I always take Scotch whiskey at night as a preventative of toothache. I have never had the toothache; and what is more, I never intend to have it.
– Mark Twain
Author Archives: Susie O
DFW Beer & Brewers Index
Some of my buddies over at iliveindallas.com put together a 2014 Beer & Brewers Index. Here’s some info about it and a link to download it directly:
…the most comprehensive, most complete, and most up-to-date repository of beers and brewers in Dallas-Fort Worth (at this point in time). Sorry, for the superlatives, but I can promise you, every word is true. Today we are announcing DFW Beer & Brewers Index . This local buzz almanac will give you a run down of every beer and brewer (including 19 up-and-coming) in the DFW area. It doesn’t stop at the year-round beers – it covers seasonal as well, so you know what to warm yourself with in the winter, and keep you cool in the summer. This directory of beer and brewers may be hard to digest in one sitting, but will act as a a reference guide to get your local fix when you need it. Every true local beer buff or supporter must have a copy to be able to call him/herself that. Download it here.
In this 26 page archive of awesome you’ll find:
- 8 Dallas-area brewers with 87 beers from neighborhoods like Trinity Groves.
- 4 Fort Worth-area brewers with 38 beers from neighborhoods like West 7th.
- Specific addresses of all 18 already established breweries
- 6 brewers with 46 beers outside the city, but still close enough to make the hike
- Tour times of all the major breweries
- A list of the 20 breweries soon to open
- A list of 81 of the Best Places to Find Local Beer by City
- Background info on 18 established breweries
Layover Shmayover.
So what does one do when she misses the check-in threshold for luggage when flying out to a family reunion? She gets a later flight and posts up at a bar … because flying after a couple cocktails is just better.
The staff of the DFW Airport TGI Friday’s is kind of amazing. Rodney and a couple nice ladies greeted me and found me a nice little perch at the bar. Rodney was one of those people that had a line for everything … and he had a few choice ones he dropped during our conversation.
Landon and Chris were the barmen making things happen on this particular Friday afternoon, and they were quite friendly and accommodating. I started with one of my favorites, the Peach Honey Smash (Jack Daniel’s Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, fresh mint, peach purée, citrus juices, peach slice). It’s perfectly sweet, but not too much so. I could easily drink about ten of these, but then I’d end up pulling a David Hasselhoff … and that’s not a good look.
I made friends with the people around me, shot the shit, and ended up buying a round of Fireball for a few of us before ordering a Pick Three-for-All for myself. (Don’t judge … I was on vacation.) I went with the boneless buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, and the pretzel sticks with cheese dip. While indulgent, it was frickin’ delicious and hit the spot.
Round three was up to Landon. He made me a delicious fruity drink (not on the menu) that was gone in about two sips. (If you aren’t too picky … you should play my game. I tell the bartender to make me something delicious and to stay away from tequila and grapefruit — because, ew. I’ve gotten some really delicious drinks that I’d never think to order thank to this game!)
Anyway … best “layover” I’ve ever had. Make it happen for yourself next time you have a few spare minutes at the airport!
The many varieties of whiskey …
Click to see the infographic full size!
Kanaracuni Cocktail Club – The Perilous Botanical Quest
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- Scorpion Tail
Hendrick’s Gin recently embarked upon a real journey to find a botanical element that they could add to their traditional Hendrick’s Gin that would bring out its flavors and take the tried and true spirit to a new level. Lesley Gracie (Master Distiller), David Piper (Global Brand Ambassador), Charles Brewer-Carias (an old school explorer), Francisco Delascio (botanist), and a local Indian chief and guides ventured to Venezuela’s jungle to the Kanaracuni River to find the elusive flavor (to set up the Guyana’s first cocktail bar).
Each day, the team took a different direction from base camp to search and brought back samples of the plants they found. Each evening, Lesley distilled the plants using the small copper still they took along. The adventurers found an element that played perfectly with Hendrick’s flavor notes on the seventh day of searching, the Scorpion Tail, a plant native to the Venezuelan jungle. They were able to transport 8 liters of the Scorpion Tail distillate back to Scotland (though customs was understandably a bitch) to create 350 liters of Hendrick’s Kanaracuni. Since only 350 liters were made, it won’t be available for sale. The entire journey was purely for the art of making an exquisite spirit.
Local bartenders were invited to the Dallas Zoo’s Flamingo Room to taste the Hendrick’s Kanaracuni and test some recipes. We started with a toasted cinnamon and pineapple cocktail and appetizers, some dried and seasoned crickets and mealworms (I kid you not). The group was treated to a video about the trip and then were given the chance to try the spirit. It has the usual herbal flavor of Hendrick’s with a certain bite that mellows into a spicy heat thanks to the Scorpion Tail.
The night wore on an delicious bites and a traditional martini was served which featured the Hendrick’s Kanaracuni (omg it was amazing). We met some animals native to the area they explored and were even treated to a blow dart competition where we were able to shoot the Global Brand Ambassador with paint balls. I, unfortunately, was a little too good at it and hit him square on the protective eyewear he was wearing. (Half and inch lower and I’d have been taken off the Hendrick’s media list!!!)
I personally am delighted to see a liquor company out there pursuing the art of distilling instead of the money behind it. I’d like to see more distillers follow suit!
Check out more about the Hendrick’s Perilous Botanical Quest at www.hendricksgin.com/perilousbotanicalquest.
Ocean Prime(d)
Sometimes being me is tough (I know … wah wah wah … getting free alcohol is sooooo hard. But bear with me here). Trying new places all the time is really nice, but it keeps you from revisiting some of the tried and true awesome places that you’ve always enjoyed. Case in point: Ocean Prime.
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- Black Orchid
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- Malt Vinegar Fries
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- Berries & Bubbles
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- Whiskey Clover
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- Caribbean Mule
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- Cucumber Gimlet
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- Goat Cheese Ravioli
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- Peach Bourbon Cooler
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- Salmon Rillette
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- Cherry Negroni
They asked me to stop in and try some of their classics again and some new offerings. Since they told me I was in for 11 full-size cocktails on this adventure (which I limited to nine), I took along a friend. Here’s how it went …
We walked into the posh Uptown restaurant and the familiar smell of steak, liquor, and truffle wafted from the bar. We were seated and immediately greeted by John, our server, and he was attentive and courteous all evening. My kryponite, truffle butter popcorn, was delivered to the table (and the heavens opened up and angels sang), then the drinks started flowing.
- CHERRY NEGRONI (Plymouth Gin, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth, Cherry Heering, fresh orange, lemon juice) – I’m not the biggest fan of the traditional negroni (Campari, gin, and sweet vermouth), but even though the recipe it incredibly different than the traditional cocktail, it had a nod to the traditional cocktail with a smoother note thanks to the Cherry Heering and lemon juice.
- PEACH BOURBON COOLER (recipe not available) – as a HUGE bourbon fan, this was my favorite drink of the evening. It was really light and perfect for summer yet incredibly potent thanks to the bourbon (duhhh) and fresh peach liqueur
- CARIBBEAN MULE (Bacardi 8 Rum, Domaine de Canton, house made sour, old fashioned bitters) – this fun (and entirely too easy to drink) take on the mule is light and perfectly balanced. The old fashioned bitters and ginger liqueur were such a fun, fresh flavor when mixed.
- CUCUMBER GIMLET (Bombay Sapphire Gin, muddled cucumber, lime) – another dangerously easy to drink cocktail, this was very strong, but refreshing thanks to the muddled cucumber. I do love a cucumber cocktail, and this was delightful.
- BERRIES & BUBBLES (Belvedere Cytrus Vodka, marinated blackberries, house made sour, Domaine Chandon Brut, dry ice) – this spectacle of a cocktail was a nice drink, but is more interesting thanks to the dry ice. It’s pretty simple and a nice go-to, but I’d only order it again to watch it bubble!
- WHISKEY CLOVER (Gentleman Jack Whiskey, Hennessy VS, honey water, lemon juice, orange juice) – the flavors of this delight really played well together. The honey water is a perfect touch and makes this cocktail just the right amount of intriguing.
- BLACK ORCHID (Belvedere Black Raspberry Vodka, St. Germaine, lemon juice, white cranberry juice) – this cocktail is an old friend. It’s one of my favorites in Dallas because it’s just a perfect balance of light and doesn’t get old thanks to the black raspberry (because … yum) and looks as exquisite as it tastes thanks to the ice ball that has an actual orchid frozen inside.
All cocktails are $12-14, and have enough punch to make the price tag almost worth it. (The truffle butter popcorn is what makes it more than worth it!) All cocktails that are served over ice have either ice balls or giant Sonic ice (you know what I mean)–and that’s just awesome. They have “Award-Winning” cocktails, but also have some dynamos behind the bar that will shake, stir, or muddle whatever your heart desires.
Since we were at Ocean Prime, we thought it’d be a sin not to eat since their food is pretty … pretty good. Aside from the three bowls of truffle butter popcorn that I downed all by myself (don’t judge me), we tried a new happy hour offering, Salmon Rillette, which is a light and fluffy salmon rillette served with toast and spicy pickles (yummmm). Meryl (my +1 for the night) ordered the Goat Cheese Ravioli … and I was kind of pissed I didn’t order it myself. It.was.delicious. I also couldn’t decide between the French Onion Soup and the Lobster Bisque, so John made it easier on me and brought a cup of each. Best choice ever? Perhaps. The Lobster Bisque is kind of epic hanks to the chunks of lobster on top and its exquisite texture and crunchy corn.
Some other high points: I love their bathrooms (is that weird?), their bread is delicious and perfectly crusty, they have great live music in the bar, staff is attentive, and it’s mostly business people in the bar and they clear out around 8pm.
Stop into Ocean Prime and check out some of their new offerings … but don’t forget about their old favorites!
OCEAN PRIME
www.ocean-prime.com
Facebook | Twitter: @oceanprimeCMR | Instagram: @OceanPrimeDallas
2101 Cedar Springs Road
(214) 965-0440
HAPPY HOUR (available in the lounge) | 4-7pm, Monday – Friday: Select discounted appetizers, $7 wines by the glass, $3-4 select beers, $7 select handcrafted cocktails
Sunday | 3-course menu for $39 (featuring crab-stuffed lobster)
Monday, 4-7pm | 1/2 price oysters
Tuesday | discounted select champagne on the terrace and lounge
Wednesday | half-priced select bottles of wine
Thursday-Saturday, 7pm | live music
Do It #ForKidd
Check out this awesome campaign from Kidd Nation:
On the anniversary of Kidd Kraddick’s untimely passing, we all feel that it is important to honor Kidd and his strong belief in the power of “Paying It Forward.”
So, this weekend (July 25-27), we want you to: “DO IT FOR KIDD.”
What does this mean? The memory of Kidd Kraddick should inspire you to continue his legacy of giving, through performing random acts of kindness.
When you’re asked why you did something nice for someone else, you can simply reply: “Kidd’s memory inspired me” or “I did it for Kidd.”
To further honor Kidd, on Monday, July 28, we’ll share our favorite memories of the man who gave so much to so many people for so many years.
And at 8:30 ET/7:30 CT, the show will observe a special “Moment of Noise!”
Bread Winners Summer Cocktails
Bread Winners rolled out a new line of cocktails for the summer, and they’re pretty delish!
- Brunch Punch (split of champagne, St. Germain, cranberry) – the St. Germain is a perfect touch to this poinsettia. It’s light and perfect for those of us looking for a mimosa replacement.
- Texas Bluebonnet Mojito (Texas rum, fresh mint, berries, lime) – all I have written in my notes here is “yum”.
- Mango Fizz (split of prosecco, fresh mango puree) – this wasn’t my favorite of the bunch, but others were pretty into it.
- Prickly Pear Lemonade (vodka, lemonade, prickly pear nectar) – vroom vroom party starter!!! I really liked this one. It’s really light, not too sweet, and had a unique flavor.
- French Kiss (split of prosecco, X-Rated liqueur) – this simple drink was another that I wasn’t all about–mostly because I had a bad weekend in college with X-Rated liqueur.
These “hangover elixirs” will run you $10 each. And just because these are new and sexy does’t mean you can ignore the Bloody Diablo. Just sayin’.
***I was able to try these cocktails free of charge.***