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Sunday, March 13th, 2011
Whenever I am asked about German wines, I am always haunted by a scene from a PBS wine series. In it, large, ruddy grape pickers on a foggy mountain slope in Germany are asked by the raincoat-wrapped reporter, “Which of the liebfraumilchs do you like?”
This sends the pickers into howls of laughter that has them rolling on the ground.
“Mother’s milk! We don’t drink that stuff. We send it to America!”
Since there might have been a bit of Blue Nun or Black Castle in my past, I have relished the idea that since we’re perhaps not always getting the best of German wines, our team in Washington and Oregon have taken to growing the German grapes and the product is fine. (more…)
Tags: America, Chef Jim Shirley, Cocktails, Fish House, local business, Pensacola, wine
Posted in Chef Jim Shirley, Cocktails, Entertainment, Pensacola, The Fish House, Uncategorized, wine | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011
MELISSA MARTIN • SPECIAL TO THE NEWS JOURNAL
 Hosting a paint party is a fun way to fill the blank walls in your house with some original art created by your friends. (Special to the News Journal) One part canvas, two parts vodka.
The only thing you need for this party idea is a group of good friends, a few blank canvases, paints and brushes and, of course, a bottle of Van Gogh Vodka.
A paint party is the perfect way to fill the blank walls in your house with some original art created by your friends. This party is simple, fun and can be done for a variety occasions including showers, birthday parties and girls’ nights in.
Setting up such an event is easy. First, you need to find the best room in your house to gather your guests so they will each have enough space to work in. I use the dining room in my house, and simply cover the table with a drop cloth to protect the finish.
Once you have your room picked out, the next step is to set out the supplies. Place brushes, an 8-by-8-inch canvas and small paper cups filled with water at each station. Provide each guest with a paper plate to collect color paint samples to use for their projects. I suggest using acrylic paint. It’s thick enough not to run, and it dries fast, so you can paint over any mistakes. Paint and other supplies can be picked up from Bobe’s Hobby House, a local craft store at 5719 North W Street.
Now that your guests have all the materials they need, you can set the mood for inspiration. I recommend putting on some of your favorite music while sipping the sophisticated Van Gogh Espresso Vodka. For those who are not coffee drinkers, Van Gogh Vodka comes in many other flavors, such as Dutch caramel, raspberry and vanilla.
The last time I hosted girls’ night in, I decided to theme it around a paint party. Most girls’ nights we stay in, cook dinner and watch “American Idol” while we chat about our week. This time, we Tivoed “Idol” to try something different.
Once the girls came over, we made our cocktails and began stroking the brushes across the canvases. Although none of us are up-and-coming artists, sometimes — as in life — it’s funny … even though you don’t have exact directions to where you’re going, you find yourself ending up exactly where you want to be.
After the paintings are finished, display them for everyone to see. On this particular night, we had decided to invite our significant others to come over after the painting session. The guys joined us for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while we unveiled our works of art.
When selecting your menu, be sure to incorporate simple finger-food items like the ones they serve in big gallery openings. A few fancy and delicious appetizers will set the mood for your at-home gallery. Choose imported cheeses and meats, small crisps with salmon mousse or anything that fits on a napkin that you can pick up and go. The perfect place to find some of these items, if you want to avoid the hassle of doing it yourself, is Wine World Wine Bar, 16 Palafox Place. This place has a huge variety of specialty cheeses and meats, and if you time it right, you can sample some fine vino from around the world.
After the party is over, you are left with fond memories and great stories to tell. As time passes, noticing the art on your walls will remind you of your friends and how much fun it was to branch out and do something different — and it may also inspire a repeat get-together.
Until next time, friends, party on!
Tags: America, Chef Jim Shirley, Cocktails, Fish House, Happy Hour, local business, Melissa Martin, party planning, Pensacola, Things to do
Posted in Birthday Party, Event Planning, Family, Fun, Local Pensacola Business, Pensacola, Uncategorized, baby showers, party planning | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
Matthieu Rodriguez • Special to The Pensacola News Journal • FEBRUARY 9, 2011
 The Flaming Heart by Matthieu Rodriguez of Atlas Oyster House. (Katie King/kking@pnj.com) Tequila, the precursor of many great times and consequent hangovers, has seen a resurgence. This is largely because of modern distillation processes, carefully managed aging techniques and inspection and exportation regulations that have been introduced by the Mexican government in order to ensure quality tequila and prevent counterfeiting of this blue agave product.
Like Champagne, tequila can only be made in certain parts of the world to receive the “tequila” classification. This area is relegated to Jalisco, a Mexican state that borders the Pacific Ocean, and certain areas of four other states. Roasting the hearts of slow-maturing blue agave, then pressing out the sugary liquid for distillation, is a centuries-old process that travels back to early Aztec civilizations. In fact, tequila is recognized as North America’s first distilled spirit.
There are several different styles and profiles of tequila; however, for this recipe, we use only Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Silver. This silver tequila is triple distilled and finished in French white-oak barrels. This mellows the tequila to an amiable presence perfect for sipping or mixing.
When you mix tequila, you must be careful to not lose the identity of the drink by overpowering it with other flavors. Rather than mask the tequila flavor, we are going to accent it by adding Licor 43, a bright-yellow Spanish liqueur. Licor 43 is made from citrus and a variety of other fruit juices and infused with vanilla. The number of ingredients totals 43, hence the name. We are going to use pineapple juice as an additional flavor that will help blend the two aforementioned products. One of my favorite “secret ingredients” for a special cocktail is egg white. Egg whites add a third dimension to a drink: texture. Generally speaking, this key ingredient to several classic cocktails is usually lost with modern adaptations.
The Flaming Heart 11„2 Ounces Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Silver Tequila 1„4 Ounce Licor 43 1 Ounce Pineapple Juice 1„2 Ounce Pasteurized Egg Whites 3 Dashes Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce
Mix the first four ingredients in a shaker tin. Shake well with ice for 10 seconds. This will allow the mixture to blend without being bruised by the ice.
Add ice to a short rocks glass and empty the shaker over the contents. You’ll have a delicious-looking, tasty cocktail.
To add a little kick to your creation, top it off with three splashes of Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce. Hope you enjoy. Stay thirsty!
Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St., Pensacola. 437-1961, or visit atlas.goodgrits.com.
Tags: America, Atlas Oyster House, Cocktails, Cooking Tips, Happy Hour, local business, party planning, Pensacola, Recipes, Southern Cooking, Things to do
Posted in Atlas Oyster House, Cocktails, Cooking Tips, Employees, Entertainment, Fun, Local Pensacola Business, Public Relations, Recipes, The Deck Bar, The Fish House | No Comments »
Thursday, January 13th, 2011
 The Stone Fence from The Fish House. (John Blackie/jblackie@pnj.com) WILLIAM MORSE • SPECIAL TO THE NEWS JOURNAL • JANUARY 12, 2011
Could drinking whiskey actually show one’s patriotism? It could if you refer back to the colonists’ fight for independence. In 1775, Ethan Allen was preparing for a nighttime raid on the British-held Fort Ticonderoga, along with his Green Mountain Boys (a group of volunteer soldiers taking their name from the Green Mountains in Vermont). Fort Ticonderoga was in the Lake Champlain region and was a strategic thoroughfare between Canada and the revolting colonies. If captured, it could be used to trap the British forces in Boston. Being outnumbered and out-equipped, it would take a great deal of courage from the soldiers. The men gathered at their headquarters, the Catamount Tavern in Castleton, and reportedly summoned up their courage by drinking large amounts of hard cider with generous shots of rum. They called this drink the “Stone Fence.”
It was pretty strong stuff, but then again, that’s what the fight for independence called for. It’s unlikely that the drink aided them in their fight, but they did, in fact, overtake the fort.
This early cocktail was popular throughout the Northeast. In the early 1800s, with rum becoming harder to obtain, rye whiskey was used in its place. Apple trees were abundant across the Northeast, which made the cider easily accessible. But beginning in the mid-1800s, the temperance movement encouraged the replacement of hard cider with sweet cider, which became the mixer of choice. This cocktail remained popular throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, until prohibition arrived in 1919-1920.
With the colder months upon us, I think a slight variation of this drink is appropriate. While you can use whiskey, apple brandy or even scotch, I like to make mine with spiced rum mixed with gently warmed cider.
Tags: America, Atlas Oyster House, Cocktails, Cooking Tips, Fish House, Happy Hour, local business, party planning, Pensacola, Recipes, Things to do
Posted in Atlas Oyster House, Cocktails, Fun, Pensacola, Recipes, The Deck Bar, The Fish House | No Comments »
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