2012 Holiday Gift Guide

Boozy Advent Calendars
We’ve all done the chocolate calendar, but this is a fun twist to gift to the alcohol aficionado in your life.  Each little door reveals a 3cL sample of different alcohol (you can pick whisky or gin).  By December 24, you’ll have swigged 72cL of delicious spirits .  BONUS: one whisky door holds a 50 year old single malt Scotch.  This gives the term “holiday spirit” a whole new meaning.  Order ASAP so they don’t miss a day!

$128.01 (gin) or $240.08 (whisky) per calendar
MastersofMalt.com

alcohol advent calendar

 

BevShots Scarf
Why not make your drink a fashion statement?  Bevshots has items, from coasters to canvas prints, adorned with your favorite drink’s picture … magnified.  The scarves are large enough to be worn many ways and are available in many different drink prints (shown on the right in “Black Russian”).

$44.99 per scarf (currently on sale for $37.99)
Bevshots.com or (850)807-0507

bevshots scarf

The Original Whiskey Ball
A whiskey ball maker is a staple for any whiskey drinker’s bar (err … freezer?).  A larger piece of ice means your beverage will stay cold longer, without melting the ice as fast (therefore, no more watery whiskey!)  I have a set of these and LOVE them.  I always keep a couple frozen balls on-hand … because you never know when Don Draper could stop by.

$23.95 (set of two molds)
TheWhiskeyBall.com (a cheaper alternative to last year’s)

Original Whiskey Ball

ALTUZARRA Collection from the Target + Nieman Marcus CFDA Collaboration
A luxurious-looking glass makes a drink taste more intriguing (or does it?).  Get a great set of glasses from Zara Home.  Take a tip from Southern Living and mix-and-match!

Black Tray – $79.99, Double Old Fashioned Glasses – $49.99 (set of 4), Cocktail Shaker $49.99
Target stores starting December 1 or on Target.com starting December 1 at 12:01am

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Homemade Infused Liquors
A personal and thoughtful gift.  Use your imagination to come up with flavors.  Southern Living’s Apple Pie Infused Bourbon sounds tasty, no?  Here’s how I made it.

Get unique bottles from SpecialtyBottle.com 

Cynthia Rowley Flask Bangle
C’est magnifique!  Available in gold or chrome, this statement piece has been souped-up and made functional (well, functional for a boozehound).  At Fashion Week in NY this year, Cynthia Rowley showed off these boozy bangles in her Spring 2013 line … and I swooned.  If anyone wants to gift one of these to me in gold, I’d be forever grateful.

$225 per bangle
CynthiaRowley.com

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Booze.
A never-fail gift, giving someone a thoughtfully-chosen spirit is sure to raise his.  My go-to liquor store is Sigel’s on Greenville.  Ask for Ruben.  Don’t forget the bow.

Sigel’s, 5757 Greenville Ave 

Dave & Busters Opens in Dallas

The new Dave and Busters opens to the public on Sunday, December 2!

Get into the VIP party on Saturday night by RSVPing to [email protected] to get on the list (space is limited).

An alcoholic has been lightly defined as a man who drinks more than his own doctor.

Alvan L. Barach

There’s a new kid in town.  Well, not so much a new kid as a clone of a kid that goes to school across town.  The owner of Pour House in Fort Worth, Eric Tschetter, brought his sports bar concept to Oak Cliff for the cliff dwellers and Kessler Theater goers.  It’s the perfect place for you southies to hang out and watch a game on one of the many TVs while snacking and … well, drinking.

PhD is deceptively large with a patio, bar, and restaurant area.  The patio has a lot of promise.  It’s: a) huge, b) decked out with TVs, and c) going to be screened in.  I can already imagine all of the great summer brunches I’ll be spending there with $1 mimosas in-hand.

The food (which we got to try a nice sampling of tonight), was great for bar food.  I’d recommend the Red Pepper Penne Pasta, Baja Fish Tacos (oh muh guh), and the buffalo wings.  Everything we had tasted like real food, not frozen fried things like most sports bars serve.

PhD’s drink options include local beers (think Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Rahr, and the brand new 4 Corners), the usual suspects (Bud, Blue Moon, etc.), a handful of wine options, and a full bar.  I enjoyed a couple Jacks on the rocks and the pours were quite generous.  Their cocktail menu hasn’t been finished yet, so stay tuned to hear about drink options.

Expect an update when their cocktail menu gets sussed out … but for now, head on down to Oak Cliff to catch a game if you’re tired of the crowded Uptown sports bars (because sometimes it’s nice to be able to order a beer and actually get it when you want it and not 20 minutes later).

OCHO Kitchen + Cocktails is the new Southwest restaurant in Preston Center. I made it in last week to try some of their offerings with some other media folks (I felt fancy).  The vibe is somewhat unexpected.  The hostess didn’t seem interested in speaking to us when we walked in which put a bad taste in our mouths from the start.  Luckily, once we met the amazing Michael (our waiter for the evening), we felt a completely attended to in terms of service.  

There are two floors, the main floor is a more traditional dining area, and the second has a giant bar, gorgeous private room, sumptuous leather sofas, and expansive patio seating area overlooking Preston, dubbed 8-Bar.  Our only complaint about the second floor was the high noise level.  Odd art adorned the walls and the decor of the entire place was quite eclectic.

A variety of appetizers were paraded out to us, from lobster shooters to ancho roasted chicken flautas to shrimp ceviche.  Everything we tasted was delicious.  I had an edge over some of the other taste testers because my sister recently moved to Albuquerque, so I’ve tried and enjoyed many of the flavors that were showcased in Ocho’s food.

The drinks that our amazing waiter, Michael, kept on a’bringin’ were unique and potent.  I started with a jalapeño margarita (note: I hate margaritas, but love spicy drinks) and actually enjoyed it.  Some of the other guests said it wasn’t spicy enough, but I thought it had just enough bite.

Oh Hey Dallas joined me at the event, and ordered a Berry Woodie Smash (Woodford Reserve, simple syrup, blackberries, lemon, mint), and lucky me, didn’t realize it was bourbon based, so I got to drink it.  It was very good, but could have used a bit more sweetness since that’s what it’s trying to go for with the berries and syrup.

Another drink we tried was the Cosmo “Drank” (gin, peach liqueur, white peach cranberry juice, lemon juice) which was tasty, but nothing incredibly memorable.  The Skinny Cougar (vodka, watermelon juice, lime juice, grenadine, soda water) was a recommendation from our water, but I’d rather splurge on the other delicious normal-calorie drinks.

Overall, I enjoyed my time at Ocho (the company helped!) and am looking forward to visiting again soon to try the Hatch Chile Smoke Tequila Cocktail (tequila, lemon juice, agave nectar, green chile powder).

Notes:

  • Specialty cocktails are around $10
  • Complimentary valet (make sure you’re going south on Preston to get in the parking lot)
  • Green chile is delicious
  • Ask for Michael
  • 8Bar opens at 3pm daily
  • They stock around 50 tequilas for your tasting pleasure

Ocho Kitchen + Cocktails
8411 Preston Road Suite 132 | (214) 217-0888
www.och8.com | facebook.com/likeocho | @ocho_dallas

Fall Drink Recipes

(Note: I have not made these myself so they are not SDD certified (yet) … but they do sound delicious!) Don’t forget about these great recipes that are SDD approved from last Fall … remember that time I was on TV?

If you’re looking to start your fall in th right way and leave a nice warm feeling in your belly, these cocktails might be perfect. Whether you want to have a cocktail with liquer in, one that’s heavy on the booze, or just something to keep you warm – there are some perfect options for you here:

CîROC Holiday Spice (pictured on right)
1.5 oz 1 oz CÎROC Coconut?.
0.5oz coconut cream
0.25oz pineapple juice
1 oz Whole Milk?
1 egg white
2 Dash cinnamon
2 Dash nutmeg
2 Dash all spice
Sprinkled with Coconut shavings

DRAMBUIE® Orange Crush Cosmo
In a mixing tin half-filled with ice, add:
½ oz. DRAMBUIE®
1 oz. GREY GOOSE® L’Orange Flavored Vodka
Juice of ½ Orange
Shake until tin is frosted, strain into a martini glass.


DRAMBUIE® Zombie
In a mixing tin half-filled with ice, add:
1 oz DRAMBUIE®
1 oz Bacardi Silver Light rum
½ oz Bacardi Gold rum
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice
1 oz lime juice

Shake until frothy, strain into a hurricane glass over fresh ice, drizzle:
¼ oz Bacardi 151 rum
¼ oz grenadine

Serve with a straw.

The DramBOOie
1 part – Pumpkin Liquer
1 part – Apple Pucker
1 ¼ part – Drambuie
1 part – Pineapple Juice

Shake with ice and strained into martini glass garnished with cinnamon stick and whipped cream.


Ginger Brewsky
1 part Monkey Shoulder
0.75 parts Ginger syrup
0.75 parts Fresh lemon juice
Top with Beer

Add all ingredients other than beer to shaker, shake well with ice. Strain into beer glass and top with beer.


Maple Sage Bourbon (Recipe courtesy of Kim Haasarud, founder of Liquid Architecture LLC)
2 sage leaves, plus additional for garnish
0.75 parts. dark amber maple syrup
0.75 parts lemon juice
1 egg white
2.5 parts Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey

Muddle the two sage leaves with the maple syrup and lemon juice. Add the egg white. Dry shake (without ice) until the egg white is emulsified. Add the Bourbon. Top with ice and shake hard for 10 seconds. Strain the cocktail into a lowball glass filled with new ice. Garnish with the remaining sage.


Montelobos Mezcal Joven
2 parts Montelobos Mezcal Joven, served neat
1 orange wedge
Sal de Gusano (Available from The Meadow)

Coat orange slice with sal de gusano. Take a long sip of Montelobos, followed by a bite of the orange slice.

DEWAR’S ROB ROY
2 parts DEWAR’S WHITE LABEL Blended Scotch Whisky
1 part MARTINI Rosso
1 dashes bitters
1 cherry

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir well. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a cherry.

DEWAR’S SCOTCH & GINGER
1 part DEWAR’S WHITE LABEL Blended Scotch Whisky
3 parts ginger beer or ale
Orange wedge

Fill pint glass with ice and add DEWAR’S WHITE LABEL. Top with ginger and garnish with an orange wedge.


DEWAR’S Signature Neat
The best way to enjoy the superior quality and complex character of DEWAR’S Signature.


The Speyside Cocktail
2 parts Glenfiddich 12 Year Old
1/2 part Dolin blanc vermouth
4 dashes of peach bitters

Combine ingredients in an Old-Fashioned glass, add ice and stir. Garnish with a lemon peel, squeezed to express oils.

Young Variety, an organization that raises money and awareness for kids with special needs, is hosting a BYOB outdoor movie at The Shops at Park Lane on Oct. 30.  $10 at the “door”