Celebrate Repeal Day December 5th

 

On December 5, 1933 Prohibition in the United States ended. Join me as I celebrate the passing of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving citizens the right to once again consume beer, liquor, & wine. Even if you can’t join me at the Golden Lion, you can still get into the spirit with these classic cocktails! Since these are classics, there exist many variations. These are the recipes I use.

 

Classic Martini
2 oz gin
1/4 oz dry vermouth
Fill a cocktail glass with shaved ice and water to chill. Pour ingredients into a shaker or mixing glass half filled with ice. Using a long handled bar spoon and a fast motion, stir 5o times. Dump ice out of glass and strain contents of shaker into prepared glass. Garnish with one or two olives.

Manhattan
2 oz bourbon whiskey
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
Fill a cocktail glass with shaved ice and water to chill. Pour ingredients into a shaker or mixing glass half filled with ice. Using a long handled bar spoon and a fast motion, stir 5o times. Dump ice out of glass and strain contents of shaker into prepared glass. Drop a cherry into the glass.

Sidecar
1 1/2 oz brandy
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz lemon juice
Fill a cocktail glass with shaved ice and water to chill. Pour ingredients into a shaker or mixing glass half filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Dump ice out of glass and strain contents of shaker into prepared glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Ward Eight
2 oz blended whiskey
1 tsp grenadine
1 tsp powdered sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
orange slice
maraschino cherry
Shake first four ingredients with ice. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange and cherry.

Presbyterian
1 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
club soda
ginger-ale
lemon peel
Pour whiskey and equal parts of soda and ginger-ale over ice in a highball glass. Give a quick stir and drop in a lemon peel.

Chicago Cocktail
2 oz brandy
1 tsp triple sec
1 dash bitters
Rim an old-fashioned glass with lemon and dip into powdered sugar. Pour ingredients into a shaker or mixing glass half filled with ice. Stir well and strain contents of shaker into prepared glass.

Wherever you are, lift a glass to liberty!

A Cyber Monday Deal From Fun Coast Bartending

 

Sunday Funday With TikiTender!

Good Times On A Sunday

An Epic Gathering Of Tweeps!

While planning my Thanksgiving trip to the Kansas City area, I sent out a tweet warning those in KC that I was coming.   One follower, @tinyKCdancer, suggested I come see her burlesque troupe on Friday night.  The call went out via twitter and facebook and the result was this group of Twitter influencers converging on the Chesterfield Club at the Alamo Brewhouse Kansas City.

From left to right: Keith Shaw, Tammy Shaw, @Jey_Law, @vivid13, @ms_nene, me (@tikitender), @arogersphotos, @msgigglebox, @socreepy, @angelchrys. This group has a composite total of over 11K followers and 342K tweets.

The evening was fun and the entertainment was top notch.   The Chesterfield is a throwback bar serving handcrafted classic cocktails such as the Manhattan, Ward 8, & Tom Collins.   It is located in the Power & Light District near the Midland Theater in downtown Kansas City.    Madame Marisa’s Burlesque Troupe can currently be found there on Friday nights.  To learn more about their shows, visit www.kcburlesque.com.

 

 

 

 

Burlesque Downtown Underground Every Friday Night At The Chesterfield

Finishing Up Your Thanksgiving Menu? Don’t Forget Beverages!

 

Turkey Day is almost here!   Here are a few drink suggestions for you, from simple to moderately difficult.

Rhett Butler
1 1/2 oz bourbon
cranberry juice to balance
lemon wedge for garnish
Pour over ice.

Apple Pie Margarita​
1 oz white tequila
1 oz DeKuyper® Sour Apple Pucker schnapps
1 1/2 oz apple juice
1 1/2 oz sweet and sour mix
cinnamon sugar
Rim a margarita glass with the cinnamon sugar and fill halfway with ice. Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into glass. Yummy!

Pumpkin Pie Margarita
2 oz reposado tequila
1 tbsp pumpkin puree
sour mix
cinnamon-sugar
Rim a glass with the cinnamon-sugar. In a shaker half-filled with ice combine tequila, pumpkin puree, and about 2 oz sour mix. Shake, shake, shake. Pour into prepared glass. Delish!

Sparkling Harvest Punch
2 cups chilled cranberry juice
2 cups chilled apple juice
1 1/2 cup chilled orange juice
2 cups chilled club soda
Orange slices (to taste)
Frozen cranberries (to taste)
Mix together everything in a punch bowl. Add a bottle of vodka for an
alcoholic punch.

 

Mark Woods aka TikiTender has been a fixture in the Flagler County beverage scene since 2004.  His primary “wood” is at the Golden Lion in Flagler Beach, which has twice been named a Top 10 Beach Bar by floridabeachbar.com.  He has also been spotted behind the bar at Henry’s Harborside Bar, McCharacter’s Music Cafe & Sports Pub, and Europa Lounge & Bistro.   His creative drink mixing and welcoming personality have led “Tiki” to be voted the area’s favorite bartender five times  by the readers of Backstage Pass Magazine.   Visit tikitender.com for more about him. 

 

Repost: What The Heck Is Beaujolais Nouveau?

This is a repost from November of 2010.  For those of you who might be asking “What the heck is Beaujolais Nouveau?”.  In 2012, the article is still relevant.   Join me at The Golden Lion Cafe for a great experience accompanied again by Will Pearsall.

Beaujolais Nouveau Night 2010 is almost here! We have been talking about it for months, which may lead the uninitiated to pose the question “What The Heck Is Beaujolais Nouveau?” The short story? Beaujolais Nouveau Night is a Golden Lion tradition of over 15 years. We join the worldwide party on the third Thursday of November every year. For almost as long, the entertainment has been provided by the incomparable Will Pearsall. Join us next Thursday for a great party with great food!

The long story? At one past midnight on the third Thursday of each November, from little villages and towns like Romanèche-Thorins, over a million cases of Beaujolais Nouveau begin their journey through a sleeping France to Paris for immediate shipment to all parts of the world. Banners proclaim the good news: Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! “The New Beaujolais has arrived!” One of the most frivolous and animated rituals in the wine world has begun.

By the time it is over, over 65 million bottles, nearly half of the region’s total annual production, will be distributed and drunk around the world. It has become a worldwide race to be the first to serve to this new wine of the harvest. In doing so, it has been carried by motorcycle, balloon, truck, helicopter, Concorde jet, elephant, runners and rickshaws to get it to its final destination. It is amazing to realize that just weeks before this wine was a cluster of grapes in a growers vineyard. But by an expeditious harvest, a rapid fermentation, and a speedy bottling, all is ready at the midnight hour. By French law, Beaujolais Nouveau is to be released no earlier than the third Thursday of November.

Beaujolais Nouveau began as a local phenomenon in the local bars, cafes, and bistros of Beaujolais and Lyons. Each fall the new Beaujolais would arrive with much fanfare. In pitchers filled from the growers barrels, wine was drunk by an eager population. It was wine made fast to drink while the better Beaujolais was taking a more leisurely course.

Beaujolais Nouveau is as about as close to white wine as a red wine can get. Due to the way it is made -the must is pressed early after only three days- the phenolic compounds, in particular the astringent tannins, normally found in red wines, isn’t there, leaving an easy to drink, fruity wine. This, coupled with the fact that it tastes best when chilled, makes for a festive wine to be gulped rather than sipped, enjoyed in high spirits rather than critiqued. As a side note, it makes a great transitional wine for anyone wanting to move from white to red wines.

The race from grape to glass may be silly, but half the fun is knowing that on the same night, in homes, restaurants,cafes, pubs, bars and bistros around the world, the same celebration is taking place.

Miami Vice Night This Friday!

Fun Coast Bartending and Europa Lounge & Bistro present Part Three in a series of guest bartending appearances by Mark “TikiTender” Woods: Miami Vice Night at Europa

Break out the neon and the hairspray for this return to the 80s. Early 80s synth-pop and new wave music will set the tone for the night. Come out in your best 80s style and enjoy cocktails from the era handcrafted by TikiTender.

Music and fashion in the early 80s was both sweet and cheesy. Popular cocktails of the time were no exception. Enjoy a Fuzzy Navel, Singapore Sling, Sex On The Beach, Alabama Slammer, or a Woo Woo. Feeling a little more daring? Try a Long Island Iced Tea or a Leg Warmer (Mark’s special take on the ubiquitous wine cooler, made with red wine, dry vermouth, Dubonnet Rouge, and soda).

See you there!

RSVP via Facebook or Eventbrite

Island Time Radio Show Tonight!

I will be on the Island Time Radio Show tonight!   The show airs between 10pm and 1am (EST) and I usually get on around 11:15pm.   Tune in online at wbwc.com to hear me with a couple of drink recipes and the Florida update.