Tonight at Katra, Alize supplied a open bar. I never really paid attention to the brand. They didn’t mix with any drinks I like.

But Who Can Resist An Open Bar???

So I didn’t realize what you can make with Alize. So I went with what looked like the most alcohol:
“Party Crasher”
It is 2 Parts Alize Red Passion
2 Parts Vodka
Can’t mess that up…

Next up:
“Salsa & Sand”
1 part Alize Bleu
1 part Vodka
Half part coconut rum
Splash of club soda

Cheers to Alize, I might actually start serving these at my own cocktail parties.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Cosmopolitan

Thursday, November 12, 2009
Crime of Passion Martini

On this point I totally agree with Carrie Bradshaw.   Cosmoplitans are delicious.  This one was no exception:  vodka, cranberry juice, triple sec, lime juice.   Today was a University holiday (Veteran’s Day) and also my husband’s birthday.   The kids, on the other hand, both had to go to school.  Ha ha ha ha!  Nonetheless, I spent most of the day working from home, answering emails and coordinating various things.    A work ethnic does sometime get in the way, doesn’t it?

We did manage to get out for lunch together and had a lovely time.   I had a very nice glass of rosé, I am partial to rosés these days.   White wine has little taste for me lately, unless they are properly chilled and the weather is warm.    And red wine tends to give me a headache the next morning.  I find that a glass of rose strikes a nice balance.   We stared with warm olives and a lovely spinach-pear salad with almonds and a light vinaigrette.   We skipped dessert because I made a birthday cake for later.

I introduced my husband to the BevMo in Walnut Creek and he totally agreed that this store was much better than the one in Oakland.  We also had to hit Petco on the way home because my little five and a half month year old Russian Blue kitten has been quite naughty lately and we needed to get another litter box.   Boy, those can get expensive.   Little poop (literally) also got a new sparkly red collar suitable for all those holiday parties to which she will no doubt be invited.

There was a split vote on the Crime of Passion Martini.  It was made with vodka, Alizé, and cranberry juice with an orange twist.   I had no experience with Alizé, so was a bit surprised to see that there are about five different kinds and the recipe did not specify:  Bleu, Wild Passion, Gold Passion, Rose & Red Passion.   Each either cognac or vodka blended with fruits and sometimes spices (like ginger).   It is bottled by Remy Martin.  Given this was to be blended with vodka, I chose Alizé Rose, bottle description is

Beautifully bold, decidedly exotic  and amazingly sophisticated, Alizé Rose is a rare combination of exotic flavors from around the world including roses, strawberries, litchis and passion fruit juice blended with highly refined 100% vodka.

They all have passion fruit in them, hence the name of the drink:  Crime of Passion.  Hah!  My name derivation fixation has been partially appeased.   Life is good.   So this drink would definitely change depending upon which variety you choose. The Red Passion one might have been better with this drink since it had cranberries, but I am not sure that one was available.  BevMo did not have all five, they had space for four and one was sold out (I think it was the Bleu one).

It was a lovely pink color when mixed.  I thought it was a bit too sweet, but it did go down easily.  This would be a good drink for a fun, cocktail party, maybe with a 70’s or Tiki theme, at least that was my impression.   My husband liked it more than I did, which is quite unusual.   He usually does not care for sweet or mixed drinks.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sue

Alize, originally uploaded by Valerie Morrison.

006/365

What’s a vacation without liquor? This is a photo of my drink for the day, Alize. This was taken in the game room. It rained on and off today, but eventually turned out to be a great day.

@winniecooper.net

poor ronye.  sitting outside my office shredding paper in his vince capri pants, cashmere hoodie and prada boots.  knowing his gucci wallet is missing and knowing it’s been taken and not knowing where it is or who did what with its contents.  he confessed to me that he’s known for about two hours that it’s been gone, swiped from atop his desk while he was up front waxing culinary over a box of crumbs cupcakes, and is really just waiting out the prank with his trademark waviness, yves st laurent scent and good sportsmanship.  as it’s nearing lunchtime and ronye is surely getting hungry having done about twenty pushups in my office this morning, i figure it’s time to reunite him and his wallet.  which was never really that far away.

i cannot say with absolute certainty that the contents within said wallet are exactly as ronye left them, but i can say that although this is not what his drivers license looks like, we all wish with every ounce of our collective being that it could be.  in fact, if you think about ronye and close your eyes real tight and let your imagination run wild, drunk on alize in the men’s department of neiman marcus while kid cudi pours out of the pa system, you just might see it too…

“i’m just tryin’ to live my life like a regular citizen.” – ronye aka good hoodie

happy birthday damien!

Continuing in sharing some of my favourite HHC free mixtapes given over the last year, I bring you HHC#209’s offering, from March 2007. Click on the images above to enlarge artwork and tracklistings, as well as to view full addresses for the relevant myspace pages.

Hip-Hop and liquor have often made uneasy bedfollows, yet the fact remains that they’re pretty much inseperable bedfellows nevertheless. Whilst hip-hop artists teaming up with liquor brands can be seen as some as a cynical, cheap move, I ask you to cast such doubts aside for the sake of this stellar mixtape.

As it is essentially a showcase for mostly up-and-coming and undiscovered artists, one must bear in mind that these cats need to gain exposure somehow, some way. There’s probably few artists out there willing to pass up the opportunity to have projects funded and promoted by a liquid staple of hip-hop, no matter how sell-out and commercialised that move may be perceived as.

All in all, if you can ignore the crassness of its packaging, Out of the Bleu is a really solid mixtape, and contrary to what you might expect, it isn’t full of liquor-promoting lyrics at all. Rather, the music speaks for itself, and some of the UK’s finest and freshest talents finally got a chance to get a little shine on this set.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ALIZE BLEU PRESENTS OUT OF THE BLEU

“A closet full of clothes and nothin’ to wear.”

We’ve all been there. I went there.

Spring Cleaning. I spent a day in the trenches recently and came away with relatively nothing.

I exited the minefield holding 5 things in my hot little hands: a pair of True Religion white, tattered jean shorts; 2 Cool Change linen caftans, and 2 Alexander Wang t-shirts. I’d like to say I fell to my knees, held them up in my fists and tore shreds out with my teeth before moaning, “As God as my witness, I’ll never be trendy again!” but I didn’t.

I did what I do best: I made a list.

So here’s my list—it’s nothing fantastic, but it’s sturdy—of things I’m adding to my current repertoire in order to carry myself into Spring ‘09 without feeling like I’m totally missing the boat.

1. Dior-inspired, tough girl, black leather sandals. I looked at the originals (yikes), some $1600 Gucci shoes (not today, thanks), a pair of Pour La Victoire buckled sandals, and some 3-years-ago Balenciaga zipper heels on ebay, but decided on these from Report Signature, from shopbop. Perfect for roughing-up sundresses and tailored shorts.

Report Signature "Randolph" heels.

2. Safari accents. I’m grouping 2 under one here. If I don’t get this hat, my life will crumble, I’m sure of it. I can’t wait to wear these with my army cargo shorts and white silk tunic.

Ralph Lauren rope and calfskin belt, $295.

Dorfman Pacific official "Indiana Jones" felt hat, $110.

3. Awesome jean shorts. Can’t be too short because I plan on wearing them with #1 and don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard.

Current/Elliott "The Roll Short" cutoffs, $178.

4. Another sundress, obviously, but one that will work next fall with leggings and a wool military jacket. Enter DVF.

Diane von Furstenberg chiffon flutter sleeve dress, $445.

5. A graphic, 70’s-style purse and isn’t Gucci/LV/Prada. More laid back.

Tory Burch "Alize" mini bag, $395.

6. Numerous caftans.

7. Numerous bikinis.

Happy Spring, everyone!

-Carey

With a stagnant economy and unemployment rates at their highest in decades, there are a lot of folks out there with free mornings, and well, free days. That’s bad news if you are trying to support a family, but good news if a job has been holding you back from drinking in the morning.

The mimosa, bellini and bloody mary are all mainstays of the boozy brunch. I debated about starting out my “Morning Buzz” series with a new twist on one of the classics, but an evening spent listening to Tupac’s “All Eyez On Me” provided another option.

The Thug’s Passion isn’t just for your record release party or your “just got out of jail” celebration. Dress it up, dress it down, take it anywhere, the Thug’s Passion is a versatile, more potent take on the bellini but instead of fresh fruit, we opt for raspberry infused cognac. As Benji put it after one 6 ounce glass:

“This is weird, I’m kind of buzzed and that wasn’t very much.”

EXACTLY.

Any recipe that Tupac shouts out has to be made, and his directions are clear.

Thug’s Passion

Aight, new drink
One part Alize one part Cristal
Thugs passion baby
Ya’ll know what time it is
This drink is guaranteed
To get the ***** wet and the **** hard
Now if ya with me
Pour a glass and drink with a *****
Know what I mean ?
I ain’t trying to turn you all ****** into alcoholics
Im just trying to turn you into ********* thugs
So come and get some of this thug’s passion baby

The economy as it is, Tupac and I do no expect you to use Cristal in this. I opted for Brut prosecco. It may not have the clout of Cristal, but you are dumping Alize into it, so who cares what it tastes like. Alize comes in a bevy of colors and flavors, so the thing to keep in mind is presentation. If you buy the blue Alize and mix it with a yellow sparkling wine, check your color wheel, you’ll be drinking something really gross looking. There’s a yellow Alize too, and that might work out okay, but if you want that authentic tacky breakfast drink color, you need it to be pink. I don’t have Jaime’s permission to use his image on this here blog, so I have to use the black and white picture for the time being.

Mmmmmm. It tastes good, and theres nothing better than that confused stomach feeling you get when you start drinking pre-noon.

Late Update: After the last posts big Lesko shout out, it looks my stars aligned and, well, lookie here.

St. Vincent – All My Stars Aligned

I must admit, I am not a huge black licorice fan.  The taste is strong, overwhelming and seems to drown out other flavors.  However, when I have experienced absinthe (which primarily tastes of black licorice) in the traditional ritual it has a light, almost airy essence to it that dances on the senses.  Thinking back to how the great artists may have consumed this spirit in their private quarters talking among their own peers makes me a little wistful for historical information.  Not just about the greats, but about the history of absinthe.

 

Absinthe has an extremely sordid past with its association of notorious “bad men” and then its prohibition for so called hallucinogenic effects.  Absinthe has been vilified and even held in high esteem by some for its alleged side effects.  However absinthe has recently become available once again in the United States.  Very specific laws and rules regarding absinthe must be held to regarding its ingredients and even labeling.  While some may claim absinthe makes them feel funny or has hallucinogenic effects, it is really no different than any other liquor except for the high alcohol content.  At 138 proof, consumers need to be responsible and aware of what they are consuming.  Absinthe is meant to be enjoyed in the traditional ritual manner or mixed in cocktails. 

 

Grande Absente is made from natural, traditional botanicals, not oils or essences, including full measure of the legendary botanical Wormwood or Artemisia Absinthium.  Some of the other botanicals that give Grande Absente its unique and flavorful taste profile include Sweet Anise, Star Anise, Sweet Balm, Mugwart (rumored to stir human passions) and peppermint.  No matter what passions the ingredients supposedly stir within us, absinthe certainly invokes a love/hate opinion when mentioned to people. 

 

The following recipe comes directly from Fin de Siecle Paris.  Toulouse-Lautrec called this the “tremblement de terre” or as Americans say, the “earthquake.”  The website claimed this might cause several aftershocks.   For me this was definitely the case.  The flavor is strong.  One must completely love the flavor of black licorice to fall for this particular mixed drink.  The cognac is almost entirely indistinguishable.  The other thought I have on this particular cocktail is the proportion.  It is a six ounce drink for an old fashioned glass.  If you take a close look at the photo I took, there are two ounces of liquid in the glass; one ounce of Grande Absente and one ounce of cognac.  Six ounces is a sizeable drink, too large for most old fashioned glasses. 

Toulouse-Laurtrecs Earthquake

Absente French Fizz

 Absente French Fizz

1 ounce Grande Absente

1 ounce Alize

1/4 ounce Pineapple Juice

1/2 ounce Sweet & Sour

Club Soda to top

Combine all ingredients except club soda in a cocktail shaker.  Shake until freezing cold.  Strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with a pineapple wedge and/or maraschino cherry.

My recommendation for the Grande Absente is if you have not tried it yet, do so.  Absinthe is a curious spirit.  With so much hype about it, everyone seems to have some sort of fascination or expectation of what it is or is not.  Unless you experience it firsthand, you will never know if you do or do not care for it.  The very best way to sample Grande Absente is of course in the traditional manner.  The process is not as painstaking as it may seem nor does it require special equipment.  The Grande Absente website shows a detailed description of the traditional ritual as well as Grande Absente, Absinthe Originale in my Spirits section.  As absinthe becomes more widespread in the United States, cocktail recipes become more plentiful, too.  Grande Absente is perfect to experiment with in mixed drinks whether as the base ingredient or as secondary complement.   Be sure to broaden your cocktail horizons and experiment with Grande Absente yourself.

www.grandeabsente.com

For more discussion surrounding absinthe and the law go to Lehrman Beverage Law.  Go to the News & Bevlog tab at the top of the page and click on “News”.  There are numerous links on the topic of absinthe regarding the ban lift in the United States and the laws surrounding the ban lift. 

For some time now I have been continually baffled by the seemingly endless supply of ghetto names out there.  Where the hell do they all come from?  Are people just pulling this shit out of nowhere?  Today I intend to demystify the ghetto name once and for all, by breaking it down into three distinct sub-categories:

1) Regular names with fucked up spellings

Shawn Carter http://errordactyl.wordpress.com

2) Tacky non-name words that are used for names anyway

Magic Johnson (I know that's not his real name) http://errorcactyl.wordpress.com

3) Completely made-up sounds

Condoleezza Rice http://errordactyl.wordpress.com

Ok, so let’s start with the first category.  Have you ever met anyone named Donta, Errik, or Amee, and wondered why the hell they aren’t just named Dante, Eric, or Amy?  Yea, me too.  What was wrong with the original spelling? or did you just want your kid to have to correct EVERY NEW PERSON THEY MEET FOR THEIR ENTIRE LIVES?  Yea, thanks mom.

Now for category number two.  Just stop it already.  This is the worst, because it somehow manages to doom your child from day one.  NOTE TO EXPECTING MOTHERS: if you name your kid Moët, Destiny,  Asia (or Asya), Lexus, or Alizé she will grow up to be a fat pain-in-the-ass diva.  Don’t ask me how it works, it just does.  But look on the bright side, you can get free coat hangers HERE, just in case you want to spare your unborn the hassle.

Last but not least, just because your mouth can make a noise doesn’t mean that you should then assign that noise to a child.  Come on people work with me here.

Ok, so that being said, I have also broken down regular non-ghetto names into sub-categories:

1) Completely made-up sounds from a long time ago

2) Oh crap, that’s all we’ve got

Yep, that’s right, all names (and words for that matter) are just arbitrary, made-up sounds.  THEY ALL SUCK EQUALLY.  The only difference is when those sounds were made-up.  You can’t possibly think that just because something has been made up recently as opposed to a long time ago it is magically less valid (see Einsteinian vs. Newtonian physics).  It seems as though BEV has once again triumphed over “proper” English as the more complex dialect.  Sorry guys, it looks like we’re just going to have to suck this one up.

Mc Erdem’den 4 Yeni Parça

Alize Ft. Mc Erdem – 2007nin Hit Parcasi
Dede Ft. Mc Erdem – Basliyor Islem
Evrim Ft. Mc Erdem – Kudurduk
Mc Erdem & Ishill – Ihtimal Yok Bizde

TIKLA İNDİR