Saturday, June 30, 2012

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Tequila

It's hot out. Like, 100 degrees and humid hot out. Now this may be reminiscent of my early waitressing days at Cafe Noche, but hot weather always makes me crave tequila. When I first saw Espolon at the liquor store I was immediately drawn to the absolutely beautiful labels inspired by 19th century style Dia de los Muertos Catrina figurines.
Espolon
Blanco
Reposado
The labels hold a lot more than beautiful craftsmanship however, they both tell a fictitious history of Mexican revolution and independence from Spain, honoring the brave men and women who are responsible for Mexico today. The Blanco label depicts Ramon the Rooster and the rebels fighting against tyranny and the caste system imposed by Spain, setting the stage for Mexico's independence. The Reposado label illustrates elements of the ancient Aztec culture infused into the market places of Mexico, to keep the spirit of their ancestors alive. 


Not only are the bottles beautiful, the tequila is really, really good! It's margarita time, cheers!



Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Fantasy World



This is my favorite picture I have ever taken. When I was a sophomore in college I had the opportunity to take a weekend trip to Washington DC for a mere 50 dollars. DC is one of my favorite places to visit, especially during the Cherry Blossom festival. The happy spring energy juxtaposed with the historical and military monuments is magical, not to mention all the free museums. My boyfriend at the time had acquired a couple packs of expired Polaroid film so we used most of it on the trip. The pictures came out so eerie and beautiful. This shot is of the Washington Monument, but I love the willow tree and the shape of the pond. It evokes such a fantasy land in my mind and I love looking at it. 


What are some of your favorite images? I'd love to see them.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Art in the Age

I bartend for a living, and up at The White Mountain Hotel we really pride ourselves on having an excellent drink menu using fresh ingredients and combining old and modern recipes to recreate interesting cocktails. To me, the best part about being a bartender is coming up with new cocktails and finding new liquors to experiment with, Josh has a particular flare for creating delicious cocktails. Last winter we discovered Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, a distillery out of Philadelphia. 
Art in the Age
At Art in the Age, liquors are recreating using ancient recipes and post-modern ideas. All liquors are made with herbs, roots, and vegetables and are certified organic.

Root is based on a 1700 era "Root Tea" which was made with sarsaparilla, root bark, and other wild roots and herbs. During the temperance movement, the alcohol was removed from the tea and the new drink was deemed Root Beer.

Snap is based on a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch ginger snap cookie recipe, full of molasses and ginger flavor.

Rhuby takes it's inspiration from agriculturalist John Bartram's love for Rhubarb. The recipe is inspired by Bartram's original garden tea which he created to showcase Rhubarb flavors. 

We've tried Root and Snap and can't wait to try Rhuby. However, my inspiration for this post was the discovery of a fourth liquor, Sage!

Sage is based on Thomas Jefferson's original Gin recipe. In older times, families often distilled their own liquor using botanicals and herbs from their gardens. 

I'm so excited to try this! You could create so many different cocktails, I'm thinking a Bee's Knees (Sage, honey, lemon juice) but even a simple sage and tonic would be delicious, especially if it was garnished with fresh herbs. When I get my hands on a bottle I'll be sure to experiment and share my concoctions. 

What are some of your favorite cocktails and liquors? I'm always on the lookout for something new!