Warming up at The James

Last night, I got the opportunity to check out one of the sexiest new rooftop bars in NYC: Jimmy at The James hotel in Soho -- a brand spankin' new spot you won't want to miss.

David Burke is the mastermind behind this hip, urban spot, which has stunning views of the NYC skyline, a cozy vibe complete with a fireplace, and a few holiday trimmings to set the scene (think elegant seasonal flowers and a few twinkle lights).

It was an insanely cold day and we were looking for a warm-up, so Justin -- the extremely knowledgeable bartender and doppleganger for Dominic Monaghan, stirred up the following sips made with fresh herbs taken right from the on-site Chef's Garden:

Mulberry Street Vesper: Luksusowa Vodka, Plymouth Gin, Lillet, Liquore Strega & a dash of Cynar served up with a flamed orange twist.

Adirondack Sazaerac: Michter’s American Rye & muddled rosemary with fresh mint & housemade bitters.

Legal in Vermont: Knob Creek Bourbon and organic Vermont maple syrup served over a cinnamon ice block (super cool and dee-lish!), and red shiso garnish.

Warming up for the Holidays

Charlie and I survived not only our first major holiday together, but also a weeklong vacation that didn't involve us leaving for a far-off, fun-filled destination. Luckily, we made out pretty well, which has me even more excited for our move next week!

But Thanksgiving was just warm up - we got a busy December ahead as I'm sure you all do as well. So here's a little something to help get you through what I like to refer to as "the Holly Daze".

Winter Warmer
Courtesy of The National
2 oz. Maker's Mark Bourbon
1/2 oz. Pimms No. 1
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 dash orange bitters
10 rosemary leaves
2-3 oz. hot cider

Combine Maker's Mark, Pimms No. 1, orange bitters, lime juiice, cinnamon and shredded rosemary in a mixing glass and stir for 20 seconds. Strain liquid into a mug and add hot cider. Garnish with fresh grated cinnamon. Finish and repeat.

Dixie Drinks & Deviled Eggs

This weekend is the Kentucky Derby and I'm so excited because I have a party to go to that requires a proper Kentucky Derby hat!

So what to bring to a Kentucky Derby party, besides a bottle of your favorite bourbon to help keep those mint juleps flowin'? I'm making some deviled eggs. My granny used to make these every time I came to visit her. She used to let me mix up the yolks with mustard and mayo, fill the shells and then lick the bowl (is that gross?).

For this weekend's party, I'm going to attempt to give this dish of Southern goodness a Tex-Mex twist. I hope it turns out good! Here's the recipe, which I got from Southern Cocktails: Dixie Drinks, Party Potions, & Classic Libations (Chronicle Books, 2007):

Devilish Eggs
12 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 T. grated onion
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. chopped chipolte chile in adobo sauce
2 tsp. adobo sauce from the chiles
1/2 tsp. salt
Garnish: Fresh cilantro leaves and paprika

Halve the eggs, placing the hard-cooked yolks in a small bowl. Using a fork, mash the yolks until smooth. Stir in the sour cream, mayo, onion, cilantro, adobo sauce, and salt.

Using a spoon, add the mixture to the egg halves. Garnish with cilantro leaves and paprika. Store in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight before serving.

And don't forget the sip!
Let's try a Derby Cooler
2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. light rum
2 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Dash of grenadine
Garnish: star fruit or orange slice

Pour all ingredients except the garnish into a cocktail shaker filled with ice; mix vigorously. Strain into two cocktail glasses filled with ice. Add garnish.

Movie Stars, Green Fairies, and more...

So I'm in LA for the weekend. Everyone who knows me knows I'm not a big fan, but maybe it's because I just haven't found the right cocktail bar -- until last night. We went downtown to The Edison, a renovated power plant that looks like you've just stepped into Baz Lurhmann's Moulin Rouge. I was waiting for Nicole Kidman to come down from the ceiling, but instead, we saw girls dressed up as green fairies wheeling around absinthe carts. I still haven't tried Absinthe, the drink with the kryptonite glow. After writing about it's hallucinegenic effects in Wine Spirits Quarterly, I'm a little bit of a scared-y cat, even though the new recipe has been tweaked to be less harmful. Still, I settled for the bar's signature sip:

The Edison
Lavender-Honey infused Woodford Reserve Bourbon
Pear liqueur
Fresh pear juice

I have to say, with this drink, I think I'm over the whole pear craze. It's become a little too sweet for me and its time for a new favorite flavor. Stay tuned...

Vanilla ... ... baby

Sorry! But the song has been in my head ever since I left The Navan Orchid Studio earlier this evening. Vanilla is -- by far -- my favorite scent and flavor, so you can imagine how excited I was to be invited to The Navan Orchid Studio where I was introduced to the many ways the vanilla orchid can be used, in everything from food to flowers -- and of course, cocktails! The spotlight was definitely on Grand Marnier's Navan, a liqueur blended with cognac and natural vanilla. Here's the back story: The rare vanilla orchid blooms for only one day in Madagascar and it has to be hand-pollinated to produce a single vanilla bean. From that bean we get the smooth, sophisticated spice we all know as vanilla. In honor of this intense harvest season, Navan called upon NYC mixologist Aisha Sharpe to mix up some innovative sips:

The NAVAN Orchid Martini
1/2 oz. Navan
1 oz. Belvedere vodka
1/2 oz. simple syrup
3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
Moet & Chandon Imperial
Garnish: white orchid

In a mixing glass combine all ingredients except the champagne, add ice, shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with champagne.

Madagascar Sour
1/2 oz. tamarind syrup
1/2 oz. Navan
1 1/2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. club soda
Garnish: 3 brandied cherries on a pick

In a mixing glass add all ingredients except the soda, add ice, shake and strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass, add soda and garnish.

*Want more? try splashing some Navan over a bowl of Breyer's Vanilla Bean ice cream for an indulgent sensory overload.

Down-home goodness

Wow, lots of cocktails that need to be blogged about so I will keep this brief. The week started out at the new barbecue joint Hill Country, which was so good it made me feel a little homesick. See, I'm from Philly, but my Granny is from the South (Stanardsville, VA to be exact) and holiday meals where filled with green bean casserole, cornbread, sweet potato mash, mac-n-cheese and deviled eggs. All very fattening and all very good. And that is just what you'll find at Hill Country. But my favorite was what I washed it all down with. This was SO good:

Texas Nectar
Courtesy of Hill Country
2 oz. Maker's Mark
1 oz. Southern Comfort
Orange juice
Splash of almond extract

Pour Maker's Mark and SoCo in a highball glass over ice. Fill to the top with OJ. Top off with a splash of almond extract.