Friday, March 12, 2010

The classic Irish Coffee

As we begin to prepare our green attire and livers for St. Patrick's day there is no better way than curling up next to a fire with a warm cup of hot Irish Coffee.

The "Irish Coffee" was invented in the 1940's in Ireland (who would of thought.) It soon migrated to the United States and landed in the heart of San Francisco. The Buena Vista in San Francisco is said to be the heart of Irish Coffee and has sold more than 30 million glasses! Now that's a lot of caffeine...

Here is the perfect recipe for this classic drink by Drew Levinson:

  • 1 1/2 oz Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey
  • 4 oz Coffee
  • 1 Tbs Sugar
  • 1 oz Fresh Whipped Cream (unsweetened)

In a glass or mug combine the coffee, whiskey and sugar. Shake the cream to aerate and gently poor on top of the coffee to create a 1 inch layer of fresh cream on top.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Top Chef's Chef loves Markers and Hendrick's Gin

This was a great article thanks to Liquor.com

After six seasons of judging reality show Top Chef, we all know what celebrity chef Tom Colicchio likes to eat and what he certainly doesn’t like. But when he’s not on TV or behind the stove at one of his many Craft restaurants, what does he like to drink? Bourbon. “Current favorite is Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old,” he says. When we recently spoke to him, the liquor cabinet in his New York City home was full of Kentucky’s finest, including bottles of Black Maple Hill, Buffalo Trace and George T. Stagg. “There’s always Maker’s Mark in here, that’s what I prefer to mix with,” he says. Usually he drinks bourbon with one giant ice cube or in a Manhattan on the rocks. “I don’t like it up,” he says.

He also doesn’t care for vodka. “I don’t drink it at all,” he says. “I never liked it.” (Note to all future competitors: under no circumstances should you ever serve the judges a vodka cocktail.) Up until recently, Colicchio didn’t even drink gin and was reintroduced to it on the first day of the first season of Top Chef. He was understandably a little nervous. “I just figured a little drink to take the edge off might be helpful,” he remembers. The bartender at the restaurant where they were shooting made him a Hendrick’s Gin and tonic. The Scottish spirit has now become his favorite gin. (But for the record, the judges “don’t get drunk” on the set.)

With eight restaurants, 14 ‘Wichcraft sandwich shops and a young family he doesn’t go out often. “When I’m working, usually after I’m done with a shift, I’ll grab a cocktail,” he says. But he’s careful not to overindulge. “The problem with cocktails is the next day,” he says. “I’m 47 now, so I don’t bounce back like I used to.”

Classic Cocktail Series: The Pear Martini