TALK DRINKS

Tequila Tasters at Rosa Mexicana - Welcome to Miami

Last week, I attended a happy hour for the Miami Dade Community College Alumni at Rosa Mexicana in Mary Brickell Village. The guests were treated to the traditional Mexican fare of guacamole & other goodies but the highlight of the evening was a Tequila tasting and Margarita demo.
I had quite a diverse group of "tasters" visiting my table. From recent college grads to much more mature alumni. One woman told me she was 80 and loved taking a little nip every now and then "to keep her frisky". The guests tasted Blanco, Reposado and Anejo Tequilas.
Lots of questions were asked and many returned for more "samples". I was able to demonstrate to the crowd how to make the perfect Margarita. Let me tell you...I have never seen pitchers of margarita's disappear so quickly! It was a pleasure educating the alumni of Miami-Dade and I look forward to many more opportunities like this. Salud - Marita, River Oyster Bar, Miami

Sporting Life Anniversary Edition - L.A. Happenings

Last Sunday saw the gathering of Los Angeles' finest at Barkeeper in Silverlake. Since March of 2008 and every month since, Marcos Tello has been organizing The Sporting Life get together for drink slingers, enthusiastic amateurs, formerly jaded bloggers and curious onlookers. This meeting of the minds are treated to food and beverage, lessons in mixology techniques, historic anecdotes and some downright debauchery, which may be considered a bad thing but this was all in the quest for community.
Back in 2008, we started with 8 and a very enthusiastic idea. We wanted to drink good cocktails and in LA these are as rare as an open lane during rush hour. (In the 4 years I have been here, traffic has gone from ridiculous to something inexplicably far more than ridiculous, even with the advent of hands free telephone laws).
Now 1 year later, The Sporting Life is over 60 members strong with a great number of those also having joined the USBG. So what better way to celebrate than go back to where it all started, Barkeeper in Silverlake. A great big thanks to our gracious and ever giving and supportive host Joe Keeper. It was a squeeze, but we ate and drank and made merry with generous donations of time and product from Partida Tequila, St. Germain, Martin Millers Gin, Edison Beer, Luxury Ice and Malo Restaurant. Guest bartending appearances from Leo, Vincenzo, Christine, Eric, Joe, Michel, Pablo, Juan, Chris, John and yours truly. Although he wasn’t on the roster H. Joseph Ehrmann from Elixir in S.F. made a guest appearance too. We have no trouble finding great cocktail these days, the only drawback is finding a parking spot. Happy Cocktailing - Damian

The Sporting Life Anniversary Party - L.A. Happenings

The Sporting Life Anniversary Party
Sunday, March 15th from 12-6
Barkeeper
3910 W. Sunset Blvd
Silverlake, CA 90029
Come down to Barkeeper this Sunday and hang with some of LA's best bartenders (including yours truly) and help us foster LA's cocktail culture by supporting The Sporting Life. The cocktails will be complimentary and all proceeds will go to The Museum of the American Cocktail. Hope to see you there. - Damian

(click here to download Sportlife Anniversary issue newsletter). There are a ton of great receipes from recent sub-district cocktail competition. my favorite is #12the flower district cocktail.

Friends of Ardent Mixology - FOAM

Last week, I traveled up to Napa, California to lead a Tequila seminar for the Friends of Ardent Mixology (FOAM). About 25 of the members attended this seminar and they where all eager to learn more about the wonderful world of Premium Tequila. What makes this group unique is that they are not bartenders or mixologists, but they are just as passionate about Cocktails and Spirits. Judd Finkelstein, who started FOAM, is the Winemaker for his families vineyard Judd's Hill. Many of the members are in the wine industry or professional chefs. They all have a love for the cocktail and get together every month to sample cocktails on an educational level.
It was amazing to see that this kind of passion for crafted Cocktails and Spirits was spreading outside of the bartending community. On top of all that, Judd had one of the best home Tiki Bars I have ever seen. It was a shrine to the Tiki cocktail and all things Rum. Needless to say, it put my home bar to shame and I have a lot of work to do to bring my own bar up to such a level. A big Cheers to all the members of FOAM. We need more passionate people like them exploring the world of Cocktails and Spirits. - Jacques (that's not me in the photo)

Winter Wonderland Cocktail Soiree - The Windy City Post

Two weeks ago, I attended the Winter Wonderland Cocktail Soiree at the Architectural Artifacts Atrium with my good friend Matty Colston of Blackbird Restaurant. Yelp.com - Chicago gathered together the crème of Chicago’s culinary scene, such as MK, Uncommon Ground and Zed 451 just to mention a few, and invited 1,000 of their elite Yelpers to sample signature dishes and cocktails. Blackbird's Chef Mickey served a cool Rabbit Sausage with Jasmine Cornbread and a White Cream Sauce. Mixologist Matty Colston created the "Añejo Smash" made with Partida Anejo, muddled kumquats, toasted sesame seed and a Japanese herb garnish. The evening culminated with a cocktail contest and it came down to the wire. The judges were all the Yelpers who attended. Matty's Anejo Smash took 3rd place just 4 votes shy of top prize!!! Cheers - Alex, bartender, Moonshine 

Pranna's 1st New Year's Eve Bash!!!

We will be celebrating our first New Year's Eve at Pranna. Ring in the New Year from 9:30pm-2:30am with hor d'oeuvres, food stations and a premium open bar. To reserve your table please contact [email protected]. Hope to see you there. - Elba

Wednesday, December 31 from 9:30pm-2:30am
Pranna Restaurant
79 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 696-5700
www.prannarestaurant.com

Holiday Parties Galore - The Wild West

I love this time of the year because of all the great events and parties that are being thrown in Scottsdale now. A few weeks ago, I blogged about a great restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale called The Mission. Last Wednesday, Rick Philips of Desert Living Magazine hosted a terrific cocktail party here. The gorgeous of Scottsdale's and Phoenix's social elite gathered to try specialty cocktails served by the Mission's talented bartenders and yours truly. Since my interview on Teq Talk, some people have made me into the resident Tequila expert. I was happy to do Tequila tastings with the guests and talk to them about the history and evolution of this great spirit. There were both experts and beginners in the crowd, but all came away with a true understanding of how Tequila has become a super-premium sipping spirit. Salud - Stephen, Roaring Fork

(PS - I'm a bit of a shutterbug and photography is one of my favorite hobbies.)

Happy Repeal Day!!!

Happy Repeal Day!!! Today is a very important day, especially for us bartenders. Come celebrate it with us tonight at the historic City Tavern Club in Georgetown, Washington. Cheers - Elba

P.R. Super Star Luis Fonsi - Welcome to Miami

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Holiday, because we definitely did in Miami!!! To kick off the holiday weekend with a spicy Latin flair, MySpace Latino held a free concert on Nov 25th featuring Puerto Rico singing sensation Luis Fonsi. He performed a special acoustic set to an intimate crowd of 300 adoring fans at The Gibson Showroom in Miami's Design District. We sipped on Tequila and margaritas all night while lounging on sofas and pillows and listening to favorite hits such as “No Me Doy Por Vencido”. It was music to our ears. - Marita, Ortanique on the Mile

The 75th Anniversary of Repeal Day Celebration

The 75th Anniversary of Repeal Day is less than a week away...Are you ready? On December 5th, join me, my good friend Derek Brown and 300 of our closest friends at the historic City Tavern Club in Georgetown, Washington. We'll be whipping up hundreds of delicious cocktails, including Derek's feature cocktail the Tequila Orchard (Partida Reposado, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur, organic apple juice, fresh lime juice, The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters). We will celebrate with live music, dancers, temperance ladies and bootleggers. There will be toasts! There will be flowing booze!! It'll be beautiful!!!  Salud - Elba, Pranna Restaurant