A few months ago, I wrote about a special bartender that we like to visit on a weekend martini crawl.  As with any busy restaurant, he is not the only bartender there.  Luckily for this restaurant’s owners, they have another bartender that is equally as talented. Though we have not known Jeff as long as we have known Jared, we have come to learn that his drinks are as perfectly made and delicious.

On a recent weekend night, the bar was incredibly busy.  Both Jared and Jeff were taking orders, making drinks, and delivering them with a smile as quickly as they could.  When Jeff had a free moment, I asked him to make his signature drink for me.  I also requested a copy of his recipe.  Generously, he shared this amazingly tasty martini’s ingredient list with me.

Not only does this drink have a fruity sweetness equivalent to the candy for which it is named, it also has a beautiful color.  Garnished with fruits, it could be a cocktail too beautiful to drink except that you would be missing out on a flavor sensation.

Liquid Skittles

1 1/2 oz. citrus vodka

1 oz. Cointreau

1 oz. Chambord

1 oz. Pom Juice

1 oz. sweet and sour mix

Champagne

Fill a martini shaker with ice, and add all ingredients.  Shake well.  Strain into a martini glass.  Float champagne to taste.  Garnish with berries and lime wedge.

Guten Tag! Since this is the lovely month of October, you’ve no doubt seen beers that share the same name. Octoberfest or Oktoberfest ale, are common this time of year. Generally these dark tan ales have a slightly bitter flavor with smokey overtones. Many breweries claim to have the best brew, so I took a few popular ones to a taste test.

Sam Adam’s, Octoberfest, bottle. We start with a dark copper color with a smokey aroma. This ale has a slightly bitter aftertaste and is very malty. Many people use this as a basis for all Octoberfest beers, which isn’t a terrible thing, but you must remember that Sam Adam’s is the gateway beer. The gateway to other possibilities and flavors, so keep exploring.

Harpoon, Octoberfest, bottle. Lighter in color than the Sam’s, a tan color, not very bitter and very smooth. This had an almost creamy taste to it and a little bite toward the end. I found this to be very enjoyable and not as heavy as Sam

Otter Creek, Oktoberfest, bottle. This had the brightest color of the three, a golden quality. It was very smooth with a slightly bitter taste. Not as spiced and smokey as the other two, which gave way to a good crisp taste. This was the easiest to drink of the three.

I only wish that I had a chance to try Spaten’s Octoberfest, but I couldn’t find any anywhere. Octoberfest ales can be confused with Autumn ales and other fall beers. Remember: Octoberfest beers come from a rich German and Bavarian heritage and are the start of the dark beer season. Next time you grill a few brats or German sausage with a bed of sauerkraut, crack open some German heritage to wash it down. Auf Wiedersehen.

While on our honeymoon, my husband and I kept a much different schedule.  We ate huge breakfasts, filled our days with a variety of outdoor activities, and searched for unique restaurants at night.  We stayed at three different hotels during our trip, and at each hotel we took one day as a completely relaxing day, which included an afternoon cocktail.

At the first hotel, the Grand Hyatt in Kauai, we spent an afternoon lounging by the pools.  In the middle of the pool area there was Captain’s Bar, which served beverages and lighter fare.  Totally relaxed on a lounge chair under the bright Hawaiian sun, I was treated to the delivery of a pina colada by my husband.  For himself, he had gotten a strawberry daiquiri.  These drinks were weak on alcohol and heavy on price, but were cooling drinks on a hot September afternoon.

Our second hotel was the Hyatt Regency in Maui.  Here there were two pools connected by a man-made cave.  After an hour in the mid-afternoon sun, it got pretty hot, so we hopped into the pool for a swim.  After a trip down the 150 foot waterslide, it was time to get a drink.  Grotto Bar was the most interesting bar we visited, as it was situated inside the cave.  We swam up to the edge, placed an order, and had a drink while still in the pool.  Here the drinks were pricey again, but these were better made.  Being in Hawaii, we enjoyed a round of pina coladas again.

The last location for our vacation was the Hotel Hana-Maui.  At this hotel, we chose to spend our relaxing afternoon playing several holes of putt and pitch golf and relaxing in the jacuzzi and sauna.  After these laid back events, we headed to Paniolo Lounge.  Again we opted to order frozen drinks, which were the tastiest and least expensive of the three hotels.

On a vacation for two, it was fun to spend a few afternoons relaxing and enjoying frozen drinks.  If you are in any of these areas of Hawaii, I would recommend a drink at Grotto Bar for the atmosphere or at Paniolo Lounge for the drink itself, but I would skip the drink at the Captain’s Bar.

My husband and I are very fortunate to have a pair of best friends that are there for any event.  Whether it’s hosting a holiday with family and hoping for some sanity, moving to a new house and needing some extra hands, or attending a child’s sporting event and wanting a cheering squad, they are there.

This past weekend our eldest competed in a tri-county cross country meet.  Of course, our best friends were in attendance with us.  To cap off our day, they joined us and two of our kids at home.  Having a little fun with the big sporting event, I created a Tri-Tini for the adults.  (The kids mixed juices, seltzer, and grenandine to make their own special beverages.)  Named the Tri-Tini to acknowledge both the event and the three ingredients with alcohol, this drink was tasty.

What better way to end a day with such great friends than to have a drink and enjoy their company?

The Tri-Tini

2 ounces blue curacao

1 ounce banana liqueur

4 ounces coconut rum

2 ounces pineapple juice

Fill a martini shaker with ice.  Add ingredients, and shake well.  Pour into martini glasses.

Serves 2.

With 4 nights on the West Side of Maui during our honeymoon, we were in the mood to relax and enjoy ourselves. Luckily, our hotel was situated along the beach path, so we had walking access to a great number of restaurants and bars. On our second night of this stay, we found our winner for martinis, Tropica.

We arrived at Tropica around 7:30, and I decided to do the choosing to start our evening. For myself, I ordered the Ocean Martini, which had Ocean Vodka and mango, among other ingredients.  For my husband, I ordered the Wasabi Sake Martini, which combined the flavors of wasabi, cucumber, sake, and lime. Both drinks were delicious, mine with a hint of sweetness and his with a strong taste of cucumber.

We had the benefit of live entertainment and enjoyed our drinks while listening to a variety of songs. (Though we did wonder if we were at a junior high dance when the musician began to play “Stairway to Heaven”.)

With the stars bright in the sky and no need to rush, we ordered a round of coffee drinks. My husband chose the Perfect Night, which had Bailey’s, Frangelico, and Amaretto. I ordered Hawaiian Coffee, a simple mix of coffee and macadamia nut liquor. Both drinks were served in goblets and topped with whipped cream. Although, both were tasty, I thought I received the better of the two drinks.

Our evening was made more enjoyable by the excellent service we received, from the congeniality of the hostess to the pleasantries exchanged with our waiter. Tropica was the best location along the beach walk for a cocktail, as it had all of requirements: good atmosphere, excellent service, and delicious beverages.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve subjected myself to a study of different pumpkin beers in order to find The Great Pumpkin. Here are my results:

Wolaver’s Organic, Will Steven’s Pumpkin Ale, bottle: not heavy on spice with a slightly bitter flavor. A funny smell that wasn’t really pumpkin. Not very impressive overall, it was a good try though.

Smuttynose, Pumpkin Ale, tap: smelled like a can of pumpkin pie but had too much bitter aftertaste. Think of a pale ale with some pumpkin spice. Not my favorite but it was more convincing than the Wolaver’s.

Shipyard, Pumpkinhead Ale, tap: light aroma with no bitter flavor and very carbonated. Smooth like a golden ale. Sadly, it was too watered down by the end of the pint.

Post Road, Pumpkin Ale, bottle: (this brewery was bought out by the Brooklyn Brewery) this ale had a good aroma. It was a step up from the Shipyard. The spiced flavor was very consistent throughout, not overpowering.

Blue Moon, Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, bottle: smooth pumpkin flavor and taste. Not bitter at all with no strong aroma. This one used to be my favorite.

Dogfish Head, Punkin Ale, bottle: strong pumpkin smell and solid flavor. No filler here, and consistent throughout with spice, you can almost taste the nutmeg. If you can find this ale, you’ll make the switch in no time.

There you have it folks, the fruits (or gourds, I guess) of my research. This year The Great Pumpkin goes to: Dogfish Head for this very consistent tasting ale. Well, those were all the pumpkin beers I could grab, maybe I missed a few. Have no fear there always is next year. See you around the patch.

Bottle/Tap: Bottle

The other night I had a funny craving: a cheeseburger with bacon. Stopping by the grocery store, I picked up ground beef and smoked bacon, then headed home. While grilling I applied barbecue sauce to the burgers and even grilled the bacon. To top this all off I decided to have a Trout River Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. Remember this: dark beers go great with smoky grilled foods.

I’ve had two other beers that advertise chocolate on the label: Sam Adams’ Chocolate Bock and Rogue’s Chocolate Stout. Both of which were very good and reminded me of melted Hershey bars.

I opened the Trout River, poured it into a glass, and was immediately struck by the aroma of chocolate. Since this is a stout it was obviously jet black in color with a little foam on top. It looked very appealing.

Oatmeal is a common ingredient in most stouts, and there was a hint of oatmeal here. Actually, if you added raisins to the chocolate and oatmeal, you’d have a pretty good cookie recipe. There was a little taste of bitterness, but for the most part this stout was very smooth.

Thankfully, the bacon and burger were grilled to perfection by yours truly, and the smoky flavors were only complimented. I never though I’d have chocolate for dinner, although I have had cake for breakfast, so I guess it all works out.

Overall, I really enjoyed Trout River’s Chocolate Oatmeal Stout much more than their Red Ale, which I’ve had before. The time of year is approaching when darker, full bodied beers will be more common place, I’m just trying to jump the gun.

Tap/Bottle – Bottle

Only twice I’ve subjected myself to high potency beers: La Fin Du Monde and Sam Adam’s Imperial Pilsner. Usually, I avoid anything over 5 or 6% when I’m out and about, and this past Tuesday I was tricked.

Victory Brewing is one of the new lines of beers to have been added to Strangebrew’s roster. After a pint of delicious Bass, I decided to try one of the new offerings. Based on name alone, I chose the Golden Monkey Ale. What I envisioned and what I got were two different things. The words ‘golden ale’ usually bring up thoughts of a calm summer afternoon, but not this time.

The beer was served in a 12 ounce bottle; this should have been a hint. Second, the aroma was a little off. Finally, after a quarter of the bottle, I read the label: 9.5% alcohol by volume. Suddenly, I felt the urge to consume more nachos.

If you managed to try Sam Adam’s Imperial Pilsner last fall, it was intensely hoppy. Golden Monkey can be likened to the Imperial Pilsner, yet it tasted slightly better due to whatever spices Victory mixed in the brew.

The one characteristic of beers that are 9% or above is that they all begin to taste similar. Due to the alcohol content it really dilutes the flavor, and you can’t taste much else. This is why I avoid high alcohol beers.

Halfway through the bottle the flavor smoothed out a bit. I managed to finish it and peel off the label for future reference. For beers like this, you often need the right mindset before you pop the top, not totally be taken by surprise. I’m intrigued to try more by Victory Brewing; I just hope that the rest of their line isn’t so intimidating.

Time for a little word association game. If I say, “Summertime,” what do you think of? Asking a few of my colleagues, their responses were swimming, beaches, and cookouts.

For me, summertime conjures thoughts of watermelon. This fruit is a favorite among the ages. What is more fun for a child than eating watermelon off the rind, allowing the juice to drip down your chin, and getting to spit the seeds?

As an adult, I still enjoy the taste of watermelon. With watermelon season coming to an end, I purchased one to savor the waning tastes of summer.  There were a few slices left after the meal, which I could have saved them for the next day’s lunch.  However, I decided to transform this kid-favorite fruit into an adult’s only beverage.

Combining the watermelon with vodka, I made my own infusion. When we had friends for dinner, this vodka became the base of a delicious martini. This drink can be made with purchased infused-vodka, though that version is sweeter.

Watermelon-infused Vodka

2 cups watermelon, cut into ½” cubes

4 cups vodka

Place watermelon cubes in the bottom of a clean, glass jar. Add vodka. Seal jar with lid, and place in a cool dark place for 1 week.

Using a fine mesh strainer, pour vodka into a bottle for storage.  Can be used in mixed drinks or the following martini recipe.

Watermelon Martini

2 oz. watermelon-infused vodka

1 oz. cranberry juice

Splash lemon-lime soda

Fill a martini shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add vodka and cranberry juice. Shake well. Pour into a martini glass, and add soda. Stir gently, and serve with a small watermelon chunk as a garnish.

Obrycki’s is a Baltimore restaurant icon that was established in 1944 to serve great seafood in a low-key, blue-collar Baltimore style.

So when I was killing time waiting for a flight at BWI, I went in to see what I could find to drink.  And being near noon, but still morning, I decided the world called for a Bloody Mary.  Obrycki’s has its own spin on the Mary, and it is called the Crabby Mary.  I ordered a double and watched the bartender make it:

• 3 oz. of Absolut Peppar
• 2 oz. of Bloody Mary Mix
• Ice

The ingredients are shaken and then poured into a tumbler that has Obrycki’s Spicy Seafood mix on the rim.  The drink is garnished with a celery stalk.

It was the perfect late morning drink.