Fill a Margarita glass with ice to chill and set aside.  Combine the tequila, limoncello, lemon juice, bitters in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously.  Add the Simple Syrup, adding more if necessary.  Strain the drink into a chilled glass garnish with a lemon twist and serve immediately.  Makes one cocktail.

Speaking of spirits, Halloween is the perfect time to imbibe a cocktail or two and hit the streets.  Even if you don’t costume there are many that do and so much to see.  We celebrate this holiday with as much enthusiasm as most cities do New Year’s Eve.  If you ever happen to be in New Orleans for Halloween remember to bring your camera.  That way you can look back and say “Yes, that really was 5 o’clock shadow on the chin of Miss Marilyn Monroe.”

Autumn brings us cooler weather with decreased humidity.  It’s my favorite time of the year as my birthday happens right in the middle of fall. Cooler weather makes me think of having cocktails that are a bit heavier in style and flavor.   I’ve listed a couple of cocktails from our cocktail book which are perfect for your Halloween celebration.

Now, get your costume ready for Halloween and get ready to have fun.  One little hint — it ALWAYS takes more time to get in costume than you think. Plan ahead.  Get all of your “spirits” ready for Halloween.  Have fun and call a cab.  And no, do not post those photos on the internet.

Widow’s Kiss
1 1/2 ozs Calvados
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Benedictine
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Fill a cocktail (martini) glass with ice to chill.  Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. Discard the ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Serve immediately.

Whoa, Nellie!
1 1/4 ozs Sazerac rye or other rye
3/4 oz dark rum, such as Myer’s
3/4 oz Cointreau
4 dashes Angostura bitters
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz grapefruit juice
1/2 oz simple syrup (1 to 1 ratio)
Fill a cocktail (martini) glass with ice and set aside to chill.  Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Discard the ice from the glass.  Strain the drink into the glass and serve immediately.

1 ounce Goslings Black Rum

1/4 ounce simple syrup

3 thin slices cucumber

1 lemon wedge

3 to 4 chives

pinch of white pepper

3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

1/2 ounce Warm Ginger Cordial Syrup

24k gold dust

Squeeze Lemon wedge into simple syrup and drop in a cocktail shaker, add cucumber, pinch of white pepper.  Cut chives into 1 inch strips and add to shaker.  Muddle all ingredients then add lime juice, cordial syrup and both rums.  Shake over ice and strain through mesh strainer into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with two 4 inch chives and sprinkle 24 karat gold dust over drink and drink glass.

Note: Drink variation can be played with by using only simple syrup and fresh ginger in the muddle mix.  Simple would then be 3/4 ounce and no cordial syrup.

I am (admittedly so) a sucker for wines made with grapes grown outside of their country of origin.  I am fascinated by the thought of it.  I admire the vintners and growers that take risks on doing such and I become giddy with anticipation before tasting these wines.  The purists will scoff and turn their nose up at the very thought but some of these wines are downright exciting!  Tasting different varietals out of their normal context is a great way to give you and your palate perspective and some real insight into the true character of that particular grape.  So, in the spirit of adventure this week we get into a bottle of Darcie Kent Gruner Veltliner from Monterey County, California.

‘A Gruner from California, you say?!?!’  Yep, that’s right.  Gruner Veltliner’s usually hail from Austria;  cool climate wines that exhibit a racy acidity (I’ve learned that when writing about acidity in wine the word ‘racy’ is employed a lot, so I am jumping on the bandwagon…until I can think of a suitable alternative…I am pondering ‘zippy.’), delicious green apple and citrus flavors with a subtle (…or not so subtle) hint of spice.  These are usually fantastic food wines, deservedly so.  GV’s became the Sommelier’s darling about ten years ago and remain in favor.  I am a fan of their crispness and I have forsaken Sauvignon Blanc as my go-to summer wine to be with my dearest GruVe.  That being said, some of these wines can be too austere; too much ZIPPY acidity and not much else.  This is certainly not a problem with Darcie Kent’s Gruner Veltliner!

Darcie Kent is an artist and winemaker, in fact I am told that she paints all of her own labels.  Darcie and her husband founded Darcie Kent Winery in 1996, in Livermore’s Crane Ridge Foothills.  They focus on hand-crafted, limited production, single vineyard wines.  Their 2009 Rava’s Black Jack Vineyard Gruner Veltliner is one of these wines.  It has a wonderful nose of citrus, leaning heavily on the lime notes.  That crisp citrus continues on the palate and leads into some white fruit flavors.  I immediately noticed that the mouth feel was a bit different for a Gruner.  This wine actually has body. It is medium in weight and finishes with almost tropical notes.  It is a much riper version than its Austrian pen pal but still possesses all of its good qualities.  Good acid, good fruit but with an added richness.  This Gruner Veltliner does nothing to dispel the fact that these are fantastic food wines.  Pair this with seafood of the shellfish variety and you cannot go wrong!

So go ahead, crawl out on that limb and reward yourself.  GRU-VE!

Robert Wailes is the manager and head Adult Beverage Consultant for Café Adelaide and the Swizzle Stick bar in New Orleans.  He has been interested in wine and adult beverages for as long as he can remember (seriously!).

Everyone knows we love having good cocktail even more so when it benefits a good cause. Cafe Adelaide & the Swizzle Stick Bar was the venue. Girls First was the cause, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing sport and movement opportunities to underserved girls in the metropolitan New Orleans area. Girls participating in the program attend a weeklong residential sports camp held annually on the Tulane University campus and are encouraged to attend monthly activities throughout the year. The weeklong camp features supervised instruction in swimming, team and individual sports, outdoor recreational activities, nutrition, and health education. The fabulous Lu Brow was serving the Big Bucks Betty & Miss Hissy Fit cocktails. Our celebrity bartender Brittany Brees, first lady of the Saints & wife of Drew, along with Cocktail Chick Lally Brennan was at the Girl Next Door bar serving the Adelaide Swizzle &  the Tequila Mockingbird 2. The other celebrity bartender was the First Lady of New Orleans, Cheryl Landrieu, wife of our mayor Mitch was at the Bubbles & Boa bar, serving the Oh What a Night! Cocktail Chick Ti Martin was serving the Rummy Tum Tum.  Some of these cocktail recipes are available on the Cocktail Chicks App available free on ITunes or in our book In the Land of Cocktails. If you missed this year’s benefit you can always join us next year but if you would like to donate to Girls First, please contact them.

My first taste of a cocktail was the Mint Julep.  Unforgettable to say the least.  I was about 12 years old and attending a party in honor of my Daddy’s brother Phil at my Aunt Myrtle’s home in Shreveport   It must have been in August as I remember the heat being unbearable.  Her home hosted the best parties — full of fun, relatives, great food and people misbehaving.  My immediate family was different from my other relatives — the only Baptist’s in the bunch. You know what that means.  No drinking.  So suffice it to say I got a lot of education about life attending those parties.  The men would gather together outside leaving all of the women in the cool house to socialize.  I wanted to be outside — all of the men were drinking these mint drinks, laughing, smoking and having fun.  I slipped outside to see my uncle and he asked me to take a taste of what was in his glass.  I will remember the taste the rest of my life.  Sweet, minty and so strong it made my eyes water.  He laughed and told me it was a Mint Julep — “What gentlemen drink when it’s hot outside,  baby” — All the men were laughing because they knew my Daddy had stepped inside and would have had a stroke if he had known I had tasted alcohol.  To this day I remember all the laughing and smiles on those faces in that hot summer sun.

Just thinking about that reminds me of the time my Aunt Mildred started dancing on Christmas Eve and fell into the Christmas tree at Aunt Myrtle’s.  She took the whole tree down and had to have knee surgery on Christmas Day!

But back to the Mint Julep…
I think every Bartender has a one drink that is their go-to drink.  The one you always want, judge other Bartender’s by and recommend to guests uncertain of which cocktail to drink.  Mine is the Sidecar.  Chris McMillan’s is the Mint Julep.  Order one with him and you will never have another anywhere like the one he prepares for you.  The ritual of his preparation is beautiful.  His deep voice, sure hands and his presence make it unforgettable.  Where other than New Orleans would you meet someone like him and hear the Bartender recite a poem while he prepares the cocktail?

It never fails to bring me to tears — the sheer beauty of the drink and the beauty of someone like Chris.  We are fortunate to have him in this city.  Make it a point to visit him and enjoy his drink and his company.

Lu