Holiday Madness

Well, holiday madness is finally here and luckily it's almost over for us at Rodney's. We've been covered up with Christmas parties for weeks now and luckily we will be off to spend time with our families on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and New Year's Day! I've had very good success with my fall cocktail menu that I was working on from my last post. The B(V)LT was not as big of a hit as I expected and the Pickled Caesar turned out to be the star of the show! Let me tell you this drink was a happy accident. When I was creating the menu I really wanted to do something with pickle brine. I had been talking to one of my regulars for the summer from Wellington, Florida and she had been to Canada and had what the Canadians drink as their version of a Bloody Mary: a Caesar (vodka with celery salt on the rim and Clamato.) I didn't want to have too many Bloody Mary-type cocktails on my menu so I thought I'd better combine the two ideas to make one drink. Also I wanted to use a different type of hot sauce since I already used Tabasco in my Dirty Mary martini. So there's the background and here's the result: I mix Tito's vodka with Clamato, Worcestershire, Sriracha and dill pickle brine with a celery salt rim to make the Pickled Caesar, my new favorite drink (and everyone else's too!)

On another note, for the holiday season I did the 12 Cocktails of Christmas once again, but for the third year in a row I changed all the recipes! I think it's safe to say that this year all of them have been much more popular than they have been the two years prior. Chef Rodney says it's because I'm a better mixologist now than I was before, that I keep getting better each year. Not to brag, but I think so too!

Growing Bar Chef

Lately I have been scouring the internet for the trendiest trends in craft cocktails for ideas for my fall cocktail menu! I'm seeing so many cool things: shrubs, infusions, homemade bitters and tonics, savory herbal combinations, and no more foofy martinis. I'm doing bacon-infused vodka for a fabulous green Bloody Mary that I have dubbed The B(V)LT...I won't divulge the ingredients just yet, but let me just say, I am SO EXCITED about this drink! I am also experimenting with bitters, fig syrup, falernum, orgeat, some spicy flavors and planning on creating a shrub or two. This is a big year for the restaurant (Rodney's On Broadway), our 4th, and I am so proud to have been a part of it's growth and success! More to come. Cheers!

I have an update on my award from the fall.  The Bourbon Women finally sent me my decanter/trophy AND I have a nice little mention in the Kentucky Horse Park mag!

The R.O.B Team

 I just thought I would write a post about me & Rodney's On Broadway.  I work with amazing people.  Chef Rodney is so talented and truly the best boss I will probably ever have, Steve our General Manager(pictured below) is a joy to work with and a true friend of mine, and the staff is small and close-knit, the best group we have ever had.  I'm getting all nostalgic because I know this won't last forever and I will have to move on from this great place someday, but I will take friends and memories with me.

 So fall and winter this past year, I tried a few new things, like Hiram Walker's Pumpkin Pie liqueur (AWESOME), Shock Top Pumpkin Ale, a candy corn infusion, and a candy cane infusion, but struggled to create Christmas cocktails that are not sweet.  This was difficult. 

 This is Ichabod's Pumpkin Ale.  We tried both and liked both.  

Headless Horseman:

vanilla vodka, vanilla schnapps, fill with pumpkin ale.

These are vodka infusions of candy cane and candy corn!

I also discovered Old Smokey Mountain's Apple Pie Moonshine, which when mixed with Rum Chata, a little cream and sprinkled with brown sugar, became my Moonshine Apple Pie Martini.

"Not Your Subourbon Housewife" winner of the 2012 "Not Your Pink Drink" Contest!

Not Your Subourbon Housewife

1 oz. or equal parts of the following:

90 proof bourbon (I used Buffalo Trace)

Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur

Butterscotch Schnapps

Splash of Gran Marnier

Mix ingredients in an ice-filled shaker.  Shake and strain.

Rim chilled martini glass with raw sugar and garnish with an orange twist and a dried apricot.

I opened this email today and am super excited that I won!

Congratulations Rachel:

Your entry -- Not Your Subourbon Housewife -- in the Bourbon Women Not Your Pink Drink contest was selected at the winning entry in the Professional Division. We were excited by your entry and look forward to naming it as the Official BW Cocktail of 2013 along with the Amateur Division award winning entry. We will contact you shortly with more information about this prestigious award. Congratulations!!!

Keith Howard, CAE 
Bourbon Women
1957 Eastview Avenue
Louisville, KY 40205
859-797-0877 (cell)

Keith.Howard@theaiedge.com

http://bourbonwomen.org/

SANGRIA

Alright, I'm going to share a secret with you.

I don't measure anything, EVER.

I have found this to be the reason my sangria is especially successful: it's never exactly the same.

Dump in some wine, some juice, some liquor, fruit and club soda or ginger ale (depending on how sweet you like it), taste, adjust and voila!  Sangria : )

This is my first batch (pictured).

I used red, white and blush wines, all mixed together.  There's some cognac, peach schnapps, OJ and pineapple juice, frozen raspberries and club soda.  This was a big hit!  

*If using a container like me, with a spout, consider marinating the fruit separately and ladling some into the glass when serving.  The fruit will clog the spout.

Enjoy!