Hey,
Thanks to all of you that reached out about the lack of a monthly review for October. No, I didn’t forget, I have just been busy doodling over on Instagram and drinking Guinness at the pub.
In all honesty, I needed a little regroup to move forward with my plan to have these “time period in review” style emails come out a little more frequently due to how fast the news cycle moves. Some older subscribers will remember the Silver Bullet Sunday posts. They are back!
I won't be able to do one every week, but when I feel that a Silver Bullet is full of enough content worth putting out there, I will post it.
This will be a good thing if you like booze, news, and reviews more frequently. You prefer not to read month old news, and I prefer not to report it! Think of this more like a small ice-cold martini you can order again, rather than a giant one that warms up before you can finish it. I certainly know which one(s) I would choose.
Within these Silver Bullet emails, I will also include a doodle for paid subscribers that I haven’t posted yet on Instagram. It will be at the end under the “Bottom Shelf” heading along with any cocktail recipes I mention within the email.
Welcome to the new subscribers, both paid and free, it is certainly nice to have you.
Let's get to it!
At Home
A few weeks back my wife and I sat down and made a get healthier plan that involved waking up early, super long daily walks, more time on the rowing machine, dropping red meat from our diet and eating more beans. Fast-forward to today, and pretty much all that we kept from the healthy list is more beans. Oh, and more red wine, that was also on the list, and we are doing more of that too...for health.
So, in terms of beans I have been making red beans and rice on Mondays per tradition, or better yet ritual, of that iconic New Orleans meal. Sunday night I dump a cup of red beans in a bowl to soak and on Monday evening I cut up the Trinity (onion, bell pepper, celery) and the Pope (garlic) and cook up some delicious red beans. I think this week, if the weather plays nice, I will cook a batch over the fire pit!
Cooking beans leaves PLENTY of time for cocktails after everything is simmering away in the pot, and I like to put on some hot jazz and mix up a few. As much as I love grilling in the summer, there is something so comforting about a pot slowly simmering on the oven.
So while the beans were cooking on Monday, I made two Sazeracs, that came out great and got us in the mood for some New Orleans grub. I reserved the leftover crushed ice and absinthe that I used to chill and season the glasses, and when the Sazeracs were gone I poured the heavily diluted absinthe ice mixture into a small glass of dry vermouth and sipped on that until the beans finished.
At the Bar
Some notable sips I had out and about since the last time:
“Hawk in the Heavens” Tentaka Brewing Company
“Bride of the Fox” Kaetsu Brewing Company
On a midweek date night, we popped into our favorite restaurant in Ann Arbor, Pacific Rim, and Dave behind the bar stirred up two delicious martinis to start our evening and then paired two sakes to go with the main course. Both were great, but we preferred the Junmai Ginjo from Niigata Prefecture, “Bride of the Fox,” and it paired perfectly with the grilled prawns my wife ordered.
Junmai just means pure sake— rice, water, and koji. No other alcohol has been added to it and Ginjo refers to how much of the rice is left after polishing.
“Bride of the Fox” was bright and viscous. It really coated my palette and showed off notes of white pepper and strawberries. Truly an elegant glass.
More to Wash Down
Articles
Budweiser Zero, Uber partner for Thanksgiving Eve promotion
Master Somms Terminated
A Visit to Hawaii's Ko Hana Distillery
The Vintage Absinthe Forger Who Swindled Collectors Around the Globe for Years
Diageo's share price soars as it reveals future ambitions
United Airlines resumes hard liquor sales
Unvaccinated Russians could be banned from buying ALCOHOL
TTB Approved 179.6K Products L12M through October 2021, An Increase of 15.9K (+9.7%)
Rare Macallan Whisky Cask NFT Sells For Record $2.33 Million
Buffalo Trace drops ‘Jr’ from its award-winning bourbon
Buffalo Trace Distillery awarded Level II Accredited Arboretum Status
Products
Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru
KISS enters the US spirits category with launch of premium liquors
Clyde May’s four new innovations
Ocean Voyage 24 bourbon
Bad Sweater
Books
The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Traditions, Techniques, and Recipes* by Julia Momosé
The Martini: Perfection in a Glass* by Matt Hranek
Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol* by Mallory O'Meara
Watch
*Affiliate links
Thanks to all of you that support this newsletter.
The Cocktail Doodle Newsletter is free, but if you'd like to pitch in, a paid subscription is $5/month or an even better deal of $30/year. That means an annual subscription averages out to $2.50 a month.
A paid subscription keeps the vermouth fresh and helps cover the cost of new cocktail books! Also, I add paid subscribers to my Instagram “close friends” for more photos, recipes, and booze!
Oh! I am going to be down in Austin, Texas for Thanksgiving. I would love any food/bar recommendations if you have them!
Thanks for reading, and thanks for the support.
See you next time!
Find Me
Instagram
Twitter
Untappd
The Nightcap Show
Podcast:Apple / Spotify
Email: hi@cocktaildoodle.com
Bottom Shelf
Enjoy the doodle and the recipe!