Whether you like apple and cinnamon or something nutty and chocolatey, award-winning George Dickel Bourbon is the ideal base for any cocktail. Craft up The Roosevelt or The Buckeye Manhattan cocktails the next time you’re craving a seasonal sip.
BUCKEYE MANHATTAN
1.5 oz Dickel Bourbon
0.75 oz Peanut-infused Sweet Vermouth (see recipe below)
2 Dashes of Cocoa Bitters
Stir ingredients over ice in a mixing glass and strain into a rocks glass over large format ice; garnish with a cherry and a buckeye
*To prepare infusion: Pour 8 oz of sweet vermouth into a jar, add 0.25 cup of crushed raw peanuts. Stir well for one full minute. Place in the refrigerator and allow to sit for 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and pour vermouth through a coffee filter-lined strainer. Bottle and store in the refrigerator.
ROOSEVELT
1.5 oz Dickel Bourbon
0.25 oz Apple Cinnamon Ginger Maple Syrup (see recipe below)
1 Dash Aromatic Bitters
3 Dashes Red Gentian Bitters
Absinthe (for rinsing glass)
Stir all ingredients and pour into an absinthe rinsed small rocks glass; garnish with an apple chip.
*Apple Cinnamon Ginger Syrup
250ml Apple Juice
2 Sticks Cinnamon
2 Thumbs Ginger, Chopped
250g Sugar
125g Maple Syrup
Mix all ingredients minus the sugar and maple syrup, bring to a boil and simmer covered for 10 min.; strain and add remaining ingredients.
Looking for a convenient way to enjoy George Dickel without sacrificing quality? Winner of the Chairman’s Trophy at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, the Social Hour Harvest Whiskey Sour is made with 13-year-old George Dickel Whiskey, Honeycrisp apples, maple, Meyer lemon, cinnamon, and cardamom. Uncarbonated and 20% ABV, the Harvest Whiskey Sour is a luxurious, slow-sipping cocktail that can be served hot or over ice.
Garnish Suggestions: Apple slices, rosemary sprig, toasted marshmallows.
Now as fall changes the landscape into a kaleidoscope of jewel colors, it’s time to move on from the drinks of summer and enjoy cocktails made with Merlet’s premium liqueurs including their award-winning pear, apricot and triple sec which recently gold medals at the International Spirits Challenge in London.
Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into the glass. Shake vigorously for proper chill and dilution. Strain into a chilled coupette cocktail glass. Add a lemon zest for garnish.
Serafin
By Tony Conigliaro
½ oz Merlet Crème de Poire William, Pear Liqueur
2 oz White Tequila
1 oz Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
½ oz Simple Syrup
Ginger Beer to top
Pour all ingredients in tumbler glass filled with ice, top with ginger beer. Stir for few seconds. Garnish with a lime wedge.
The email popped up in my inbox three days before we were going to continue our trip in Arizona, traveling through the mountain towns lining the eastern edge of the state up through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. We would continue along the original Route 66 and into Navajo land where the towns had names like Mexican Water (population 730) and Mexican Hat (population 34) and every menu had a variation of fry bread tacos.
My biggest regret of the trip was not buying a baseball-style cap inscribed with Mexican Hat, Utah.
The email was an invitation to meet Mark Wahlberg at Bottled Blonde in Scottsdale where he and his business partner, Aron Marquez, would be pouring their Flecha Azul Tequila. I must be on their “D” list, as the event was the night after next, the night before we were leaving.
As one of the only new world tequila brands with authentic Mexican roots, Flecha Azul was founded by Mexican-born Marquez and first-generation Mexican-American pro-golfer Abraham Ancer.
Shared core passions and friendship brought Mark Wahlberg to join the team in 2022, building upon their efforts and desire to share additive-free Flecha Azul Tequila with friends around the world.
But still, how often do you get to have Mark Wahlberg pour you drinks? When I told my husband we were invited to meet Mark Wahlberg and taste his various tequilas, he said didn’t know who Mark Wahlberg was. So I started naming movies. Wahlberg starred with Will Ferrell in “The Other Guys,” “Daddy’s Home,” and “Daddy’s Home 2.” He also was in “The Departed” with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon that won not only an Academy Award for Best Picture but also best director (Martin Scorsese). And then there is “Ted,” the rather naughty but very funny movie about Mark and a toy bear. There’s even a casino slot game named after the movie plus a “Ted 2.”
No, my husband said he didn’t know those movies.
Well, I said, if you Google “Mark Wahlberg movies” you’ll get a list of 45 or so films he’s been in.
“What about “Entourage?” I asked about the award-winning television series that ran from 2004 to 2011 based upon Wahlberg’s life after he moved to Hollywood with his three hometown friends and hit the big time. Wahlberg didn’t star in the series, but he was an executive producer.
No, John hadn’t heard of “Entourage,” but he did know about Wahlburgers, the hamburger chain that Mark and his brothers had started.
And he did like the 1965 Lincoln Continental convertible that was parked in front of Bottled Blonde. I explained it was the car the guys from “Entourage” tooled around in L.A.
Though we arrived early, the bar was already crowded and people were lined up to get their photos taken with Wahlberg.After photos, he went behind the large oval-shaped bar and started pouring Flecha Azul Tequila.
Then he and his friends headed toward the door, stopping to shake hands with those who were close by and saying thanks for coming. When it was my turn, I put my glass of tequila down so I could shake hands and before I could reclaim it, someone had whisked it away. What I tasted, though, was very smooth and good.
Flecha Azul Tequila offers a wide variety of tequilas. Their Blanco is rested for two months in stainless steel so it mellows; Reposado is aged six months in ex-bourbon American oak barrels giving it hints of praline, vanilla, sandalwood and a subtle baking spice; Anejo ages for 18 months in ex-Bourbon barrels – six months longer than the industry standard for Anejo – and has rich maple and caramel characteristics along with pineapple cream soda, and black pepper.
Then there’s the extra Anejo with its notes of almonds and vanilla. It ages for 36 months in ex-bourbon American oak barrels, and Cristalino rests for 18 months in ex-Bourbon barrels, a process that imparts vanilla, coconut and subtle baking spice.
The goal of Fletcha Azul Tequila is to produce a premium drink that’s much smoother and complex than the types of tequilas college kids down as shots. Tequila is made from the hearts of the agave plants that grow in the Mexico state of Jalisco.
If it isn’t made there, it can’t be called tequila. I’ve been to the blue agave fields outside of Santiago de Tequila, the heart of the tequila industry. It’s where many tequila producers – both big and small – have their headquarters.
On a tour, I watched the jimadors (workers) dig up the large blue agaves and, using a coa, a long, machete-like blade on a long wooden handle, remove the heart or pinas which are then loaded onto a truck. From the fields the pinas are taken into Santiago de Tequila where they are placed in hornos, which are ovens built of either clay or brick.
Baking pinas releases the sugars necessary for fermentation. All tequila is aged between 14 to 21 days. Silver or blanco tequila is typically aged for the minimum time. For aged tequilas, reposado is rested or aged for two months to one year, anejo is aged for one to three years, and extra anejo is aged for more than three years.
Aging tequila in used oak barrels that were used for resting bourbon gives the drink a golden color.But back to the Wahlberg and the Bottled Blonde. Out on the street, Wahlberg and his friends climbed into the Lincoln Continental, posing as if they were going to drive away, but that was just for the press and fans and photos.
When all the photos were taken, the group headed across the street where their real rides – two large black SUVs – were waiting. But before they got there, Wahlberg was waylaid by a man who wanted him to sign the front hood of his car. Now this wasn’t like the Camry I drive. It was an Audi R8 with a starting price of over $200,000.
Yes, starting price.
So Wahlberg took the black marker the guy handed him and wrote on the hood of the car.
“I’m never going to wash it,” the car’s owner said to me.
“What are you going to do if it rains?” I asked him.
“It’s a permanent marker,” was his reply.I wondered if having Mark Wahlberg sign your car added to its value or not.
The following recipes are courtesy of Flecha Azul Tequila.
Cherry Filthy Flecharita
1 1⁄2 ounces Flecha Azul Blanco Tequila
1⁄2 ounce fresh lime juice
1⁄2 ounce Filthy Black Cherry Syrup
1 ounce sparkling water
Garnish with 3 Filthy cherries
Fill a shaker with ice and combine tequila, fresh lime juice and black cherry syrup.Shake vigorously and strain into a coupe glass. Top off with sparkling water and garnish with Filthy Black Cherry.
Paloma
2 ounces Flecha Azul Tequila Blanco
1 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce cane syrup
Soda
Mix and then top off with a splash of soda
Spicy Pineapple Margarita
2 1/4 ounces Flecha Azul Reposado Tequila
1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce cane syrup
3 jalapeno slices
Muddle jalapeno slices in a cocktail shaker, add ice and all remaining ingredients. Shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass with ice.
Green with Envy
2 ounces Flecha Azul Blanco Tequila
2 ounces fresh green juice
To prepare green juice, combine the below ingredients into a juicer:
1 apple
Bunch of kale
1/2 cup of fresh pineapple
Juice of 1 lemon
5 coins of fresh ginger (peeled and cut into circles)
Combine all ingredients into a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a highball glass and add fresh crushed ice.
The Ancer
2 ounces Flecha Azul Blanco Tequila
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
Mix ingredients together and then to off with Topo Chico, a sparkling mineral water sourced from Monterrey, Mexico. Or go with another brand of sparkling mineral water if unable to find Topo Chico.
More than a year-round destination for adventure, fun, and relaxation, Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin should also be on every serious foodies list as well. That’s because, under the direction of Food & Beverage Director, Nelly Buleje and new Executive Chef Dustin Urbanik, this popular resort is dishing up exceptional seasonal flavors on their new fall menus.
From the resort’s popular elevated Saturday brunch which are focusing on such autumn delights as pumpkin pancakes and fall flavored mimosas to in-house made desserts like apple crumble to seasonal soups and sides such as lobster bisque with Maine lobster sherry, tarragon, lobster brodo, sourdough crisp and caviar; truffle creamed spinach with black truffle, mornay, and farmstead cheese; and rainbow carrots and parsnips with bourbon and maple glaze, the resort and its collection of restaurants are bursting with fall flavors.
There’s also an impressive new fall cocktail menu with selections like Wisconsin Apple Old Fashioned; Smoked Maple Mile; a White Pumpkin cocktail; Espresso S’MORES-tini; and more (check out the fun visuals here). By popular demand, the resort’s seafood boil and Midwestern prime rib roasts will run every Friday and Saturday through November 12.
In addition to the new fall flavors, here are some new autumn offerings and programming guests and families can expect:
Seasonal outdoor adventures including hiking, biking, an indoor pool and waterpark, horseback riding, championship golf, skiing and snowboarding in the winter, and more.
One of the best ways to get around and explore the 1,300 acre-campus and beautiful Lake Geneva as well as Wisconsin’s scenic backroads is by the resort’s scooters and new this year, e-bikes. Rent one for a few hours or take a guided tour around the area with. The perfect way to spend an autumn afternoon with family or a group of friends (must be 18+, check out rules here).
Families will also enjoy new programming such as pumpkin painting; DIY caramel apples; excursions to Pearce’s Farm (local farm with fresh produce, kid’s activities and corn maze); and a Grand Escape – the resort’s very own pop up escape room.
Wondering what fork to use when serving bourbon isn’t a question we commonly ask, but authors Peggy Noe Stevens and Susan Reigler are entertainment and bourbon experts who travel frequently conducting seminars and tastings. The impetus for their book stems from being constantly asked how to go about hosting the perfect cocktail or dinner party starting from table setting to pairing the best foods and bourbons.
Now Stevens and Reigler are the type of Kentucky women who if they were going to tailgate at the Kentucky Derby wouldn’t bring a cooler filled will take-out from the deli counter of the local grocery store to be served on paper plates and eaten with plastic dinnerware. This type of Kentucky woman brings great grandmother’s silver serving dishes and great great Aunt Mabel’s fine China. And, of course, the food would be equally well turned out though not necessarily fussy or hard to make.
Despite the elegance of it all, Stevens and Reigler don’t want anyone “to work their fingers to the bone planning and executing.”
Susan Reigler
Peggy Noe Stevens
After all, they say, “the best form of bourbon etiquette is simple to make people feel comfortable.”
The following recipes are from Which Fork Do I Use With My Bourbon.
Dark and Bloody Mary:
1 teaspoon salt, pepper, paprika mix
2 ounces bourbon
2 large lemon wedges
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 can (6 ounces) tomato juice
To prepare the seasoning mix, combine in a mortar (or spice grinder) one part each smoked sea salt, smoked black pepper, and smoked paprika (the authors suggest these should all come from Bourbon Barrel Foods–bourbonbarrelfoods.com). Finely crush with a pestle and shake together in a jar.
To a pint glass or a large mason jar filled with ice, add the bourbon, squeeze and drop in the lemon wedges, and add 1teaspoon of the seasoning mix and the Worcestershire sauce. Shake. Add more ice and the tomato juice. Shake again.
Garnish with a long straw and baby corn, large pitted black olive, and cherry pepper, all on a stick.
Combine all the cocktail ingredients in a shaker. Shake on ice and double-strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a sage leaf.
Date Syrup
Macerate 1 pint of dates with rich syrup (1 pound of “sugar in the raw” and ½ pound of water, heated and stirred until the sugar dissolves).
Susan’s Tuna Spread:
Author Susan Reigler came across this recipe forty years ago in a small spiral-bound book of recipes by James Beard that was included with her purchase of a Cuisinart food processor. She always gets raves when she serves it. Spicy and tangy, this is not your bachelor uncle’s bland tuna fish salad.
2 5-ounce cans albacore tuna packed in water, drained
⅓ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup tightly packed fresh parsley sprigs
Juice of 1 lemon
1½ tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend briefly.
Bourbon Pineapple Poundcake:
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup bourbon
1 to 2 fresh pineapples, quartered and sliced
in thick strips
1 pound cake
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Mix the brown sugar and bourbon until it forms a thin paste. Lay the pineapple strips side by side in a baking dish.
Brush the brown sugar mixture thickly on the pineapple strips. Put the dish in the oven and allow the mixture to melt over the pineapple until warm.
Lay the pineapple strips over slices of pound cake and ladle any extra juice over each slice. Serve immediately.
Woodford Reserve Chocolate Bread Pudding:
12 cups stale French bread, diced in 1-inch cubes
1 quart whole milk
3 eggs, beaten
1¾ cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped in large chunks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Place the bread cubes in a large bowl and toss with the milk until the
bread is moistened. Soak for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the eggs, sugar,
vanilla, and cinnamon and pour over the bread-milk mixture. Fold
together until well mixed.
Fold in the chocolate chunks and mix until evenly distributed. Pour
into a greased, deep 13- by 9-inch pan. Drizzle the melted butter over
the batter and cover with foil.
Bake for 30 minutes covered and then for another 10 to 15 minutes
uncovered, until the pudding is set and firm in the middle and golden
brown on top. Serve warm with Bourbon Butter Sauce.
“Bourbon is a legacy of blue grass, water and Kentucky limestone,” Carol Peachee tells me when I ask what makes Kentucky bourbon so prized.
Limestone? Water? Bluegrass? What’s that have to do with fine bourbon?
Turns out it’s quite simple. According to Peachee, the limestone filters the iron out of the water as it flows through the rock, producing a sweet-tasting mineral water perfect for making the greatest tasting liquor. Limestone, with its heavy calcium deposits, also is credited with the lush blue grass the state’s prize-winning horses gaze upon — making their bones strong.
It’s been a long time since I took geology in college, but I do like the taste of good bourbon and the sight of stately horses grazing in beautiful pastures and the more I can learn about it all, the better. Which is why I love Peachee’s entrancing photographs.
Carol Peachee
I first met Peachee, an award-winning professional photographer, when she was autographing copies of her latest book, Straight Bourbon: Distilling the Industry’s Heritage (Indiana University Press 2017; $28). Creating beauty as well as a sense of yearning, her books, including The Birth of Bourbon: A Photographic Tour of Early Distilleries, take us on a wanderlust journey of lost distilleries and those now re-emerging from the wreckage of Prohibition. At one time, Kentucky had over two hundred commercial distilleries, but only sixty-one reopened after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. Now, as Kentucky bourbon becomes a driving force throughout the world, once barely remembered and long closed distilleries are being restored and revamped and are opening again for business.
Using a photographic technique known as high-dynamic-range imaging ― a process that produces rich saturation, intensely clarified details, and a full spectrum of light ― Peachee hauntingly showcases the vibrancy still lingering in artifacts such as antique tools, worn cypress fermenting tubs, ornate copper stills some turning slightly green with oxidation and age, gears and levers —things we would never typically think of as lovely and compelling.
Traveling with the Book
Keeping copies of her books in my car when I travel to Kentucky, I love visiting some of the places and sites she’s photographed.
Her passion for bourbon may also have come about, in part, because she lives in Lexington, Kentucky which is rich in the history of bourbon making (and, we should say, sipping).
To get a taste of how bourbon connects to the land, when in Lexington, Peachee suggests a stop at the Barrel House Distilling Co. including the Elkhorn Tavern located in the old James B. Pepper barrel plant. It’s part of Lexington’s happening Distillery District. But fine bourbon doesn’t just stop in Lexington.
“There are so many bourbon distilleries now,” she says, noting that the heritage of good bourbon making is more than the equipment and the water.
“The cultural heritage of distilling also lays in the human culture,” she writes in the Acknowledgements section of her latest book, “the people who learned the crafts of milling, copper welding and design, barrel making and warehouse construction and then passed them on through the generations down to today’s workers and owners.”
And now Peachee has passed them down to us so we can fully appreciate the art of distilling
Town Branch Bourbon Bramble
2oz Bourbon
3/4oz Fresh squeeze lemons
3/4oz Simple syrup
5 Fresh blackberries muddled
Shake with ice, strain and pour over fresh ice in rock glass with blackberry garnish.
Town Branch Bourbon Mint Julep
2 oz Bourbon
8 mint leaves
1/4oz simple syrup
Dash of bitters
Muddle ingredients.
Add crushed ice with mint garnish and straw.
The above recipes are courtesy of the Lexington Brewing & Distilling Company.
When Piña de Plata or the Silver Pineapple first opened in 1817, the location in what is now La Habana Vieja, Spanish for Old Havana would have been just known as downtown Havana back then. Located at the end of Calle Obispo, across Monserrate Street from the National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana, the streets in front of the muddy pinkish-red stucco exterior with its famous neon sign bustles with cars with fins in Easter egg colors and matching interiors. It’s a sea of pinks, purples, sky blues, two tones of white and maroon and other combos. We could be in a scene from “Mad Men,” but instead of crystal clear martinis, we’re heading to El Floridita.
200 Years and Counting
The name changed from the Silver Pineapple happened in 1914 about the same time that Constantino Ribalaigua began learning to mix drinks from his father. Four years later, Ribalaigua, who later earned the nickname of “El Rey de los Coteleros” or The Cocktail King of Cuba, had earned enough money to buy the place. He was only 26 and would own it for decades, creating more than 200 cocktails and adapting dozens more.
Creating the Hemingway Daiquiri
It was one of Ribalaigua’s adaptations that made him famous—the recipe and the person who frequently left his apartment down the street after spending the morning writing and relaxed with a couple—or maybe even more—daiquiris. A concoction of white rum, maraschino liqueur or cherries depending upon the recipe, freshly squeezed lemon juice or pineapple juice and sugar or a sugar syrup, it pleased Ernest Hemingway so much, that soon El Floridita, daiquiris, and Hemingway became an icon of the bestselling author’s days in Cuba. El Floridita soon earned a subtitle, becoming “la cuna del daiquiri” or the cradle of the daiquiri.
Historic Architecture
At opening time, the doors open and people stream in. They’re a mixed lot. College students, older literary types, locals probably bemoaning that they can’t have a quiet drink because of all these tourists, men who looked like artists and musicians, women in exotic outfits looking like poets and writers. The shiny mahogany bar is an extravagant piece of beautiful wood where red-jacketed bartenders swiftly add ingredients and then buzz them in the blender.
Daiquiris for All
These bartenders are smooth, able to mix and pour two daiquiris at a time. They need to be, the surge of people is endless. There’s a neo-classicist style to the decor. Huge paintings back up the bar and line several large walls. Chandeliers drip from the ceiling, the tables in the large dining room have white tablecloths and louvered doors. The bar itself is rather dark though streaks of the stunning sunshine stream through the door. Musicians come up on the small stage and play Cuban music, jazz, Bolero, Timba, and their own compositions as well including music from the eastern end of the island.
You don’t have to imagine Hemingway sitting at the bar, a bronze bust of him in his favorite corner was sculpted in 1954. And it’s easy to pause when my eye captures the lifestyle statue of him at the bar that was added almost 50 years later. Another honorific is a plaque with a Hemingway quote: “My mojito in the Bodeguita del Medio and my daiquiri in the Floridita.”
But probably the best indication of the author’s prestige and power as a tourist attraction is the lure of the blender as it mixes another daiquiri (there are four varieties associated with Hemingway and I’ve included two of them below) and the clinking of glasses as patrons toast the author and, of course, his drink.
Recipes
Floridita Daiquiri
2 oz. white rum (Floridita uses Havana club)
½ oz. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. maraschino liqueur
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1½ cups crushed ice
Mix the lime juice and sugar in a blender and pulse to combine. Add the maraschino and crushed ice and blend on high speed, gradually adding rum to the mix. Pour into a chilled large cocktail glass.
Floridita Cocktail
2 ounces white rum (I prefer Brugal)
Juice of ½ lime
½ ounce fresh grapefruit juice
¼ ounce maraschino liqueur
1 teaspoon simple syrup
Shake with ice, and strain into coupe. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Mr. Purple, a swank rooftop restaurant and bar on the 15th floor of Hotel Indigo in New York’s Lower East Side, is again hosting Veuve Clicquot Winter Chalet.
As my friend Victoria Collins describes this special pop-up event, it’s a funky apres-ski lodge in the sky with fur-lined seating, ambient lighting and a custom Veuve Clicquot champagne bar inside a magically lit igloo–think the ultimate snow globe experience–one with drinks and food.
Sip this classic Champagne and nibble on the limited-time menu featuring such foods as a rich cheese fondue as well as other sweet and savory fondues, short rib empanadas, tempura baby zucchini, and pretzel bites while enjoying the all-encompassing views of the city and locally sourced foods as well as the vibrant feel of the pulse of New York.
Operated by the Gerber Group, the hospitality industry powerhouse, Mr. Purple has garnered high praise from Thrillist and Gotham and is definitely the place to be this holiday season.
While sipping Veuve Clicquot, give a toast to the Widow Clicquot who after her husband’s death took over his business and ensured that it would become, in time, an international company. The word veuve is French for widow and Barbe-Nicole was only 27 when her husband died in 1805. It was a time where there were few if any French businesswomen and none were allowed to even have a bank account. Yes, we have come a long way.
But Widow Veuve was audacious and bold. To encourage Napoleon’s Officers to protect her property she gave them bottles of her Champagne and plenty of it. Of course, being on horseback meant the officers couldn’t hold both bottles and glasses. So they jettisoned the glasses and used their swords to cut through the necks of the bottles, a practice now known as sabering according to Tilar J. Mazzeo who described this incident in his book, The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It.Needless to say, you shouldn ‘t try this either at home or on a horse. Just pop the cork instead please.
The widow’s bribe worked. The officers got to drink fine Champagne, riding away happy and the Widow Clicquot’s property was safe. The Widow also revolutionized the Champagne industry with her innovations including a way to produce a crystal-clear champagne free of sediments as well as creating the first blended rose champagne and the first registered vintage Champagne. Her dream all those years ago was stated by her plainly in 1831: “I would like my brand to be ranked first in both New York and St. Petersburg”
We’d say her business plan worked out quite well. But what we really love is another of her famous quotes.
“Lobster salad and champagne are the only things a woman should ever be seen eating.”
We can drink to that.
See you at Mr. Purple.
Reservations for Veuve Clicquot Winter Chalet, which begins November 15, can be made up to can be made 10 days in advance at https://www.mrpurplenyc.com/.
Now that we’ve finally come to terms that summer is definitely over, my friend Victoria Cohen advises to embrace fall with these amazing cocktails from some of the coolest restaurants around.
It’s time to say goodbye to the days of rosé and warm up with the seasonal fall cocktails at Nearly Ninth at Arlo Midtown. Now available are the Cider-Car, Apple Cider Mimosa, Chai-Town, Hopscotch, Bourbon Smash and the gorgeous Applejack Sazerac (pictured below). The Applejack Sazerac is the ultimate autumnal cocktail, including Laird’s Applejack, Woodford Reserve, Honey, Peychaud Bitters and finished with Absinthe and a rinse of Allspice.
A drink crafted to the warm the soul, Zuma’s Japanese Old Fashioned is garnished with a freshly cut orange slice and two berries and takes a new twist on a timely classic. Made with Toki Japanese Whisky, Hokuto sugar and bitters this rich, smooth and silky cocktail will leave you begging for another.
Cocktail name: Pumpkin Spice Martini Westin Cape Coral Resort’s restaurant, Marker 92 Waterfront Bar & Bistro, is serving up the delicious Pumpkin Spice Martini, made with Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka, Bailey’s Irish Cream and Pumpkin Liquor. This festive drink is then topped with Whipped Cream, a dash of Cinnamon and Nutmeg. For those traveling to Cape Coral for Thanksgiving this fall, Marker 92 will be celebrating with a dedicated holiday dinner menu, as well as additional festive cocktails like their Apple Cider Mimosa, Cranberry Apple Sangria and Thanksgiving Punch. Price: $14
If you’re looking to shake off the chilly fall weather, look no further than The Irvington. Located in Union Square, the bartenders are now offering chic fall cocktails including the Bourbon Smash and our personal favorite, the Cider-Car (pictured center, below). Served in a coupe and topped with a dry apple chip, this Insta-worthy cocktail features Cognac, apple cider, lemon juice, apricot liquor and a hard cider float.
The English-inspired boutique hotel is renowned for its innovative (and oftentimes whimsical) cocktails, and someone who plays a large role in that recognition is its chief spirits officer, Jorge Centeno, who spearheads the property’s beverage program and mixes up some of the inn’s most popular, Instagram-worthy creations. Now, visitors to the inn can embrace spooky season all autumn long with Jorge’s fun play on Alfred Hitchcock’s creepy fall classic, The Birds, with The Birds Poison Punch cocktail – infused with mezcal and tequila, tepache, blue curaçao, lemon juice, mineral water and lavender smoke.
Combine ingredients over ice & stir for 30 revolutions. Can be served up or on a large format Ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist.
What makes it unique: “For those chocolate lovers. A savory balance of incredible spirits that accentuate the beautiful dark chocolate flavor you crave. The orange & vanilla notes from the Anejo tequila pair deliciously with the bitter notes made famous by Campari. A wonderfully warm and cozy libation for the fall” – Ian McKinney
With temperatures dropping as fall arrives, the newly opened, Spanish-inspired restaurant MDRD atop the historic Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, MI boasts flavorful twists on classic warm Spanish cocktails, including its cozy Spanish Coffee, which is crafted with rich overproof demerara rum and orange curacao flamed to perfection, both mixed into European roast coffee. The drink is then topped with whipped cream and a garnish of freshly grated nutmeg and gold leaf, satisfying imbibers’ taste, smell and sight on chilly autumn evenings.
Our favorite fall vegetable is tequila. LIQS, the world’s first premixed cocktail shot, is bringing you all the fall flavors with their Tequila Cinnamon Orange shot. In European countries, it’s common to take a shot of tequila with a cinnamon-sprinkled orange slice instead of salt and lime; thus, LIQS’ version was born. This mind-blowing flavor combination will change the way you look at tequila for a sweeter, smoother shot. Portable, pre-packaged, and premixed, LIQS’ lightweight four-packs are perfect for taking on-the-go. The shots are low carb, low sugar, low cal and gluten free and available across the U.S. for $9.99 – find the Tequila Cinnamon Orange here on Total Wine.
Akin to a premium rum punch, the Spice Market is made from Plantation three-star rum and Plantation original dark rum, mixed with complimentary sweet, spicy and sour flavors: charred banana, Orgeat (a nutty floral syrup), aromatic fall spices, and lime. This autumn orange-colored cocktail is topped with smoked banana foam and garnished with a peony.
This deep orange cocktail is a more riveting spin on a classic margarita, using fresh ingredients from tropical environments and mezcal, giving it a smokier flavor. Garnished with a mint leaf and a tajin-crusted glass, this one puts a fall twist on a summer staple.
Channeling the refreshingly crisp autumn air that engulfs the Holy City, the “An Apple a Day” cocktail utilizes organic apple cider, apple brandy and vanilla liqueur to provide immediate refreshment and invoke memories of fall days spent at the orchard. Combined with bourbon, a spritz of fresh lemon juice, and house-made fall spice syrup, it’s the ideal drink to sip on after a beautiful fall day exploring Charleston.
This cocktail from T2, a sophisticated rum and cigar lounge at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, an expansive oceanfront luxury resort in the Bahamas, gives a kick to the classic Caribbean mojito combining rum and fresh mint leaves with house-made pumpkin syrup and pumpkin whipped cream, topped with a dash of soda. Guests can sip and savor as they take in the surrounding tunes of live Bahamian music and indulge in cigar pairing suggestions from in-house mixologists to create an all-encompassed experience.
The Inns of Aurora, a luxury lakeside boutique resort in the Finger Lakes, serves up the warming “Lost Moose” cocktail at their Fargo Bar & Grill, a tavern serving elevated eats and late-night drinks. Cozy up with hazelnut liqueur, Jack Daniels honey and apple juice, with a splash of ginger ale, in a mug – served hot.
DenimatThe Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville Cocktail name:Life Is But a Dram Comfortable luxury, seasonally-inspired craft cocktails and an all-day menu of American and Italian favorites by Chef Tony Mantuano and team await at The Joseph Nashville’s rooftop bar, Denim. One of Denim’s signature cocktails perfect for Fall, Life Is But a Dram, is a spirited take on a Manhattan made with Heaven’s Door whiskey and The Joseph’s “Highway 61” whiskey blend, espresso-infused Carpano Antica, Angostura bitters and orange bitters.
Recipe:
Life Is But a Dram // Heavens Door and The Josephs Highway 61 whiskey blend, espresso-infused Carpano Antica, Angostura bitters, orange bitters
Denim at The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville
1.5 oz Heaven’s Door Highway 61 The Joseph Blend whiskey 1.5 oz espresso-infused Carpano Antica sweet vermouth 2 dashes of Angostura bitters Orange twist or orange oil Dehydrated orange slice (optional)
Add ingredients to mixing glass. Add ice and stir for 45 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass. Spray with orange oil or express oils from a fresh orange peel. Garnish with a dehydrated orange slice.
Add espresso beans to vermouth and allow to soak for 12 hours in the refrigerator. Strain out the espresso beans, and store infused vermouth in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Find the perfect fall respite within Manhattan at The Parlour Restaurant and Bar, where the Chili Mule is the perfect blend of classic fall spices. Made with premium Scottish Vodka, Arbikie infused with Chili, Ginger Beer, Fresh Lime Juice, and Rosemary Simple Syrup, it’s the perfect drink to enjoy on fall nights along with The Parlour’s Jazzy Wednesdays, featuring the Café Society.
Cocktail enthusiasts looking for a drink to sip during the crisp fall months should try Brugal 1888’s “East to West” cocktail. This unique fall-themed recipe fuses the premium rum – produced in the Dominican Republic by the 5th generation Brugal family – with maple syrup and apricot liqueur, adding a sweet flavor with hints of fruity and citrus notes.
Cocktail name: Merriman’s Coconog Sip on Merriman’s Coconog this holiday season for a tropical twist on the classic eggnog cocktail. Highlighting tastes of coconut and cinnamon, Merriman’s Coconog uses an Old Forester Bourbon and Licor 43 base mixed with coconut milk and freshly ground nutmeg. Top it off with whipped cream and enjoy in paradise!
Recipe:
13.5 oz Coconut Milk
6 oz Whole Milk
3 whole eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp freshly ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Blend on high speed for a full minute.
Whisk over double boiler until mixture reaches 160 F.
Chill overnight.
Shake 6 oz of chilled Eggnog Mix with:
1/2 oz Licor 43
1/2 oz Old Forester Bourbon
Pour in carved Coconut Top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground nutmeg.
Marriott Marquis Houston’s completely reimagined holiday lights event, Texas Winter Lights, will be serving innovative, boozy fall cocktails for any crisp autumn day. High Dive (the rooftop restaurant & bar) curated an all-new hot “Spiced Apple Pie” drink inspired by the aroma and taste of a delicious homemade apple pie. With the smell of cinnamon and spiced apples, this cocktail is sure to put anyone in the fall mood. Other fall cocktails will include a “Spiced Pear Martini,” a fruity seasonal punch with a crisp cranberry and orange finish, and a glow-in-the-dark “Starry Night” ginger mule (that even chan
