Wow, what a way to wrap up the year! The December, holiday party was A M A Z I N G! Sponsored by the excellent St George Spirits with all of their delectable offerings; we were lead us on the inside scoop at St George Spirits by none other than the master distiller Lance Winters with ardent acumen and generous humor and him and his trusty side kick (David Bridgman) brought yummy spirits to try along with prizes for the friendly mix-off! In true holiday fashion we were hosted by the outstanding 320 Main which is always wonderful setting and also following an OCBC Holiday tradition there were punches. So we learned a lot, had a great time, some terrific grub, tasty drinks and one hell of a good time. Stay tuned we’ve got big stuff in store for this next year too!
The punches:
The End of Me Punch
by Ricky Yarnall of Broadway
(all measurements are approximate – be sure to taste and adjust as needed before serving)
1.5 bottles St. George absinthe
4 cups lime juice
3 cups sugar
2 cups Maraschino Liqueur
3 Granny Smith Apples
3 stalks celery (cooked until slightly soft)
2 cinnamon sticks (toasted)
3/4 gallon of Whole Milk
Infuse absinthe overnight with cooked celery, diced apples, and cinnamon sticks.
Dissolve the sugar into the lime juice and maraschino liqueur.
Heat the milk until small bubbles form over medium heat (do not scald – do not boil)
Remove from heat and pour the sugar, lime, maraschino mixture into the hot milk.
The milk will curdle. This is good.
Add the absinthe infusion and stir until everything is well incorporated.
Allow to cool, and refrigerate overnight.
Strain off the curds through cheesecloth.
Taste your delicious clarified milk punch, and adjust the flavors as needed.
Finish off with a hearty 10 dashes or so of Bitter Truth Celery bitters.
Garnish with slices of apples.
Also, the curds that you strained off are a delicious cheesy treat if you press it. Absinthe Ricotta!
Oh my darling Punch
by Jason of 320 Main
(1 serving)
2 oz St George Dry Rye Gin
3/4 oz Clementine Juice
1/4 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Maple Syrup
1/2 oz Tempus Fugit Liqueur de Violette
garnish with grated nutmeg, clementine slice & cranberries
The Baby B’s Whiskey Kick
By Chris Dion of Young’s Market
(all measurements are approximate – be sure to taste and adjust as needed before serving)
2 bottles of Breaking & Entering Bourbon
18 oz. fresh lemon juice
48 oz. orange spiced tea Bigelow or Celestial Seasons
18 oz. ginger syrup
1 oz. Angostura
1 large block of ice approx. 25 oz to taste for dilution
Here are the three winning recipes:
1st Place cocktail
Gin Cannon Ball
Daniel Flores – Alex’s Bar/Congregation Ale House/The Skyroom/Gentlemen’s Drink LBC
1 1/2 oz St George Dry Rye Gin
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Honey Syrup
2 bspn Pineapple Jalapeno Jam
Shake all ingredients with ice & strain into a lavender bitters coated/rinsed dbl rocks with ice. Orange Twist garnish. Cheers!
2nd Place cocktail
Frag-eeee-laaay
Evan Price – Noble Ale Works
1 1/2 oz Breaking & Entering Bourbon
1/2 oz You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out Kid! by Noble Ale Works
1/2 oz Amaro
1/2 oz Rich Simple
27 droplets Coffee Bitters by Truman
1 Egg Yolk
Dry Shake, Add Ice, Serve up, Double Strained
Grate fresh Nutmeg on top
3rd Place cocktail
Negra Tomasa
Gilbert Marquez – Mercado
1/2 oz Lime
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Mexican Coke Syrup
1/2 oz Mezcal
1 oz St George Rum
1/2 oz Mexican Fernet
Maldon Salt Flakes
Next up, on Monday January 7th, it will be Felipe Gonzalez-Gordon from Gonzalez Byass, from the 5th generation of the Gonzalez Family who founded Gonzalez Byass winery in Jerez in 1835 (yes this is a big deal!). They will bring their full line of sherries to try and also some VORS items. (rare treats!).
I told you we have big plans for the New Year! This is going to be astounding—so you need to RSVP.
To help maintain quality of service, presentation, space, food and drink we must insist on RSVP’s and we are limiting the accepted RSVP’s to 40. So get your RSVP in early and send it to info@bartenderscabinet.com if you’re planning on attending, let us know if something comes up so we can make your spot available to someone else if you can’t make it. See you then! The meeting location will be emailed upon RSVP to the first 40 responders.