I’d bore you with tales of parties come and gone, of bar crawls and drink competitions, but honestly – do you really want to hear it?? Do you really care? Not really.? And let’s be honest: I’m a booze blogger.? I’m having a ton of fun being one, but it’s not an exclusive club as long as you are a moderately decent human being.? After the battering my liver took I wasn’t certain if I was still a human being or not, but I tried not to let that stop me until, well, it did.
Let’s talk about the two products that helped push this along for the weekend:
Combier
I have a bottle of Combier (which was sent to me by them) and honestly, I should’ve written about it a long time ago.? I didn’t though, because I kept forgetting, and then they came to town along with Kevin Diedrich, a great bartender who is from DC area, moved to SF, back to DC, and is currently in NYC.? They gave us the history of Combier (it predates Cointreau, evidently), tastes of it against Cointreau and in a number of drinks, and even gave us a chance to check out the dried Haitian orange peels they use.? Cool stuff.
Two of the things that we got a chance to try is the Combier cherry liqueur and the Royal Combier.? The latter is, to use Kevin’s words, a combination of Benedictine and Chartreuse in taste, and I absolutely LOVED it.? I managed to snag a bottle of it, and Marshall snagged a bottle of the cherry liqueur which is much drier than you might think if you’re used to Cherry Heering.? I’m looking forward to experimenting with the Royal Combier, and comparing (and experimenting) with the cherry as compared to Heering and with Leopold’s Tart Cherry liqueur.
The event was hosted at The Passenger and was a lot of fun.
Fidencio Mezcal
This was the next day over at Oyamel – and by this point I was dragging, but Clyde Davis asked me to go, and I can’t say no to Clyde, nor to his delicious, delicious imports (such as Castries and Chairman’s Reserve rum).
I have to admit that this mezcal really surprised me.? I lost my press kit after the event (while drinking more and eating delicious meats at Againn) but they roast the agave by itself which gives it a much cleaner taste than a lot of mezcals.? I noticed that it seemed to go down extremely easily, both in cocktails (such as the delicious Oaxacan Fizz being made there) and straight.
Oyamel, by the way, is doing tequila and mezcal tastings every Tuesday – Thursday until the 14th of March.? Go forth, and enjoy.
Speaking of events, let me quote you some Phil Greene from the Museum of the American Cocktail:
The Museum of the American Cocktail Presents:
Introduction to Cocktails ? Mastering the Classics
$45.00 per person pre-register
The ‘at-the-door’ fee will be $50.00.
Monday, March 22 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Occidental Grill & Seafood
1475 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20004
At this fun and informative seminar, you’ll learn the general history of cocktails by looking at four classics, the Old Fashioned (which is simply a variation on the original “cocktail”), the Manhattan, the Martini, and the Daiquiri. From these?four classics we’ll look at variations on each one, how each drink and category evolved, historical anecdotes, pop-culture references, etc. Looking especially at the Daiquiri, we’ll see how this drink is one of the many “sours,” and to master one is to master a concept that allows you not only to make other classics (Sidecar, Margarita, Whiskey Sour, Aviation, White Lady, Pisco Sour, Jack Rose, and many others), but to invent your own variations, as well. You’ll also learn many basic cocktail making tips throughout this event.? All the while, you’ll enjoy tasty appetizers created especially by the Occidental’s acclaimed chef.? Please register at:
http://museumoftheamericancocktail.org/Events/Default.aspx#Seminar52
Anyways, more later, and I promise you on that.? For me, I’m having fun in Thursday Drink Night, as we’re doing +1 drinks (take a classic and add one ingredient to it) so hope to see you soon!
(And YES I PROMISE I WILL POST MORE!? SORRY MOM!)