The Pomegranate Cosmopolitan

Though I am not one to celebrate Valentine's Day, never let it be said that I won't exploit a corporate created "holiday" in order to make a cocktail. So just in for Valentine's Day, here is my Pomegranate Cosmopolitan.

I used the Pomegranate liqueur that I recently finished infusing in the following posts: Pomegranate Infused Liqueur Part I and Pomegranate Infused Liqueur Part II. I replaced the triple sec that is commonly found in a Cosmpolitan with something that I am using for the first time using the St. Germain Elderflower liqueur. Not sure what Elderflower Liqueur is? According to the article St. Germain Liqueur: What It Is, And What To Do With It from the Huffpost Taste website dated June 13, 2012:

The liqueur is made from elderflower, a small, white starry flower that blooms through the spring and summer...Saint Germain liqueur seems to bottle the taste of the these warm floral notes. Still produced in an artisanal manner, the liqueur is made from flowers that are gathered from the hillsides in the French Alps during a short four- to-six-week period in spring. According to the company's website, the picked flowers are bicycled to a collection depot (yep, bicycled) where they are immediately macerated to preserve the fresh flavors of the bloom. Extracting the flavors of this flower is not an easy process, and the Saint Germain company keeps theirs a family secret.

I also used Cosmopolitan ingredients Cranberry juice and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Here is the recipe that I came up with:

The Pomegranate Cosmopolitan
2oz. Homemade Pomegranate Liqueur
1oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1oz. Cranberry Juice
.5oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

Build in ice filled coctkail shaker, shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

The cocktail has a nice reddish hue to it apropos for Valentine's Day. There is a nice blend of sweetness from the Pomegranate Liqueur and the St. Germain along with a tartness from the lemon and cranberry juices. I like how all the ingredients blend nicely in this cocktail. Normally I find that I would have to tweak a cocktail a bit to get the right proportions. Not so with this one. This one is just right. Not bad if I do say so myself.

Well, for those of you who are out there doing your Valentine's Day thing. Salud to you. Enjoy. Upcoming I have a number of movie posts to enlighten you gals and guys on, as well as some spirit tastings and brand new cocktails.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla
#siscovanilla
#siscovanillaatthemovies

The Hummingbird at Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill

I recently went to visit my friend Alberto who works Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill, located in the 6 Columbus Hotel at Columbus Circle for a few pre-dinner cocktails with Momma-San. Now Alberto and I go way back to our High School days so I've been meaning to go see him at the rooftop bar of the Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill. I was definitely not disappointed with the selection of cocktails that I had.

I left the choice of cocktails entirely up to him and along with the highly recommended pork belly appetizer (Thanks Julia), I was served a cocktail by the name of the Hummingbird. It was a simple cocktail made up of three ingredients: Avinyo Cava, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur and Club soda with a garnish of the Yamamomo fruit.

Cava is a sparkling wine that comes from Spain and the Avinyo Cava brand describes itself as being as such:

On the front of every bottle of Cava Avinyó Brut Reserva is a Catalan inscription that translates: “from the must of the flower and with the rigor of a work well crafted.” This phrase sums up the Nadal family’s winemaking philosophy with their focus on producing the highest quality of wine through adherence to the natural fruit and through hard work and great delicacy in the winemaking process. After all, if you’re making wine for your family, you want to make sure it’s as good as it can be. Although the estate dates back to the sixteenth century, the winery was founded over 50 years ago when Joan Esteve Nadal planted Parellada, Xarello, and Macabeo to make sparkling wine for his family. Joan’s children now run the winery but they stick to their father’s notion of using pure free-run juice and delicate care in crafting this family wine. Cava Avinyó Brut Reserva is aged for 18 to 22 months on the lees and then disgorged right before it leaves the winery to ensure the freshest Cava available reaches you.

The Yamamomo is a Japanese fruit which is also known as the Japanese Mountain Peach. It is the size of a raspberry or a small strawberry. The fruit was quite tasty with a little tartness to round the sweetness. For more information on the Yamamomo, read the Shikigami blogpage for the Yamamomo.

The cocktail itself is quite the sight to see and it was nice and light with a sweet taste from the St. Germain and the Cava. I like the effervescent feel this cocktail has. It definitely adheres to the "less is more" philosophy. It was a nice way to start the evening.

I have a couple of more cocktails from Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill that I need to write about. Keep an eye out for them.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

The Southside at the GMT Tavern

A few weeks ago one of my regulars Joe who runs the Nitrate Stock website recently told me about possibly the only adult bar/pub on west Bleecker Street. Before I go into said bar/pub, I just wanted to let you gals and guys know what Nitrate Stock it. Nitrate Stock is a labor of love which entails the following:

This site (Nitrate Stock) will represent the best of repertory cinema in the five boroughs and as far as half an hour outside them, and all reachable by mass transit.

So if you're ever in the mood to explore the world of Repertory cinema in NYC, this is the man to know. Follow him on Twitter @NitrateStock, on his Facebook page Nitrate Stock and at the Nitrate Stock website. Back to the bar/pub. Thanks for the heads up Joe.

I decide to check out the bar/pub known as the GMT Tavern which is located at 142 Bleecker Street (corner of Laguardia Place), New York, NY 10012 (646) 863-3776. I was definitely not disappointed. Amid the frat bars that can be found a plenty on Bleecker Street, this bar is definitely one geared to adults who know how to drink to the point that their Twitter Page @GMTTavern refers to itself as being a "Straight Up, Grown Up Pub". Here is how their website describes itself:

The Greenwich Meantime Tavern (GMT) is a British styled tavern.

It was established in 2011 in the heart of Greenwich Village,
on the corner of the hustle and bustle of Bleecker St & LaGuardia Place
in New York City.

It has truly become the local's favorite, with our impressive selection of 36 draught beers poured through our state of the art beer system.

The draught beer line-up consists of imported English and European beers. We also serve some of the best local crafted beers.

Our cocktail list has been created by mixologist Nick van Tiel, which offers our customers some classic cocktails with a modern twist and some new delicious signature cocktails with fresh fruit and herbs made with precision and taste by our experienced bartenders.

Our menu is casual American with some traditional British fare, from Scotch eggs, fish & chips & the ploughman's lunch to our special blend of Kobe beef for the Meantime burger.

We serve lunch and dinner every day; On Sundays we serve brunch which includes the traditional British Sunday Roast with all the trimmings & Yorkshire puddings.

Our customers are diverse, from the beer connoisseur tasting the latest seasonal beer from local breweries, the conversationalist sitting around our communal tables discussing which wine they should choose and from which part of the world, colleagues meeting after work for our cocktail hour sipping on our classic cocktails, to Sundays and families enjoying brunch sitting in our sidewalk cafe watching the world go by.

I could tell by the vibe that was definitely not the scene for the beer pong frat set that many of the bars on West Bleecker Street can attract.

In terms of cocktails, GMT Tavern has a diverse cocktail list with names like the Hot Limey, The Brown Betty, London Buck and Penicillin. For my first taste I decided to have myself a cocktail known as The Southside:

The Southside
Plymouth Gin
Elderflower Liqueur
Lime Juice
Fresh Mint

I found this cocktail to be light and enjoyable. I loved how the blend of the lime and mint was perfectly balanced as to not overpower the other ingredients in the cocktail, which I find that lime and/or mint can do. It wasn't too sweet or too tart. It was just right.

On an aside, its funny how all of a sudden I've become a drinker of gin. Consider that I went close to 15+ years without having any gin. Why? Read this post to find out why Hendrick's Gin...My Return to Gin 15+ Years Later. And I have a few more gin post coming up. Guess you can teach an old dog some new tricks. ;)

The next post will be the second cocktail I had at the GMT Tavern called the GMT Punch.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

Sexy Sadie at Merc Bar

The second cocktail I endulged in while at Merc Bar (151 Mercer Street, NY NY) could be described as being the opposite to The Aviation cocktail that I profiled in my last post. Where the Aviator was pleasing and balanced, the next cocktail was higher up of the sweetness scale.

The cocktail called the Sexy Sadie called for a simple mix of vodka, elderflower, pear and blackcurrant liqueur. Blackcurrants are a shrub that is native to Europe and parts of Asia and most popularly used in various forms in Eastern Europe and Russia. The blackcurrants are used in the form of the Creme de Cassis that one would normally see grouped together with the schnapps behind the bar and often used in such popular cocktails as a Kir Royale (Creme de Cassis/Champagne) and a Cassis Orange (Creme de Cassis/Orange Juice).

For this cocktail, Merc Bar uses a brand known as Mathilde Cassis for this cocktail. Here is how Mathilde describes their Mathilde Cassis (aka Malthilde Blackcurrant):

Known since the 18th century as the "Elixir of Life" black currant liqueur is made in several regions of France, though some of the best black currants are to be found in Burgundy. The two varieties used to make Mathilde Cassis are the Noir de Bourgogne and the Blackdown. Noir de Bourgogne has excellent taste qualities and the reputation of being the best black currant to eat. Blackdown is a soft, sweet variety. A long steeping period ensures a perfect balance between alcohol and fruit.

The liqueur is relatively mild at 32 proof (16% alc/vol). Here is the ingredients for the cocktail known as the Sexy Sadie:

Sexy Sadie
Grey Goose Poire Vodka (though used regular Grey Goose)
Elderflower liqueur
Pear purée
Mathilde black currant liqueur

As I alluded to in my introduction, this cocktail (as compared to the Aviation cocktail) was higher up on the sweetness scale. I found this cocktail to be very aromatic and flavorful. The scent and flavors of the pear dominate the cocktail. It gives it a very fresh taste to the tongue. Though the cocktail book called for Grey Goose Poire Vodka, I think using the flagship Grey Goose Vodka keeps it very natural. I think using the Grey Goose Poire along with the pear purée would be overkill. As it is I think it is sweet enough. The blackcurrant liqueur was a nice touch both in favor and color as you can see in the picture. I think Momma San and my sister would like this one over the Aviator while I actually prefer the Aviator. While I like pears, the pear after taste of the Sexy is a bit much for me.

That was the last cocktail that I had at Merc Bar before heading out to work. For my next post, I visited a bar that one of my regulars claimed was probably the only real adult bar on the west side of Bleecker Street called GMT Tavern.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla