1.5oz Monte Alban Silver Tequila
.5oz Grand Marnier
1oz Pomegranate syrup
1oz Fresh squeezed lime juice
.50 Simple syrup
2oz Ginger Beer
Add all ingredients (except the Ginger beer) to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
Strain contents into a pint glass over fresh ice.
Top with Ginger beer and garnish with a lime wedge.
This, and other cocktails, are available at Hopdoddy during their Hoppy Hour. Visit hopdoddy.com to see all their HH specials!
Another SDD Blue Chair Bay giveaway! (LUCKY!) This time we’re giving away a bottle of Blue Chair Bay’s latest flavor, Banana Rum! Enter to win ye a bottle o’ rum, me matey, and check out some recipes Laura whipped up using the delicious banana rum (and only a few banana-related puns and catchphrases).
My take on Blue Chair Bay Banana Rum:
In my experience, flavored liquors are very hard to do right… but Blue Chair Bay did it right with their Banana Rum. Blue Chair Bay Banana Rum has a rich flavor and a real banana taste. First, I tried it straight up, and it tasted exactly like Bananas Foster, evident by its buttery, caramel finish. It doesn’t taste artificially sweet either. I even tried it as a twist on the old standard rum and coke, and it was actually pretty darn good.
My Recipes:
I’m not typically a dessert or sweet drink person, save for the occasional espresso martini, so I knew I’d be my own toughest critic. But not to toot my own horn (toot toot), but these turned out pretty darn delicious. All of them are best served ice cold, which should be pretty appealing since we are smack in the middle of a Dallas summer.
Not Your Nana’s Banana Crème Pie Martini
3 oz Blue Chair Bay Banana Rum
2 oz clear crème de cacao liqueur (I used Hiram Walker brand)
3 oz half-and-half
Garnish: Graham cracker rim (to make: first rim martini glass in honey and then in graham cracker crumbs)
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake, and pour into graham cracker rimmed martini glass.
Frozen Chocolate Banana Martini
1½ oz Blue Chair Bay Banana Rum
1½ oz white or dark crème de cacao liqueur (I used Hiram Walker brand)
1½ teaspoons of chocolate syrup
1 cup of ice, add more if necessary
Maraschino cherry for garnish
Combine all ingredients (except for cherry) in a blender with ice, blend until slushy. Pour into martini glass, garnish with a cherry, add chocolate syrup for garnish or to make even more chocolate-ly. (Because … chocolate.)
Banana Rum-ssian
1½ oz Blue Chair Bay Banana Rum
¾ oz coffee liqueur (I used Kamora brand)
¾ oz half-and-half
¼ oz of Icebox ice coffee concentrate (you can find this at Central Market or online) or CoolBrew Coffee
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake, and pour over ice.
For a refresher on the rum recipes Susie came up with before with the Blue Chair Bay White Rum, click here.
Win a bottle of your very own by doing any (and all) of the following BEFORE NOON on Sunday, August 10 and tell us which one of the recipe above that you’d like to try using Blue Chair Bay Banana Rum (or make up one of your own!!).
(One entry per platform per person will be accepted.)
Yo ho and a bottle of (banana) rum! Enjoy and good luck!
About Blue Chair Bay Rum:
Blue Chair Bay Rum is born on the beach for the times you just want to let go and live in the moment.Blue Chair Bay Rum is a collection of premium-blended rums created on the shores of the Caribbean and inspired by multi-platinum singer-songwriter’s Kenny Chesney’s love of the island lifestyle. Each of Blue Chair Bay Rum’s four varieties, White, Coconut, Coconut Spiced and Banana is 100% beach-made and mellowed in casks at one of the oldest, most respected distilleries in the Caribbean. Imported from Barbados and bottled by Fishbowl Spirits, Rochester, NY. Blue Chair Bay White Rum 40% ABV, Blue Chair Bay Coconut, Coconut Spiced Rum and Banana 26.5% ABV. Available in 750ml and 1.75L bottles
Please enjoy Blue Chair Bay Rum responsibly.
MEDIEVAL TIMES – Dad’s are free … just sayin’.
BOURBON CLASS & ENGRAVING EVENT | June 12, 8700 Preston Rd. #113, Plano, TX (4-6pm)
Attendees will taste Angel’s Envy bourbon, Rye, Cask Strength and the Total Wine & More Special Angel’s Envy Blend. Free.
TAKE HIM ON A PICNIC HE’LL ACTUALLY LIKE
Pick up a picnic “bag” from The Grill on the Alley (in The Galleria) and head to one of Dallas’ many outdoor concerts, movies, etc. with Dad! It’s fancy, but not too shmancy. A picnic bag includes: table cloth, napkins & cutlery, corkscrew & two plastic wine glasses, mixed nuts, their famous sourdough, bread & butter
Starting at $32.95, feeds 3-4 (pricing can be found on their website)
Order at least 24 hours in advance
Pops, Pints and a Picture Show | Flying Saucer, Fort Worth | June 15, 9pm
Bring your pop in, drink a pint and enjoy the picture show: “National Lampoon’s Vacation”! An oldie, but goodie and dad will sure enjoy the flick outside on our patio with a craft beer this Father’s Day.
BONUS: if Dad brings in a tie, he can trade it for a pint.
PERRY’S STEAKHOUSE (Uptown) | June 15
BRUNCH, opening at 11am
DINNER MEAL OFFERING, 4-9pm | Get any salad, Perry’s Famous Pork Chop & Dessert Trio for $24.95
SOCIAL HOUR, 4-9pm | Step inside Bar 79 for specially-priced bar menu items
POLLO TROPICAL (Addison) | June 15 only
Buy 1 Get 1 FREE 1/4 Chicken meal with 2 sides for customers who text “DAD” to 52198 (they’ll get a code to show at the register to receive the special deal)
Alright, so, it’s no secret that dads are a pain to buy for. Despite there being a host of customized gifts on the market these days, like to Design Your Own Mugs for him, we’ve put together some awesome gift ideas that your old man will love.
Basil Hayden’s® Dad’s Day Off | Created by Zachary Brian Taylor, San Francisco
Preparation:
1. Combine Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon, lemon juice and brown sugar syrup into a cocktail shaker.
2. Remove rosemary needles from the bottom 3/4 of the sprig and add to the shaker. Save the top of the sprig for use as a garnish.
3. Add ice to shaker and shake.
4. Double strain into a Collins glass filled with ice.
5. Top with ginger beer.
6. Garnish with the remaining rosemary sprig.
Horny ‘Rita (recipe courtesy of TGI Fridays)
Conquistador – created by Milagro Brand Ambassador Jaime Salas
Chill coupe glass with ice and water and set aside. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until well chilled and diluted. Discard chilling ice from the coupe. Strain ingredients into chilled coupe. Using a vegetable peeler, remove a long piece of orange peel. Express the oil over the cocktail, rub the peel around the rim of the glass, and place atop the cocktail
Sombrero (recipe courtesy of TGI Fridays)
Chupacabra from Dirty Habit restaurant in San Francisco (recipe courtesy of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants)
Shake and strain into an old-fashioned glass rimmed with sal de gusano
Ancho Old Fashioned – created by Milagro Brand Ambassador Jaime Salas
Combine all ingredients in a mixing beaker. Add regular ice and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a double old fashioned glass over large hand cut ice block. Using a vegetable peeler, remove long orange and lemon peels. Express each over the top of the cocktail and rub them together around the rim of the glass. Roll peels together into a rosette and place atop the cocktail.
Jalapeño Mang-O-Rita (recipe courtesy of Bud Light)
Muddle 5 thin slices of jalapeño with a dash of simple syrup and agave nectar. Add ice and pour Mang-O-Rita. Stir and serve with a salt rim.
I was SUPER stoked when I got a copy of Market-Fresh Mixology in my mailbox. (Aren’t surprises the best?!) Award-winning mixologists Bridget Albert and Mary Barranco rounded up some of the best seasonal cocktail recipes in a paperback (perfectly-sized to keep on the bar) with gorgeous photography by James Beard Award-winner Tim Turner.
The recipes call for fresh, local ingredients, which is all the rage right now, no? Best yet, they’re arranged by season. Want to know what drinks you can whip up with in-season fruits, veggies (yup), herbs, and more? These ladies have you covered with easy to understand recipes with a quick guide for which glass to use and the tools you’ll need.
For Spring, they have everything from the Carrot Chic to the Spiced Beet Cocktail. They sound odd, but really, they’re delicious. I tried out a few with some friends this weekend, and they were the simplest recipes to follow and didn’t call for anything too extremely outrageous. (Like, seriously, who keeps some of the crazy s**t they put in some recipes around the house? Three kinds of bitters for one drink? Get real … I’m a person, not a bar.)
My favorite that we tried was the Cucumber Caipiroska, made with simple syrup, cucumber, lime, and pear vodka. I’m really looking to toting this one down to the pool this summer (in a plastic container, of course).
Another awesome part of the book is the Home Bar Essentials section, which went through the various glasses, bartending tools, and even had syrup and sour recipes. Best of all? There are toasts for each season. One of the spring toasts is “May we be happy and our enemies know it.” Cheers to that!
Order yourself Market-Fresh Mixology for just around $12 and try some of the recipes out for yourself!
*Guys can totally win this bottle of rum, too.
It’s better to give than to receive, right? NOT THIS TIME! SDD is giving away a bottle of Kenney Chesney’s new rum, Blue Chair Bay Rum! I was sent a bottle to try, which made this giveaway a real delight. See a few of the recipes I came up with, and learn how to enter to win below. Good luck!
HOT BUTTERED RUM, serves 4
– 3/4 cup Blue Chair Bay white rum
– 3 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
– 1-1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
– 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
– 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1/8 tsp ground cloves
– 2 cups boiling water
Stir brown sugar, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves together, then add rum. Split between four mugs and too off with boiling water. Stir well and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
COOL WEATHER PUNCH, scalable recipe
This recipe is a longtime favorite of mine that I got from a friend. This tasted great with the white rum, but would also taste good with the spiced coconut rum.
– 1 part Blue Chair Bay white rum
– 1 part ginger ale
– 1 part apple cider (non-alcoholic)
– a heavy of cinnamon
Mix all ingredients, stir, and serve over ice or warm in microwave. Garnish with a thin slice of apple and cinnamon stick if desired.
PUERTO RICAN COQUITO, serves 4-5 (depending on how heavy-handed the pourer is)
– 1 cup Blue Chair Bay white rum
– 1 12oz can evaporated milk
– 1 14oz can condensed milk
– 1 15oz can coconut milk
– 2 egg yolks
– a TINY pinch of salt (be careful, I added just a little too much with a normal-sized “pinch”
– 1/4 tsp cinnamon
– Ground cinnamon
Blend all ingredients on high for 2-1/2 minutes, or until frothy. Serve VERY cold, and garnished with cinnamon.
Enter to win a bottle of Blue Chair Bay Rum of your very own by doing any (and all) of the following BEFORE NOON on 12/16. One entry per platform will be accepted.
****THIS GIVEAWAY’S DEADLINE FOR ENTRY WAS EXTENDED AS I FORGOT TO PICK A WINNER BECAUSE I WAS BUSY GETTING READY FOR MY COMPANY’S BADASS CHRISTMAS PARTY!)
Kenny Chesney’s new rum, Blue Chair Bay Rum, was launched earlier this year and comes in three varieties: White, Coconut, and Coconut Spiced. HIs goal was to bottle the feeling of relaxation and ease he had while in the US Virgin Islands while watching a sunset. Working with a Barbados distillery that has been making rum since 1983, the West Indies Rum Distillery, he came up with this mild, yet flavorful rum.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmJR7qLbBe0?rel=0]
… and as always, you can refer to last year’s Fall Drink Features or even my TV spot from two years ago! A good drink recipe never goes out of style!
Cruzan® Fig Pie
2 parts Cruzan® Estate Diamond® Dark Rum
¾ parts Orange Juice
¼ parts 1:1 Brown Sugar Syrup (1 part brown sugar, 1 part water)
1 tablespoon Fig Chutney
Cruzan® Winter Break
2 parts Cruzan® Estate Diamond® Light Rum
1 parts Pineapple Juice
¼ parts 2:1 Muscovado Syrup (combine 2 parts Muscovado sugar, 1 part water)
5 parts Hot Peppermint Tea
Berried Alive
2 parts American Harvest
4 fresh mint leaves
4 blackberries
4 raspberries
¼ part agave nectar
Ginger beer
Crushed ice
In a cocktail glass combine all ingredients except ginger beer and gently muddle. Add crushed ice and gently swizzle. Top with ginger beer and garnish with a blackberry and raspberry on a cocktail pick and fresh mint sprigs.
Combine all ingredients into a mixing tin, add ice & shake vigorously.
Strain into rocks glass over ice. Garnish with skewered candy corn.
Cruzan Haunted Cinn
1 ½ parts Cruzan Velvet Cinn
1 parts Cruzan Aged Dark Rum
½ parts DeKuyper® Blood Orange Liqueur
Float DeKuyper® Hot Damn!® Liqueur
Flamed Orange zest
Hornitos® Not Just Any Potion
1.5 parts Hornitos® Plata Tequila
2 parts Lime Juice
1 part Simple Syrup
1/2 part Raspberry Puree
1 part Vanilla Liqueur
Shake and pour ingredients into a cocktail glass half rimmed with a thick layer of black lava salt.
Tuaca Hot Apple Pie
1 1/2 oz Tuaca
5-6 oz warm apple cider
whipped cream
cinnamon stick
Pour ingredients into a mug. Garnish with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick.
Blood Orange Spritzer (courtesy of AV Nightclub)
In honor of the recently-realease “The Great Gatsby”, Tanqueray is featuring these five prohibition-style cocktails. Even if you can’t enjoy them in West Egg, they’re still some of the classic cocktails every drink enthusiast should know how to make.
Cheers, sport!
Gin Rickey
Said to be the preferred pour of F. Scott Fitzgerald, this simple serve is best imbibed on a hot summer day. Don’t forget the chunky ice cubes.
Build in a highball glass, stir, top with soda water. Drag to mix and garnish with a lime wedge.
French 75
This snappy little champagne cocktail’s claim to fame is that it’s the only drink in the classic canon created during Prohibition.
Shake and strain into a rocks glass and top with champagne.
White Lady
Introduced in the late 20’s, The White Lady was born from the drink the “Delilah,” which included crème de menthe. The Savoy’s Harry Craddock replaced it with orange liqueur and it became an instant classic.
Pour all of the ingredients into a shaker, fill with ice, shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass.
The Southside
The Southside is the signature cocktail at the legendary former speakeasy the 21 Club. It’s also said to be the favorite drink of notorious Prohibition-era bootlegger Al Capone and his gang.
Muddle one mint sprig with lime & simple. Add Tanqueray and shake well. Pour into glass over crushed ice and stir until the outside of the glass frosts. Top with soda and garnish with sprig of mint.
The Franklin
Let’s not forget Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously celebrated the end of Prohibition with a dirty gin martini. Whether it was with Tanqueray – one of the few gins today that was in production in the 30s – or not is lost to history, but this classic cocktail ushered in a new era of American drinking.
Fill a mixer with all ingredients including the olives. Cover and shake hard 3 – 4 times. Strain contents of the mixer into the cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive.