An online speakeasy of potent potables and other pabulam.

Happy Friday folks!

In today’s Washington Post, specifically the Weekend Section, there is a nice article about local mixologists creating “Nojitos.” The Post set out looking for alternatives to the ubiquitous mojito and found five recipes to share.

There is Todd Thrasher’s (Restaurant Eve/PX) The Strawberry Smash.
Adam Bernbach (formerly of Bar Pilar) contributed his The Mylan.
The L’Enfant Lemonade made by Dan Searing (Warehouse Theater and the soon to open Room 11.)
Firefly’s Alice Gaber created the May Flowers.
And Gina Chersevani of PS7 whipped up a Thai’s the Limit.

I can’t wait to try each of these cocktails!

As a special treat, here is a video of Gina discussing her inspiration for and demonstrating the making of Thai’s the Limit.

See if you can spot the cameo by a few troublemakers.

Cheers!

It is amazing how one evening can put a smile on your face.? This past week was nothing but a stressful, anxiety-ridden ride through work where no one in my office is sure whether we’ll be laid-off or not.? I’ve been stressed out, nervous, and, quite frankly in a pissy mood for at least two weeks.

This past Friday my mood was no better and I was just watching the clock inch towards 6:00pm so I could go home, have dinner and attempt to relax.? Around 5:45pm, I received an email from Sean saying “Had a bad week, going to PS7.”? Well now, that sounded like an excellent idea!? So after braving a torrential downpour which soaked everything below the waist, I soon found myself at PS7 enjoying a drink.

The Bar at PS7

I know Sean and I have written about PS7 before, but it bears repeating that we love this place.? Chef Peter Smith consistently puts out some of the best food in the city.? Gina Chersevani has some of the most interesting and tastiest cocktails around.? The rest of the staff are great and I always feel welcome and comfortable.? Quite possibly, PS7 is my version of “Cheers.”

I had heard that there was a “Chef’s Burger” that wasn’t on the menu but available if you asked.? Of course, I was starving and about 2 cocktails in so I asked Gina about the chef’s burger.? She replied that there were two versions!? One was “bacon, egg, & cheese” that had gouda, a fried egg and pork belly.? The other was a reuben burger which was topped with pastrami, russian dressing and slaw (it may have been sauerkraut . . . )? Sean ordered the reuben and I ordered the bacon, egg & cheese and we split them.

Oh.? My.? God.? These burgers were decadent.? They also hit the spot perfectly.? Peter came by and asked what we thought.? He genuinely wants people to enjoy his food.? Again, this is an awesome place.

Anyway, a while later our friend Roy came downtown to have a few drinks with us and hang out.? He also ended up with a chef’s burger.? It was devoured in the blink of an eye.

Now, having had some great drinks and food my mood had improved considerably.? I was happy.? My concerns were a distant memory and I was enjoying the moment.? We started talking about cameras and photography and I showed my camera to Roy.? There were a few pictures on it, including my Kentucky Derby party and my flaming mai tai.

I showed the mai tai photo to Gina.? Her reaction was, “Why didn’t you make me a mai tai?? I want a mai tai!? Make me a flaming mai tai.”? She then invited me behind the stick to make her a mai tai!? My first time behind a professional bar.? <gasp> <swoon>

So, away I go!? Gina gratiously offers to be my bar-back.? Actually, it was probably to make sure I didn’t screw anything up or mess with her station.?

Gina and I

Carefully measuring . . .

Giving it a good shake!

The strain!

Lighting of the lime shell.

The Flaming Mai Tai!

Gina and I

Roy, Me, Sean

Here is the recipe for the Mai Tai as I made it:

1oz Cruzan Single Barrel
1oz Ron Zacappa 12yr Old
.5oz lime juice
.5oz orgeat syrup
.5oz curacao

-Shake and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
-Float a dark rum on top.? Goslings Black Seal or Cruzan Blackstrap would be preferred, we used Mt. Gay Extra Old at PS7.
-Invert the spent lime half and clean off the pulp.? Pour 151 proof rum in and light on fire.
-Enjoy.

As I said, the night was wonderful.? Everything was great and I even got to step on the other side of the bar for the first time.? There were a few more surprises Friday night, but I’m going to hold off on them until later in the week.

Cheers!

To see all the photos from Friday Night at PS7, click here!

Thanks to SeanMike for taking the photos!

We got picked to be in their Blogger Beat article!? Very cool.? We had fun trying to answer the questions – and did them completely separately too.

They also mention in this week’s issue that DC bars will be open until 5 AM inaugration weekend – and can serve food 24 hours a day.? That sounds like fun!? I don’t understand why people who live in a neighborhood full of bars complain about things like that, but that’s why I don’t live somewhere like that.

1.? So Rick from Kaiser Penguin showed up in town this weekend.? He and his friend Char joined us at Bourbon Friday night, and then we met him and Matt from A Jigger of Blog over at The Gibson.? Good times were had by all and once again we had the pleasure of having Tiff as our bartender there.

As I’ve mentioned before – you’ve got to give The Gibson a shot if you haven’t yet.

We tried to go to Bar Pilar afterwards but it was just packed; we got to speak with Adam briefly but then hailed a cab and headed back to Virginia for pizza and relaxation.

One of my favorite moments of the weekend came Friday night, however.? Owen was showing off some really cool liquors and cocktails all night, but at one point Chris (and I’ll explain about this in about a week or so) had Marshall and I buy a drink.? He got his favorite, the cocktail a la louisiane, and I got a Sazerac.? Chris had never had a Sazerac so he tried one and absolutely loved it.? It’s always great to see someone try a new drink and see their eyes light up like that!

2.? Repeal Day is up to $90 for a ticket and coming up soon – December 5th.? Hope to see y’all there, I’m really excited about it.

3.? Phil Greene asked us to post an announcement about the Holiday Cocktails seminar at Bourbon on December 9th.? It is presented by the Museum of the American Cocktail and will feature the dynamic trio of Derek Brown (The Gibson), Justin Guthrie (Central Michel Richard), and Owen Thompson (Bourbon) as well as Phil Greene.? $35 in advance, $40 at the door, and that includes light appetizers and sample sizes of the cocktails.? I know Marshall will be there!

You can register here.

4.? TDN – sponsored by Leblon Cachaca – was a heck of a time!? There were a lot of good drinks made and while we wait for the recap (AHEM) I thought I’d share one of the drinks I came up with that people seemed to like.

The Braziliagroni
1 ounce Leblon cachaca
1 ounce Carpano Antica
1 ounce Aperol
2 dashes Fee’s Rhubarb Bitters
Shake over ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

I have to admit that I wasn’t a big cachaca fan before Thursday night but I’ve definitely learned to enjoy some of the complexities of the spirit.? Check out the TDN round up when it’s posted and look also for my Brazilian Frog – it’s an orange flavored drink that needs a bit of tweaking but I think turned out pretty well also.

5.? A friend invited my brother and I over to watch football yesterday and asked that I bring some “tasty drinks”.? I pieced something together and made it which ended up being a big hit.? It was fairly improvised, but the basic recipe is here and we’ll be making both cold and hot versions of this for our Christmas party (we only made cold ones yesterday).

Apple Cider Heaven
2 ounces applejack
1 ounce Jameson’s
1/2 ounce St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram
2 dashes Fee’s aromatic bitters
4 ounces apple cider
Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.? Alternatively, build over ice in a collins or pint glass using 50% more of each ingredient and stir, then serve.

That’s about enough for now, I think.? This week is Thanksgiving so everybody think of what you want to give thanks for and have a good time with your friends and family!? Remember: don’t drink and drive.? Which means – don’t drive.