The 2009 Grand Marnier/Navan Mixology Summit is coming!

So my favorite event of 2008, the Grand Marnier/Navan Mixology Summit is happening again in Vail Colorado. Led by Steve Olsen, Andy Seymour and the rest of their gang again, it promises to be one of the highlights of 2009, and I sincerely hope that I get the opportunity to attend next year.

You can read about my experience at this years Mixology Summit on some of my earlier posts. Looking back, there were two very valuable things that I took away from 2008's Summit.

First, Grand Marnier/Navan really did an outstanding job with the program, and there was plenty of time to interact with outstanding presenters like Leo Degroff and Aisha Sharpe which allowed me to pick their brains and exchange some thoughts and ideas with them. I came home to Oregon filled with new ideas and techniques. I'd never be doing a bacon bourbon if I hadn't talked to Don Lee and Jim Meehan at the Summit. In fact, I wouldn't be working on a duck fat washed Grand Marnier for a Duck a l'Orange cocktail that I'm going to be submitting as one of my entries this year (note to readers; its a subtle duck flavor achieved by fat washing duck fat into straight Grand Marnier, and a couple of other ingredients marry pretty damn well with it to make for an interesting cocktail) without talking to those guys, and even better, seeing them actually demonstrate some of their techniques.

Second, I made some of the best contacts in the industry ever at this years Summit. Even better, a number of them, including Ky Belk of Elway's Steakhouse in Denver, Doug Miller of Culinary Institute of America, and the great Jimmy Patrick (www.mixographer.com) have become great friends and have even come out to visit me in Oregon. Others have been "internet friends" and acquaintances, but meeting Jonathan Pogash on the ride from Denver to Vail turned out to be a great resource when we were trying to publicize the cocktail competition portion of the Great American Distillers Festival. This was the top 100 bartenders in America, in one resort with one of the finest liquor brands in the world showing us a first class time and allowing us to learn about their products.

Oh yeah, this wasn't all about learning about Grand Marnier, Navan and bartending. There was world class skiing, snowmobiling, and other activities available as well. Even better, this wasn't one of those events filled with PR types (nothing personal)and salesmen, this was bartenders being brought together to learn and share knowledge. I relax around bartenders. I instinctively trust them and I can let my guard down around them and share stories of life behind the stick that I'd never in a thousand years share with the salespeople or enthusiasts. For me, this was a chance to learn, make new friends, and have a great time at one of the most beautiful places on planet earth.

So how can you attend? Well, first you've got to be a professional bartender. Next, go to www.mixologysummit.com for the application and rules. Good luck to all of you and I hope to see you in Vail again next year.

Duck a l'Orange

I'm one of those Gen Xers, stuck at the end of one era and the beginning of another. I didn't grow up with computers everywhere (I remember seeing my first one, a Radio Shack TRS 80 btw), and I remember seeing my first VCR at Ross Taylor's house when I was a kid. As for food and cocktails, we Gen Xers have lived in some interesting times as well. My parents were (and are) gourmands before the advent of FoodTv and celebrity chefs. As a child, I grew up eating in the finest restaurants in the country from a young age. Chez Panisse? My parents were some of the first customers there. Cocktails? They basically didn't exist back then. My father was a rye Old Fashioned man, a choice that I adore, however, the Old Fashioneds that I drink today are a far cry from the muddled, gritty messes he must have consumed regularly. In my childhood I also caught the tail end of "Continental" restaurants, heavy Americanized French meals served by waiters with fake european accents which were considered the height of culinary sophistication in the mid 1970s. Sole Amandine, Coquille St. Jacques, and of course, my childhood favorite, Duck a l'Orange.

I think my favorite version of this dish from my childhood was from Maxwell’s Plum in San Francisco (in Ghiradelli Square where McCormick and Kuletos now sits, this was an outpost of the NY original), right across from Modesto Lanzone's, where I first learned to enjoy true Italian food. To me, as a child, duck a l'orange represented something adult and sophisticated, and yet, even better for a kid, it was delicious.

So why am I rehashing childhood memories on a cocktail blog? Well, I adore Grand Marnier, and I really hope to be able to attend their Mixology Summit in 2009, so I need to keep the creative juices flowing right? Plus, I was in Seattle over the weekend and I came across a jar of duck fat right about the time I was trying to create something new with Grand Marnier, so it seemed like it was meant to be. I enjoy fat washing flavors into alcohol, so duck fat into Grand Marnier shouldn't be too much of a stretch for someone who makes bacon bourbon. I'll give this a couple of weeks (although I'm sure that a few days would be fine) before I strain it and try to add it into a cocktail. My thought is just to serve it up (maybe a little oj to cut the sweetness) and a duck cracklin as a garnish.

Your thoughts? What childhood dish would you like to see recreated in liquid form?

Btw, this is simply one fifth of GrandMa with 11.78oz of duck fat mixed in. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

How to Make Sangria

Summertime is a great time for outdoor barbecues, family reunions, graduations, weddings and any other social gathering that you can dream up. Being a bartender, I frequently get asked to provide libations for whatever events I'm invited to, and during the warm summer months, that usually means that I'm making a batch of sangria. This is a really versatile recipe, feel free to tweak it however you like to your tastes, but I think this recipe provides a great starting point, and is so easy even the most novice bartender should be able to get rave reviews on their creation. I have one rule of thumb when making sangria, thats use cheap wine and good liquor for the best possible sangria. A $20 bottle of wine will be ruined in this mixture, but cheap brandy or knock off Grand Marnier will ruin it just as quickly. Lastly, remember to keep this one refrigerated at least overnight to let the flavors get to know each other.

4 bottles cheap red wine (please find an actual varietal, not Carlos Rossi Hearty Burgundy. I like to use Charles Shaw Shiraz at Trader Joes)
6 oz Grand Marnier
2 oz VSOP level brandy or cognac ( I like Martell)
4 valencia oranges sliced thin (don't sub navels)
2 granny smith apples sliced thin
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in 1/2
9 cloves, studded onto 1 slice of apple
1 cup granulated sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large apothecary jar or punch bowl, stir to incorporate sugar into the mix, cover, refriegerate overnight before serving.

Can be cut with sparkling water 50/50 for a lighter option for guests.

Barrel Aged Orange Bitters Update

Well, I've left the barrel outside all week, I'll probably bring it into the garage now, but I want it to experience some weather to bring the madeira in and out of the wood.

I put together my bitters recipe Wednesday night. I'm going to let this soak for a month, and then into the barrel in June. Here's what I'm doing-

2 750 Ml bottles of Everclear
5 orange peels
8 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 bay leaf

Its in the basement right now, sitting next to the Bacon Bourbon. More on that soon.

So what do you do when you make bitters and end up with 5 peeled oranges? I make dessert.

Navan Oranges
5 oranges, peeled and sliced into rounds (if this was for a dinner party, I'd slice the pithy edges off, but at home I leave it as is)
3 oz Navan Liqueur
3 dashes Angostura Bitters

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly to incorporate
2) Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours
3) Serve and enjoy. Best topped with a little whipped cream spiked with Grand Marnier.

Grand Marnier Mixology Summit Day 3

6:30am- "Hello Mr. Mayhew, this is your 6:30am wakeup call". Jesus, do I really set wakeup calls? Or is somebody doing this to me? I've consumed so much Grand Marnier my head is throbbing and my eyes are completely bloodshot. I've got to be downstairs for a photoshoot for a magazine by 8, and I'm really hoping Camper English will be there to share my pain.

8:05am- I'm the first one in the lobby. The art director from the magazine was smart enough to bring muffins and coffee. Rounding up 10 bartenders is like herding cats. By 8:20 the gang's all here and we drive 45 seconds down the road to some community center.

8:30am- I've done photoshoots before (ok, I've done one photoshoot in my life prior to this), and Mr. Photographer decides that a group shot is needed for the cover of this magazine. I get put crouching halfway on a rickety chair and halfway on a table, in my best Captain Morgan stance. These guys must be having some fun at my expense, and I'm starting to cramp.

8:50am- I've stretched as long as I can and they finally choose a contortionist to replace me and I get to stand in the crowd looking tough.

9:00am- Somehow, when I'm hung over, the most inappropriate songs run through my head. This and this seem to be stuck on "shuffle/repeat". I'm becoming very self concious.

10:00am- 400 cover photos later, I know understand why models and actors all smoke. They need something to do to break up the monotony.

10:30am- I finish up my individual shots and return to the hotel. I promise myself to 1) lose weight and 2) never ever do a photoshoot again. Everyone was very nice, but I'm just not enough of a peacock for this stuff.

2pm- Waiting for our van to take us to Denver, Camper regales us with tales of things inappropriate to put in a family oriented cocktail blog.

2:10-4pm- Too hung over to talk to anyone, I sleep in the van and slobber all over myself on the ride to Denver. I'm hoping no one took photos of me like that.


Some reflections on the Mixology Summit-

1) I would have preferred more interactive labs to demonstrations. I enjoy being hands on with a product, and would have appreciated an opportunity to do so with some of the best bartenders in the country.

2) Grand Marnier puts on a hell of an event. I hope I get invited back next year.

3) I would like to see more emphasis on Navan next year. I felt like Navan got treated as almost an afterthought, and its a great product with real room to grow.


In other news, the bacon bourbon I tried from Phil Ward has me inspired to do an homage to my favorite bacon in the world, the praline bacon served at the Screen Door. I'm thinking Bacon bourbon with a praline simple syrup should be mighty tasty right? I'll start this tonight. My Apothecary bitters should be done, and my Saffron-Blood Orange Bitters are going to spend about a week in the barrel to finish those off at this point. Beyond that, I don't have too much going on right now.

Grand Marnier Mixology Summit Day 2

7am Day 2- My phone rings, or is that my brain? Groggy, I answer the phone, "Good morning Mr. Mayhew, this is your 7am wakeup call". Huh? I requested a wakeup call? Maybe I did. After all, I did want to try the snowmobiling, but between the altitude and the alcohol, I wasn't getting out of bed to see if I made it off of the waiting list. Back to sleep for me.

11am Day 2- I finally roll out of bed, feeling much better. A couple of aspirin, lots of water and a hot shower and I'm ready to take on the world again. Since I'd skipped breakfast, I couldn't wait for lunch to roll around. I watch a little sports before heading down to lunch.

12:30pm Day 2- Lunch! I was starving and so Raena and I headed down to the Colorado Ballroom for some food. Pistachio crusted salmon was an interesting and nice choice, there were some great salad options, and then I came across Grand Marnier chicken. I had to try it. It reminded me of Orange Chicken that I'd get from a chinese restaurant, but I thought it was an interesting touch. Ky Belk from Elway's in Denver and Jonathan Pogash joined us for lunch, and the food was a pleasant as the company. The staff at the Marriott (as well as the staff at Larkspur the night before) really did a great job the whole weekend. I was pleasantly surprised by how warm and courteous everyone was. I also receive a book of the 400 recipes contributed by the attendees. Very cool.

2:00pm- I start to get a little nervous about my Mixology Consultation. Some people had told me that one person had already blown fire during his presentation (it was probably one of the Vegas guys) so I start trying to figure out how to blow fire nonchalantly while making my drinks. I finally decide that burning my beard off on a snowy day in Vail may not be the best idea. I'll stick to my plan of crafting my drinks.

2:40pm- My Consultation is set to start. I'd spent the last 10 minutes searching the 4th floor for room #404, only to find out that the hotel has some weird split, and yes, I'm on the 4th floor, but to get to room #404, I follow a maid down to the 2nd floor and up some service steps to find #404. I am sure that I'll never be able to find this room again.

2:45pm- The guy in front of me (I'm guessing he's from Atlanta with that accent) finishes up, and is pouring shots of Navan and white cranberry juice for the room as I enter. I like this guy already, and the shot goes down smoothly.

2:46pm- I am informed by a GM rep that they couldn't source Clear Creek Distillery's Pear Brandy for one of my cocktails, but they offer me Hiram Walker's Pear Schnapps as a substitute. I freak. I ask if they have any eau de vie's in the room. In spite of the very impressive liquor selection, no eau de vie's. Someone suggests that I use the bottle of Luxardo Maraschino instead. Huh? I finally agree to make the cocktail with the pear schnapps as long as no one tastes it. It comes out a hideous, kryptonite green. Thanks Hiram Walker. My other cocktail goes much smoother, and the photographer was cracking me up as I made my recipe.

3:15pm- I finally find my way out of the room, and its time to hustle down to the Apres-Ski event in the ballroom. I'm 15 minutes late by the time I get in, and all the subtle seats in the back of the room are filled. Luckily, I find a seat up front next to Jimmy Patrick. I realize when I get in that all I've missed is some tray passed cocktails.

3:30pm- Steve Olsen comes out and starts to give a lesson on the history of Grand Marnier, which, if you haven't heard it, is quite impressive. Steve is a natural on stage, really well prepared. Next, he brings out Leo Degroff and Andy Seymour for a demonstration of a 150th Sidecar. Essentially, just GM 150 and lemon juice with a splash of orange bitters, its an interesting take on the sidecar, and something that I'll tuck away for use someday. Next, Steve introduces people at a series of stations, one doing GM as an enhancement, one as a base spirit, one doing luxury cocktails, another doing Navan, and then one doing "progressive bartending". As soon as I see who is behind the progressive table, I decide its my first spot. Its Death & Co's Phil Ward, and Don Lee of PDT. They've got a Hot Buttered Popcorn Rum going, a Bacon infused Bourbon, and a number of tinctures and bitters displayed.

3:45-4:00pm- I make my way around the stations, observing Jacques Bezhuidenhout make a Millionaire's Margarita with GM 150 and Don Julio 1942 and follow that with a 150th Sazerac. Willy Shines is holding court on foams, and Aisha Sharpe is showcasing Navan's versatility. There are almost too many options for cocktails, I hold off as I'm saving myself for the upcoming dinner, but I listen and learn at each station.

6:45pm- Raena and I head out into the snow dressed to the nines, for a ride up the mountain in a gondola to the Eagle's Nest, for the Gala dinner. I had the good fortune to run into Jason Neu along the way, and he kept us laughing all the way to the top. I believe we ended up at 13,000 feet when we got to the top of the mountain. As soon as we got off the gondola, we were greeted by servers carrying trays of Lanesborough cocktails, a nice start to the evening. Once we got inside, Raena and I met Jimmy Patrick and his wife and joined their table. Ky Belk and Erica Bodley, both of Elway's in Denver joined us as well, and we had a beautiful view down the mountain as the sun sank from view.

7:00pm- Our first course is served. I was really looking forward to to this dinner. I expected it to be the highlight of the event. Grand Marnier had flown in Chris Lee, chef at Gilt in NYC.

I'm just going to get this out of the way now, and this is in no way a criticism of Grand Marnier, they put on a great event and I hope to attend again next year. However, Chris Lee was a major disappointment. His dishes were good, but they redefined microscopic. I've never left a 4 course meal hungry, but I did this night and the numbers of people returning to order room service at the Marriott were the tale of the tape. I thought it was irresponsible to serve such small portions for a dinner with cocktails matched to every course, the quality of the food was excellent, but each course was better suited to an amuse bouche than an actual course. Even worse, there was no vegetarian option available. One of my friends had to suffer through with 2 courses with the proteins removed. In my opinion, this was extremely amateurish to assume that there would be no vegetarians in a crowd of 200+. While I enjoyed the small portions that I did get to eat (the quality was outstanding), this is the first time in my life that I've left a meal hungry, and I won't be putting Gilt on my list of places to eat in NYC.

I would like to list the cocktails served-

After the Lanesborough, we moved into Grand Ma's Rhubarb Fizz, a drink I found compelling, and I may recreate here on a Portland Spring day. Next up was a Pods and Pears, which featured both Navan and gin, an interesting combination, followed by the Fairy Grandmother, with an absinthe foam which, at 13,000 feet, didn't hold up on the way to the table. Finally, we finished with snifters of GM 150, an absolutely delicious end to the meal.

9:30pm-We then took a gondola ride back down the hill for an after party at Garfinkel's, a ski bar at the base of the gondola. We had a great time there, I switched up to Hennessey XO for the party, and my hunger was finally assuaged by a friendly bouncer who handed me a 1lb bag of Rold Gold pretzels to take back to my room. That guy was the greatest bouncer of all time, thanks buddy.

We called it a relatively early night as I had a photoshoot to participate in the next morning.

Grand Marnier Mixology Summit Day 1

Raena and I spent a little time in Denver before heading out to Vail. I'll cover that in a future post (I will advise you to avoid the Appaloosa Grill at all costs unless you want to laugh at some of the worst bartenders I've ever seen), so on Sunday we returned our rental car and made our way back to the airport to connect with our transportation to Vail. We had a concierge at the airport waiting for us, and she put us in a nice SUV that we shared with Jonathan Pogash for the two hour trip to Vail. Jonathan was a wonderful companion for the trip, and I truly enjoyed spending time with him throughout the entire Summit, he is truly one of the truly nicest people I've had the pleasure to meet. He will be presenting at Tales of the Cocktail this year, and I'm hoping to cover his presentation for my blog. Suffice to say, our ride to the Summit was quite enjoyable.
We got into Vail around 4:30 on Sunday and checked into the Vail Marriott, a beautiful property right at the foot of Vail Mountain. We had a gorgeous room, with a large balcony and a view of the mountains to the north. We went down to register for the event, and when I came down, I was scheduled for my Mixology Consulting Lab at 2:40 the next day. I wanted to register to snowmobile, not being a skiier, but I was placed on the second page of the waiting list as apparently, it was an exceptionally popular event. In retrospect, I should have entered the ski race, as they gave prizes to not only the best but also the worst, and I would have had the worst skiier label wrapped up.
Next, it was on to the swag table. I received a really nice red Marmot ski jacket, a black hoodie and a cool backpack that may actually replace my current Nike/Ipod backpack. I headed back upstairs and took a nap until the welcome reception.
At 7pm, we all got on shuttles and headed over to Larkspur restaurant, a phenomenal restaurant on the other end of Vail village. As we entered, we were greeted by servers with trays of Grand Magaritas, Grand Marnier, Don Julio Tequila, fresh lime and agave nectar. As we moved into the bar, Andy Seymour, Leo Degroff, Willy Shines, Aisha Sharpe and Jacques Bezuidenhout were churning out cocktails for the thirsty crowd. Next up was the Perfect Storm, essentially a Dark and Stormy with Grand Marnier instead of rum. I actually was skeptical about this drink, but ended up liking this one best of all. It was complex, well balanced and had a nice spiciness to it. Andy Seymour may be the fastest bartender I've ever seen, he was quite literally a blur behind the bar, putting up drinks and pouring shots for the crowd. Steve Olsen switched between spending time with the bartenders to spending time with the crowd.
It was during the reception that I noticed someone with one of the Summit jackets on, taking lots of pictures, so I checked his name tag and saw that I had run into Jimmy Patrick, one of the best bloggers going and a bartender that I have nothing but immense respect for. Other cocktails started coming out, and the back of the restaurant featured cocktail recipes from the previous years attendees. Then the food started hitting the tables, so I found my wife who had made new friends of her own and we sat down to eat. I met Ky Belk of Elways's in Denver, who impressed me with his knowledge of cocktails and his warm, friendly demeanor. Erik Tirums and Michael Flannery were perhaps the two funniest people I met during the entire stay, and now I know where to go in South Beach, Florida. Drinks kept flowing and I kept meeting new people, and almost all were interesting and talented people. Camper English finally arrived about 1/2 way through the event after a hellish flight into Vail airport. Camper is a riot, definitely someone I'm going to look up next time I'm in San Francisco.
At one point during the evening, I met a bartender from Las Vegas. When I mentioned the Oregon Bartenders Guild, he frowned and asked me if I knew a Jeffrey Morgenthaler. Well, of course I do. Jeff is a colleague and a great friend. Apparently though, Jeff once made some remarks about flair that this person took offense to. Oh well, right? I told this guy that while I appreciate showmanship in crafting a cocktail, I think pouring half the drink on the ground before you get it into the customer's glass is disrespectful to the craft. 40 minutes later, I was still listening to Mr. "The world revolves around Las Vegas" trying to make a case for flair bartending. Perhaps if I worked in an establishment that was an authentic recreation of the Roman Coliseum or something (Watch us feed Christians to the lions at 12, 3 and 6 daily!) I would enjoy juggling my drinks for conventioneers from Oak Stump Kansas, but I don't. I craft well balanced cocktails with depth, and I don't wear a costume while I do it. If I really wanted to do that, I'd just join these guys.
I'll never get those 40 minutes of my life back, but I had easy access to shots of Grand Marnier while I was snoozing through his lecture. Andy and Aisha kept putting up chilled shots of Grand Marnier 150, beautiful stuff in a snifter, but absolutely deadly chilled down and done as a shot. Leo Degroff finally came and saved me from the lecture and I got to spend a little time getting to know Leo. A truly nice guy, down to earth and supremely talented, Leo is a consummate professional bartender.
Eventually, as always, the evening wound down and I'd realized that I'd consumed an incredible amount of Grand Marnier, so it was time for a shuttle ride back to the hotel. Monday held all kinds of promise, with an Apres-Ski presentation and a Gala Dinner planned, in addition to my Mixology Consultation, so it was time for bed.
I'll cover Day 2 in my next post.

Also served at the reception-

Navan White Cosmo

100th Smash (GM 100, lemon and mint)- I didn't get to taste this one, they went exceptionally quick.

Mx Mo- Rethinking the Hurricane

Kaiser Penguin is hosting this months Mixology Monday, and the theme is "Limit One". Essentially, it calls for either drinks that are all alcohol (i.e. a Manhattan) or drinks that contain at least 3 oz of 80 proof alcohol. When I saw the theme, I was reminded of my days working at the Hard Rock Cafe in Sacramento. HRC used to sell a hurricane with a collectable HRC glass for something like $20 back when I worked there. I remembered that at the time I worked for HRC, the hurricane recipe was 3 kinds of Bacardi (light, dark, 151), orange juice, passionfruit juice and pineapple juice and a little grenadine. I made a call down to Sacramento to confirm the recipe, but apparently HRC has changed their recipe to mango puree, oj, pineapple juice and 3 kinds of Bacardi. Neither option sounded like what I wanted to make for MxMo, so I started scrounging the internet, looking at Pat O'Briens recipe and others. The only constant that I found among all the recipes was fruit juice. Beyond that, the recipes were all across the board. I remembered that I had recently been in the Kiknbaque lounge and I'd overheard a discussion between the owner and some patrons about the regional differences between what gets labeled as a Hurricane, but I hadn't given it any thought since then. Perhaps there are signifigant regional differences between what constitutes a Hurricane, its not something that I've had time to research. What I did decide was that with as many variations existing of the Hurricane, I could take this drink and remake it to my tastes. What follows is my version (and quite a tasty one at that) of the Hurricane.

Hurricane Cocktail

1 oz Goslings Black Seal Rum
1 oz Old New Orleans Amber Rum
1 oz 10 Cane Rum
1/2 oz John D Taylors Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Trader Tiki's Primativa (or use Forbidden Fruit Liqueur)
3 oz orange juice
3 oz pineapple juice
1 oz apricot nectar
1 oz papaya juice
2 oz guava juice
2 dashes Regans Orange Bitters
1 oz Grand Marnier

1) Take all ingredients except grand marnier, build over ice, stir vigorously, add float of Grand Marnier.
2) Enjoy

This makes a very tropical drink, sweet, but not toothachingly sweet as you might expect. This drink does have quite a kick, the rums take on a nice background role so its easy to get lulled into complacency with this but one of these gave me quite the buzz.

Leap Year Cocktail

A day late, my apologies but Blogger was experiencing technical issues last night. Anyway, the Leap Year cocktail seemed appropriate last night.

My version-

1 1/2 oz Aviation Gin
1/2 oz Carpano Antica
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
splash lemon juice

Chill, shake hard and serve up

I'm not sure I'd drink this regularly, but once every 4 years will work.

I finally got my prosciutto hung. It should be ready in 6 months. Note to self- no more curing hams at home, its a pain in the ass.

Today I received a care package from North Shore Distillery. I'm going to taste the Oregon Bartenders Guild on their #6 gin, and #11 gin. Unfortunately for me, their aquavit (which I really wanted to compare against House Spirits Krogstad Aquavit) didn't survive the shipping (damn you Fedex! Damn you!). I'm very excited about tasting both gins, I've heard nothing but great things about them both.

I'm making marmalade today. I have this idea rolling around in my head of a cocktail combining marmalade and Templeton rye. Once all is said and done I'll get it up here.

Oh, do you ever buy cookbooks that you adore but you never actually cook anything out of them? For me, that describes Fergus Henderson's two books. Great reads, incredibly inspiring (I was even ready to take on his half roasted pigs head for two until my wife put the kibosh on that), I've finally decided on making the mother for bread that they use at St. John's. I'm not much of a baker, but having a good mother in the fridge seems to make sense.

Qi, Grand Marnier and the Green Truck

Well, its been quite a day. The fine folks at St. George Spirits have generously sent me two bottles of Qi (pronounced chee) Tea Liqueurs. They sent both the Black and the White, and I can't believe that I've been able to stay out of them all evening. Tomorrow evening though, I'm meeting with Neil Koppelin of Carlyle, Daniel Shoemaker, and Kevin Ludwig and I'm afraid that if I don't save the bottles until tomorrow night, there might not be any to share. Usually I taste spirits and liqueurs by myself initially, and then I like to get others to taste in order to get their feedback, so this will be a little different, but I'm intrigued to see what happens. I've liked everything I've ever had from St. George, and I'm optimistic that these liqueurs can match the high standards that St. George sets for itself.

As I sit here unwinding from a very hectic Monday, I'm enjoying a nightcap that I haven't poured myself in ages, a snifter of Grand Marnier. The BBC America premier of "Last Restaurant Standing" is on in the background, it looks to be quite entertaining and its providing the perfect soundtrack to my own private little celebration. You see, on Friday, I found out that I have been selected to participate in Grand Marnier/ Navan's upcoming Mixology Summit in Vail Colorado. I'm excited on a few different fronts. One, it will be a great opportunity to network with some of the best bartenders in the country. Two, I'm really excited to see what the people from Grand Marnier/Navan have planned.I've never tasted the Grand Marnier 150, and I'm anxious to get the opportunity taste it. So far, everything seems first class and I'll be crossing the days off the calendar until we leave. And lastly, since we have family in Denver, we're planning on coming in a little bit early and spending some time in town before leaving for Vail. I'm really hoping to tour Stranahan's Distillery, makers of Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey while we are in town. The idea of regional whiskeys that reflect the tastes and character, perhaps even the terroir of where they are made, has great appeal to me. I'd love to see more craft distillers create authentic products that are true to the essence of where they are made.

Speaking of quality products, while I've really been focusing on spirits in my blog, I have a confession to make. I love wine. Not just love it, I'm passionate about wine. I love mixed drinks as well, but nothing is as food friendly (most of the time, an important caveat) as a wonderful wine. When it comes to spirits or wine, what I am most passionate about are those individuals who create high quality products because to create anything less would be unthinkable for them. Off the top of my head, House Spirits and St. George both stand out as distilleries that meet this description. Well, I'm about to reveal my absolute favorite wine in the world. I'll preface this by saying that 1) I'm generally a Zinfandel man (and it doesn't come in white, thank you) and 2) there may be more expensive wines, and wine regions more highly regarded for this varietal than his, but to my palate this is the best stuff out there. Green Truck Pinot Noir is the kind of wine that my wife and I have arguments about. We will schedule a dinner party with, perhaps a couple that we know enjoys fine food and wine. When planning the menu, the subject of wine always comes up (if you come to the Casa De Mayhew, expect cocktails with appetizers, wine with the meal, and then digestifs), and will, if we are sufficiently impressed, result in a discussion as to whether our invited guests are "Truck Worthy". Please don't take it personally if I invite you to dinner and serve something else. I have a nice wine collection and I promise, I never pour something cheap, but I only get 12 bottles of grin inducing Pinot Noir a year to be doled out very carefully over the years. The reason I'm sharing this information, is that the next release of the Truck is 3/1, so if you get over to the website, you've got a great chance to get in on this wonderful wine. I think Kent charges 30-35 a bottle these days, and production has increased ever since I became a Trucker from 250 cases to about 400 now. Green Truck is made from some of the premier grapes in the Napa Valley, and one of the real hallmarks of the craftsmanship that goes into Green Truck is that even in "off" vintages, the Truck is always well structured and extremely approachable wine. Kent Fortner, the winemaker and genius behind Green Truck describes his mission as producing "grin inducing pinot noirs". Get on board now and you'll thank me later when the Truck has a 10 year waiting list for allocations and you'll always have the perfect wine to serve at Thanksgiving.

Well, thanks for allowing me to share. More updates soon, but for now, I need to get back to that snifter of Grand Marnier.