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Fernet Is Hot: Warm Winter Cocktails with Fernet Branca

Fernet is finding its way into hot cocktails this year. Here are three I've noticed in the last couple of months.

Rich Coffee at Rich Table, San Francisco

Fernet, Creme de Cacao, Sightglass Coffee, Brown Sugar, Pistachio Cream, Gold Dust

Strato at Lounge at Atera, New York

Coffee, cream and one and a half ounces of the bitter Italian amaro Fernet Branca.

Robert Simonson of the New York Times says, "It’s insanely delicious. But, also, possibly, just plain insane." 

 

Miziers Demise at The Fifth Floor, San Francisco

Fernet Branca, Strauss Milk, Dark Chocolate, Crème de Menthe, peppermint marshmallow

This is on the just-launched winter cocktail menu. 

The Celebrity Tequila Index

Celebrities seem to think this tequila craze is a whole thing, so they're partnering with brands or launching their own. On this page I'll try to keep track of  them all. 

 

 Clooney, George and Gerber, Rande

Casamigos [website]

"The tequila's name, Casamigos, was inspired by their homes in Mexico, and it is expected to be sold at "a reasonable price point." Casamigos will apparently be a tequila that Gerber and Clooney have been enjoying for years." They are about to embark on a distribution tour.

Friedman, Kinky

Man in Black Tequila [website]

"Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman is an American Texas Country singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former columnist for Texas Monthly who styles himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain. The Tequila line includes a Platinum, Reposado, Anejo and a six-year-old Extra Anejo Tequila – “Tequila Noir”."

 

Gibbons, Billy (ZZ Top)

Pura Vida Tequila [website]

"Pura Vida Tequila was founded by Texas business man Stewart Skloss and ZZ Top lead man Billy Gibbons.  After scouring the tequila distilleries in Jalisco, they settled upon the small family owned Vivanco and associates.  The Vivancos only use hand selected and estate grown agave in their tequilas at NOM 1414. "

Hagar, Sammy

Cabo Wabo Tequila [website].

Former Van Halen frontman founded and then sold this tequila brand to Skyy Spirits/Grupo Campari.

"Cabo Wabo Tequila was born in 1996 on the back roads of Guadalajara by legendary musician and tequila aficionado, Sammy Hagar. After searching for a tequila exceptional enough to serve inside his cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Sammy partnered with a tequila-making family with over 80 years of experience. Today, the agave used to make Cabo Wabo Tequila is grown, cultivated and harvested by this same family."

Jane, Jesse (Cindy Taylor)

Diosa Tequila [website]

"Former model and current adult film star Jesse Jane has launched her own tequila brand, Diosa (a spanish word meaning ‘Goddess’). Marketed as being ‘an orgy of flavours’, the tequila was created in collaboration with an unnamed mexican tequila manuifacturer and comes in four different flavours – Apple, Mango, Almond and Cafe Caramel. As Jesse Jane is a contract performer with Digital Playground (who own her stage name) she intends to market this new brand of tequila under her real name, Cindy Taylor." 

Keith, Toby

Wild Shot Mezcal [website]

"'Blame It On The Worm' is Wild Shot's slogan, and the image of Toby himself with a worm pinched between smiling teeth adorns the site's homepage. Wild Shot Mezcal comes in Silver and Reposado variations. Distributed nationwide and available at all of Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill locations, Wild Shot is quickly becoming a leading brand in one of the fastest growing beverage market segments."

Neil, Vince

Tres Rios Tequila [website]

This tequila was launched in 2007 by Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil but it's unclear if it is still on the market. 

 

Santana, Carlos

Casa Noble Tequila [website]

"Music icon and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Carlos Santana has joined the Board and is now one of the owners of the brand." 

Timberlake, Justin

901 Tequila [website].

"So when Justin Timberlake, who has a passion for tequila, was looking for something truly special, he simply couldn’t find it. And so he decided to create his own hand-crafted Silver Tequila. He chose the Tequilera Newton distillery in Jalisco, Mexico to help transform a 60 year-old recipe into 901."

Valladolid, Marcela

Tequila Hacienda De La Flor [website]

Celebrity chef, author and the host of the Food Network show "Mexican Made Easy" is behind an organic tequila brand. Soft launched December 2012.

Xzibit

Tequila Bonita [website].

"The company was founded in 2010 by Chris Brown. The Bonita Spirits Company had an opportunity to send Xzibit one of the bottles from their very first production run. Xzibit (Alvin Joiner) is a multiplatinum recording artist, actor and television personality, born in Detroit, Michigan. Xzibit and Chris Brown are now partners in Bonita Tequila. 

Together they have created the first tequila in the world to undergo a 5x distillation process, followed by a proprietary 3x cold-filtration method. Bonita Platinum is 100% organic.

 

 

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If you know of others (where the celebrities are partners/owners, rather than just doing ads) please do let me know.

Wine and Spirits (in the Same Bottle)

I'm not exactly sure what brought on this trend, but over the past year multiple brands have begun combining their spirits with wine. Here's what I know about so far.

Absolut Tune

Is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand and Absolut vodka. It's 14 percent alcohol.

Courvoisier Gold

Courvoisier Gold is a blend of Moscato wine from the South of France and Courvoisier cognac. The product is 18 percent alcohol.

Courvoisier Rose

This is a blend of Courvoisier cognac and French red wine grapes. It's 18 percent alcohol. 

Exclusiv Rose

Exclusiv Rosé Vodka merges raspberry vodka with Moscato Rosé wine. It 32 percent alcohol by volume. 

Bartenders Dosing Drinks with Acid (Phosphate)

My latest post for the Details.com Daily Blog is about acid phosphate and its popularity in cocktails.

I mention Darcy O'Neil's Fix the Pumps book, of course, as well as his line of acid phosphate and lactart.

I name-check a few bars serving acid phosphate drinks as well, including:

• The Ice Cream Bar in San Francisco
• The Franklin Fountain in Philadelphia
• Honor Kitchen & Cocktails in Emeryville
• Russell House in Cambridge, Mass
• Still & Stir in Worcester, Mass

Anyway, check out the post on acid phosphate over at Details.com! 

 

Cocktail Trend Predictions for 2013 on the Details Blog

In my latest story for Details.com, I wrote a list of five trends for cocktails in 2013. 

The include low-alcohol cocktails, the butcher and bartender connection, carbonated cocktails, bulk cocktails (punches, bottles, and cocktails on tap), and new molecular techniques. 

Check it out!

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Leave Negroni Alone! (A Story on Details.com)

In my latest post for Details.com, I talk about the Negroni. That poor cocktail is less famous than the Martini and Manhattan, yet suffers more at the hand of bartenders.

"Everywhere you look, the Negroni is being deconstructed, smoked, solidified, gelatinized, flamed, dehydrated, foamed, carbonated, frozen, clarified, and subjected to other forms of mixological torture."

The story then goes on to describe some bars in which the Negroni is currently being tortured. 

Check it out on Details.com! 

 

Smoky Negroni at Hakkasan

 

A Bevy of Bottles with Oversized Labels

I keep seeing bottles with oversized labels. The most common is Angostura Bitters, which was created that way by accident. (The full explanation is here.)

The other bitters with an oversized label (typically consumed as a digestif rather than in cocktails) in Underberg. 

Then there is Basil Hayden's bourbon, which has only a partially oversized label.

More recently, this line of wines was produced for Safeway grocery stores. The details on it are in the press release here.

And even more recently, I saw this aquavit, which may or may not come from the bar Aqua Vitae in Oslo, Norway.

Anyway, they're popping up everywhere these days. 

A Quick Bit on Flips on Details.com

My most recent story for Details.com is about flips: drinks made with whole eggs.

In the piece I talk about silver and golden fizzes, noggs, and a few places to find flips around the country.

Go check it out!