Revised NYE 2011 Cocktail Menu - Still Texas Style

Based on last night's dry run I added a few more items (bigger is always better in Texas and for cocktail choices).

Proposed New Year's Cocktail Menu - Texas Style

This year we are spending New Year's Eve with some dear friends that are moving to Texas in 2012, so what better then a cocktail tribute.  While a few of the items are tried and true favorites, the others were inspired by some great libations I have tried during my various visits to the Lone Star state.   I am having a few guests over tonight for a dry run to nail down the portions and will follow up tomorrow with the recipes. 

Give Your Mimosa A Kick In The Pants

Want to give your holiday brunch stand-by cocktail a new lease on life?   Tequila, Grand Marnier, grapefruit juice and champagne make up the Dove.  This was a much enjoyed drink at our holiday brunch and will be in my repertoire for a Texas themed New Year's Eve party.

.75 oz Tequila
.75 oz Grand Marnier
.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
Dash of Orange Bitters
Champagne

Most Popular Drink Of The Holiday Season

The most popular drink of the holiday season - at least at the dinner parties we threw - was the French Blond. It was the cocktail of choice at both dinner parties and holiday brunch, and will be a perfect addition to any New Year's Eve drink menu.

2oz White Lillet
1 oz Gin
2 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
.5 oz St. Germain

Holiday Party Cocktail Menu

We are hosting two holiday dinner parties at our house this year and this gives me the perfect opportunity to show off my cocktail making abilities. It's a good thing cocktails are prior to dinner because my libations would be completely upstaged by my wife's mad cullinary skills.  Let me know what you think about my menu

Silver Bells / Gold Bells
Gin, Vodka or Boubon, with Ginger, Mint & a Candy Cane Rim

Clove & Oak
Holiday flavors of Bourbon, Lemon, Apple Cider, Clove & Ginger Bitters

Manhattan Sunrise
Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth and Aperol

French 75
Gin, Lemon Juice, Rosemary Simple Syrup and Champagne

French Blond
Lillet, Gin, St. Germain, Grapefruit Juice and Citrus Bitters

Hot Apple Pie
An original Thirsty Lawyer cocktail. Rum, Apple Cider, Clove & Cinnamon Simple Syrup, House Made Hellfire Bitters

Vesper
An Early Favorite of James Bond. Gin, Vodka & Lillet

Dark & Stormy
Rum, Ginger Beer (Optional Splash of Lemon Juice)

Thir13en - Hard To Spell But Great Cocktail Program

When I told Chris Macias, food writer for the Sacramento Bee, of my foray into the role of cocktail scribe, he asked me if I had yet to try the cocktail program at Thir13en.  Since I hadn't, Chris and I made plans to explore the bar offerings together.

Thir13een operates under the deft hands of Chef and proprietor Adam Pechal (from well regarded Tuli Bistro) with Sara Kitchens in charge of all things cocktails.  The bar menu is rich with original offerings and new takes on old classics.  The Loon is one of the new twists on the Dark N Stormy.  It is made with Bacardi Silver, house made ginger syrup, fresh squeezed lime juice, with a float of  Myers dark rum.  The ginger syrup adds a touch of sweetness that you don't normally find in a traditional Dark N Stormy.



The Loon



Now for a fact you may not know, Dark N Stormy is a registered U.S. trademark owned by  Gosling's, the Bermuda producers of Gosling's dark rum and ginger beer.  Technically, any bar purporting to  serve a Dark N Stormy would have to do so with Gosling's rum and ginger beer, otherwise the bar would be engaging in trade mark infringement.  Does this mean that bar owners should have a trademark attorney review their bar menu?  I say yes, emphatically; see if you can do a deal for trade.   (My opinion may be a bit biased.)

Chris had the Old Flame, a twist on the classic Negroni.  The Old Flame substitutes Cynar for Campari and includes a splash of fresh squeezed orange juice.  Cynar's is an interesting liquor; it is made from 13 herbs and plants, with the predominant plant ingredient being the artichoke.  Its bittersweet flavor profile is the halfway mark in between Campari and Aperol. 

As Chris, Adam and I began discussing the numerous variations on the Negroni we all had seen, Brian the bartender whipped up a tequila based take on the Negroni - Cazadores Reposado, Cynar, Sweet Vermouth, fresh squeezed lime juice, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and blood orange bitters.  Although the Cynar does not produce the same bitter quality as one normally expects from a Negroni made with Campari, Brian's new drink is extremely refreshing and well balanced.