Drink of the Week: A Telling Tale Cocktail

Tales of the Cocktail—the spirited drinks fest that takes over New Orleans’ French Quarter every July—is in full swing, and we’re toasting the fête’s 10th anniversary with today’s Drink of the Week—A Telling Tale cocktail by Tales veteran and longtime New Orleans bartender, Chris Hannah. Playing off classic warm-weather refreshers (think the Mint Julep and Bourbon Smash), Hannah’s recipe combines two traditionally southern ingredients—bourbon and fresh mint—with Campari, grenadine and a splash of bubbly. If you’re in New Orleans this weekend, be sure to pop by our hosted happy hour at the French 75 Bar on Saturday from 5:30-7 p.m. where Hannah will be mixing batches of his summery sipper, or shake up a round of your own with Hannah’s recipe, below.

A Telling Tale

2 oz. bourbon

1/2 oz. Campari

1/2 oz. grenadine

7 fresh mint leaves

1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice

2 oz. sparkling wine

Ice cubes

Tools: shaker, strainer

Glass: wine

Garnish: mint sprig

Combine all ingredients, except sparkling wine, and shake with ice. Strain into an ice-filled wine glass, top with wine and garnish.

Chris Hannah, French 75 Bar at Arnaud’s, New Orleans

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

Heading to New Orleans this week for Tales of the Cocktail? Stay grounded with our helpful survival guide. Imbibe

France’s incoming president is apparently replacing Champagne for Muscadet at official events, and one wine writer gives his nod of approval. CNN

Will Bloomberg’s soda ban also cause trouble for one bottled tea company? Food Republic

Catch a peek at the world’s largest wine bottle, weighing in at a hefty three tons. Huffington Post

The fan base of Fernet Branca continues to grow. NPR

Eric Asimov’s best budget-friendly wine picks. New York Times

Win Tickets to the NW Distillery and Cocktail Festival Grand Tasting!

The inaugural NW Distillery and Cocktail Festival in Seattle is just around the corner, and Imbibe has two pairs of tickets to the Grand Tasting on August 9! The Grand Tasting will give you a chance to taste spirits from craft distillers of the Northwest, joined by regional chefs making small bites to pair with signature cocktails and desserts! Taste what some of the region's best bartenders have to offer and discover what makes the NW region a mecca for cocktail connoisseurs. The event features food, drink, live music, cocktail recipes and home mixology classes.


To make yourself eligible to win, click here to send us an email with your name, address and email. The deadline to enter is Sunday, July 29 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, and you must be at least 21 years old to win and attend.  We'll announce one winner on Monday, July 30, and the second winner on Wednesday, August 1. Good Luck!

Drink of the Week: Jo Snow’s Woodruff Syrup

Ice is one of summer’s simplest pleasures, and with warm weather on our minds, we dedicated this year’s Summer Drinks Guide to frosty goodness in all forms, including a spoonable favorite that spans all ages and cultures—shave(d) ice. In the July/August issue, Sarah Karnasiewicz plunges into the cool world of the classic summertime treat, and today’s Drink of the Week—the Woodruff Syrup from Chicago-based Jo Snow Syrups—is perfect for splashing over ice crystals and scooping up by the spoonful. Commonly used to flavor and sweeten Germany’s traditionally tangy Berliner Weisse beer, this particular woodruff syrup combines the sweet-smelling woodruff herb with lavender, bay leaf and evaporated cane juice into a delicious and versatile syrup that’s equally good drizzled over ice in a snow cone, mixed with fizzy water in a soda pop or splashed into a tart summery beer. $10/375 ml., josnowsyrups.com

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

A bar that benefits more than its imbibers. Houston Press

Fiat introduces the first in-car espresso machine. Huffington Post

Like tea and cookies? What about tea in cookies? NPR

Watch as Dave Arnold schools Jimmy Fallon in the crazy world of chemistry-inspired cocktails. Food Republic

Does the recent discovery of an invasive bug threaten to cause a stink in this year’s Oregon grape harvest? CNN

Book Your Spirited Dinner Now!

Tales of the Cocktail is kicking off next week, and among the dizzying lineup of events is the annual Spirited Dinners Series. Happening on Thursday, July 26 at restaurants across New Orleans, the Spirited Dinners pair some of Nola's best chefs with bartenders from around the world. Tickets have been selling fast,  but there's still time to score seats at some fantastic dinners.

Over at the Degas House, you'll find the Pink Pigeon Original Spirited Creole Picnic, which will pair Creole cuisine from chef Scott Graig with rum cocktails from bartenders Kate Grutman and Lynette Marrero, plus live music by Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters.

At Iris, Alex Day, Tim Master and Misty Kalkofen are teaming up with talentedchef  Ian Schnoebelen for a night of cocktails and culinary flavors from around the globe.  Each of the four courses will be paired with a spirit and inspired by its country of origin.  You'll start in Mexico where Ilegal Mezcal is produced, fly over to Scotland for some Edinburgh Gin, Pig’s Nose and Sheep Dip Scotch Whiskies, and end up in France sipping on some Chartreuse.

And at Redemption, you can check out the The Fruits of Our Labor Dinner,  which will highlight the importance of fresh ingredients in the culinary and cocktail worlds.  Chef Greg Picolo will be cooking up dishes with true Louisiana flair, and Ava Kopieczek will crafts cocktails using organic or all-natural spirits and local produce to create a dining experience that represents the bountiful offerings of a Louisiana summer.

These are just a few of the dinners happening across the city—you can click here for a full list of this year's lineup. These dinners are always a fun to way experience the flavors of New Orleans and get a feel for the city's culinary energy, so be sure to get tickets while they're available!

Drink of the Week: East Aspen Heights Cocktail

Our July/August issue is all about summer drinks, including some of the season's best iced cocktails. Today's Drink of the Week, the East Aspen Heights, is the perfect combination of summery ingredients served to icy perfection. Created by Boulder, Colorado bartender Bryan Dayton, this cocktail mixes gin, Chartreuse, sage- and fennel-infused syrup, pear purée and fresh blackberries. On a sweltering summer day, we can't think of a better way to beat the heat.

July's Where to Drink Now: Woodland, The Rio Grande, Irving Cafe, Seven Grand and Gin Palace

Cocktails at Woodland. Photo: Luna Design

Woodland
When Vandaag shuddered last May, it left East Village imbibers wondering where beverage director Martim Smith-Mattsson would land next. Wasting no time, Smith-Mattsson joined the team at this recently opened Park Slope restaurant where he’s put together delicious offerings of hard-to-find beers, craft ciders, four different boilermakers and even a cocktail on tap. 242 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, New York; 718-398-7701; woodlandnyc.com

The Rio Grande
San Francisco cocktail consulting duo Josh Harris and Scott Baird (aka the Bon Vivants) are at it again with this recently launched popup bar in the Renoir Hotel. Fusing an updated saloon vibe with some south of the border flair, it’s fitting that this bar specializes in tequila, whiskey and canned beer. 1108 Market St., San Francisco; facebook.com/savetherio

Irving Café
Hudson Valley-based coffee roaster Irving Farm just opened its first Upper West Side café complete with a Kalita brew bar and custom La Marzocco espresso machine for brewing single-origin beans and coffee blends, two draught lines pouring local microbrews and a full kitchen preparing tasty small bites. 224 W. 79th St., New York City; irvingfarm.com

Seven Grand
One of L.A.’s most beloved whiskey bars expands its empire of grainy goodness south to San Diego with the recent opening of this North Park neighborhood bar. Expect hunting lodge-esque decor (wood walls, leather booths and lots of taxidermy), a stellar selection of whiskies, ryes and Scotches from the U.S., Europe, Japan and even India, whiskey-fueled cocktails, and a lineup of San Diego-brewed beers. And for more on San Diego’s growing drinks scene, check out “One-Two Punch” in our July/August 2012 issue. 3054 University Ave., San Diego; 619-269-8820; sevengrandbars.com

Gin Palace
Cin cin to more gin! Classic, contemporary and flat-out avant-garde gin drinks are the name of the game at this dark and broody East Village drinking den. Added bonus (aside from the G&T with grapefruit bitters on tap, that is)? Most drinks cost less than $10. 95 Ave. A; New York City; 212-614-6818; ginpalaceny.com

What We’re Tasting

Summer’s in full swing, and our tasting table runneth over with new beers, spirits and alcohol-free offerings perfect for the season. Here are a few highlights from our latest tasting.

Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer
Introduced stateside last spring, Crabbie’s perks up the palate with a peppery kick of fresh ginger and a splash of raw sugar sweetness. It clocks a 4.8% ABV, but you’d never know by taking a sip. It’s slowly making its way through various U.S. distribution channels, so keep an eye out.

Perrier Slim Can
When the weather heats up, we drink a lot of fizzy water. And now Perrier has rolled out new portable packaging—250 ml. cans—in its original version and summery fruit flavors like grapefruit and lime—perfect for toting around all summer long.

Dogfish Head Positive Contact
Just when you think Dogfish Head can’t push the craft beer category any further, they turn heads with yet another creative brew. Brewed with apple cider, farro, cayenne and cilantro, this beer is packed with flavor. Added bonus? Each box set includes six bottles, a 10” record (of remixes by Dan the Automator) and beer dinner recipes from the likes of Mario Batali, Joe Beef and David Chang, among others.

Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water
Imagine the flavors of the Mediterranean—fresh rosemary, lavender and thyme—mixed with quinine and cane sugar. This Mediterranean Tonic from Fever-Tree combines all those ingredients and more into a dynamic and easy-drinking cocktail mixer. Company founders Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow say it was developed with vodka in mind, but we think it mixes equally well with fruit-forward gins or even sipped on its own with a squeeze of lime.

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits From Around the Web

PDT's Jim Meehan weighs in on a frosty ice debate. Esquire

A Missouri man uncovers a secret stash of pre-Prohibition whiskey in his attic. ABC News

In defense of wine snobs. Wall Street Journal

Tapping into London's growing craft beer scene. The New York Times

Drink of the Week: Knob Creek Rye

Today’s Friday, and we feel like drinking whiskey—rye whiskey. And today’s Drink of the Week—the recently released Knob Creek rye—hits the mark with its savory-yet-smooth flavors of peppery spice and just a hint of vanilla on the finish. The latest rye to hit the market, and the first from venerable bourbon producer Knob Creek, this rye offers a worthy entry point to the style and is equally good sipped on the rocks or mixed in cocktails like the Philly Smash, Ruby Tuesday or Fort Point.

$40, woodswholesalewine.com

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

Could one company soon control half of the U.S. beer market? Time  

How to order coffee in more than 60 different languages. About.com

Proof people imbibed 20,000 years ago? This recently unearthed vessel. BBC

So exactly what does a $168k bottle of wine taste like? Wired

A collection of 6k beer cans is now on public display. Mercury News 

Beer as biofuel? Western Farm Press