Reformed Cynic

Margarita Mashup: Waltham, MA and Montpelier, VT

Hello cocktail-living friends! Following an admittedly too-long (and unannounced) pause, I have returned with a double cocktail review of everyone's favorite, oft-frozen and oversalted drink.

I recently visited Margaritas on Moody Street in Waltham on a cold, cold night. Imagining that a restaurant so named would not be a slouch in the drinks department, I ordered an Original Margarita, made with Patron, rim salted. No, it was definitely not frozen, thanks very much.

What arrived was a pleasant drink of generous proportions. The tequila was not skimped on, and the glass' rim was just coated enough - I really don't like it when bits of salt (or sugar) fall into your drink, victim of overenthusiastic application. The drink had a nice little bite to it, and while not stellar, is definitely a solid performer and one I would have again.

The second Margarita hails from Julio's in Montpelier, VT. On a recent drive home from Vermont, my boyfriend and I took a quick detour in the hope of finding somewhere open late on a Monday night. While most of the downtown area slept, Julio's was open and a tad bit rowdy. While waiting for our appetizers, I ordered a Pomegranate Margarita on the rocks.

Presented with a Ruby-red concoction, I found it to be enjoyably sweet and moderately alcoholic. The amount of ice was a bit disappointing, far too "rocky" for my taste, but the drink itself cannot be faulted. Pretty good value for what you'll pay, and I do belive that the restaurant has a $2.50 house margarita night as well.

Cocktails of Mad Men S4: Hard Times

I'm tying up a loose-end cocktail review from episode 10 , "Hands and Knees ", which was painful to watch, and I haven't been able to write much about it until now. In it, we see Layne bullied by his father, Don have a panic attack, and Joan forced to traverse a lonely path once more.

Intense scenes, intense cocktails. My boyfriend, who was feeling a little under the weather and stuffed up, had a cool-weather favourite, mulled Cider. In it's Noir incarnation, the Body Heat Cider:

Taking your standard apple cider with cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, it was transformed into the cup that cheers with the addition of Sailor Jerry’s Rum, Ruby Port, and a splash of Apricot Brandy. Not only will it warm your heart and clear your sinuses, it will give you the courage to endure when forced to listen to off-key carolers!

My cocktail was cold yet spicy,the fire-water tinged Satan Met a Lady. A piquant delight of Bols Genever and Cointreau, flavored with simple syrup, Hot Pepper water and lemon.

Lemony-yellow with frothy clouds, it's a spicy lemonade with both a pucker and bite. Witness the frothy clouds of ice and lemon afloat in the glass:

Cold yet scorching...

Tonight, the season finale - who will Don run off with this time, and like me, does anyone else think that Joan has kept her baby?

 

 

Cocktails of Mad Men S4: Shenanigans Aplenty

Lots of activity this week, some desperate (Midge vs. Horse, not a fair fight, is it?), some childish (Betty), some romantically nostalgic (Sally and the Odd Glen), and just plain ballsy/crazy (Don and his ever-present voiceover from this season).

I had a bit of time on my hands this past week, and wanted to savor a little something to eat before having a cocktail - odd, I know, especially when cocktails are designed to stimulate the appetite, so I had a unique flatbread off of the Noir weekly Menu:

I enjoy a snack of red pears with bleu cheese, and warmed sounded even better on a chilly Sunday night. While I do prefer a crispier flatbread crust, I could not complain about those lushly roasted, almost caramelly pears. This will be an entertaining staple for my upcoming holiday season - imagine sliced pears with a pungent goat or bleu cheese crumbled atop as a tartine or enveloped in phyllo dough? Mmm.. Do I hear a post about cocktail holiday nosh?

Anyway, on to the cocktail! I've had everything on the existing Noir Cocktail menu excepting things which contain either Peaches or excessive amounts of cream, and I had been craving a Kir Royale, so I asked for a variant, 'tenders choice. This is the layered miracle which arrived:

Comprised of champagne, the juice of a lemon with splashes of gin, St. Germain, and Chambord, it had a delightful elderflower nose, which tempered the Champagne. I also adored the fact that the ingredients were of slightly differing densities, so layers formed, which you can see. I don't know what to call this, so I'll just say "Wonderful", which is entirely true.

Next week, the finale!

Cocktails of Mad Men S4: Felling the Chinese Wall

Don, Don, Don... Just as soon as you show signs of rehabilitation, the backslide begins and you undo all of your hard work.. and speaking of sliding into dangerous territory, anyone else here think that Megan is either a) an agent provocateur planted by Ted Chaough b)trying to advance in the manner most people believe Peggy did, i.e. sleeping with Don ?

Our drinks this week were definitely autumnal fare, featuring the fruits and vegetables of the season. First, my boyfriend had the very appropriate Naughty O'Pear, which I'd previously reviewed in September, but once again delighted with the lovely addition of Belle de Brillet and pear nectar. It's a chilled, alcoholic pear dessert soup in a glass.

My adventurous foray into Pumpkin-flavored cocktails was not all I'd hoped. After hearing it described two weeks ago as "autumn in a glass", I had to give You Only Live Once a Try. Made of Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum, pumpkin puree, an egg white, cream, brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon, it tasted like a liquid pumpkin pie filling.

Interesting at first, but unless quaffed in one long draught, it becomes watery and "mushy" as it sits, much like a real pumpkin pie. How can a drink be described as mushy? Well, the drink began to separate, with the cream base diluted by the rum,and the egg white somehow becoming more solid. I would not order this again, but I love the idea of it, and the presentation was luscious - note the brown-sugared rim.

With only two episodes left this season, what will the repercussions of Don's actions this season be? Will MPs come to his tenement door to arrest him for desertion, or will Alison arrive with a wriggling bundle of surprise?

 

On the Road: A Punchy Mai Tai at Koto in Lebanon, NH

On a long, dark drive to Vermont, my boyfriend and I were in need of a hot meal and a pause to refresh. Being an avid skier, he has a mental stash of restaurants along the way where one can refuel and continue north into the darkness.

We stopped at Koto in Lebanon, NH - a Benihana style restaurant, which was incredibly empty on a Saturday night. Perhaps folks go to bed earlier in New Hampshire, or maybe there's a newer hibachi grill down the road, but we were the lone diners at the cooking tables. After ordering and watching our meal cooked by a rather tired-looking chef (who tried to flip a zucchini slice into my open mouth, only to have it bounce awkwardly off my face), my drink arrived - a coral colored Mai Tai.

Remarkably alcoholic and birthday party fruit punch like - anyone remember bowls of Kool Aid with cut-up fruit & Ginger Ale? - it could have cleansed my sinsues. Far too much light rum, but on the other hand, they *did not* skimp on the booze. Lots of non-standard fruit floating in it, too:

Can't argue with two whole cherries, now can you? Authenticity, Schmauthenticity.

The food, I might add, was excellent. Granted, we were hungry, but each of our seafood grills - red snapper with noodles for me, salmon with the same for him - were skillfully cooked so that the fish was firm, flaky and tender and the vegetables crisp. We'll be giving this another try in the near future, and if you are heading to VT or NH ski country, you ought to do the same.

 

Cocktails of Mad Men S4: Sally (That Girl)

Scenestealer, thy name is Sally Draper. From your white floral sundress, to the heartbreaking detail of wearing the necklace on your Christmas list, and your final realization that Don ain't comin' to save you, you rock.. Anyone else think this Beautiful Girl will be a regular at Studio 54, spiting Don and Betty both with her decadence?

Mostly tart with a little bit of syrupy humor, my cocktail, the White Heat, was an appropriately brash complement to "The Beautiful Girls". While the description promised a mix of 42 Below Vodka with Grapefruit Juice and Maraschino Liqueur, I absolutely believe that I received a glass of vodka with grapefruit juice, sans cherry - which would of course make this a Greyhound.

Not bad, but not what I expected.. Much like Roger and Joan screwing by the trash cans..

Next week, a rumor of chocolate bunnies and Bettyhysteria abound. With 4 episodes left, where will this season go - who or what will supply our jaw-dropping loose ends?

 

 

 

Cocktails of Mad Men S4: Voiceovers and Voluntary Celibacy

Having missed my last week's viewing at Noir, I caught up on "The Suitcase" via iTunes and was ready for what was coming next for Pegs, Don, and especially Joan. As pooh-poohed as Don's voiceover of this episode was, I quite enjoyed it  - as a sometime voiceover artist myself it was quite enjoyable, and it led us through a great deal of plot and character development in a short amount of time.

Now, for the second V - who would have thought that S1 Don would turn down a roll in the hay with an intelligent, assertive woman? I guess he's left the bottom of his existential troth, and is seeking balance, still without reaching out for help..

To acknowledge the nuanced progress of our Donny D, I opted for a drink with a firm foundation and a subtle twist - a Genever Collins. It's the great-uncle of the Tom Collins, having the usual lemon, simple syrup, and seltzer, but fortified with Bols Genever, instead of the usual gin.

It shimmered a lovely light green, and as expected due to the Genever, has a herby taste; the citrus juice added requisite tartness to the drink, too. If you love gin-based drinks (as I do), give Genever a try in lieu of your favorite London Dry.

My boyfriend had a Sidecar, which I've already reviewed, but it was so wonderfully wrought I had to snap another pic:

 Just look at that frothy bit of sugar easing its way from top to table! A lovely adieu to the summer as well..

Has anyone else noticed the post-suitcase rush of publicity that Jon Hamm has been receiving? Just this week he's been on NPR's Fresh Air, The Today Show, and is scheduled to be on Real Time with Bill Maher tonight. Never to much of a good thing, if you ask me!

Summer’s End: Sangria at Jaleo Washington DC

On a recent trip to Washington, DC with my Darling, we made the fantastic discovery that it was Restaurant Week! I set out at once to find the most appealing participants within an easy walk of our lodgings, and settled on Jaleo ,a tapas-chain restaurant, thinking that if it were horrible we'd be out of the door after a plate or two.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that not only was the food superb – jamon wrapped figs, deep fried, anyone? – but our choice of cocktail, the oft attempted and frequently dishonored Sangria , was a delight to both behold and to drink:

Ruby-red and apple filled, this version of Sangria was not overpowered by the too-generous addition of brandy, but was instead perfectly proportioned. While the addition of apples instead of the usual citrus cocktail was a departure, they added just the right amount of palate-cleansing tartness. We'll definitely be back for more Sangria, even if in the dead of winter, and for more of those marvelous tapas..

Cocktails of Mad Men S4: Show and Tell

Peggy pays a game of bare-all and wins, we see the ascendancy of both Don and Joan, and proof positive thata  little bit of Betty goes a very long way.. even if her tirade was justified..

In honor of Peggy and her game of bluff with the douchebag, our first drink was the Johnny Handsome: Leblon Cachaca muddled with fresh lime and rasberries, then tempered with rhubarb simple syrup. It sparkles on the tongue (due to the lime, I think), and is delightfully both tropical yet tart.

Our second drink of the evening was the health-oriented Naughty O'Pear, a 5-servings-per-day oriented concoction of Stoli Vanilla, Belle de Brillet, and Pear Nectar topped up with Champagne.

Slightly thick, yet wonderfully alcoholic, it has the sweet taste and pureed consistency of the lovely Goya fruit nectars I consumed whilst growing up. If, like me, you strive to consume enough life-giving fruits and vegetables each day, have one of these and call it even.

Pure health, I tell you!

Next week I'll be sampling the clean fresh air and bucolic delights of VT, so I'll be on the prowl for great drinks in the Mad River Valley. Do let me know if you have any favorites!

Cocktails of Mad Men S4: Growing Pains

Two very busy, emotionally charged episodes these past two weeks! Pete and Peggy evolving, both independently and in terms of their shared past, Don having to face up to his drunken indiscretion, Roger facing the past and finding that he can't forgive, and Sally dealing with both her family and body's changes. So much growth in a two-month period..

Due to some travel (to DC - reviews to come), I'm combining the past two episodes' drinks into one booze-soaked post.

First, I had a slightly salaciously named The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, a very yellow slurry of Bombay Dry Gin, Chartreuse, grapefruit juice, flecks of fresh Basil, topped up with Champagne:

I'd forgotten how powerful fresh basil was, and would say it completely overwhelmed the drink - I could taste nothing else, either citrus or alcoholic. Obviously, if you hate basil, do stay away..

   

Otherwise, the lovely basil flecks' aroma shall fill your nostrils, and it *is* a lovely complement to the flatbread which I stuffed down as fast as I could.. 

In essence, this drink is a tincture of basil - drink or not based on your love of the herb.

This past Sunday, two far more fruit-filled cocktails were consumed, the Black Dahlia and a blood-red Sangria.

Many steps down the color spectrum from Dr. Clitterhouse, Noir's Sangria is a dark and pungent mix, rather like an alcoholic fruit punch:

Consider, if you will, Syrah mixed with Ruby Port, apricot Brandy, Peachtree Schnapps, then flavored with peach puree, orange juice and lemon-lime soda. Definitely not your relaxed patio sipper  - this would make a better mulled drink come fall, with the same ingredients (and apple/citrus garnish), but warmed and in a glass mug. For some reason, it seemed too strong as a chilled drink.

The iced, frothy icy Black Dahlia was a blackberry -tinged slush of 42 Below Vodka from New Zealand, Triple Sec, pomegranate juice, fresh blackberries and lemon. Could this be marketed as some sort of antioxidant, anti-aging cocktail?

Far more enjoyable than slathering creams of dubious origins and specious claims..