Thursday Happy Hour: Cocktail Recipes, Drinks, Music, and Good Times

The Champliny

Beer and Champagne? Yes We Can!

Who can ring in the New Year without Champagne? Not this beer lover. So I was really excited to learn of a local pub’s signature New Year’s cocktail – the Champliny.

It’s part champagne, part Pliny the Elder double IPA (from Russian River). In a land known for super hoppy beers, it’s the perfect southern California compromise for beer snobs and Champagne lovers alike.

A little fruity, a little bubbly, a little hoppy -- the tastes blend surprisingly well, with neither really dominating. It is an extra bubbly, fruity beer? Or a hopped up glass of champagne?

Make one yourself and you be the judge.

Champagne Cocktail

Embracing the Old and the New

After eating a ton of appetizers -- including an experimental bite of seared foie gras; afterall, 2010 is the year for trying new things -- with two of our favorite people, we roll over to an old school hotel bar. Sinking into a dark, vinyl booth, we take it all in.  The hazy paintings of lounging women, the piano player who apparently can play anything, the mustachioed bartender in suspenders, the older couple dancing.

Why don't we get out more often? 

The server suggested a beer, martini, or a Champagne cocktail. Seriously? Yeah, I'll have one of those. Then recreate it for you later.

Here's to an amazing 2010. Cheers!

Scaldis Noel

California Dreamin' . . . of a White Christmas

My trip to the northeast has been planned for months, and I'm really looking forward to trading in palm trees and sandy beaches for a little snow and some mistletoe.

But in the meantime, feeling festive is a tough task. Sunny and 70 degrees does not the Christmas spirit kindle.

Thank goodness the local pubs have packed their taps with holiday ales to help us all get in the jingle bell mood.

I've found three great holiday beers on tap. My favorite so far: Scaldis Noel.

Mulled Red Wine

Baking and Simmering

The weather outside is frightful. Dreadful, really. Right now it's about 4 degrees, and despite the beautiful blanket of snow on the ground, I'm especially grateful to be indoors. And baking. The two week countdown to Christmas is on, so it's time to pull out the cookie recipes of Christmases past and get to work measuring, mixing, and rolling.

First, though, I'll need to do a bit of simmering--mulled wine, that is.

Canadian Coffee

Warm Their Hearts

Stomping boots, dripping umbrellas and coats reluctantly peeling off -- not a relaxing start to a little after-dinner happy hour at the house with the parents, but definitely an invigorating one. My priority: warm up their insides while the furnace starts clanking.

If we weren't so full, I'd heat spiced cider in the teapot and then spike each steamy cup with the leftover Applejack or rum. But G is already grinding the French roast and I know what he has in mind.

Heavy cream, maple syrup, and just an ounce of a secret ingredient we won't mention till the cups are emptied... it's sure to add a little spark to the night.

Kir Royale

Party in the Kitchen

It's Thanksgiving morning! We've turned up a swingin' jazz mix, set the table, and have started prepping for pie crust rolling, potato peeling, and drink sipping. The cat gets a tiny splash of cream, G mixes his traditional Bloody Mary recipe, and I sip a tall glass of orange juice, hold the vodka (or I'd be asleep before lunchtime).

For our pre-turkey cocktail later on, we're ditching the planned Cranberry Mojito recipe -- a test mix came out face-scrunching sour. (Our Pineapple Mojito was much better.)  Instead, we'll be pouring sparkling Kir Royales worthy of the celebration.

Giving Thanks for Wine

Gobble Gobble

Turkey? Check. Cranberries? Check. Wine? Are you kidding?? Check. It wouldn't be a true Thanksgiving feast at my house without the bottles of wine flowing.

Undoubtedly, if your guests are anything like mine, they'll fall into one of two camps: red wine drinkers and white wine drinkers. Sure, more savvy wine connoisseurs will prefer the style of wine that pairs best with the meal--but I'd presume that the majority just drink what they like. A fantastic rule to go by, I say.

Better stock up on some bottles of red and white.

French 75

Happy New Year!
This year, we were lucky to have several good friends visit from out of town. There's just nothing better than a house-full of friends, newly downloaded lounge music turned up just loud enough to make everyone raise voices, dancing candle-flames, and a table of small bites.

We stuffed dates with blue cheese, paired Gorgonzola and fig jam with piles of Prosciutto, poured blackberries in bowls, and drizzled creme fraiche over smoked salmon and bagel chips. Of course, we also served up lots and lots of French 75s -- our favorite sparkling white wine cocktail.

Cable Car

Ready for a Ride on Santa's Cable Car?
My sister loves the holidays: the presents, baking, winter music, scarf- and beanie-wearing, and pictures with Santa. She's lots of fun. This year, she invited us to take the Polar Express to see Santa  -- and although I'd love to watch my nephew take his first train ride, for some reason, the idea of paying big bucks to sit in a small space full of caroling children didn't thrill me. Grinchy of me, yes.

Instead, she and my brother-in-law brought Cable Cars to our place. Cinnamon, spice, and orange zest in a frosty glass ... definitely a new holiday tradition! 

Stinger

Holiday Cheer from Your Hosts at Thursday Happy Hour!
We've been celebrating Thursday Happy Hours for a while now -- as you can see from this photo of us apparently taken in 1957. Okay, sure, Gary is handy with the Photoshop, but we still had a great time sipping Stingers -- our holiday favorite -- and being silly with a trip-pod and camera remote while winter tunes thumped the house. Doesn't everyone do this kind of thing during the holidays?