Limoncello Variations

Two years ago when Danny DeVito was on Jimmy Kimmel Live drinking his Limoncello and cooking with Mario Batali, I wonder how many people he introduced the liqueur to with his shenanigans.  (I wonder how many people were introduced to Mario and his funky orange footwear too...) but back to drinks.

Lemoncello is an Italian digestivo which is drunk following a meal and supposed to aid in digestion.  Digestivos are not very popular in the US; although Fernet Branca is having a renaissance of sorts (a "ginger back" anyone) - though I think they're becoming more commonplace.

Supposedly limoncello easy to make (according to what I've read, although I have never attempted to make any) - all you need is sugar, water, lemons, alcohol, and time.  Start with the highest proof alcohol you can find, this ensures a more complete extraction of lemony goodness.  Essentially, you peel the lemons and allow them to soak in the booze; add sugar.

Limoncelllo Quest is a wonderful website devoted to making your own lemoncello and one day I will follow it to the T.  "A Personal Pilgrimage to Create the Perfect Lemoncello" - Limoncelllo Quest begins, "Step One: Cut a hole in the box. (Just kidding.)"  Hilarious, I like it already.

"Kumquatcello" Photo courtesy of Sippity Sup

Our friend Greg at Sippity Sup is working on a lemoncello variant made with kumquats.  Brilliant!  He's inviting suggestions for names because "Kumquatcello" sounds a bit awkward, and I agree.  I suggested "Fortuncello" because the kumquat's genus is Fortuna and I think it has a nice ring to it.  It sounds intriguing and I hope it works.

Aperol
Along the same theme as lemoncello is Mandarino (made with Mandarin oranges), Zenzerino (made with ginger), Raspicello (made with raspberries), and Peachcello (made with peaches).  An interesting liqueur I was recently introduced to is Aperol - which is made with oranges and, strangely enough, rhubarb.  Here is the sparkling cocktail we made with it:

Orange Aperol Sun (adapted from Joanne Weir)

2 jiggers of Aperol
2 jiggers of fresh orange juice (we used blood oranges)
1 750ml bottle Prosecco
Thin orange slices (for garnish)
Ice cubes

Combine --> Consume.

The McNuggetini

When I saw this I couldn't stop laughing.  Yes, laughing out-loud, and to myself.  It epitomizes everything gluttonous and outrageous that America still has left to stand on.  It is so unapologetically both panache and bas-cuisine.

Imagine Vodka meets Ronald McDonald; first they try to make small talk, then they go out to dinner.  Drinks ensue.  In the end, Ronald's red Afro gets caught on fire as he goes running down Sunset Boulevard screaming something about how the Filet-O-Fish was for Catholics.

When Vodka and Mr. McDonald cross paths again, (at a casting call for Celebrity Fit Club 4, no less) several weeks later, referring to the moment as "awkward" would be like calling Chernobyl a "wardrobe malfunction." They decide to never enter the same state together again, but they do; however, agree on one thing.  The subtle nuance behind a well-made McNuggettini.

The McNuggetini is the result of months of hard work. 

(via thisrecording.com) - by Georgia Hardstark

"McNuggitini

Recipe by Alie and Georgia

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 McNuggz (plus more for snacking)
1 tub McDonalds Brand Barbeque Sauce (plus more for licking off pinky finger)
1 lg. Mcdonalds Brand Chocolate Milkshake (plus more for bringing all the boys to the yard)
1 bottle Vanilla Vodka (recommended brand: Absolut)

Open the McDonalds bag. Eat one McNugg each, followed by two bites of the Filet-o-Fish (make sure you don’t tell anyone that you eat Filet-o-Fishes).

Mix three or four shots of vanilla vodka in the McDonalds Brand Chocolate Milkshake, followed by one shot each directly into your mouth.

Rim each martini glass with McDonalds Brand Barbeque Sauce, and pour milkshake/vodka mixture into the glass. Garnish with a McNugg (which is to be swiped along barbeque sauce rimmed glass after the milkshake has been finished, and consumed with pure, unadulterated glee)."

Abita Beer Tasting

We went to another great beer tasting at San Francisco's world-famous Jug Shop and they were showcasing Abita Beer from New Orleans.  Since Mardi Gras (literally "Fat Tuesday") is next week, they were handing out beads, shouting "Laissez les bon temps rouler!" (Let the good times roll), and having a grand time. 

They started us off with their Purple Haze, a raspberry-wheat that has a ruddy tint from the raspberry puree they add to it.  The fruit was not overpowering and added a nice tartness to the earthy wheaty-ness.  They say it pairs well with Brie, I could see that.

Their Pecan Harvest was also a stand out.  They say it's made with real pecans and most nut-beers are not.  I didn't know that, but then I haven't had many nut flavored beers.  No matter how you pronounce pecan, it has a bold nuttiness that's superb.

We tasted about 8 beers and what made the night extra special was...

the blackout... 

The power went out making everything pitch black.  Immediately people began to break out their cell phones to illuminate the counter and the Jug Shop crew didn't skip a beat.  They kept pouring drafts.  Someone even had an umbrella with a LED shaft that they hung from the existing light fixtures (see the photo above).

They finished the tasting with two amazing brews; their Andygator and their Abby Ale.  Both ring in at 8% but both are surprisingly NOT heavy or cloying.  Andygator is done in the style of a Dopplebock (like Paulaner), Abbey Ale done like a Belgian Trappist (like Leffe).  The power didn't come back on by the time we left.  I'm a new fan of Abita's beers.

Update - Drinking Vinegars

Following my original article Drinking Vinegars, I went and made my own "shrub" using frozen organic cherries and a bottle of Bragg organic unfiltered apple cider.  As instructed by Toby Cecchini in his NY Times article, I added the cherries to the Bragg vinegar, covered with paper towel, secured it with a rubber band, and waited... 8 days in this case.

With the cherries, I smashed them up really good INSIDE the bag before I opened it.  The freezing process should have burst all or most of the cell walls already by the formation of ice crystals, but smashing is fun, and likely expedited the fermentation process even more.

I found other brands besides Bragg at my local health food store, but this is made in Santa Barbara so it must be good, right?

The bacteria responsible for making vinegar, called acetobacters, require oxygen to function.  A paper towel held in place with a rubber band should suffice for keeping other, stray bacteria and yeast from entering - while still allowing the acetobacters to boogie.  This vessel stayed at room temperature for 8 days in the kitchen.  My wife complained of the pungent vinegar smell but I liked it!

When the 8 days were up, I strained it through a sieve and boiled it briefly to halt the fermentation where it remained.   I placed it in a glass container, covered it, and put it in the fridge.  According to Toby's article, it can remain there for up to 3 months.

The end result is a pungent, piquant, puckering, punch that REALLY quenches your thirst.  Besides the tartness of the vinegar, there remained a good amount of cherry flavor which I thought would be gone after fermenting but it wasn't.  Full strength was way too pungent, I found myself diluting it with water 2:1 or 3:1 and sometimes adding some simple syrup out of my handy squirt bottle that sits on the counter.  The more simple syrup I added, the more of the fruit returned to the palate.  

By putting it in a highball or similar glass, it really is like making a non-alcoholic cocktail.  What is most interesting to me is how I began to crave a glass of this after work.  I would come home and immediately go to the fridge and make myself one.   I even began to feel a little flu coming on and I still craved the Drinking Vinegar, unlike booze.

After all is said and done, these are really fun to make, super easy, and I'm going to start experimenting with different fruits and flavors.  I suggest you do too.

Nielsen survey, "consumers continue to see alcoholic beverages as an affordable indulgence."

From nielsen.com, comes some interesting insight into holiday dining and drinking trends.  Citing a fragile economy, it indicates that business is down for restaurants and bars.

"two-thirds (66 percent) of fine dining patrons admitted they are going out less often compared to a year ago...and 52 percent of casual dining visitors." 

They delve into how grocery and convenient stores may be picking up the slack as people consume their beverages of choice at home.

Some other interesting factoids in the survey are:

•      Expect an increase in online alcoholic beverage shopping, especially wine.
•      On-premise retailers may begin to push customer loyalty programs.
•      Some states may increase the legal hours for alcohol purchases, Sundays for example.
•      Due to the "localization" trend in consumerism, domestic wines and spirits are making gains against imports.  
•      Alcoholic beverages are traditionally more recession-resistant than other products.
•      There will likely be an increase in giving alcoholic beverages as gifts this year. (like Wine.com's Best Selling Gifts)

     The Nielsen Company's Senior Vice President for Beverage and Alcohol, Richard Hurst gives some advice to retailers: 

“[They] should consider multiple store display locations to capitalize on impulse purchasing, as well as providing gift accessories nearby, such as bottle openers, gift bags, mixed drink party pack ingredients and glassware.”

 - Dave Koch