel.

16 de Septiembre

While Cinco de Mayo may be fun to celebrate with loud music and large crowds, it is not the true date of Mexico's Independence Day.  The true day to commemorate Mexico's independence from Spain is this Friday, September 16. 

Join Mexico in celebrating their freedom with a festive tequila drink like the Partida Margarita and Southern Heat. Both drinks use Tequila Partida as the base spirit.  The spirit is made from 100 percent blue agave from Tequila Valley, the heart of Mexico’s historic Tequila Valley Region.

Viva Mexico!

Partida Margarita with 100% Agave Nectar

1 ½ oz Partida Blanco Tequila

1 oz Fresh squeezed lime juice

¾ oz Agave Nectar

¾ oz Water

Shake all ingredients with ice in a shaker. Strain over fresh ice into a Margarita glass or Old-Fashioned glass.

Taste for Balance.

Note: This is the Margarita recipe made World famous by Julio Bermejo at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco.

 

 

Southern Heat

1 ½ oz Partida Blanco Tequila

¾ oz Cointreau

1 oz Fresh squeezed lime juice

6 Slices of cucumber skinned

2 to 3 Slices of Jalapeno

¼ oz Simple syrup

In a mixing glass muddle the cucumber, jalapeno, lime juice and simple syrup. Add ice, Partida Blanco Tequila and Cointreau. Shake and strain over fresh ice into an Old-fashioned glass and garnish with cucumber slices fanned out.