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Well y’all, I had a ball monday night. Starting off with good drinks at the Averna event and then really cutting loose as we made our way up to Pranna. This wonderful little party was for all to enjoy and included an open bar. Now, I don’t mean open bar just as free booze. I mean that all bartenders/mixologists were invited to come and play. I swapped out with Maxwell from Jack The Horse and closed up shop on one end of the bar. It was tons of fun. My favorite quote of the evening was when I asked one of the guests if I could help him, he told me, “I’d like two of something lovely.” It truly made my night.

Everyone fantasizes about being a part of a secret society. It’s at the very least an ego boost. You get to know things that most aren’t privy to and feel special about the things you’re allowed and encouraged to do. The only problem is that, sometimes, that ego can overcome good judgement. If you do find yourself paying attention to shadows more so than you used to, you’ll at least be able to find comfort in knowing that the favored tool of choice here is a bit of a velvet hammer.

Mob Hit

1 3/4 oz Brugal Light Rum

1/2 oz Campari

1/4 oz Strega

1/4 oz Orgeat

5 Cloves

Egg White

Shake the everlovin’ piss out of this with plenty of ice. Garnish by using a peeler on an orange, fold up the zest, and spear it with a clove as shown.

Photography by Emily W. Kincke.

Those of you that have ever been to New Orleans have, no doubt, come across Abita Amber. It essentially replaces Budweiser in most places that serve draught beer. I wouldn’t say that it is an especially great beer, but it has enough going on in it that makes it quite enjoyable.

On the other end of the spectrum, Abita has hit us with a one-two punch of hops in their latest brew: Jockamo IPA.

Much more robust than their amber, Jockamo has a nose of cherry and birch with a silky mouthfeel. This one is excellent a bit warm, not super frigid like most beers are served. The bitterness it presents is quite pleasant, not overwhelming like some IPA’s and barleywines can be.

For those of y’all that are uninformed, it takes its name from the song Iko Iko. Something that’s also fun about the name is that you can replace “fin année” with IPA and the rhyme still fits.

Be sure to enjoy this one sittin’ by da fay-o. It’s truly delicious.

Photography by Emily W. Kincke.

This drink actually has a story. One time during college, Em and I were driving out of Arkansas and Em said out loud, “hell is hot.” I tried to maintain control of the car, but had to ask what in god’s name she was talking about. As I looked over to my right, I see a small wooden sign tacked to a tree that says, surely enough, “hell is hot.”

We bring the story up occasionally, prefacing it with…”only in Arkansas.”

Fast forward a bit to the tasting of this particular cocktail. Trying to figure out a name for it, Hell Is Hot popped out of Em’s mouth like magick.

So, I give you:

Hell Is Hot

3 dashes of Angostura Bitters

2 oz of Diabolique Rum

1/4 oz of Clement Creole Shrubb

1/2 oz of simple syrup

1/8 oz of Pyrat Pistol Rum

Add ingredients into empty rocks glass (no ice). Pour into another rocks glass that’s filled with sno-ball type ice (beat the hell out of your cubes). Garnish with grated nutmeg and a cherry.

Photography by Emily W. Kincke.

Prepared as follows:

Curaçao Punch

1 Heaping Barspoon Sugar

Enough Lemon Juice To Moisten (about1/4 of a lemon)

1 oz Seltzer

2 oz Orange Curaçao (I used Bols)

1 oz Brandy (I used Torres)

1 oz Dark Rum (I used Gosling’s Black Seal)

Add sugar, lemon juice, and seltzer to a collins glass (I use the Riedel Vivant ones, and yes, they call them highball glasses….they’re wrong). Muddle to incorporate. Then pound a bunch of ice like you were trying to get a rent check out of it and fill the glass. Then add the curaçao, brandy, and the rum. Frappé. Enjoy.

Photography by Emily W. Kincke.

I love beer that’s so thick you can chew it. I adore heavy stouts and I.P.A.s make my bottom all tingly, but there’s a special place in my being that’s purely reserved for barleywine. Just the fact that the IBUs can get well over 100 in this wonderful style of beer is enough to intrigue…well, anyone. I went through three of said style of brew recently (it would have been four, but the frickin Rogue barleywine was something outrageous like $16 for a pint and some change).

We’ll start off with Sisyphus from Real Ale Brewing Company. The label is actually quite plain, although it is metallic blue and silver. I’m not quite sure why they chose a name for a person forced to move/be trampled by a boulder day after day, but the ale is delicious nonetheless. It comes off creamy and syrupy. The nose/mouth of it is grassy with apple notes. It’s quite bitter, but the alpha acids are balanced really well with sweetness. It has a medium acidity to it and I suggest serving it slightly chilled, nowhere near what a store’s beer cooler will keep it at.

The next in line is Chicken Killer from Santa Fe Brewing Company. In contrast to Sisyphus, this one needs to be served cold. It has a thin, more carbonated mouthfeel and is dark redhead in color. The hop body isn’t all that complex, but it does have a nice grassy nose. The amount of carbonation detracts from mouthfeel/taste. The taste comes off with maple syrup and apple tones, but the bitterness isn’t quite balanced with the malt. This is definitely a beer that pairs well with salty food. It would also be much better if you opened it and left it sit in the fridge for about 20 or so minutes prior to pouring.

Last up is Old Ruffian from Great Divide Brewing Company. This one has a medium rare carbonation, slightly syrupy mouthfeel, and a wonderfully fresh, almost pinching nose. There are distinct coffee tones in the malt and it’s a bit more bitter than sweet (not quite balanced, but great for hopheads). I only prefer it chilled, because it gets far too bitter when it warms up. It weirdly had an aroma of apple in the back of my throat as I drank it.

Overall, I preferred the Sisyphus. It was just thick enough, just bitter enough, and just a baby bit of carbonation to tie all things together.

Photography by Emily W. Kincke.

If you ever wanted to know what it feels like to be a Greek god and hundreds of women are feeding you grapes, now you can. Just take a sip of

Bacchae

1 1/2 oz of Barsol Acholado Pisco

1/4 oz of Vya Sweet Vermouth

1/8 oz of Suze

1/4 tsp of Marie Brizard Parfait Amour

1/4 tsp of Grenadine

Stir for a very long time (45 seconds or more for me). Strain into pre-chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry.

Photography by Emily W. Kincke.

In honor of my birthday (the 11th for those of you that are uninformed), I created a wonderful way to start or end your day. It’s very soft and comforting. I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

Baby Blanket

1 oz of Gilbey’s Gin

3 spearmint leaves

1 oz of Barsol Acholado Pisco

1 egg

1/2 oz of orange curacao

1/4 oz of simple syrup

1 oz of seltzer

Add gin to shaker, along with the spearmint leaves. Lightly press (not muddling, keep the leaves intact) the mint, and extract/discard. Then add all the rest of the ingredients, minus the seltzer. Shake like you’ve got tremors and strain into a highball glass with one large ice cube in it. Add seltzer, stir gently. Garnish with one large spearmint leaf (after clapping it).

Wonderful morning drink.

Photography by Emily W. Kincke.

This beauty is what followed:

Natural Harmonic

2 oz of Damrak Gin

1/8 oz of I.P.A. Syrup (see below for instructions)

1/4 oz of fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz of Maraska Maraschino Liqueur

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel over, rim glass with peel, then drop in.

Fantastic with a baked potato.

Make the I.P.A. syrup by taking two 12 oz bottles of I.P.A. (I used my organic homebrew) and reduce it to a syrupy consistency in a saucepan. Let cool and put in refrigerator.

Photography by Emily W. Kincke.