Chicago Foodies

Bitter and Bubbly - Valentine's Day Cocktail Recipe

Here's a quick cocktail recipe from VOGA, a sparkling pinot grigio. If you're a fan of St. Germain, you already get the potential cocktail value that white wine can bring. We like the pinot grigio varietal in this case.

While chardonnay-driven sparklers can be a bit sweet and Prosseco might have some pinot grigio in it, the crispness in this case is waiting on the addition of the other ingredients.

Alright Already About Next; What About The Aviary?

It seems like Next is already the best restaurant in the world even before it opens. While I'd agree that the concept is so good and the potential is sooo there, I think we will be hard pressed to get tickets even on a Tuesday, last minute. Seriously. That said Aviary is the unsung partner, at least as unsung as an Achatz project gets. Check out the "bubble tea G+T" where the micro-encapsulation is a bit more complicated than a regular bubble tea (which means stirring a pot full of tapioca pearls). Check out the video. Props to Chef Achatz and Craig Schoettler and everyone who enjoys doing something more when it's hard.

Absinthe Fruit Cocktail – Sous Vide

Here's an interesting experiment. Absinthe is typically served with ice water over sugar. Here we soaked sugared/dried fruits in absinthe and cooked them sous vide overnight. As the bag is sealed the alcohol stays put. The final dish is a "cocktail" that's eaten with a fork and is extremely sweet and boozy. The fruit add a nice hint of flavor but also move the absinthe taste away from the fresh herbaciousness.

I reserved a bunch of fruit for garnish for other drinks which is moving forward how this will evolve. For a lovely nouveau-cosmopolitan, garnish with an absinthe-soaked strawberry!

Here's the original fruit cocktail recipe:

Recipe is per serving. (Easy enough to multiply in a larger vac bag)

1 oz absinthe (we used Lucid)
1/2 cup of dried sugared fruit (we included kiwi, pineapple)
1/4 cup of dried cranberries

Seal all the ingredients in a bag and freeze until thick. Seal and sous vide at 160º for 24 hours.
Refrigerate until cold.

Serve in cocktail glass with a tiny fork!

(Don't drink and drive).

This is another recipe that I a created to use with my Sous Vide Supreme. Sous Vide Supreme provided me with a unit and in return I'm sharing my successes over the next few months!

Drink of the Week: The Luxury Drop

With the holidays steadily approaching, I’m already starting to plan for the most important part of any group meal: the cocktails. Do you go with a seasonal theme or a color scheme? A variety of options or one universal crowd pleaser? We usually opt for a seasonal beer option and at least one themed cocktail. And, if your friends are anything like mine, there will undoubtedly be that guy who at some point says, “let’s do a shot,” so why not be prepared?

On a recent tequila tour of the city, Don Julio Master Distiller, Enrique de Colsa, walked the group through a tasting of all of their varieties: Blanco, Reposado, Anejo, 1942 (my fave) and Real. While I sipped, I took a mental note that the 1942 would be perfect to have on hand for the holidays for the guys looking for a solid, man-approved shot; but I knew my girl friends wouldn’t stand for it. So, what’s a girl to do to make sure that all of her party guests are happy and satisfied?

Drink of the Week: Dogfish Head Burton Baton IPA

Dogfish Head is known for their bold, experimental beers, barrel aging, weird barrel aging, and an off-centered (their term) array of ingredients.  Rasins?  They brew with those.  Tea?  That too.  South American wood?  Oh, yes.   So, it should come as no surprise that their attempt at a barrel aged India Pale Ale is not quite like any other on the market.  I speak of the Burton Baton Ale.  By description, Dogfish creates this beer by taking an imperial (i.e., high alcohol) IPA and blending it with another ale then oak barrels it for about a month to get those oak notes soaked into the brew. 

Drink of the Week… Summertime Sips - One Last Hoorah

As much as we Chicagoans hate to admit it, summer is officially starting to wind down. In an attempt to embrace our denial of what lies ahead, let’s focus on ways to keep summer-lovin’ top of mind. First stop? Cocktails, obviously. Nothing keeps summer alive like mixing up a fresh batch of warm weather-friendly drinks. 

To accommodate the palates of Chicago’s finest, see below for recommended cocktails for every occasion. From rooftops to lazy days on the lake, there’s a drink to be made for savoring every last ounce of summer.

 

Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA

With a name like Devil Dancer, how could they go wrong?  Anyone who has known me for more than a day probably has some idea how much I love Founders Brewing.  Their entire lineup consists of beers that are daring, unique takes on the standard brewing styles - they vary the expected mix on each brew to create something memorable, and of course, great tasting.  Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Red's Rye, Double Trouble, Dirty Bastard, and even the Porter are must-try's if you're a fan of bold, tasty beers.  There is nothing like their Cerise.  I decided to have some sympathy for the Devil Dancer and gave this triple IPA a shot since its Grand Rapids, MI brewing parent never steers me wrong.

Double IPAs are difficult to concoct because the amount of malt needed to tame the abundant hops can be excessively weighty.  The hops risk becoming punishing.  These problems proportionally increase with triple IPAs. Yet I figured that if any brewery could conquer this style, Founders can. 

2006 Henry Fessy Moulin-à-vent Cuvée Clothilde

Beaujolais can perhaps be considered poor man's Pinot Noir.  Light-bodied and very drinkable, 2006 Henry Fessy makes for a very good summer red.  Made from the Gamay grape, a cross between Pinot Noir and the white grape Gouais, the name Beaujolais becomes unfairly maligned with the sweet, fruity, mass-produced Beaujolais Nouveau, a wine also remembered for a festival thrown each November to celebrate the arrival of the year's vintage.   

Top Ten Beers Of Summer

Hello, beer and food lovers.  Well, we've entered the dog days of summer, which means Chicago has ripened, replete with street fests, concerts, barbecues, and block parties.  All this, of course, means that it's peak beer drinking season.  Here's a quick hit for you, with the top 10 beers to drink this summer, availability may be limited.  These beers are perfect for hot days, outdoor drinking, and consumption with barbecue, seafood, kebabs, or whatever summer fare you may be gnawing on.  Mind you, these are not necessarily the ten best beers out there, they're just the top 10 for summer enjoyment.  Here we go:

10.  Point Special Lager.  Point is about as easy at it gets for easy summer drinking.  It's subtle woody, smoky hints constantly remind you that you're drinking a beer, and not some 45 calorie water with a thimbleful of alcohol tossed with a few grains.  This is what all the big industrial brews that the slender volleyball-playing silhouettes wield in those t.v. ads wish they were. 

9.    Brooklyn Lager.   This is now a microbrew classic.  Not only does it drink very easy - not bitter, not watery, not too thick - it has a strong barley flavor that hits the sweet spot.  Several friends of mine at a recent street fest were thankful this was on hand. 

8.   Lone Star.   This Texas lager is on the cheaper end of the scale and not that easy to find.  It drinks effortlessly but has a bit more flavor that the BMC (Bud/Miller/Coors) beers.  This never bogs you down.

7.   Three Floyd's Jinxproof.   This is a straight-up lager from an unconventional brewer that's a bit more robust than the industry big three's brews.  It's tough to find at bars, but a cold 22 of this one will compliment any midday outdoor events calling for a beer.  Having these on tap at Kuma's Corner's outdoor block party was gold. 

Drink of the Week: Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron (Not Summery, But Superb)

It's never too late to post about the best beers to tip back this summer.  A great place to start is a recent beer I tried that wowed me, Dogfish Head's Palo Santo Marron.  I recently tried this one at Guthrie's Pub in Wrigleyville, the cozy neighborhood bar with a great tap, warm yellow light, and every board game you grew up playing with your brother or sister.  Guthrie's also boasts an outstanding tap, usually featuring several outstanding American microbrews, and a few quality pints from the U.K., Belgium, and Germany. 

The other night I visited with some friends and was surprised to see the Dogfish tap, with its traditional seaweed green color in a shark shape. My heart skipped a beat, thinking that it might be the cherished 90 Minute IPA, rarely seen on tap around here.  Seeing the Palo Santo instead was highly unexpected but welcome. I'd had it before in bottles but never really on tap.The friendly bartender, Mark, poured it into an 8 oz snifter glass.  Given this beer's 12% potency, that makes sense.  It contained a thick head that started white but quickly turned brown, never thinning.  The color was a deep, dark brown, like shoe polish. 

Drink of the Week: Jala-luiah! Jalapeno Inspired Cocktails

In the world of cocktailing, there are many ingredients that are no-brainers when it comes to mixing: fresh juices, fruits, sours, spices, etc. But when it comes to mastering the art (something I hope to one day accomplish. Hey, it’s a life goal…), thinking outside the box is welcomed and applauded.

 

What’s my latest obsession? My new fave? My inspiration? The new love of my life? The last thing I think about before bed and the first thing I think about in the morning (normal…)? Cocktails infused with jalapeno, cayenne, and other peppers. I know, I know – it’s not “new.” How was I so unaware that there was a whole world of pepper-inspired-inbibing going on?!

Drink of the Week: Smoked Salmon Vodka

In case you thought bacon vodka was not extreme enough,some enterprising Alsaskans have invented smoked salmon vodka, which is, yes, fish marinated in vodka.   I tracked down the Alaska Distillery's website, and they also make ultrapremium vodkas with names such as Permafrost and Frostbite.  Neither of these other brands happen to be menthol-infused, incidentally.  Flavored vodkas made by Alaska Distillery include birch syrup and rhubarb.

Super-Premium Blended Whisky Battle: 30 year Canadian Club vs. Blue Label

Lately I have been drinking whiskeys from all over the world and while I am developing a taste for Santori (and for God's sake, all things Japanese), I'm tabling the single malts and cask-strength bourbons for a particular head's up contest. This evening, I finally got a chance at a sip of Johnny Walker Blue Label. It wrapped up the tasting that began with Black and went to Red, Gold & Green before the Blue. Needless to say it wasn't bad. I came straight home though and poured a nose of my Canadian Club 30 year. While it's an ocean apart literally in location and in style, I felt that as it was a blend and at the same price point it would be an interesting comparison. Even though they're apples and oranges, they're both fruit.

The thing that I really noticed about the Blue was the mouth-feel. My hunch is that when a whisky is described as buttery or 'evaporates on your tongue'-type talk is used, it translates to mouth-feel. It leaves your mouth coated and maybe a bit fuzzy. The blue does this a lot. It's not a sweet scotch but it's also not very peaty. It's a blend and that's exactly what you get. If you're a big single malt guy, you probably would get more out of the Green label. While it's the only Walker that's all malt, it doesn't catch you with the smoky peat like Laphroaig or Lagavulin. It's pretty mellow with the peat taking a back seat to a woodiness that starts to walk back to a barrel-flavor. Blue is nothing if it's not balanced and while it's not overly anything, you taste everything, sweetness, smoke, wood, peat, floral, honey.

Drink of the Week – The New-Fangled Frappucino

While I do love Starbuck's coffee, I'm probably not a great person to 'review' a frosty coffee beverage. I simply like coffee. I like espresso. I like Americanos. I like drip coffee, french press coffee, cappuccinos, cold press coffee... I even like coffee ice cream. I like coffee. I worked in a coffee shop after college and it was one of my favorite jobs. I love making coffee... roasting beans, grinding beans. Even recently I developed an affinity for Nespresso pod coffee.

So when Starbucks invites me to sample a Frappucino 'Any Way You Want It' I figure there must be some way I'd like it. While I was happy to see Starbucks trying to use stevia as a sugar substitute, I was not surprised by the bitter aftertaste that has always accompanied my stevia-based tastings. There are branded forms of Stevia sold by, who else, Cargil. I'm not sure which stevia product Starbucks is using.

Dark Lord Day – Pot Luck Beer.

Friday night was Whiskeyfest. Saturday morning my friend Mark browbeat me into waking up at 7:30 and driving to Munster Indiana to stand in a line, in the rain, and wait to buy beer. I didn't do this for the iPad. What the hell could he be thinking? I don't know how he got me roped into this but I owe him big time. He's a beer blogger and his partner Shaun (from Mark & Shaun's Beer Blog) was flying in for the event – so that must mean he knows what he's talking about (ha!).

How do you compare Dark Lord Day and Whiskeyfest? It's beer and whiskey. It's also $160 vs. Free (less the price of the Dark Lord, (if you're lucky enough to get a ticket) and the price of whatever you buy and bring to share). You get to meet the distillers and reps for all the great whiskeys vs. people who bring and share their favorite beers.

What's in common is enthusiasm, a want for knowledge and a need for stamina. I was overstimulated and certainly couldn't keep up with all the many, distinctly wonderful, beverages from Indian Whiskey & 70 year-old cognac to a 2006 Wee Heavy and Founder's Kentucky Breakfast.

But what happens at Dark Lord is different. Take this guy. His name is Brendan and the first thing he said to me is "where's your glass?". He then poured me a few ounces of an '06 Wee Heavy... at 10:30am. It was one of the best beers I've ever had. There was no spiel. There were no companies shilling. Nobody was being paid. Brendan didn't even tell me what to 'taste' or why he was sharing this. He simply flew in from Seattle to pour free beer for strangers. You can't buy advocacy like that. That's a picture of Brendan showing off a bottle of the Perfect Storm a bit later in the day. Brendan's the best.

So while hundreds of people waited in line to buy 4 bottles of Dark Lord, I made some very nice friends from Seattle, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and surely other places. I also tried some extremely nice beer from Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Belgium... and others.

Drink of the Week: The TREEtini Have One for Earth Day!

The TREEtini is an interesting promotional drink for a couple reasons. One, of course, is Earth Day! Like you need an excuse for a martini? Another reason is that while it's a national effort on the part of Veev (acai flavored wheat-spirit that's pretty tasty, especially when the bottle was free!), it's mostly available in Chicago. Why does that really matter? Because all the recipes are different.

I've worked for a couple of brands in the spirits industry, specifically coming up with drink ideas, and to have one that is different everywhere is actually a cool idea. It also makes it hard to really evaluate without getting really ripped - Veev is 60% to begin with, so here is simply where to try one in town! (after the jump)

A Return to Beer: From Belgium to Local Brews

This year I have had to change my lifestyle quite dramatically for a number of reasons and also decided to give up wine this year for Lent, partially because it's hard to for me, and also due to cost.   Most beer, even the rarest and highest quality, generally tends to be less expensive.   A good six-pack often goes for between $7 to $12, and if I'm in an Old Style or Schlitz mood it can be much cheaper.   This also gave me the opportunity to drink the rest of the Belgian beer that I bought in 2004.  And, yes, almost all of it is still drinking well.

I got into micro-brewery beers in 1995 back when I lived in Virginia, and I became a fan of Anchor Steam, Red Hook, and Brooklyn Brewery.  I especially loved the Richmond-Virginia brewery Legend, and its Brown Ale was a personal favorite.  I moved to Europe and returned to Chicago to find a smattering of European beers available at bars and a dearth of microbrews.   Sometime around then I started getting into wine, and unfortunately never really looked back at beer.  

Newcastle Brown Ale DraughtKeg

Here’s a neat bit of trivia for any beer enthusiast to know: the familiar Bass red triangle logo was the first trademark to be registered under the Trade Mark Registration Act of 1875. Priorities. I dig it.

However, this post isn’t about Bass. It’s about a fellow English ale and second cousin once removed to Bass – Newcastle Brown Ale.

 Right. Yes. I know what you’re thinking, “Big deal. What’s so interesting about this beer?” That’s not what I’m trying to get at here, so relax. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel for describing its taste, so I’ll just leave that out. I’m just trying to bring a little knowledge and some humor to the table, because in the end, that’s what beer should be about. Let me back up…

Ice Sphere Mold... The Perfect Ice Sphere. Just What You Need in the Midst of Winter

A walk through the MOMA Design Store turned over the hard-to-find Japanese ice sphere molds. It's maybe the last thing you need to hear about with the temp actually becoming 'annoying-to-walk-the-dog cold'. In any case since a good cocktail mitigates temperature issues and if you've been enjoying the cocktail renaissance of the past couple of years, you know the wonderful principles behind the ice sphere. It's really all about surface area. The more ice chunks and chips you have, the faster the ice melts. The faster the ice melts, the faster your drink dilutes and the faster it warms up. Now the Japanese who are known scotch-mavens, have designed machines that press out perfect ice spheres. It's drawback for home use is that you need giant chunks of ice to create the spheres.

Pepsi Natural – Drink of the Week

I really am having trouble keeping up with Pepsi...

There's Pepsi Retro which is a corn syrup-free 'diet' soda? Pepsi Throwback (synonymous with Retro?) that's a sugar sweetened soda that also skipped the corn syrup but is not diet and is in limited production and there's Pepsi Natural which has 11 ingredients.

Now I'm not a big Jones soda fan. Guess I've been warped by corn... it tastes saccharin to me. Pepsi Natural has a similar cloying quality. I feel that they're missing the cola flavor. It's just a hint amidst a ton of sweetness. Now it also stands to mention that I'm a Coca-Cola guy and find Pepsi to be too sweet in general so maybe this is that bias.

Suffice to say – Kudos to Pepsi.

When I can print the 11 ingredients in a clear manner it represents how our largest corporations are starting to get the message.

INGREDIENTS: Sparkling water, sugar, natural apple extract (color), caramel color, citric acid, caffeine, acacia gum, tartaric acid, lactic acid, natural flavor and kola nut extract.