NEGRONI WEEK AT J. RIEGER

It was a lot of fun celebrating Negroni Week at @jriegerco!  We are huge fans of @jriegerco Kansas City Whiskey and our holiday season is incomplete without our J Rieger Holiday Whiskey. So when Master Distiller Tom Nichols was in town for Negroni Week, you know you had to be there. 

You can enjoy Negroni in a few variations at @visitjriegerco , created from their signature Midwestern Dry Gin! Negroni is a classic cocktail made with equal parts Gin, equal parts Campari and equal parts vermouth. I tried the Classic Negroni and the Negroni Spagliato. @jriegerco had proudly joined thousands of bars and hotels around the world during Negroni Week and donated a part of their sales to @slowfood_international .

If you haven't yet been to J Rieger Distillery, then go ahead and enjoy happy hour or patio time at the Electric Park Garden Bar and enjoy a Negroni or any other cocktail of your choice! The Electric Park Garden Bar is a one-of-a-kind outdoor bar and restaurant experience on the grounds of our historic distillery. Complete with fire pits, a swing set table, and lounge seating, this park-like space will offer an unparalleled outdoor patio bar experience. Playful menus inspired by nostalgic theme parks and soda parlors will bring boozy snow cones, frozen cocktails, and delectable food.

If you want something a bit more formal, then try their Monogram Lounge! Overlooking the distillery production floor, The Monogram Lounge is currently open Wednesday thru Sunday for and walk-ins. A lively, open gathering space that features a wide variety of cocktails, small plates and Heim Beer on draft.

You can also opt for the hour-long guided tour of J. Rieger & Co., Kansas City’s iconic distillery. Discover the history of the brand, from its founding during the wild and raucous years when the city boasted “the wettest block in the world”, to its premature demise at the dawn of Prohibition, and eventual revival in 2014, nearly a century later. Enjoy extensive access to each phase of the distillation process, from grain to bottle.Your tour concludes with a spirits tasting of Premium Wheat Vodka, Midwestern Dry Gin, Kansas City Whiskey and Caffè Amaro, led by one of our knowledgeable guides.

 

Cheers to good times! 

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CUCUMBER COOLER COCKTAIL - FROM GARDEN TO TABLE

                                                                                                           

Summer is almost over, but I wanted to cherish a bit of Summer in my glass. Just like every other Midwesterner, I had my bounty from my kitchen garden. Among the vegetables I do every year, salad cucumber and mint always find a pride of place. This year, my husband decided to re-create an iconic cocktail at home - Bobby Flay's Cucumber Cooler Cocktail. 

With the pandemic, dining to on our patio became a celebration. So in addition to trying out new recipes for grilling, we tried our hand at mixology. from iconic favorites like Old fashioned and White Russian, we tried out Cucumber Cooler. Both of us have had cucumber cocktails in the past which we had ordered at restaurants. It made sense to try and recreate a taste and flavor which we were familiar with.  

 

Cucumber cocktails can be made with both vodka and gin, depending on preferences. Also, Bobby uses cucumber vodka, but we used regular vodka. We decided to opt for vodka as that's what we had on hand. We used mojito mint in ours, but a few different varieties of mint can be used, as long its not spearmint or chocolate mint. So if you are looking for a refreshing cocktail, go ahead and give it a try. And maybe preserve a few Summer memories in your heart as the cooler days swing in.

CUCUMBER COOLER COCKTAIL: 

Recipe adapted from Bobby Flay

Ingredients: 

Vodka: 1 cup 

Tonic Water: 1 cup 

Cucumber Juice: 1/2 cup

Fresh Lime Juice: 1/4 cup

Simple Syrup: 1/4 cup (Heat equal amounts of sugar and water, till the sugar dissolves. Cool and use) 

Mint Leaves: A handful 

Ice cubes

Procedure: 

Divide the ingredients in half and add each half to a cocktail shaker. Combine and serve over ice! 

Bon Appetit!

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NEGRONI WEEK AT JASPER'S, KANSAS CITY

 Negroni Week at Jasper's was one memorable evening! Three amazing Negroni cocktails paired with everything, from fresh mozzarella to decadent yet light desserts kickstarted the celebrations. Negroni Week is celebrated widely, with restaurants donating a portion of their sales to a charity of their choice. Jasper's in Kansas City hosted the creme de la creme of KC's media fraternity for an exclusive preview of their Negroni week. Slow Food International was the charity of choice for this Kansas City restaurant. Jasper's is an award-winning, family-owned Italian restaurant in Kansas City, currently headed by Chef Jasper Mirabile Jr. Negroni Week ran June 4-10th.

For those of you who are unaware, Negroni is a famous Italian cocktail which is made with Campari, Gin, and sweet Vermouth. Jasper's created their own spin on it, by serving not only the classic Negroni but also two others, including a Limon Cello, Champagne and a Granita version of it. I had to settle for just sips of them all, as I was driving that night. Next time, its Negroni Week, remind me to hail an Uber! Personally, I am not a fan of sweet cocktails, and negroni was clearly up my alley with its mature and bitter notes, as you sipped your drink. 

As the Negroni flowed through the evening, I turned my attention to the food. Jasper's had created their own little competitor for the iconic Avocado Toast, with their Caprese Toast! As the fresh trays laden with Caprese toast made their way out of the kitchen, you almost felt like you were on a small Italian holiday right in the heart of KC. There could be Caprese toasts elsewhere, but none of them came with their own Mozzarella Theatre! 

Chef Jasper regaled us with his foodie stories from Italy and how he was inspired to seasonally change his menu. And that is not all, we were treated to the famous Mirabile Mozarella Theater. If you have not dined at japer's in KC yet, then you should plan your next date night there. Besides the amazing menu, don't miss the live Mozzarella Theater, hosted by the Mirabile family, wherein fresh mozzarella is made every evening in front of the guest. Having front row seats to this culinary theater has its own perks, I tell you. Fresh mozzarella, juicy and vine ripe heirloom tomatoes, garden fresh basil, found their way to the toast. Call me a die-hard romantic, but I was majorly missing my foodie partner in crime, my husband, throughout the evening. He is a great home chef and an awesome foodie, and he surely missed out an a great evening. But then again, had he not been on baby duty, I would not have been able to come. Cheers to all teh husbands who support their wives. 

Munching over Caprese Toast, the mingling continued, over Negroni. Chef Jasper then whipped up some fresh Summer Pasta for us all. I had bid portion control goodbye when I had walked in through the front doors of Jasper's that evening. As the name suggested, it was the perfect Summer main course anyone could have asked for. It was light yet very filling. A big dollop of fresh Ricotta and I was a happy soul. 

If you felt that you would be full by now, then you were mistaken. Two KC area Chefs were challenged by Chef Jasper to create Negroni inspired desserts. Donutology, KC, created Campari Donuts to appeal to your sweet tooth. 

KC Chef J C Gregg who is well known for his stint at the Great American Baking Show, created Campari Macarons and Negroni Opera Cakes, to say the least. The complexities and notes in the desserts by Gregg were truly a feast in themselves.

Cheers to good times, with some amazing foodies, to celebrate Negroni Week! 

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TEQUILA SUNRISE : COCKTAIL PICK FOR SUMMER

Hello Summer! My favorite time of the year is here. Hope all of you had a great Memorial day weekend. We usually are known for our extensive travel, but this long weekend, we took it slow. Some quality time as a family was something we wanted to focus on, along with some great meetups with some great friends. When Summer meetups come to mind, I imagine some fun tropical inspired cocktails. If you switch up your make up when the weather change, should you also not switch up your cocktail choices. Well, I do.

Imagine the pool, some good friends, and a refreshing drink to sip on. We cant always travel to a fancy resort and order from the poolside bar, but we can whip up something fancy right in our backyard. Presenting to you - Tequila Sunrise. Not the Eagles' song, but the cocktail. Doesn't the drink just look Summer Perfect? I love those colors together. It always looks like a work of art, when Hubs whips up some. Tequila Sunrise is a cocktail which is made of Orange Juice, Tequila and Grenadine Syrup, unmixed. The color gradient resembles a sunrise and hence the drink gets its name. You can serve it with a garnish of Maraschino cherries.

I might have spoken earlier, on how much  Mixology is a hobby for me and Hubs. We love our cocktails and we love to re-create them at home as well. So over the years, we have curated our cocktail bar at home. Tequila Sunrise is quite a famous cocktail, and my husband has perfected how to make it at home. We have served it at a few dinners at home recently and our friends just loved it. Trust me, you can make it in a jiffy. Let's get mixing!

TEQUILA SUNRISE : 

Ingredients: 
Orange Juice: 3/4 cup
Tequila: 1 /12 oz
Grenadine Syrup: 3/4 oz
Maraschino Cherry : for garnish

Procedure: 

Pour the orange juice and Tequila in a glass of your choice.

Now slowly pour the Grandine syrup over the back of a spoon, in the glass. Allow it to settle at the bottom of the glass. Do this step slowly.

Garnish with a Maraschino Cherry.

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WHITE RUSSIAN FOR VALENTINE'S DAY - COCKTAIL SPECIAL

Who doesn't remember the drink made famous by the character called The Dude from the film 'The Big Lebowski.' White Russian is unmistakable in its charm and crowd pleasing abilities. From a Girls' Night In, to a big family party, it will always create its magic. Its a sweet cocktail and one of the perfect after dinner drinks, if your want to skip dessert. Its luscious and creamy and yet packs a punch

This cocktail had been on my mind for some time. While I had ordered it at a few evenings out, I finally decided to make it for Valentine's Day. We usually treat ourselves to some fancy cocktail when we are eating out. This year we celebrated Valentine's Day with a Romantic Dinner at Tavern at Mission Farms, added an accent piece to our living room decor with my Valentine's Day DIY and finally a round of cocktails at home.

White Russian needs a coffee liqueur . While the classic White Russian uses Bailey's Irish Cream, you can also substitute it with Kahlua . If you want it fancier, you can even add in a teaspoon of caramel sauce to every glass. You can even substitute the cream, with half and  half or with whole milk(if your pantry isn't helping you out). I prefer it just the classic way but had run out of heavy cream so substituted it with half and half.  I know this post doesn't have the fanciest of pictures, but trust me, its a great cocktail. So make yourself some White Russian and grab your favorite person to enjoy it.

WHITE RUSSIAN : 

Ingredients: 
Vodka : 1 oz
Bailey's Original Coffee Liqueur : 2 oz
Half and Half : 4 oz
Shaker
Ice Cubes and ice chips
Old Fashioned Glass
Meauring cup / Peg measure


Procedure:

Mix the ingredients with ice cubes in a shaker and shake well.

Strain in an old fashioned glass over some ice chips.

Enjoy !

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