Valentine’s Day rapidly approaches and we have just what you need to complement that perfect dinner you’re planning. We continue to sweeten the season by working with Castello del Poggio and their refreshing and seductive Sweet Rosé. You’ll never want their wine to stop flowing, so why not add some of it to this amazingly light and refreshing cocktail creation. We absolutely loved this one and we know you will too….
Tomorrow’s the big game and it’s time to #CrownYourGameDay with Crown Royal. Earlier this week we brought you the Wicked Hot Toddy featuring Crown Royal Vanilla. It’s a wicked awesome cocktail sure to keep you New England fans warm in this mid-winter freeze, however like the rest of the country not living in New England (or New Orleans), we have to highlight the Rams here this year. So today, we bring to you the L.A. Crownberry Apple Cocktail.
Crown Royal wants to make sure your tailgate, viewing party, or just the privacy of your living room is at peak performance for the big game. We’re proud to showcase both cocktails for you an your guests to enjoy.
The simple and classic Lemon Drop Shot. Note, this is not the IBA Official Lemon Drop Cocktail which is made with Triple Sec and Sour Mix as well. This simple one ingredient shot is light and crisp in flavor. We recommend using Lemon Vodka as the primary ingredient, or a perfectly acceptable variation is to use standard vodka and a few drops of lemon juice. Traditionally a sugar coated lemon is sucked afterwards to kill the harsh bite of vodka!
1½ oz. Lemon Vodka
Lemon Wedge
Sugar (optional)
Rating: 4.0 Stars
Served: Straight
Strength: Medium
Difficulty: Simple
Flavor: Citrus
Rub the inside of the shot glass with the lemon wedge. Pour in lemon vodka and shoot back.
Empire Tip: Rim the edge of the glass with granulated sugar to give the shot a lemonade-like feel!
Whether hosting a viewing party or a tailgate, #CrownYourGameDay and cheer on the final two teams with the smooth and flavorful taste of Crown Royal this Sunday! We’re happy to work with Crown Royal to make sure you bring your A Game to the showdown this weekend. Whether you’re cheering for the Rams or if you’re a front-running Patriots fan (just kidding, sorta) we want to make sure you and your company have a good time. So we paired up with Crown Royal and using two of their signature products; Crown Royal Regal Apple and Crown Royal Vanilla to add two awesome cocktails to your playbook.
The granddaddy of so many famous cocktails like the Seabreeze, Woo Woo, Sex on the Beach, Cosmopolitan, and more; the Cape Codder is a true classic. And before you say it; YES, the Cape Codder is a simple Vodka-Cranberry. Developed in the 1940s by the Ocean Spray company as The Red Devil, the cocktail took on the name Cape Codder in the 1960s. Although it is simple and its name is commonly forgotten in the bar scene today, the Cape Codder is still a fan favorite and a huge base cocktail for many variations. Remember to respect your elder cocktails.
2 oz. Vodka
Fill Cranberry Juice
Rating: 4.0 Stars
Served: On the Rocks
Strength: Mild
Difficulty: Simple
Flavor: Cranberry
Build all ingredients in an ice filled highball glass and stir. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Our Cape Codder cocktail features a vibrant dried lime wheel from Bar Necessities Co., adding a zesty finish and eye-catching detail. Explore their full garnish collection at https://www.barnecessities.co/.
The Gimlet was developed around the time of the Roaring Twenties and is of disputable origin. A simple and light cocktail, the Gimlet is an easy creation that can be altered in a myriad of ways to suit the customer’s taste. The classical recipe calls for a cocktail made with equal parts gin and lime juice, garnished with the such, served neat. We at Empire Mixology enjoy and respect the classic recipe, but we preferred a less intense lime juice addition (around 1 oz. or less), and added lemon-lime soda to create a more highball-esque version.
2 oz. Gin
Lime Juice to taste
Lemon-Lime Soda/Club Soda (optional)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Served: Preference
Strength: Strong
Difficulty: Simple
Flavor: Strong
Pour gin into desired glass; typically a martini glass or wine glass. Ice optional. Add desired lime juice quantity (classically a 1:1 ratio). If desired, add soda to make the cocktail more of a highball.
Ah the Rum Runner. A quintessential tropical cocktail, this concoction hails from Islamorada, Florida circa 1950. Created by a bartender using whatever extra ingredients he had lying around, the Rum Runner became a supremely sweet staple of warm-time weather cocktails. The Rum Runner has dozens of variations and recipes, but always features the combination of two types of rums; in our version we prefer silver and dark rum, however coconut, flavored, or spiced rum can also be used.
1 oz. Light Rum
1 oz. Dark Rum
1 oz. Blackberry Liqueur
1 oz. Banana Liqueur
2 oz. Orange Juice
2 oz. Pineapple Juice
Splash Grenadine
Rating: 5 Stars
Served: On the Rocks/Frozen
Strength: Medium
Difficulty: Simple
Flavor: Sweet
Place all ingredients except grenadine in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a hurricane glass or fishbowl. Add a splash of grenadine. Garnish with cherry and a pineapple wedge.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and life’s about to get a little extra sweeter. Whether you are celebrating with your beau, gal or your damn self, open up a bottle of Castello del Poggio Sweet Rosé to help celebrate the special night.
Seductive, fruity and crisp, Castello del Poggio’s Sweet Rosé is great before and after dinner. So whether the plan is to open a bottle to impress your girlfriend, sweeten up an anti-Valentine’s day party or pour one out for the swipe lefts and then a generous pour for yourself as you get into the tub - you’ll never want this wine to stop flowing.
As reported by KAYAK and other travel sites, the following cities are some of the best deals to travel to in 2019. We’re absolutely adding some of these to our yearly bucket list and we’ve already starting packing our suitcases. Find that next adventure.
The Kir is a French cocktail that hails from the 19th century. Formerly known as the Blanc-Cassis, the drink was renamed after Mayor Kir of Dijon, Burgundy who would serve this cocktail at his receptions for visiting delegations after World War II. Part of the reason why this cocktail become so popular was that during World War II, the German military removed a large amount of red wine from the country, leaving large reserves of white wine behind. This cocktail was used as a way to use what was available and in excess.
5 oz. White Wine
1 oz. Crème de Cassis
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Served: Neat
Strength: Medium
Difficulty: Simple
Flavor: Spirit Forward
Add the crème de cassis to the bottom of the glass and add the white wine above it.
Meet your new favorite cocktail. Classy yet fun, the International is a personal recipe of our resident Lead Mixologist. This cognac and vodka based cocktail is absolutely packed with flavor and delivers a smooth finish. The triple sec and elderflower liqueur mask the “bite” of the primary spirits, creating a delectable and flavor packed finish to your sip. This is one our signature recipes at Empire Mixology and we hope you enjoy it just as much as we do.
2 oz. Cognac
1 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. Elderflower Liqueur
½ oz. Vodka
Lime Wedge for Garnish
Lemon Wedge for Garnish
Rating: 5.0 Stars
Served: Neat
Strength: Medium
Difficulty: Simple
Flavor: Sweet
Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Unlike James Bond, stir this one until well chilled and strain into a martini glass.
Empire Tip: Garnish with a lemon twist or olives to your preference.
The Frozen Margarita is fairly identical to the Official IBA version, with the obvious exception of it now being blended. The frozen version is often more palatable due to its extremely cold temperature and method of creation. The slowly melting ice actually brings out the innate flavors of the tequila, offering a more flavorable finish. Perfect for summer weather and social gatherings, give our recipe a chance and see what you think.
2 oz. Tequila
1.5 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. Lime Juice
Dash of Simple Syrup
Salt (for rim of glass)
Lime for garnish
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Served: Margarita
Strength: Medium
Difficulty: Simple
Flavor: Spirit
Add tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and simple syrup to blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into salt-rimmed margarita glass. Garnish with lime.
The Cadillac Margarita is the top shelf version of the Margarita. Typically this cocktail recipe employs the use of top-shelf liqueurs such as Grand Marnier and Cointreau. The presence of these liqueurs definitely kicks the quality of the cocktail up, but both ingredients can be substituted if desired; using an orange infused brandy and triple sec respectively. Try the upscale version of the Margarita and see what you think.
2 oz. Tequila
1 oz. Triple Sec (or Cointreau)
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
Float of Grand Marnier
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Served: Margarita
Strength: Strong
Difficulty: Simple
Flavor: Spirit
Rim margarita glass with salt and lime. Add tequila, triple sec (or Cointreau), and lime juice to shaker with ice and shake well until chilled. Fill rimmed glass with cracked ice and strain shaker contents into glass. Float Grand Marnier or equivalent.
The Irish Coffee has a bit of a muddled history. Since the mid-1800s the French would serve a cocktail known as a Gloria, which was any mixture of coffee and spirits. So it’s not off-base to say the Irish Coffee is just a Whiskey Gloria, however when’s the last time you’ve heard of a Gloria cocktail? The modern Irish Coffee is mostly agreed to have originated in County Limerick, Ireland. In the mid 1950s, the cocktail began appearing in the United States on the West Coast and its popularity took off from there. A staple of after-dinner cocktail menus everywhere, the Irish Coffee and its iterations have survived and continue to thrive.
1 oz. Irish Whiskey
1 oz. Cream
4 oz. Hot Coffee
1 tsp Brown Sugar
Rating: 4.0 Stars
Served: Hot
Strength: Mild
Difficulty: Simple
Flavor: Coffee
Heat the coffee, whiskey, and sugar but do not bring to a boil. Pour into glass and top with cream.
Is it technically just a rum and coke? Well sort of. The cocktail is very simple and inexpensive, but it does remain as one the world’s most popular cocktails. The cocktail comes from post Spanish-American War Cuba and its name is from the motto of the Cuban Independence movement of the time. Typically at Empire Mixology we don’t like to push specific brands in our cocktails, but this classic recipe technically calls for Bacardi Superior Silver Rum and Coca Cola. Note a Cuba Libre is not made with Spiced Rum, more commonly known as a Captain and Coke.
1½ oz. Silver Rum (Bacardi Superior)
Fill Coca Cola
Rating: 5.0 Stars
Served: On the Rocks
Strength: Light
Difficulty: Simple
Flavor: Sweet
Build ingredients with ice in a highball glass. Stir gently and garnish with a lime wedge.
Disclaimer: The following recipe is not the IBA Official Long Island Iced Tea. The following recipe is a custom Empire Mixology Long Island Iced Tea that has been a family hand-down recipe from our multi-generational team of bartenders and mixologists. In contrast to the “official” recipe, the Empire recipe tones down the tequila and gin, while adding more rum. Also, a splash of rye is introduced to cut the harsh flavor of the tequila and gin and create a much smoother finish. This recipe is an Empire Mixology recipe that has never left an upset customer.
• 1 oz. Vodka
• 1¼ oz. Rum
• ¾ oz. Gin
• ¾ oz. Tequila
• 1 oz. Triple Sec
• Splash of Rye Whiskey
• 4½ oz. Sour Mix
• Splash of Coca Cola
Rating: 5 Stars
Served: On the Rocks
Strength: Strong
Difficulty: Medium
Flavor: Sweet
Build ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice, except for the coca cola. Gently shake a few times to chill ingredients. Pour with ice into highball or pint glass. Add splash of coke and stir gently. Add lemon wedge and cherry as garnish. The color should be pale brown, similar to iced tea. If the drink is too dark then too much coke has been added.
This Hollywood original cocktail was probably your favorite when you were younger. Named after the famous actress (who ironically hated this drink), the cocktail is prevalent at childrens’ and family parties in order to mimic more adult alcoholic drinks. Light and sweet, the Shirley Temple is a hallmark example of a non-alcoholic mocktail.
Splash of Grenadine
Fill Ginger Ale (or Lemon-Lime Soda)
Maraschino Cherries for Garnish
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Served: On the Rocks
Strength: Non-Alcoholic
Difficulty: Simple
Flavor: Sweet
Pour soda into ice filled highball glass. Float grenadine over top, garnish with cherries.
I went into the local cigar store today, and while I had no specific expectations I did find a little treasure for a great price. Black Market by Alec Bradley is a great smoke. It’s a complex cigar that is made from four (Yes I said 4) country blends consisting of long leaf fillers from Nicaragua, Panama, and Honduras all wrapped in a Sumatra binder, and bound by a Nicaraguan maduro wrapper. The Sumatra tobacco leaf is originally from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and is on the sweeter side. This cigar is a medium to full cigar and not recommended for first time cigar smokers.
This cigar produced a nice think smoke and maintained an even burn throughout. While you enjoy this cigar, you will find that the Sumatra binder offers a cinnamon and earthy undertone with a slightly sweet finish and it’s peppery notes increase as the cigar reaches its full potential. The over all experience was enjoyable and will defiantly be going back for more by Alec Bradley.
Flavor Profile: Spicy Peppery Notes, Earthy Undertones, Dry Finish
Shapes: Churchill, Corona, Gordo, Robusto, Toro, Torpedo
Wrapper: Maduro, Nicaraguan
Origin: Honduras
Binder: Sumatra
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Panamanian
Sweet: No
Price: $8.00
A cigar broken down is simply a tobacco leaf that is wrapped around a filling. However, the process and complexity of creating a cigar is not that simple. It is an art and craft that takes time, patience, and precision.
Cigars come in different shapes and sizes, (which most of you all ready know). The standard shape has a round top or head to it. However, there are many different types of cigars out there when it comes to the shape. Have you ever come across one that has a point as the head? This one is called a “Perfecto” it has a pointed head and tapering sides to it. How about a long thin cigar? You might confuse this one with a standard cigar, but this one is referred to as a Panatella, which has a long thin straight appearance. My advice is that you try them all and not to be intimidated by the different looking ones.
Now lets get into the meat and potatoes of this article. How is a cigar made, and what exactly is in a cigar?
First we need to start off with a raw material. What is that raw material you ask? Well it is tobacco; more specifically it is three tobacco leaves from a tobacco plant. A cigar starts off with broken tobacco leaves, which are used for the filler. Then a whole leaf is used to wrap the filler. This is called the binder. Finally a larger tobacco leaf is used to wrap around the binder and give the cigar its overall appearance. Some cigars are made with the same tobacco leaves and others are made with different tobacco leaves.
Now you cant just go out and pick off tobacco leaves and expect to make a cigar. First they need to be cultivated. Usually a tobacco plant will start indoors and then by transplanted outside. The tobacco leaves are carefully watched and pruned so that they grow to the desired size.
Once the tobacco has been harvested it needs to be cured in order to develop its over all aroma characteristic. Tobacco leaves are considered cured when they change from their lush green appearance to a more dried out brown color. In order to cure tobacco leaves they are typically “strung to strips of wood called laths.” Once the tobacco leaves are attached to these laths there are two different methods to curing them. The first is called air curing. If the weather is dry and the tobacco leaves are placed in a well-ventilated structure, the leaves will cure naturally. The other method is called “flue-cureing.” In this method the laths are hung in a structure that is manually heated and controlled from 90-170 degrees. The temperature must be constantly monitored so that the leaves do not dry to quickly.
Now that the leaves are dried out they need to be separated by their color and size. Once separated the leaves are tied together into bundles. These bundles are referred to as hands. The hands or (bundles) are then placed in boxes called hogsheads. The tobacco is kept in these boxes for a period of 6 to 5 years. During this time the leaves will go through a process called fermentation. This is where the cigar will develop its flavor. Once this process is complete the leaves will be sorted out again.
Now is where the skill comes in when making a cigar. The filler leaves must have their stems removed or you wont have an even burn. The deveined leaves will then be wrapped in bales and put away for further fermentation. The leaves are then steamed to restore any lost humidity and sorted again.
Once all the tobacco leaves are sorted it is time to hand roll and complete the cigar process. Two to six leaves are selected for the filler. They are placed onto of each other. This is important because if the filler is not packed evenly the cigar will not burn evenly. Now the worker will place the filler on the leaf that will be used as the binder and will roll it cylindrically around the filler. The cigar is now placed in a mold to hold it together until the process can be finished. The final step, and most challenging is the actual wrapping of the cigar. The worker will take the tobacco leaf that has been designated as the wrapper leaf and place the unfinished cigar on top of it. The wrapper leaf will be wrapped around the filler and binder three and a half times and then held together with vegetable paste, (Cigar glue).
Having trouble finding the “right cigar”? When choosing a type of cigar to smoke there are three characteristics you should be aware of in order to find the one that suits your palate.With that said not all cigars are created equal. The three elements of a cigar that one should be familiar with are body, flavor, and strength. Cigars can either be described as full, medium, or mild. Usually the darker the wrap the fuller, or (stronger it is).
BODY: Refers to the strength of the cigar, or the way it feels on your palate. In other words the fuller the cigar the heavier it will feel in your mouth. When smoking a cigar our senses are used. When referring to the body of a cigar I am explaining the different effects the tobacco components have on the nose and the mouth. For example I have had cigars that were smooth on the palate, and also ones that had a bite to them.
FLAVOR: This is whatever you, the cigar-goer, is looking for. The flavor of the cigar goes back to the body of the cigar. (Full, Medium, Mild) the darker usually means the fuller it is, and the lighter wrapped cigars are on the mild side. The more flavor, the fuller the cigar. If you’re smoking a cigar and it doesn’t have distinct flavors it is probably on the light or mild side.
STRENGTH: Have you ever smoked a cigar and when you stand up you feel light headed? Well when referring to the strength of a cigar, the way it makes you feel would be a good indication of how strong it is. The different tobacco used determines the strength of a cigar. Every experience is different, and that is why I said not all cigars are created equal.
So next time when choosing a cigar or deciding to smoke one you don’t know if you’ll even like, first look at the wrapping is it dark? Is it light? That right there can tell you a lot about the kind of cigar you might be lighting up. For me I like the darker or fuller cigars. They just have more flavor. Next time while enjoying a cigar focus on the three characteristics mentioned above. Focus on how it feels when the cigar touches your mouth and how the smoke effects your senses.
