Tag Archives: contributor

Toast to Spring with a Crabbie’s Spiced Orange

The Dallas beer scene is poppin’ right now, and Crabbie’s Ginger Beer is about to make a big splash with the start of warmer spring weather. (Pun kind of intended.)

There is no doubt that Texas loves its beer. You have your local craft man that totes his personalized growler everywhere he goes. There’s the Bud Light guy that bleeds red, white, and blue for his country. Next up, are the cider sippers that know the location of every city beer garden (even if cider isn’t technically a beer … we let them get away with it). The list goes on, but what about the people throwing back a couple of hard ginger beers? (Who are these guys and what’s a hard ginger beer?) That’s what I found myself wondering this past week before I was introduced to the magical wonders of Crabbie’s.

Long ago in the land of Edinburgh, Scotland, merchant-explorer John Crabbie set sail for the best drink ingredients, including ginger and exotic spices. Once selected, the goods were transported by elephants from the markets to the ships, which then set sail for the port of Leith. Over 200 years later, the Crabbie’s adventure is making its way across American soil. Its elephant logo reflects this search for the drink’s four secret fruits and spices, which are steeped with ginger for up to eight weeks. Last year, Crabbie’s debuted its original recipe in Texas and received high praise for its smooth, refreshing finish. (You can read Susie’s thoughts about the original recipe Crabbie’s on her review!) A cross between a hard cider and ginger soda, the drink is the perfect combination of spice and sweet.

Back for round two, Crabbie’s teamed up with The Ginger Man to roll out their newest flavor profile, Spiced Orange. During their debut event, Crabbie’s Spiced Orange was served chilled over ice with a slice of citrus. This is the perfect drink to double-fist poolside or even drink casually out with friends. The flavor profile is similar to the original, but offers a lighter ginger kick and zests things up with a tangy orange twist.

The Ginger Man teamed up with its neighbor Crushcraft Thai Street Eats to offer guests the ultimate experience of drinks and sweet dough pretzel bites, served with two Thai-inspired dipping sauces curated by Chef Paul Singhapong to pair with the Spiced Orange. The grub mixed the open patio of long picnic tables made for a prime social drinking atmosphere. The Ginger Man is a team of great minds because there are very few things better than (ginger) beer and pretzels.

That is unless you tried one of the Crabbie’s floaters. Imagine a large scoop of Vanilla Hagen Daaz combined with the zesty powers of Crabbie’s, and you have yourself an adult version of an Orange Julius.

If the floater doesn’t get you (who the hell are you?), try blending the beverage into a variety of ginger beer cocktails, such as a Dark and Crabbie or a Moscow Mule.

But let’s be for real … Crabbie’s has been killin’ it the past two centuries, so why mess with perfection?  Crabbie’s offers something for every kind of drinker. Give it a try and it’ll be hard to stay away.

Crabbie’s is currently available in Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin and Waco where it is distributed by Favorite Brands.  For more information on Crabbie’s, please visit them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter and Instagram (@CrabbiesUSA) #icewithaslice.

TGI Fridays World Bartender Championship

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Written by Lauryn Bodden

What’s better than tasty drinks, fried cheese, and good music? Watching someone juggle my liquor before I down it.

Taking the flair of bartending to a whole new level, TGI Fridays hosted the World Bartender Championship and it was nothing less than a party. They’ve been hosting this international event since 1987, and each year the competition only gets better. But it’s not just about how high or how many bottles of liquor one can juggle … it takes personality, memorization, and time management, as each finalist must put on a show, while preparing all 5 judges’ drinks within 8 minutes.

Upon arrival, we were ushered to our front-and-center table (NBD), glistening with giant posters of each contestant’s head. Trying to stay unbiased, we gladly raised our glasses to each finalist as they came on. Each one had their own style, which made the event even harder to judge.  My personal favorites included Plano local Katie Livezey, Russel Ward of the U.K, Genrev Paul Bacasno of the Phillipines, and Andy Hool from Canton, Michigan. I’m all about American pride, but who can resist a man who not only gives you alcohol, but does it while speaking with an accent? (I’m only human, after all.)

Katie showed pure personality as she got to know each guest on a personal level. Russel was all about the jokes. Genrey actually Skyped his manager back in the Phillipines while tossing drinks. But Andy Hool had it all from precision, flawless mixology, speed, engaging service, and style, which secured him the crowning title of World’s Greatest Bartender. (And let’s just say, his bartending skills weren’t the only thing that was strong. Read: he makes a serious drink.)

What’s even better is that the House of Blues hosted this shindig. This venue provided the perfect space for staging the mock bar scenes, spectators screaming for their favorite contestant, and everyone fist-pumping with fellow imbibers for the entirety of the 4-hour event. You better believe heads were bobbin’ to the music at an accelerated pace after throwing back a couple of TGI Fridays’ signature cocktails, the BFM (Best Fridays Margarita) and The Blackberry Long Island Tea.

The BFM was smooth combination of Patron Silver Tequila, Grand Marnier, lime and lemon juice, agave nectar, and fresh-squeezed lime. Nothing too fancy here, but as a self-proclaimed connoisseur of margaritas, I would say this was a great classic version. The tartness of the BFM was a perfect partner in crime to the Blackberry Long Island Tea, a mixture of Smirnoff Vodka, Bacardi Rum, Bombay Gun, Chambord, Triple Sec, blackberries, lime juice, cane sugar, Sprite, and fresh lemon. You know those annoying people that have to slurp down every last drop of their drinks? Well yeah … that was EVERYONE holding this dangerous cocktail and I was the worst offender. #sorrynotsorry. The fresh-muddled blackberries were a delightful treat and reflected the quality of TGI Friday’s drinks, which could have easily just been subpar when it came to the open bar event. 

As if I didn’t have reason enough to mark next year’s event on my calendar, TGI Fridays donated all proceeds from local, regional, and division bartender competitions to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity.

If you wanted an excuse to get rowdy, tipsy, and wowed by great talent, then that should pretty much do it. TGI Fridays you did me good. I’ll be back next year and everyone else should be, too!

I’d like to introduce my new “staff writer” (can I say that?), Brian Bianco.  Brian will be covering some events, places, and things up north (a.k.a. Oklahoma).  Here’s a little bit about the “new guy”:
Brian has lived in DFW the majority of his life and has been drinking his way through the metroplex for a good chunk of it. He recently relocated to the Great North (Plano) and is determined to find the best options for those who have embraced the suburbs without giving up the dream of finding cool paces to drink. He prefers whiskey, bourbon, and beer, but will randomly go Dr. John Doran on you when you least expect it.