by Sandra Crittenden

 As seen in the February 2023 issue of Galveston Monthly magazine, wine recommendations to make Valentine's special.

For those who enjoy participating in food and beverage days,  October 4th is a good one. Today in Sweden and Finland, it is Cinnamon Roll Day and there is no reason to not celebrate the day, too, wherever you may be. All you need to do to participate is to eat a cinnamon roll. I went to one of Houston's best French bakeries, Mademoiselle Louise , to get their delicious pecan topped rendition. This bakery was also one of my top choices for bread in a recent article I wrote . It is also National Vodka Day in America. The day has been noted since at least 2009. All you need to do is enjoy a vodka drink to be a part of it. I made a fresh tomato based vegetable juice at home by juicing carrots, bell peppers, a jalapeño, a small piece of onion and a lime. I blended that juice with fresh seeded tomatoes and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Blending the tomatoes instead of juicing them makes a richer base. I then commemorated the day be making a Bloody Mary with some Grey Goose vodka...

This is the martini that James Bond makes famous in both the Ian Fleming's book and following movie, Casino Royale. When Bond orders it, he gives specific instructions, "Three measures of Gordon's (gin), one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it is ice cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?" Unfortunately for Bond, the Kina Lillet is no longer available so Lillet Blanc is now substituted. Interestingly, he calls the gin but not a specific vodka leaving that to the bartender. It can be made with your favorite gin and vodka and will still be fragrant and maintain its intended botanical character.  Some cocktail aficionados also prefer to stir rather than shake this drink because of concerns that it will be overly diluted by the melting ice. Since it is a fairly robust drink, I agree with Bond, shake it as the movie's hero suggests, before straining into a martini or coupe glass.  This version was made at Tony's in...

  I almost forgot to add this recipe here. Another quarantine cocktail I made last month was this slightly modified classic from  "The Savoy Cocktail Book” printed in 1930. In it,  Harry Craddock  prescribes this drink ,  “To be taken before 11 a.m., or whenever steam and energy are needed." It was actually originally intended as a hangover remedy.   While I was definitely not hungover, I did need some energy after being in my home with a broken air conditioner in the hot Houston summer. I whipped this up and then went outside to sit in the shade and dip my feet in the pool while I waited on the repairman to arrive.   It worked like magic, I was quickly refreshed, and the repairman arrived early and had everything running again in short order.   The  Corpse Reviver #2  recipe: The original recipe calls for a splash of Absinthe to be swirled around in the glass and then discarded. I did not have Absinthe so I skipped this step. ...

  This is a cocktail that was created and named by me. I have enjoyed this at home before dinner several times this summer. It has a very refreshing lemonade-esque flavor with floral and herbal notes. If you like your drinks sweeter, then increase the St. Germain or add simple syrup.     There are an array of "blonde" cocktails that you can find recipes for online: The Dirty Blonde , The French Blonde , Blonde Redhead , Blonde Russian , etc. and each are unique without too much tying them together, my version is inspired primarily by the French Blonde.   I call it a Bordeaux Blonde because Lillet is made in Bordeaux from the local white grapes, there are towns in Bordeaux called Saint-Germain-du-Puch and Saint-Germain-de-la-Riviere although I believe the liqueur may be made in the French Alps, and the best Gins are from Britain which has a long history with the Bordeaux region, and, although lemons are not indigenous to the region, they have been in the area ...

  My favorite cocktail is the Gin & Tonic or the G&T, if you want to sound hip. It is simple, refreshing, and easy to make. I do several variations on this classic drink but you can never go wrong with the basic version. For years, we kept our home bar stocked with Bombay Sapphire Gin because it was my father-in-law's favorite. Since he passed away we have experimented with a few other brands as well, but, the clean crisp flavor of Bombay Sapphire is still always deliciously reliable.   For this drink, all you need is ice, 2 ounces of your favorite gin, a bottle of tonic water, and a wedge of lime. You can make it stronger or weaker depending on the amount of tonic you use. I typically use about 4 ounces. I fill my glass with ice to the top and add the gin, a squeeze of lime, and top with the tonic water. A citrus garnish is traditional but optional as is the umbrella used here.   I serve this in various glasses depending on my mood. The balloon glass is com...

  Every year on June 14, cocktail aficionados have the opportunity to celebrate America's quintessential spirit on National Bourbon Day. Bourbon has been produced in the United States since the 1700s, although the name Bourbon was not widely used as branding until the 1870s. It became officially known as America's spirit when Congress recognized it as a distinctive product of the U.S. and declared Bourbon whiskey to be "America's Native Spirit" in 1964.   Bourbon is made from a distilled mixture of grains, at least 51% of the grain mash must be corn, and it must be made in America. Other grains that may be used to complete the mash are rye, barley, and wheat, however, the more corn that is used, the sweeter the taste will be.   There are many brands of Bourbon and each seems to have its devotees. I have not pledged allegiance to any one particular label yet. My husband tends to get gifted several bottles of liquor every Christmas and we enjoy trying out...

Three Italian Products for one great Italian Spritz!   For some at home entertainment and camaraderie during the Covid-19 Shutdown, I joined a Facebook cocktail group with some other wine and beverage professionals. Every week, there is typically a planned theme such as Island Drinks, Gin Cocktails, Classic French Cocktails, etc. Everyone makes a drink and we have a Zoom meeting to discuss what we are drinking. While I haven't been able to attend them all, I have participated in a few. On this evening, I talian Spritz was the theme.   I've written about Campari before in Galveston Monthly, the link to that article about aperitivos and digestivos is here . I will recap it for this cocktail post.   While many people are familiar with the Aperol Spritz, a bolder version can be made with Campari. Campari is part of the Italian amaro family of liqueurs, although Amari are traditionally thought of as digestifs, this one can be enjoyed on both sides of dinner. As I was ...

This was my first real introduction to this cocktail. Although I had heard about it throughout my wine education, I had never actually had one. This Porto Tonico was enjoyed by me on the first night that I stayed in Porto on a Dâo Wine Media Tour. A friend and I hit the streets to see the city at night and stopped into Nogueira's for some refreshment. The food looked fantastic though we had already eaten, I did make note of the restaurant for a future trip. The drink is essentially like a gin and tonic but substitutes white Port for the gin with a ratio of 1 part Porto Branco to 2 parts tonic over ice and then garnished with an orange slice or twist and some mint.   Very refreshing!

I went on a Grappa media tour in October. Before going, I really did not know much about Grappa, other than that it fell in the same category as Brandy. It had been briefly discussed years ago when I was taking wine certification classes though I don't remember actually tasting any at that time. Then, a few years ago, a wine producer brought some to Houston when they did an event and did I taste one at that time, I was surprised by it. It wasn't the "firewater" that I had expected, it was a far smoother drink and a nice way to end a heavy lunch. Unfortunately, in the Houston area at that time, I was not finding Grappa on the after dinner drinks list at my favorite restaurants so I was not able to explore it more. Almost 3 years after that positive experience, I found myself on a Grappa trail in Italy eager to learn more. The trip started with a rooftop party in Rome. Our group had the opportunity to meet some producers, taste an array of Grappa, and most impo...

As originally seen in the December 2018 issue of Galveston Monthly magazine

Susi Zivanovic I had a fantastic experience this week learning about the cocktail program at Perry's Steakhouse & Grille with beverage director, Susi Zivanovic.  In addition to selecting the wines for the restaurants, Zivanovic creates all the cocktail recipes that guests enjoy at the many Perry’s locations.  Zivanovic shared with the group that her philosophy for mixology involves high quality ingredients masterfully blended into well-balanced deliciously drinkable cocktails.  She said that when she creates the different recipes, she chooses only premium ingredients - most importantly, she makes sure that there are no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. Invitees to this event started the evening with the Perry's Hog-Hatten. This drink was prepared by the true professionals behind the bar.  This  Manhattan-based cocktail is elevated with spicier Redemption Rye Whiskey instead of the more traditional Bourbon. This is combined with Vya Vermouth...

Izakaya is a Japanese pub located at 318 Gray St in the Fourth Ward of Midtown Houston. The newest of t he Azuma Group’s restaurants, this latest offering features a more globally influenced style of cuisine by Chefs Jean-Philippe Gaston and Manubu Horiuchi. The innovative fare lends itself to tapas style sharing. Even with the impressive men behind the menu, the drinks are just as important as the food at this establishment. At a recent media event, I tasted some of the new features on the cocktail menu along with some of the signature dishes. The mixed drinks were all interesting putting an Asian spin on some cocktail classics. These new beverage additions were both refreshing and deliciously complementary with the food. The new line-up includes the Kitsune Highball, a mix of whiskey, Meyer lemon cordial, white pepper and soda. The name kitsune translates to fox which is often depicted as a magical being in Japanese folklore. My husband particularly enjoyed the surpris...

Crown Royal Canadian Whisky recently announced the expansion of its portfolio with  two new offerings, the  Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye   and the  Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel which they showcased in Houston on Tuesday this week at an exclusive  tasting event  at The Honeymoon Café & Bar on Main St.  Acclaimed  Master of Whisky and fellow Houstonian, Mayra Isais, led a guided whisky tasting to the delight of attendees.  Crown Royal Canadian whisky has a smooth, elegant style that Mayra  says  is a reflection of its aristocratic origins.   Seagrams created this brand in 1939 to pay homage to  the king and queen who were visiting Canada for  a grand tour . It was only available north of the border until 1964. Since then, it has become familiar to a much larger audience.  Crown Royal Canadian whisky is now the number one selling Canadian whisky brand in the US.   Guests were als...