San Francisco : Video

The Modnaya Life

BuzzEditor — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:59:00 GMT

As promised, here is the second part of our vodka mixology lesson with Jeremy James Thompson at NYC's Raines Law Room. Today, he demonstrates the proper way to make a Staraya Modnaya, the Russian version of an Old Fashioned. And for those of you looking to play along at home, here's the full recipe:

Staraya Modnaya (Old Fashioned) (Jeremy James Thompson, 2009)
In a mixing glass:
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 small sprig of fresh dill
1 sugar cube
1 dash seltzer
Muddle the above ingredients into a paste

Add:
2 1/2 oz. Russian Standard Platinum Vodka
Fill with cracked ice
Stir until "Siberian chill" is reached (20 seconds should do)
Strain into a chilled Kummel-rinsed rocks glass
Add 1 large block of ice
Garnish with a spray of oil from the zest of a lemon and a small sprig of fresh dill on top

Improving the Moscow Mule

BuzzEditor — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:29:00 GMT

Tequila and rum, your season is up. As the air picks up a chill, there’s nothing better to warm your gut than a stiff vodka cocktail, and the Moscow Mule (invented in Hollywood in 1941) is one of the most enduring. In this video, mixologist Jeremy James Thompson demonstrates his updated, more spice-laden version at Raines Law Room in NYC's Flatiron District. Stay tuned for more with Thompson tomorrow, when he’ll show how to make his Staraya Modnaya, the Russian version of an Old Fashioned.

Improved Moscow Mule (Jeremy James Thompson, 2009)
1 1/2 oz. Russian Standard Platinum Vodka
1 oz. Canton Ginger Liqueur
3/4 oz. lime juice
2 dashes Fee Brother's Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters

Shake and strain into a copper mug containing a large block of ice
Add 3–5 oz. seltzer
Dust with freshly grated nutmeg and mint sprig

Burger Kings

BuzzEditor — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:12:00 GMT

Add Ray’s Hell Burgers to the growing list of places where one or both of the Obamas have been spotted dining since arriving in Washington in early January.

Yesterday the president and Vice President Biden paid a surprise visit to the Arlington, VA, burger joint, waiting in line like everyone else and refusing the offer of free grub. Here’s a tidbit from Ray’s owner Michael Landrum on his encounter with POTUS. The momentous meal was also captured on the video seen above.

Holding true to a promise that he’d get out in the community, the president has sampled various eateries, both high-brow and, well, not so high-brow. On May 2, he and the First Lady had a date night in Georgetown at Michel Richard’s acclaimed Citronelle, where a special meal was prepared for the First Couple. Shortly before the inauguration, the president-elect popped into Bobby Van’s Steakhouse on 15th Street Downtown for a cocktail reception, and caused a stir during a meal with DC Mayor Adrian Fenty at the landmark Ben’s Chili Bowl in the U Street Corridor. Several days later, he and a group of friends gathered to celebrate Michelle Obama’s 45th birthday at Equinox, Todd and Ellen Gray’s New American steps from the White House.

For her part, Michelle Obama has been sighted noshing at the Dupont Circle Five Guys with her staff and, more recently, at Capitol Hill’s Art and Soul, Art Smith’s midpriced American.

Streep Gets Childish

BuzzEditor — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:49:00 GMT

The trailer for the much anticipated (by foodies at least) Nora Ephron movie Julie & Julia – an adaptation of Julie Powell's book and blog, which chart her year-long attempt to cook all of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking – has hit the Internets. Check it out here. It's worth a watch, if just for a look at Meryl Streep's impersonation of Mrs. Child.

But since the film doesn't come out until August 7, what is the hungry Child fan to do in the meantime? For the real deal herself, well, look no further than the PBS website, which has begun streaming some of Child's classic television programs here. Or, for a humorous spin, you can't go wrong with Dan Aykroyd's infamous Saturday Night Live impersonation (which actually makes an appearance in the film).

Cocktail College With David Wondrich

BuzzEditor — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:24:00 GMT

Meet David Wondrich, author of Imbibe! and leader of our second and final course at cocktail college. Today we'll be learning how to make the Improved Holland Gin Cocktail, which the mixologist poured for attendees at our recent Vintage Drinks event at Keens Steakhouse in New York.

For those who want to shake up their drinking regimen at home, we've included the recipe below, and all the recipes from the event can be found here.

Improved Holland Gin Cocktail
Shake well with plenty of ice:
2 oz. Bols Genever
1 tsp. rich simple syrup (made with 2 parts sugar to 1 part water)
½ teaspoon Luxardo maraschino
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash absinthe
Strain into small, chilled cocktail glass and twist a swatch of thin-cut lemon peel over the top.

Cocktail College With Dale DeGroff

BuzzEditor — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:47:00 GMT

At last week's Vintage Drinks event at New York's Keens Steakhouse we learned a fair amount about vintage drinking. Worried that we might not retain it all – what with the drinking – we persuaded the King of Cocktails himself, Dale DeGroff, to show us how to make the Morning Glory Fizz.

Want to try it at home? Here's the recipe. And come back tomorrow for David Wondrich's lesson on how to make a Holland Gin Cocktail.

Morning Glory Fizz
from Modern Bartenders Guide, O.H. Byron, 1884
Ingredients:
mixing glass 3/4 full with fine ice
3 to 4 dashes absinthe mixed in a little water
3 dashes lime juice
1 tbsp. sugar
egg white
1 wine glass of Scotch
Shake well in a shaker and strain. Balance off glass with seltzer.
Drink immediately, or the effect will be lost. It's a morning beverage, a tonic and a nerve quieter.