Drink Mix–Seasonal Cocktails

October 28, 2010

I love seasonal cocktails as much as I love seasonal lattes, which is a whole lot!  There is something so comforting and delicious about adding nutmeg, cinnamon, and/or eggnog to any drink recipe.  With Halloween and Christmas soon approaching us more restaurants and bars have began creating their own special seasonal drinks, or are putting their own spin on the classics.  I am sure there are many great places to choose from when it comes to seasonal cocktails, but the Winter cocktails at Seres Restaurant & Bar sounded too amazing for me to pass up, so I made my way down to The Pearl District to try one of these sweet liquid treats.

Seres is now featuring on their drink menu The Grasshopper, Ginger Snap, Pumpkin Patch, and my favorite cure for thecommon cold–The Spiced Hot Toddy.  I am a big fan of ginger bread, ginger ale, etc., so I just had to try the “Ginger Snap.”  This yummy cocktail is made of Yazi Vodka, Stoli Vanilla, Captain Morgans, cream, cinnamon and nutmeg.  It is a cold frothy drink, and the cinnamon sprinkle on top mixed with the white cream mixture creates a pleasant display.

I expected the drink to be a lot sweeter than it actually is, which is good and bad.  I am not the biggest fan of super sugary fufu drinks, so I didn’t mind the cocktail being on the plainer side, but in this case I think it actually needed to be a bit sweeter.  All of the right ingredients were here, but it just didn’t come together to give me that holiday cheer.  There are variations of this drink that include eggnog, and I think that was the one ingredient missing in Seres’ Ginger Snap.  I can’t wait to go back though and try the rest of their Winter cocktails, and the best part is that if you use Forkfly you can get Happy Hour prices all night long at Seres!

To make your own Ginger Snap I would recommend this recipe.

Gingersnap Egg Nog Martini

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Canton Ginger Liqueur
  • 1/2 oz Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
  • 1/2 oz Disaronno
  • 2 ounces Egg Nog
  • 1 pinch Cinnamon Sugar
  • 1 ea Ginger SnapCookie garnish

Directions:

In a mixing glass combine all ingredients then add ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass rimmed in cinnamon sugar. Garnish with a ginger snap cookie or touille.

Try A Collins/Cooler/or Drop at Paragon & Learn How to Make Your Own!

August 13, 2010

While dining outside at Paragon, located in The Pearl District, I perused over their Happy Hour menu to find myself a new cocktail to try.  My options were a house infused blackberry, blueberry, raspberry or strawberry Collins/Cooler/or Drop.  Now I have drank quite a few cocktails in my life, but by no means am I an expert in mixology, so seeing my options I was immediately curious what the difference is between a Collins, a Cooler and a Drop.  I tried the Blackberry Cooler for fun, and Paragon’s version did not disappoint, but I still went home wondering what the difference was between these cocktails, and so I decided to check it out for myself.

Apparently a Collins is basically “sours” with club soda added. You start off with 2 oz of your base liquor, whatever that may be, add 2 oz or so of sour mix, and top it off with some Club Soda.  The most well known of Collins of course being the Tom Collins, which uses these ingredients:

Tom Collins

2 oz Gin
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
½ oz simple syrup
3 oz chilled Club Soda
Lemon Slice
Maraschino Cherry

Add the first three ingredients to a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with the lemon slice and the cherry.

A Cooler is defined as any wine or made-wine made of an alcoholic strength not exceeding 5.5%. These drinks may be based on spirits, cider or perry.  The most well known of coolers of course being the Wine Cooler, which I’ve included a recipe for below.

Strawberry White Wine Cooler

2 cups strawberries (about 1 pint), trimmed
1/3 cup sugar
a 750-ml. bottle Sauvignon Blanc or other dry white wine, chilled

In a bowl gently toss together strawberries and sugar and let stand 10 minutes. In a blender purée strawberry mixture with wine until smooth and pour through a fine sieve into a pitcher. Wine cooler may be made 4 hours ahead and chilled.

A Drop traditionally uses vodka as the base and then often sweet and sour mix is added and usually a splash of sugar, and it is served chilled in a martini glass.  If you think of a Drop, you of course imagine the Lemon Drop.

The Lemon Drop


1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz lemon juice
1 sugar cube

Try Some Peruvian Concoctions at Andina Restaurant!

July 14, 2010

There are many things that I miss about my South, Latin and Central American travels, but the biggest thing might be the food and drinks.  There is nothing quite as delicious as a daiquiri made from fresh fruit picked just hours before and aromatic spices that make your nose tingle with delight.  Even to this day, when I drink fresh coconut milk or smell carne asada grilling on a barbecue I think of the wonderful times I spent in the southern hemisphere.  I was taken back to that happy place when I entered the doors of Andina, located in The Pearl District.

Andina’s menu embodies Peruvian culture and taste.  The chefs at Andina are all Peruvian natives and have brought to the restaurant traditional culinary dishes from their home land, as well as a new style they call ‘Novoandina,’ which uses native/pre-colonial ingredients and techniques and gives them a more modern twist.

Their cocktails are also a mix of Latin American Classics and Novoandean creations.  Much like their food, their drinks heighten your ever sense:  pleasant to the palate, sight and smell.  I tried the Guanabana..Do..Doo..Do Doo Do, (the guanabana fruit is pictured below)which is made with chilled banana infused amber rum, tropical guanabana puree, vanilla almond milk and nutmeg.  A great name for a fun, nectarous concoction!  If you want to try a more traditional Peruvian drink that originated in either Peru or Chile (it is debatable), try Andina’s Pisco Sour or make your own using the recipe below!

Pisco Sour

  • 2 ounces Pisco
  • 1 ounce lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 egg white
  • 3 dashes Angostura bitters

Directions

  1. Pour Pisco, lemon juice, sugar and egg white in a shaker with ice.
  2. Shake and strain in an old-fashioned glass filled with ice.
  3. Pour dashes of angostura bitters on the creamy drink.

PDX Weekend Happenings for July 10-11, 2010

July 9, 2010

There are some out of this world events happening this weekend in and around Portland.  Events that will shock you, mystify you and maybe even take you boldly where no man/woman has gone before.  This is Forkfly’s weekend happenings for July 10-11.

Trek in the Park

WHAT: The small theater group in Portland, OR called Atomic Arts is performing their second season/episode of Trek in the Park — a live action recreation of a classic Star Trek episode from start to finish. The group launched Trek last summer with weekend performances of the bizarre episode ‘Amok Time’, and was widely enjoyed! Local band Fast Computers provides the live soundtrack, including a great rendition of the theme song to get things off to a spacey start.  All of my friends and I are going opening weekend, so hope to see you all there!  This event is free to all ages.

WHERE: Woodlawn Park, corner of Claremont & Oneonta in NE Portland.

WHEN: July 10-11, 17-18, 24-25, 31 & Aug. 1

TIME: 5pm

OMSI Teen Night

WHAT: Teen night is a FREE evening of music, games and SCIENCE, and all without your parental units.  Ages 13-18 are invited to come view the new Einstein exhibit, Samson the T. Rex and have fun on the Segway rides.  Sounds pretty awesome to me!

WHERE: OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave

WHEN: Saturday, July 10

TIME: 7pm-8pm

Turkey Rama 2010

WHAT: This is the 50th anniversary of Turkey Rama, which is an annual summer celebration that observes the historical importance of the once-thriving turkey business in the surrounding county.  This year’s festivities include the World’s Largest Turkey BBQ, a street fair and a Turkey Trot 8k run/walk.  No cost for entry.

WHERE: McMinnville, Downtown & E. Wortman Park

WHEN: July 9, 11am-10pm; July 10, 8am-11pm

I’m just wondering if there will be any turkeys left for Thanksgiving after this weekend!

Forkfly Friday: Happy Hour with Fenouil Restaurant Provides a Taste of the NW

July 2, 2010

I have had the pleasure of eating at Fenouil restaurant a few times for dinner, and so I was very excited to finally check out their happy hour.  Their happy hour runs from 4-6pm daily, and it is a great time to check out some of their dishes at a much lower price.  You can choose to sit outside in their gorgeous and spacious patio seating, or inside in their comfy couch style seating.  Either way you are going to be taken care of well by their attentive staff!

On the menu is some of my favorite North West foods, like oysters and mussels, but they also have some more traditional happy hour items, like a house ground hamburger and pommes frites. The menu is certainly not lacking in a variety of food, but don’t expect much in the way of drink options.  Wine, drafts, and one specialty cocktail of the day are your only choices if buying from the happy hour menu.

I tried the oysters at $1.50 each, the rabbit vol au vent $8, and the artisan and farmstead cheeses $6.  The oysters were chilled to perfection and served over a decorative bed of salts.  The rabbit dish was like a tiny potpie, and was very delicious.  My favorite though was the cheese and bread platter, which came with a side of almonds drizzled in honey.  I have since changed to a gluten-free, non-dairy & soy diet since visiting Fenouil’s happy hour, so I look forward to going back and trying the many items they offer that cater to my dietary restrictions.

Fenouil is located at 900 NW 11th Ave in The Pearl District.

The TeaZone & Camellia Lounge Brings A Little Tea to Your Cocktail

June 30, 2010

My Nana has been a tea drinker her entire life. Her parents came to the Americas from France in the early 1900s, and they were a huge fan of “tea time.”  That same love of tea got passed onto my Nana, and then to my Mom and then eventually to me.  Any time we get together we put on the kettle and we share a pot of tea while discussing what is happening in our lives.  I have always been taught that tea can cure anything that ales you—you should drink peppermint tea for a stomach ache, echinacea tea for a cold, and chamomile tea if you have trouble sleeping.  I love finding and trying new teas, and The TeaZone and Camellia Lounge located at 510 NW 11th in The Pearl District, has one of the most interesting uses of tea I have ever seen.

I went to the TeaZone during their daily happy hour from 4-7pm.  I had intended on just trying one of their teas, and I had hoped to find a new one that knocked my socks off.  To my surprise the menu did have tea, but it was being used in cocktails!  My two loves in one drink: cocktails and tea.  I had to try this.

The TeaZone has five different specialty cocktails all $5 on their happy hour menu, and I decided on the Mango Madras.  The Mango Madras contains mango black tea infused vodka, orange juice, and hibiscus juice.  It is very light, refreshing and I love the mango tea aftertaste.  It gave me a little kick in energy, and I didn’t have that sluggish feeling after drinking it like you do with some drinks.  This is such an exciting find for me, and I can’t wait to go back to TeaZone and try more of their delicious cocktails.

If you are interested in making your own Tea Cocktail, here is a recipe for a Green Tea Martini to get you started:

Green Tea Martini Infusing Instructions


  • Infuse an entire 750ml bottle of vodka with 6 teabags, by steeping the tea bags for 4 to 6 hours or overnight. You may wish to pour the vodka into a jar or container that will allow you to easily remove the teabags after steeping. (If you want to use a lesser amount of vodka, pour 1/3 of the bottle of vodka into in a jar or with two teabags. )
  • Swirl the jar occasionally: You will see the infusion happening.
  • If you want to use loose tea, the equivalent is one teaspoon of tea for each teabag.

Forkfly Fridays: In Happy Hour Heaven with Vault Martini

June 12, 2010

Happy Hours aren’t hard to find in Portland, but actually choosing one out of the hundreds available can be a daunting task.  No one happy hour is alike, and you would be surprised how varied the hours are, the menus and the prices.  Researching all these options would take a lot of time and energy, so why not let us do the hard work for you?  Every week we are spotlighting a new Happy Hour in our hometown Portland, Oregon, starting with one of the most impressive Happy Hour drink menus around at Vault Martini.

Vault’s drink menu reads like a list of entrees.  You’ve got your different kinds of Drops, Savories, Sweets, Bubblies, Margaritas, Hot Drinks, and of course Martinis.  There are over 20 different drinks available on the Happy Hour menu.  The most impressive thing though are the prices—all drinks on the HH menu range from $3-$5.  That means you can get a Banana Drop for $4, a Blackberry Margarita for $5, a Thin Mint Martini for $5, and three cocktails later you are feeling happy and have spent less than $15 on some truly amazing drinks.

To make your sipping experience that much better Vault has comfortable couch type seating, chairs centered around their fireplace, and some good tunes playing in the background.  When I visited there on a Wednesday evening their bartender Jacose was attentive, informative and made a killer Habanero Martini (which she told me is a Vault fave).

Vault’s Happy Hour runs from 4pm-7pm DAILY.  This means you have a reason to be happy every day of the week.  The only down fall about their HH menu is they don’t offer food, but you can always order an appetizer for pretty cheap from their regular menu or hop on over to Vault’s sister restaurant Jinx Lounge.  Vault Martini is located at 226 NW 12th Avenue in The Pearl District.

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