On St. Patrick’s Day, wear green rather than drink it, and instead reach for a brew-based cocktail.

By Kelly A. Magyarics

At ChurchKey / Birch and Barley, Beer Director Greg Engert offers lots of tasty beer-tails.

Irish Car Bombs, Black and Tans, Irish Coffees and Picklebacks. Let’s face it: there is definitely no shortage of Irish drinks (authentic and otherwise) available on March 17. (In case you aren’t familiar with that last one, a “Pickleback” is a shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey followed by a shot of—you guessed it—pickle juice. And it just happens to be one of those bizarre combinations that just…works. I promise. Give it a try.)

I’m of proud Irish descent, and never turn down a creamy pint of Guinness, especially on my holiday. I also never, ever refuse a flute of any kind of sparkling wine. The festive solution to both on Shamrock Day is the Black Velvet. First created by the bartender of London’s Brook’s Club in 1861 to mourn the passing of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s Prince Consort, the Black Velvet is meant to symbolize the black or purple armbands worn by mourners. (Ok, so its origins aren’t exactly based in celebration and revelry, but if you casually forget that fact it’s a damn tasty drink.) The bubbles from Champagne or sparkling wine lighten the enticingly bitter taste of the stout. I always taste a touch of bitter chocolate when I drink Guinness, so if you happen to have on hand a bottle of Fee Brothers Chocolate Bitters, add a dash or two. And while you’re at it, you can even rim the flute with some cocoa powder. (If you find this drink to be too bitter, simply add a little simple syrup.)

Black Velvet
3 oz. Guinness Stout
3 oz. Champagne or sparkling wine
2 dashes Fee Brothers Chocolate Bitters (optional)
Cocoa powder, for rimming (optional)

The Black Velvet cocktails gets its fizz both from stout and sparkling wine.

If rimming drink, wet outside rim of a chilled Champagne flute, and roll half of the outside rim in cocoa powder. If using bitters, add 2 dashes to the bottom of a chilled Champagne flute. Pour stout into flute. Slowly pour chilled sparkling wine over Stout.

Beer cocktails can be a lot more complex than adding Champagne to Guinness, though. And who better to ask about them then Birch and Barley / ChurchKey Beer Director Greg Engert, who’s a veritable encyclopedia of all things barley, malt and hops. He’s also extremely adept at figuring out what foods—and other drink ingredients—pair with certain beers.

“When it comes to beer cocktails, I work with my mixologist, Kevin Rogers, to utilize the flavor categorization that I have for beers,” explains Engert. “All beers generally fall into seven distinct flavor categories: Crisp, Hop, Malt, Roast, Smoke, Fruit & Spice, Tart & Funky. We like to use beers from categories that compliment the major flavor profiles of a cocktail.” In other words, beer in a beverage is not a substitute for something else, but another layer in both aroma and textural flavor. Engert also points out that beer’s effervescence brighten a drink as well as adds texture (a component often overlooked in cocktails, he says.)

To create a beer cocktail, Engert starts by determining the desired flavors in the resulting cocktail, and what ingredients will provide them. If using a spirit in the beer-tail, keep in mind that fruit and spice beers tend to work well with aromatic gin, malty beers are a match for rum, and peaty Scotch is a no-brainer with smoky beers.

Beer Director Greg Engert of ChurchKey/Birch and Barley

Engert used this approach to create a version of a Brandy Alexander. The vanilla, toast, clove and mocha notes common in Brandy partner easily with the chocolatly richness and subtle fruit of a roast beer. “Higher alcohol brews like Russian Imperial Stout are nice because they are fuller bodied for texture, and have bigger aromas to match the aromas of the spirit.”

The Brandy Catherine was named for Catherine the Great. She fell in love with Stout during her trips to England, and wanted it shipped to Russia. But alas, it tended to spoil on the long journey. English brewers began producer richer versions of the beer with a higher alcohol content (which ended up acting as an antibacterial agent on the voyage…), and a new beer style was born.

We’re in that transitional season now—not quite winter, not yet warm outside—so the rich and spicy quality of this drink is still lovely. I can never quite figure out what to serve for dessert on St. Patrick’s Day, and this drink would be a great liquid ending to a traditional (or not so traditional) Irish dinner.

Brandy Catherine
Courtesy of Greg Engert, Beer Director, ChurchKey / Birch and Barley
1.5 oz. Brandy
1.5 oz. Russian Imperial Stout
1 oz. heavy cream
½ oz. simple syrup
Freshly grated nutmeg

Combine first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, and strain into a chilled Belgian beer goblet or large wine glass. Grate nutmeg on top of the froth.

Kelly Magyarics is a wine and spirits writer, and wine educator, in the Washington, DC area. She can be reached through her website, www.kellymagyarics.com, or on www.twitter.com/kmagyarics.

Guests at The Fairfax Embassy Row’s Jockey Club certainly didn’t suffer from Pinot envy at the Hanzell Vineyards wine dinner.

By Kelly A. Magyarics

The Hanzell wine dinner was hosted in one of the private dining rooms of DC's historic Jockey Club.

Really, is there any greater culinary pleasure in life than the right dish sublimely paired with the perfect wine? Why yes, actually. How about four courses, paired with five wines, all planned and executed by a chef and a winemaker, with no effort on your part whatsoever beyond showing up? Now that’s an evening well spent.

The eight wine pairing dinners that comprise the first ever Capital Wine Festival this spring, held at The Jockey Club at The Fairfax at Embassy Row, are hosted either by the winemaker or winery owner. Modeled after the immensely popular Boston Wine Festival, now in its twenty-first year, the weekly dinners of the festival are created by Jockey Club Chef Levi Mezick to accompany each winemaker’s selections. (And incidentally, 20% of all ticket sales go towards the Haiti relief effort.)

On March 10, Sonoma’s Hanzell Vineyards was in the house, pouring and exploring their Burgundian-style Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Located high in the Sonoma Mountains with forty-two acres under vines, Hanzell’s focus highlights terroir and ageability of their wines. Hanzell president Jean Arnold Sessions was on hand to discuss the winery’s philosophy and Old World approach to winemaking.

Jean Arnold Sessions, president of Hanzell Vineyards.

The event attracted about sixty wine lovers, including lots of long time Hanzell customers, as well as enthusiastic oenophiles and admitted newbies. Sessions provided detailed background history on the winery, as well as some noteworthy anecdotes. For instance, Hanzell was the first winery to create and use custom-designed stainless steel temperature controlled fermentation tanks; the first to use inert gas in the form of nitrogen to prevent oxidation; and the first to use imported Sirgue French oak barrels exclusively for barrel aging wine. But the evening wasn’t just about details for wine geeks. The four-course dinner by Chef Mezick highlighted two vintages of Chardonnay, and three of Pinot Noir.

An Olive Oil Poached Codfish was accompanied by cockles, lemon verbena purée, shaved carrots and fennel, and paired with both Hanzell’s 2003 and 1997 Chardonnay vintages. The dish was fresh and fragrant—a perfect course to usher in the first signs of spring.  The more recent bottle offered more primary fruit flavors, as well as a great line of minerality. The older Chard (and the definite crowd pleaser) exhibited caramel and butterscotch notes, as well as a touch of oxidation, all which added to its complexity, sip after sip. (Sessions scoffed at those who say that Chardonnay isn’t an age-worthy wine, and noted that use of oak is one of the factors that can make it last for years in the bottle.)

Chef Mezick's Olive Oil Poached Codfish served with two Hanzell Chardonnays was a lovely nod to springtime.

The next three courses were paired with different vintages of Pinot Noir. Fickle and notoriously difficult to grow, Pinot that’s properly coaxed and coddled will have both that gorgeous balance of cherry/raspberry fruit, as well as an intriguing earthy quality—often described as mushrooms, or even wet leaves. Great stuff. But it takes a deft winemaker’s hand to keep the grape sultry and seductive—sure, over extraction of the grape gives it more color and oomph, but unfortunately can also lead to jammy, overripe fruit flavors and harsh tannins. Hanzell’s delicate Burgundian approach (the original owner fell in love with Clos Vougeot) keeps it all in check.

Baked Dourade with oyster mushrooms, green beans and Pinot Noir beurre rouge was enjoyed alongside the 2006 Pinot Noir, fruit-forward, with cherry aromas and soft and silky tannins. The full flavors of the smoky, meaty Bacon Wrapped Monkfish with grilled radicchio, panisse and a caper golden raisin emulsion matched the gumption of the 1996 Pinot, a wine that lacked the fruit of the 2006, but definitely had more grip.

Hanzell Vineyards exclusively produces Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Morel Crusted Lamb Rack partnered with the beautifully aged 1984 Hanzell Pinot Noir

The final pairing partnered a Morel Crusted Lamb Rack with morel risotto, braised romaine and a rose petal emulsion with the 1984 Pinot. “You become part of the winemaking process if you cellar it,” said Sessions of their older wines. This twenty-six year old bottle, opened a few hours before the dinner, was showing beautifully, with complex, multi-layers of wet leaves, mushrooms and the forest floor. Sessions mentioned that this wine is at its peak right now, and won’t improve with additional bottle age. Translation: Drink it if you’re lucky enough to have it.

If you missed the dinner, you’re in luck, as the festival isn’t over yet. The last dinner on March 17 will feature wines by Napa’s Duckhorn Vinyards—quite a lovely way to spend St. Patrick’s Day. For ticket information, visit www.capitalwinefestival.com.

Kelly Magyarics is a wine and spirits writer, and wine educator, in the Washington, DC area. She can be reached through her website, www.kellymagyarics.com, or at www.twitter.com/kmagyarics.

Fairfax County opens the first winery since the age of Thomas Jefferson and Lord Fairfax.

By Kirsten Obadal

Winemaking is a family affair among the co-owners of Paradise Springs Winery, Kirk Wiles, Jane Kincheloe and Drew Wiles (l-r). Photo by John Arundel

From the time of Mssrs. Jefferson and Washington, right up until the 20th century, Clifton, Va. was a sleepy resort town owing its presence to its famous springs.

When Jane Kincheloe’s aunt passed away, she left her niece a postage stamp-sized parcel tract of land in the town of Clifton, now an affluent, quaint bedroom community of DC in the farthest corner of Fairfax County. Jane and her son Kirk Wiles fought to keep the land from falling victim to tax collectors, fighting to keep the land in the family and intact for future generations.

The site of Paradise Springs Winery lies on 36 acres nestled in the quiet corner of Clifton. It borders Hemlock Regional Park with the Bull Run River flowing through the nearby woods. It was part of a 1,000 acre land grant from Lord Fairfax in 1716 to Jane, Kirk and Drew’s direct ancestors and has been passed down through the generations.

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On Sunday evening, it really doesn’t matter who wins or loses, as long as the potions are flowing!

By Kelly A. Magyarics

Moët adds sparkle to Oscar night.

Awards season is in full swing, though I have to admit that I’m more of a fan of the Golden Globes than the Academy Awards. (I’m pretty sure that has to do with the fact that I love the crazy speeches and off the cuff remarks that ensue when bored celebrities sip from the seemingly endless magnums of Champagne and wine in ice buckets on the tables.) Nonetheless, nothing can beat the glitz, glamour and history of the Oscars.

Whether you are headed out to celebrate at an Oscar viewing party, or just watching (and snarking) from the comfort of your living room, you’ll want something delicious in your glass as you tally up the actors, directors and movies who do win, and those who should win, (Avatar and Inglorious Basterds, I’m talking to you, respectively. Just saying…)

Luckily, French Champagne house Moët & Chandon has your back, and your flute. Moët is the official Champagne of the 82^nd Academy Awards, and they are offering a limited edition Cinema Party Pack for $39. Four 187 ml Moët Imperial bottles come packaged in an ice bucket whose lid is decorated like a film canister, complete with a velvet rope handle. And, mini flutes that conveniently fit right inside the neck of the bottle mean no stemware to wash after the big soirée.

Moët & Chandon's Cinema Pack

If drinking naked isn’t enough for you (I’m talking about plain Champagne here), mix up a batch of Moët’s “Golden Glamour” cocktail. The sweet and tangy libation, which will be served at Oscar after parties, mixes Moët Imperial with passionfruit juice and Navan, a Cognac infused with Madagascar vanilla. Very cool, very tropical, and way too easy to drink. And though I prefer flutes, the coupe really works with this drink since it’s designed to be a throwback to the age of glamour. If you can’t find Navan or don’t want to spring for a bottle, try replacing it with vanilla flavored vodka, or with the Cognac-based Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur. In a pinch, you could even use simple syrup and a dash of good quality vanilla extract.

The Golden Glamour cocktail is a sophisticated sip for an Oscar gathering.

Golden Glamour
Courtesy of Moët & Chandon

4 oz. Moët & Chandon Imperial Champagne
¼ oz. Navan*
1 ½ oz. Passionfruit juice
Mint sprig, for garnish

Add Navan and passionfruit juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, and strain into a chilled Champagne coupe. Top with chilled Champagne, and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.

*Can substitute vanilla flavored vodka or Domaine de Canton, or simple syrup with a dash of good quality vanilla extract.

Kelly Magyarics is a wine and spirits writer, and wine educator, in the Washington, DC area. She can be reached through her website, www.kellymagyarics.com, or on www.twitter.com/kmagyarics.

Our neighbors to the north make some killer juice, including rare, rich icewine and dry, food friendly Rieslings.

By Kelly A. Magyarics

Canadian producer Inniskillin makes several icewines.

U.S. Winter Olympians in Vancouver are finding themselves on the podium way more often than in previous games. The amount of bling that our American athletes are sporting is enough in itself to raise a glass in recognition and celebration. But what to toast with? Luckily the host country produces some gold-medal caliber wines available in DC restaurants and shops.

Icewine, in the strict, traditional sense of the word, is just what it sounds like: grapes are allowed to freeze on the vine before being picked late at night when they are coldest. The water in the berries is trapped as ice, and what remains is a very tiny amount of sweet juice that doesn’t freeze. It’s from this pure, elegant liquid that icewine is made. (Germany is also known for producing elegant, expensive icewines, but keep in mind that other wineries like California’s Bonny Doon make what’s referred to as Vin de Glacière or “freezer wine” by taking grapes from the vine and sticking them into the freezer. The resultant wine is tasty, but technically not authentic. Though budget conscious oenophiles will note that freezer wine does cost a fraction of the price.)

You can find Canadian icewine at Café Atlantico, which carries Inniskillin, undoubtedly the most famous and easily recognized producer. The Cabernet Franc-based wine is $148 for a 375 mL bottle. (Since icewine is richer and higher in alcohol than regular table wine, you can thankfully get more servings from a bottle than you think.) Beverage Director Jill Zimorski asked the producer why they used that varietal (which happens to be one of her favorites,) and was told that since Cabernet Franc does well on the East Coast of the United States and in North America in general, it seemed like a natural choice. “The result is a deep ruby, sweet wine that is like cranberry nectar,” Zimorski says. “It’s so different and so good.” Inniskillin also makes icewine from Vidal and from Riesling.

What I personally like about icewine, as opposed to other dessert wines, is the clean, pure expression of the fruit. It doesn’t rely on Botrytis, the “noble rot” that robs the grape of water, dehydrating it and leaving concentrated juice, like wines such as Sauternes do. So while icewine doesn’t have those funky aromas and flavors that you can sometimes pick out in Botrytized wines that are appealing to many wine lovers, what it does have is lots of true, luscious fruit flavor. And though it’s undeniable that these wines are sweet, they have a great line of acidity running through them that keeps them from being like that other popular Canadian product, maple syrup, which is great on your pancakes, not so much in your glass. (If you tend to shy away from dessert wines because they just are too unctuously sweet, maybe you just haven’t yet found the right bottle. The best dessert wines at any price point are both sweet and crisp, and call you back for another sip.)

But if sweet’s really not your thing, or you’re looking for other options, opt for Canada Dry–dry Riesling, that is, especially those from the Niagara Peninsula. Bourbon Steak sells the 2006 Cave Springs Dry Riesling for $50 a bottle, and Head Sommelier Brick Loomis describes it as a dry, Alsatian-style wine that’s close in style to a Trimbach or a Zindhumbrecht. He cites it as a fantastic wine with Bourbon Steak’s shellfish platter, with sashimi, or even charcuterie. I’d add that it would be fantastic with Asian food, as well as pork dishes. Over at Tallula in Arlington, Wine Director Juliana Santos also carries the Cave Springs Riesling, but the 2007 vintage. She points out that they have several Canadian wines on sales at Planet Wine, so when the Olympics are over, stop in to pick up a few bottles and  keep the celebration going. Though Canadian wines aren’t altogether easy to find in the DC area, they are no doubt easier to spot than getting your hands on those super cute maple leaf Olympic mittens that are sold out everywhere…

Kelly Magyarics is a wine and spirits writer, and wine educator, in the Washington, DC area. She can be reached through her website, www.kellymagyarics.com, or at www.twitter.com/kmagyarics.

R.W. ‘Jonnhy’ Apple’s take on the classic Bloody Mary cocktail

Famed journalist R.W. “Johnny” Apple’s adapted recipe of the original creation for the “Red Snapper” or “Bloody Mary,” as it came to be known, at the King Cole Bar of the St. Regis Hotel, New York. You  can enjoy this famous drink at our own St. Regis Washington.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 1 serving

1 dash fresh lemon juice

2 dashes salt

2 dashes black pepper

2 dashes cayenne pepper

3 dashes Worcester sauce

1 1/2 ounces vodka

2 ounces tomato juice

1 lime wedge for garnish

Combine lemon juice, salt, pepper, cayenne, and Worcester sauce in shaker glass. Add ice cubes, vodka, and tomato juice. Shake and strain into highball glass with a few ice cubes. Garnish with lime, and serve.

From “Far Flung and Well Fed” by R. W. Apple, Jr. Copyright © 2009 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Press LLC. Originally published in the New York Times.

Michel Richard Central offers several cocktails for Mardi Gras.

It’s Mardi Gras, that deliciously decadent holiday of excess that comes to a screeching halt on Ash Wednesday, when beads, booze and debauchery quickly turn to fasting and discipline (at least in theory…)

But no matter that. What to sip while the party’s still underway? Well, the cocktail just so happens to have been invented in New Orleans—history tells us the first boozy sip was most likely the serious and aromatic Sazerac, with its Absinthe-rinsed glass, rye whiskey-base and dash of ruby-hued Peychaud’s Bitters. (I think Chantal Tseng at The Tabard Inn makes the best one in town, and luckily you can order it there every day of the year.)

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Sure, drinking pink bubbly on Valentine’s Day is fun, flirty and romantic. But red sparklers can be downright naughty.

By Kelly A. Magyarics

Sparkling Shiraz is a sexy, fizzy, bold option for Valentine's Day.

If your favorite neighborhood wine store happens to be open in this crippling weather (and if you are able to dig out to get to it…), you may find yourself browsing the shelves in the next few days to select that all important bottle of sparkling wine for Valentine’s Day.  Read the full story

The Embassy of Peru celebrates National Pisco Sour Day with classic and unconventional takes on the country’s signature cocktail.

By Kelly A. Magyarics

The Pisco sour contains Pisco, lime juice, sugar, egg white and Angostura bitters

“Pisco is the happiest spirit in the world,” says Melanie Asher, co-founder of the brand Macchu Pisco. Indeed, she gets as fizzy and effervescent as a Pisco Sour when talking about her favorite Peruvian spirit.

December 6 happens to be National Pisco Sour Day (I just love holidays that revolve around drinking…) On Monday night at the Peruvian Embassy, Macchu Pisco co-hosted an event that celebrated the cocktail and its special day.

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The perfect pairing with your favorite cheese is always a glass of red wine, right? Not so fast.

By Kelly A. Magyarics

White or sparkling wine is often the most perfect cheese pairing.

Allison Hooper, co-founder of Vermont Butter and Cheese Company and author of the recently released cookbook “In a Cheesemaker’s Kitchen,” was in town recently to help out with a wine and cheese seminar I presented at the Museum of the American Indian through Smithsonian Resident Associates. Hooper’s artisanal goat cheeses like chèvre and the Crottin-esque Bijou are sold all over the DC area at cheese shops like Cowgirl Creamery and Cheesetique, as well as Whole Foods and Dean and Deluca. And Michel Richard of Citronelle and Central fame is one of the chefs, authors and other cheese aficionados whose thoughts and dishes are included in her new book. (Richard, for example, shares his delectable recipe for Crème Fraîche Cucumber Salmon.)

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The inspired cocktail names on Bibiana’s drink list shows that it’s Ladies’ Night, and the sipping’s right.

By Kelly A. Magyarics

The bar at Bibiana Osteria & Enoteca

When I recently stepped up to Bibiana Osteria and Enoteca’s (1100 New York Avenue NW, Washington, 202.216.9550, bibianadc.com) sleek, inviting bar and was handed a copy of the cocktail menu, two things immediately caught my eye. First of all, the list was peppered with a bevy of enticing drinks, many of which included off-the-beaten path ingredients (full disclosure: I love funky spirits, bitters and mixers, and Bibiana’s backbar stylishly displays their collection on a series of brushed nickel staggered shelves.) Secondly, all cocktails appeared to be named after women.

Mixologist Tom Street told me that the liquid creations (which are all $12) are indeed all inspired by women—famous and otherwise—including management and staff family members, as well as that ambitious Egyptian ruler Cleopatra. (Her namesake concoction, by the way, mixes Coke with rum that’s infused with dates, which just so happen to be Egypt’s most popular and plentiful fruit.)

But enough about history, and nepotism for that matter. I perused the well-thought out menu, and opted first for a Simona, with Plymouth gin, Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, and grapefruit. Served up in a cocktail glass with an ample grapefruit slice garnish, the pink-tinged drink is refreshing and full of zesty citrus-y flavor, with just a whiff of fresh pine. (Pine liqueur requires a hand that’s both deft and light to keep drinks from taking on the taste of floor cleaner, a fact that’s well understood here in this mouthwatering sip.)

On the opposite end of the flavor spectrum is the Gabriella, shaken with Rittenhouse Rye, cardamom syrup, ginger and bitters. Street told me he typically uses Fee Brothers Chocolate Bitters, but he ran out that evening and instead used a few dashes of his house made chicory bitters. My gain, as they lended a great bitter dimension to the multi-layered yet approachable drink, which also has an appealing spicy kick from the rye, cardamom and ginger. This cocktail just screams winter, and Street said it’ll be on the menu throughout the season. (Oh, and those chicory bitters are far from the only ingredient made in house. Street and his team also mix up hibiscus liqueur, rose liqueur, limoncello, spiced molasses syrup, and a few other types of flavored syrups. On tap for spring are some homemade sodas and various bitters. Sign me up.)

Street names the Katia as his favorite cocktail on the menu, with Early Times Bourbon, spiced molasses syrup, orange juice and soda water. “It has good balance, and the flavors of the molasses and the Bourbon compliment each other very well,” he says.

The restaurant’s most popular drink happens to be its namesake one, and the sparkling wine-based Bibiana has gone through three or four incarnations since the restaurant opened last fall. The current recipe (which may have even changed since my visit a week or so ago) pours hibiscus liqueur and classic ingredient Crème di Violette along with fizzy, fresh and clean Italian sparkler Prosecco, resulting in a pretty, floral, feminine drink that certainly gives a nod to Bibiana’s ode to the fairer species.

Kelly Magyarics is a wine and spirits writer, and wine educator, in the Washington, DC area. She can be reached through her website, www.kellymagyarics.com, and on Twitter at twitter.com/kmagyarics.

Bourbon Steak’s inspired mocktails appeal to both teetotalers and tipplers.

By Kelly A. Magyarics

Bourbon Steak

January 16, 2010 marks the 90^th anniversary of the start of Prohibition. Not exactly the toast-worthy occasion for imbibers like the anniversary of Repeal Day on December 5. Luckily for today’s cocktailians, the Noble Experiment is a distant memory, and wine, beer and spirits flow freely from our favorite watering holes. Even still, drinks don’t always need to be spirited to be special.

“Too often non-drinkers are forced to make do with chasers and mixers,” notes Duane Sylvestre, Head Bartender at Bourbon Steak. “Mocktails are important because they provide an additional option and layers to the cocktail list. They show that another level of attention is given, that everyone is considered.” No longer an afterthought, today’s mocktails share equal footing with their boozy, fun-loving cousins, as savvy mixologists use squeezed juices, housemade sodas and fresh produce and herbs for tame yet tasty creations. In other words, “not drinking tonight” hardly relegates a guest to the phoned-in club soda with a twist of lime.

At any given time, Bourbon Steak’s bar book touts several unleaded drinks. As with the regular cocktails on the menu, seasonality is priority. So the Natural Grape Soda that was popular last fall, freshly made with Concord grapes, sparkling water and lemon-lime zest, is now off the menu. But guests can order the fragrantly fruity Rosemary’s Pear, with organic pear juice, garden rosemary, honey and lime essence. Also on the list is tart and tangy West Indian Limeade, similar to the classic cocktail sans the rum. (Though technically this still contains alcohol, albeit a trace amount, from the bitters.)

Sylvestre says these drinks appeal to a wide variety of diners, including the lunch work crowd looking to stay focused, not fuzzy, as well as designated drivers, and those who abstain from alcohol due to religious or health reasons. Guests looking to linger in Bourbon Steak’s lounge after having a few “real” cocktails may sip concoctions like the Limeade towards the end of the evening. “Many times people are just looking for something different,” he says.

Indeed, a change may do you good. Don’t mock it until you’ve tried it.

West Indian Limeade

¾ oz ginger syrup*
¾ oz fresh lime juice
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
3 oz sparkling water

Place all in a rocks or Collins glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge if desired.

*For the ginger syrup, place equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan, along with some peeled, chopped fresh ginger root to taste. Bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves, and then remove from the heat. Allow to steep until desired ginger flavor is desired, and then strain out the ginger. Store syrup in the refrigerator in a container with a tightly fitting lid for several weeks.

Made with a good swift kick of spirits, some hot tea or water, citrus and spice, the Hot Toddy is just what the bartender ordered. Or make it yourself with this recipe.

By Kelly A. Magyarics

Hot Toddy anyone?

Baby, it’s cold outside.

Frigid temperatures, cold and flu season, economic woes terrorism threats. Yikes! What do? How about a nice warm cocktail. With all this, no one would criticize you if you singlehandedly tried to revive the three Martini lunch. While clear, potent potables served in cocktail glasses never lose appeal, sometimes cold is just not comforting.

Enter the Hot Toddy, with its fragrant ingredients that combine to create a potion capable of chasing away the chills and raising the spirits.

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