Best of 2014

As 2014 comes to a close, I thought I'd join the reflective bandwagon and look back at the cocktails, coffee, tea (as well as soda, wine, chocolate, beer, ice cream, etc) that I've enjoyed over the past year (really since April when I started this little blog) and share with you my top ten favorite beverages. Cheers!

P.S. You can find all the beverages on the spirits, beans, and leaves pages of the blog.

Ten:  

Cali Cola, One More Cup

Nine:

Harry's Reviver, Harry's Bar & Tables

Eight:

Autumnal Seasonal Italian Soda
Second Best Coffee

Seven:

Cream Royal
The Blue Teapot

Six:

Lavender-Honey Latte
Second Best Coffee

Five:

Pendergast
The Rieger Hotel 

Four:

Brown Sugar & Rosemary Latte
Kaldi's

Three:

 Charlie Sour
The Westport Cafe

Two:

Red Velvet Rooibos Tea
Anna Marie's Teas

One:

The Old Square, Bluestem

Happy New Year, Kansas City! Here's to more great beverages and local love!

Homemade Irish Cream

Looking for a last minute DIY gift? This easy, quick, and affordable Irish Cream recipe works wonders in coffee, desserts, and as an evening nightcap. Mix up a batch for friends and family, neighbors, co-workers, or to keep to yourself! You won't regret it. Happy Holidays, Kansas City!

Irish Cream

1 2/3 cups good Irish Whiskey*
1 cup heavy cream
1 (14oz) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
2 T. Hershey's chocolate syrup
2 T. cold coffee
2 t. pure vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on high speed for 20 seconds.

Transfer the mixture to an airtight container (I used recycled starbucks glasses).

Store in the fridge for up to two months. Shake well before using.

*I used Jameson and it turned out lovely. The only thing I might change is perhaps adding another tablespoon of coffee. Creamy, flavorful, and indulgent. Perfect for the holidays.

Festive Cocktails

Need some easy cocktails to impress family members and friends this holiday season? I served the Brandy Cider Champagne before Thanksgiving dinner as a festive fall cocktail, and the Hot Toddy after dinner and dessert while we watched The Plaza Lighting. 

Brandy Cider Champagne

Ingredients:

Prosecco

Brandy

Apple Cider

Powdered Cinnamon

Directions:

Put a splash of brandy and about 3/4c. of cider to a shaker with ice. Shake. Fill champagne flutes 1/4 way, add Prosecco, dust with cinnamon, and garnish with an orange twist. 

Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

J. Rieger Whiskey

Hugo Black Tea

Lemon

Honey

Hot water

spices

Directions: 

Boil water and steep with black tea (1 t. per 8 oz water), whole cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice, and lemon peel. Meanwhile, add 1 oz. whiskey and 1-2 t. honey to mugs. Add hot water to mug, garnish each mug with lemon peel, star anise, and grated nutmeg. Serve immediately. 

Hot Toddy Recipe

Drink: Hot Toddy

Type: Tea / Alcoholic

Description: Soothing

It's definitely hot toddy season, especially with this recent cold front. Between the winter weather and the cold I've been suffering from, this hot toddy has been my go-to drink. There are a million ways to make a toddy, this just happens to be my favorite: 

Recipe

1 oz. whiskey

8 oz. black tea

1 T. honey

fresh lemon

Brew tea. Steep 1 t. dry tea leaves in 8 oz. hot water for 3-5 minutes. While steeping, add about 1 T. honey, 1 oz. whiskey, and a slice of fresh lemon to a mug. When tea is finished brewing, add to the mug, stirring to mix honey and whiskey in the tea. Sip and enjoy. 

I like to choose my whiskey based on the tea that I'm using. My preferred tea for a hot toddy is Cream Royal Black Tea, with which I like to use American Honey or Jameson. A more floral tea, like Earl Grey, would pair better with a bourbon. I like the creaminess and smooth flavor that comes with the Cream Royal tea combined with the spiciness in Jameson and smoothness of American Honey.

Local Blogs

There's something special about Kansas City. Perhaps it's our central location in the country, the easy port access that made it historically pertinent, or just the fact that we're the perfect mix of urban and rural. Regardless, the Kansas City food and beverage industry is exploding. Phenomenal new restaurants, bars, and shops are popping up faster than any of us can keep track (you should see my list - every time I cross off one location, I seem to add two or three more).

It's evident from the success of local events like the Paris of the Plains Cocktail Festival and the Caffeine Crawl that KC is becoming more important and influential on national food culture.

So how does one person keep track of it all? One of the easiest ways is to follow local bloggers. These people are passionate about food, beverage, and all things Kansas City. With each blog's individual speciality and focus, it allows the reader to grasp and locate exactly what he or she is looking for.

Here are a few of my favorite local food blogs:

Around the Block

Located at  http://aroundtheblockkc.com/

Written by Mary Bloch, the author of the Kansas City Star's Restaurant Guide as well as regular contributor to the Star's Food section and member of the Association of Food Journalists. This blog features restaurant profiles, travel recommendations, cooking tips, and food trend discussions.

Chow Town

Located at http://www.kansascity.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/chow-town/

This blog, run through The Kansas City Star, has over a dozen contributors ranging from local foodies to chefs and experts in the field. With daily posts about the entirety of the Kansas City food scene and easy-to-read posts, this is a great location to find out what people are loving the most in Kansas City.

Eat It Kansas City

Located at http://eatitkansascity.com

Written by Kansas newcomer, Shanley, this locally-focused blogger has been featured in Ink Magazine, Kansas City Home & Garden, Better Kansas City, and National Geographic with her blurbs about restaurant openings, local food events, and abundant recipes.

The Feed

Located at http://thefeedmeblog.com

Run by culinary creative and marking agents Jeff Akin and Emily Farris, this blog features recipes dining diaries in the form of posts and podcasts. Regular contributors to Food and Wine, they started Feed Me Creative - a food based marketing firm (branding, marketing, design, and content development) where their blog is now located.

KC Beer Blog

Located at http://kcbeerblog.blogspot.com

Full of calendar events, beer travel guides, homebrewing resources and every beer-related event in Kansas City, this blog is a can't-miss for beer lovers. Run by Pat, Kyle, David, and Jay this blog is completely full of information and events. These guys have done their research and do a great job of keeping up-to-date with local events.

KC Morsel

Located at http://kcmorsel.wordpress.com/

Elegantly designed and run by Laura Clark, talented barista and educator at Kaldi's Coffee, this blog covers more than just coffee, beer, and cocktails. Laura does a great job including food, restaurants, and events around the metro area. Be sure to follow her on social media, as she has a great online presence.

The Making of a Foodie

Located at http://www.makingafoodie.com/

With a focus on becoming a better "foodie", Jenny Vergara is all about learning and teaching others about the best sides of food and drink, and how to better enjoy them and refine the palate. Her in-depth posts are full of detail and information and explanations that are accompanied by lovely photographs from around the Kansas City area.

Shang Tea Blog

Located at http://www.shangtea.com/blog

Considered the "educational arm" of the Shang Tea company, this blog is a wonderful addition to any tea-lovers resources. With posts about growing, harvesting, brewing, and enjoying tea, the reader gets an abundant amount of information ranging from tea history to current tea events. Straightforward and well-written, this is my favorite place to gain a little tea knowledge.

Team Cocktail! 

Located at http://blog.teamcocktail.com/

If you're looking for cocktail recipes from local drinkers and travelers, this blog is for you. With the idea of "travel globally, drink locally," this local blog has a much larger stake in international drinking and traveling, which is a great thing for Kansas City. Search their blog for recipes, merchandise, and local events.



Other resources to find the best of Kansas City are Yelp, Urbanspoon, The Kansas City Star, The Pitch, and Visit KC. What are some of your favorite locals to follow for the best of food and drinks in KC? Leave your answers in the comments!

Toddy

Drink: Toddy
Type: Coffee

Toddy is a specific system of cold-brewing or cold-press which is the process of steeping coffee in cold or room-temperature water for an extended period of time. This easy - to - follow recipe is courtesy of One More Cup from the Kansas City Spring Caffeine Crawl.

Get the PDF download here! 

Booze School - Rum

So while not a specific beverage post, Yelp KC's Booze School is so awesome it demands its own. Run by the LAB 5702 marketing team and Matt from Yelp.

Booze School is hosted at different locations around KC, each class focusing on a particular liquor. So far A is for Agave at Port Fonda, B is for Beer at Kansas City Bier Company, J is for Juleps at Julep, and this one: R is for Rum at The Kill Devil Club.

The purpose of booze school is to provide base level information in a setting where people can feel safe to ask questions and learn about different types of liquors, wine, and beer. Tickets can be purchased online!

Homer (the GM at Kill Devil Club) and Travis hosted at the lounge located at P&L in 2012. It was recently named as one of the top new US bars by Food and Wine in 2013 among other accolades. It's the best rum bar you can get to. According to the guys, Spanish settlers called rum "strong enough to kill the devil," inspiring the name for their jazz-filled bar. 

Rum is any distilled spirit made from sugarcane; although, today, all but a few are made from molasses. Styles come from what the rum is derived from (molasses, syrup, or extracted juice), the types of barrels used and the length of the aging time, the distilation process itself, and what spices and flavorings are added and the time they are added. Rum doesn't have set "rules" like other liquors, making it unique in every way - flavor, coloring, taste. 

Experts on the matter delivered information in a casual and enlightening manner - Homer and Travis really know their stuff. As a teacher, I can appreciate a well-rounded and prepared lesson that obviously has planning and effort behind it.

The discussion covered:

Rum Drinks and their Origins

- Daiquiri (1900-1920)
- Mojito (1920-1930)
- Caipirinha (1930-1940)
- Mai Tai (1940-1950)


How to Taste Spirits

- Don't smell like a wine, it's too small
- Small sip to work in all corners of the mouth
- Exhale with mouth lightly open to hit the soft palette


Bar Practice

The guys brought students behind the bar to help showcase both classic and new rum drinks. They did a great job really involving everyone and giving great technique pointers, carefully walking everyone through the creation of mojitos, a rum old-fashioned, their take on a dark and stormy - Tempest, and a frothy egg drink I can't recall the name of (I blame all the rum)*

*I looked it up: Bacchanal.

Rum Tastings

1. Plantation 3 year rum. Blend, Silver Rum: sweet, smooth, with a unique depth of flavors and character. Lightly spicy and tingly at the end. 

2. Plantation 5 year rum. Blend. Sweet smell with soft, almost coconut or vanilla flavor. Feels syrupy and smooth with a tangy spiciness. 

3. Plantation Nicaragua (1999) aged 9 years. Depth of smell, sweet and dry at first then tingly strong, acidic, lightly floral and spicy at the end.

4. Plantation Jamaica (2000). Smells fruity, tastes like a spicy fruit. Sweet, extra smooth and extremely light with a hint of light and fragrant spices. Super intense depth to the layers of flavors. 

Fleur Diable

Kill Devil Club specializes in rum punches and avant-garde techniques. 

Kill Devil Punch

1 L Don Q Light Rum
1 L El Dorado Dark Rum
1 L Batavia Arrack
1 L Cinnamon Bark Syrup
1 L Lime juice
1 L Water

Mix all ingredients. Party.


Bandulu Punch
1 L Velho Cachaca
500ml Plantation Overproof
2 L Pineapple-Coconut syrup
160z falernum
25 dashes Angostura bitters
sprigs of mint

Mix all ingredients. Party!

Rum Old Fashioned

Upcoming: N is for Negronis at Extra Virgin on Sunday, June 1.

Mint Juleps

This weekend is the 140th running of The Kentucky Derby and what better way to celebrate than with  the derby drink: the Mint Julep.

Tavern in the Village and Tavern at Mission Farms are putting on their fourth annual Derby Day Parties on Saturday, May 3 from 2 - 6 p.m. Dark Horse Distillery is helping them provide this classic cocktail, along with several unique interpretations.

The signature cocktail of the day will be the Thai Mint Julep:

Thai Julep

• .5 oz. lavender simple syrup
• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1 slice cucumber
• 4-5 Thai or regular basil leaves
• 4-5 mint leaves

Directions:

• In a mixing glass, muddle cucumber slice with lavender simple syrup, add ice, Dark Horse Longshot Bourbon, Thai Basil, and Mint - shake vigorously and pour into a high ball glass. Garnish with a sprig of basil and serve.

Traditional Mint Julep

• .5 oz. simple syrup
• 3 oz. bourbon
• 4-5 mint leaves

Directions:

• Muddle mint with simple syrup in a mixing glass, add ice and Longshot Bourbon shake 15 times and strain into martini glass, garnish with a sprig of mint and serve. 

Peach Julep

• .5 oz. simple syrup
• 1 oz. peach nectar
• 2 oz. bourbon
• 4-5 mint leaves
• Peach bitters

Directions:

• In a mixing glass, muddle simple syrup and mint leaves, add ice, peach nectar, Longshot Bourbon, and 4-5 dashes of peach bitters - shake vigorously and pour into a high ball glass, add a splash of water, garnish with a slice of peach and a sprig of mint - serve. 

Non-Alcoholic Mint Julep

• .5 oz. simple syrup
• 4 oz. house made sour mix or unsweetened lemonade
• 4-5 sprigs mint
• .5 oz. water

Directions:

• If using unsweetened lemonade, do not use simple syrup. In a mixing glass, muddle mint and simple syrup, add ice and house made sour mix - shake vigorously and pour into a high ball glass, add a splash of water, and garnish with a sprig of mint before serving. 

Thanks to the Tavern team for providing these great recipes!! More information on their parties can be found here. 

You can also get your bow-tie and floppy-hat game on at Julep, Barrel 31, Kansas Town, Rye, Burg & Barrel, Westport Ale House, and even VanBrock!  

Brew 101

Tea 

First of all, if you haven't had tea brewed from true loose-leaf tea leaves, then you need to pause for a moment and re-evaluate your life choices. I'll wait.

Ready? 

Growing up, my mother was a big iced tea drinker, and I always found it bitter. My mom's a big fan of Lipton, she even uses the *shudder* Lipton instant iced tea powder (sorry mom, you know how I feel about this). So it wasn't until I was in college that I started buying different types of bagged tea. With a healthy amount of honey, or sugar, and lemon it was soothing and delicious. (Or so my poor, undeveloped taste buds thought). 

My life changed during a trip to Vancouver where I shopped at my first loose-leaf tea shop. One deep whiff from the Cream Royal black tea container and I was hooked. 

This tea didn't need sugar, or honey, or lemon. It was perfect.

Since then, I've written off the pre-packaged, pre-bagged crap they sell in the drink isle of the grocery store, because the real deal is so much better. And here's why:

• Health: When you buy premium loose-leaf teas from a reputable vendor, you know what it is you're brewing in your hot water. 
• Flavor: The best loose leaf teas are flavored with actual ingredients. i.e. the walnut green tea that I drink is green tea with pieces of walnut in it. The walnuts give it walnut flavor. It seems so simple, right? But with cheaper pre-bagged "big name" teas use fake flavoring. Why would you even?
• Ritual: I've found that over the years, even beginning the ritual of tea brewing is soothing. Measuring the tea, boiling the water, and letting it steep while I prepare to settle down is such a nice habit. 
• Tradition: the history of true tea is so much more fun than throwing in some cheap bag of dust in your water and letting it get cold and soggy. Plus, there's an elevated experience that happens when you serve at true cuppa to friends in a nice teapot. 

So now that you're (hopefully) hooked on the idea of loose-leaf tea, the next step is to transition to it! And it doesn't have to be intimidating. Tea shop owners and loose-leaf vendors are always passionate individuals who have a desire to get everyone hooked on loose-leaf teas, so you never have to feel shy about asking questions. But in the rare case that you're at all introverted like myself, here's the basic how-to:

It is important that you brew the tea properly, because otherwise you won't be enjoying the full experience of flavor and health benefits. Always feel free to contact me with questions or recommendations!

White tea leaves

How to Properly Brew Tea:

1. Bring filtered or drinking water to recommended boiling point.
2. Measure loose leaf tea into brewing bag. 1 tsp of tea per 8 oz water.
3. Place bag into the water and brew for the recommended brewing time.

Recommended Brewing Times and Water Temperature:

• Black, Herbal, Oolong, Rooibos 3-6 minutes at 212*
• Green 3-5 minutes at 160-185*
• White 7-10 minutes at 185*