"I really can't stay..."
"But baby it's cold outside!"
"I have to go away..."
"But baby I got a fifth of whiskey so we can make some hot toddys and get naked and see what happens when the booze kicks in as we lounge by the fireplace and... Oh yeah, it's cold outside."
Well, the weather has turned chilly. It's that first glimpse of the cold season ahead. And though you might be depressed 'cause you keep tracking dead leaves into your living room, which frankly makes the place look like a dump, you can always turn that frown upside down with delicious booze. Let me help!
Tomorrow, from 1pm until 4pm, out at good ol' Edgefield, the fine fresh fellows from Portland's micro distillery community will be sampling their wares. If you haven't had the opportunity to enjoy a little Martin Ryan vodka or Trillium Absinthe Superieure, then this is your moment. There will be a handful of distillers hanging about pouring your booze of choice into little plastic cups. But don't get cocky! I assure you, those little shots add up and you could wind up shit-faced before you know it. If you happen to go, and you should, tell 'em I sent you. And if you want to get educated before you drink, then check out my slowly growing series of articles dedicated to this amazing local movement. Oh! And make sure to ask the folks from New Deal if they have a sample of a cocktail they refer to, loosely, as the "31". You'll love it! Unless you're allergic to pineapple like my dear wife, Kitty, in which case you'll go into anaphylactic shock and too bad for you....
Earlier this week, I posted about the Heathman throwing a chocolate dinner and Saturday tea with acclaimed San Francisco chocolatier (like mousecateer, but a bit sweeter), Michael Recchiuti. Yes, the menu looks amazing, but you might blanch at the $78 price tag (the tea event is only $35). If you're not rushing to the phone to call the Heathman and make a reservation for tonight's dinner, but would still like to have a taste of the action, I got your back.
Taste a sample of the chocolate dinner and enjoy a bonus cocktail after the jump!
Here is the recipe for the chocolate "cocktail" to be served tonight. It serves 12, so if you make it, invite some friends... And you need an ice cream maker. But hey, it's Autumn, so they're probably being sold somewhere in town at a deep discount. Like you needed an excuse anyway. Enjoy:
Stout Float served with Ecuador Malt Ice Cream5.5 ounces Ecuadorian chocolate 65%
14 ounces whole milk
6 ounces whipping cream
3.5 ounces super fine cane sugar
1 tablespoon barley malt syrup
5-6 ounces local stoutChop chocolate into a bowl. Heat all the remaining ingredients to a scald.
Once at scalding temperature pour mixture over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Cool and put into ice cream machine until a thick consistency. Spoon over 5-6 ounces of locally made stout.
Want something simpler? Okay. Here's one my stepfather got me loaded on oh-so-many years ago. Warming. Alcoholic. 'Nuff said.
Russian Coke (?)2 oz Courvoisier
Lemon wedge
1 tblspn fresh ground coffee
1 tblspn sugarDip one side of the lemon wedge in ground coffee, dip the other side in sugar. Hold Courvoisier aloft and ponder the terrible thing you are about to do. Shoot the Courvoisier and pop the lemon wedge in your mouth. Savor and swallow.
Here's to your ever-burgeoning season. 'Till next week, then. Cheerio!
