Memories Are Made of This

Thought about titling this one "Five Bites" but there were also five sips to savor as well. So, in standard lazy or creative fashion, I'm resorting to my other passion for inspiration. 

So this past weekend, I was a real glutton. Visited my old faves and encountered new ones thanks to a kindred spirit and appetite for consumption. (Too cheesy? I'm a little rusty).

DC. I want for nothing. Memories are made of this:

Devour:

Appetizer special, sounds insane but this new kid on the block just made my top 5:
Vol-au-vent with crispy pig ears, escargots, fennel, shallots, Aperol cream sauce
BLT Steak

Veal schnitzel, house-made mozzarella, arugula, charred lemon vinaigrette
Brasserie Beck

Fried-chicken oysters
Marvin
 
Wood-oven roasted marrow bones with rhubarb butter and pepper crust
Blue Duck Tavern

12-hour roasted suckling pig, baby vegetables, pork jus
Blue Duck Tavern

Empty:

Zinfandel: Thomas George Estates, "The Torrente Vineyard", Dry Creek Valley, California 2008
Blue Duck Tavern or your local liquor/wine shop

French 75, gin, lillet blanc, lemon, champagne
Blue Duck Tavern or check the blog, I must have a recipe though literally it is 3 ingredients

Scotch: 15-year Balvenie
51st State if you don't mind outdoor seating at a dive bar and a jukebox (heaven)

Poste Seasonal G&T, Botanist gin, housemade strawberry and thyme tonic
Poste

And bourbon of choice these days is Bulleit, apparently pronounced "Bull-lay" according to a bartender who corrected me. Trust DC to have bourbon police. Hasn't happened once in three years in New York. Thoughts?

Crystal Clear Martinez

Back to cocktails, a few months ago I went to Purl, a New York-style speakeasy in the Marylebone area of London, and tried an exquisite cocktail called the Crystal Clear Martinez. Martini fans, here's a great distraction. Made with Jenson’s Old Tom gin, sweet vermouth , Maraschino liqueur and Bob’s Orange & Mandarin bitters, it's served shaken and on the rocks with bits of orange peel. Absolutely delicious and sophisticated, makes you feel cooler than Bond...well, almost.

For a bit of history thanks to NPR:
"There are several stories about where the martini got its name. They include the claims that it was named for Martini & Rossi vermouth or for the Martini & Henry rifle used by the British army in the late 1800s (both had a strong kick). I like the story that in 1874, a miner plopped a bag of gold nuggets down on a bar in Martinez, Calif., and asked the bartender to make him something special. The bartender mixed up what he called a Martinez cocktail. The city has put up a brass plaque identifying itself as the birthplace of the martini."
-http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124904105

Cucumber Gin

Hard to believe it's been a 4-month hiatus but thought I'd kick it off again with a recipe for party favourite, fresh Cucumber Gin. It's quite easy to prepare and gets rave reviews from all of your guests. You might want to warn them though that despite the absolutely refreshing taste, it is pure gin. I find it best to use large, thick cucumbers but don't forsake size for taste, you still want to find the freshest, juiciest cucumbers available.

Ingredients:
1 1.5L of dry gin (Beefeater's, Gordon's London Dry or any clean, dry gin)
1 large cucumber (seedless is fine too), peeled every other peel and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds so you get the pretty green ridges

Directions:
Place the cucumber slices in a large pitcher (enough to hold one handle or split into two) and pour in the gin. Cover with plastic wrap and let it infuse in the fridge for 12 hours or overnight. See, it's that simple! In case you have house guests or roommates, you might also want to post a note saying it is in fact gin, and not water as one poor unsuspecting friend of mine discovered.

Serve with club soda or tonic and fresh limes, or serve shaken not stirred. Cheers!

Corpse Reviver #2

I first had this exquisitely refreshing drink during brunch at Freemans on the Lower East Side in New York. Gin, Cointreau, Lillet, Ouzo and lemon juice are often not the liquids you'd like to imbibe at 11am after a hard night out, but a bold friend ordered one and the rest of us were hooked. I've tried making this with Lillet Rouge and Grand Marnier which was equally tasty and a little tarter but feel free to add simple syrup or follow the recipe below. I like to garnish mine with a sliced lemon peel and perhaps next time, I'll try a sugar rim.

Shake the following with ice and strain into martini glasses:
3/4 oz gin
3/4 oz Lillet Blanc
3/4 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
A few splashes of Ouzo