Our Friday Cocktail: Obama Home Sweet Home

Every Friday for our all hands meeting, we select one cocktail to enjoy as a group. This week, Lee offered up a cheers to patriotism with his Obama Home Sweet Home. The pineapple here showcases Obama’s Hawaiian roots and the Kentucky whiskey is definitely all-American. 

Obama Home Sweet Home

1.5 oz. bourbon (we used Elijah Craig)

0.75 oz. pineapple juice

0.75 oz simple syrup

Slash of soda water

Lime wedge

In a highball glass, combine the bourbon, simple syrup and pineapple juice. Add ice and stir. Fill with soda. Garnish with a lime wedge. 

Our Friday Cocktail: The Old-Fashioned, Re-Imagined

Every Friday for our all hands meeting, we select one cocktail to enjoy as a group. This week, our newest team member Keith offered up his favorite bourbon and a twist on a classic old-fashioned. Not for the first-time drinker, this one definitely has a kick to it. 

The Old-Fashioned | Re-Imagined

2 oz Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon 

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 a cap of almond extract

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Rind of a Clementine (or orange rind)

Swizzle all ingredients except rind with ice in a rock glass. Cut a slice of the rind off of the orange, express the oils by twisting, and run the rind around the lip of the glass before dropping in. Enjoy! 

Our Friday Cocktail: Red Sangria Recipe

Every Friday afternoon during our weekly team meeting at SideTour, we select one cocktail to enjoy as a group. This week, Lee started prepping days in advance for his high-octane, but still delicious sangria. This recipe makes about 3.5L of sangria plus a bunch of alcoholic fruit that you should regard as half-shots. You’ll need at least a 5L jug for this. Serves around 20 people 2-3 glasses each.

Lee’s Red Sangria
1/1.75L dry red wine (Yellowtail Merlot is fine)

1 cup Gosling’s spiced rum

1 cup Mr. Boston Blackberry-flavored brandy

1/2 cup Peachtree Schnapps

1/2 cup Cointreau (or Triple Sec if you’re cheap or want to reduce the alcohol content)

1 cup orange juice (no pulp)

4 Tsp sugar

4 cans ginger ale

2 lemons

2 limes

2 apples

4 oranges

1 cup strawberries

1 cup raspberries

1 can diced pineapples in juice

Pour all the alcohol, mixers, OJ, and 2 cans of ginger ale in a large pitcher. Pour in the sugar and stir it for a few minutes. Cut all the fruit into half-slices and throw all the fruit slices (and any juice) in the pitcher. Holy crap, don’t drink it yet. Let it sit for 48 hours, 24 hours minimum. Seriously. Stop that. Don’t drink it. When it’s time to serve, add the last 2 cans of ginger ale.

Slice the remaining oranges and slot them. Serve with a lot of ice in red wine glasses with the slotted orange slices as garnish. Be careful of how much you put down. We’re not kidding about that high-octane bit up top.

A Tea Tasting to Enlighten Your Senses

            

Our Friday Cocktail: ???

Every Friday afternoon during our weekly team meeting at SideTour, we select one cocktail to enjoy as a group. This week, we let Joanna choose the cocktail. Then she went on The Wren SideTour and came back with some random idea of what to make. So we had an amalgamation of infused tequila (soaked in fruit for 5 days beforehand) with a couple different fruit juices, fresh squeezed lime, and bitters. 

The Infused Tequila Cluster
1/2 bottle of Herradura
Papaya, pineapple, and cantaloupe, diced
1 vanilla bean 1 cinnamon stick

Let tequila infuse with papaya, pineapple, cantaloupe, vanilla, and cinnamon. Drink over ice, or mixed with fruit juice and soda. 

A Restaurant that Doubles as Pork Heaven in the West Village

We’re about to let you in on a big secret. You know Corsino? That cute little Italian cantina on Hudson Street in the West Village? It’s a pork lover’s dream come true.  

Check out these photos we took on a recent SideTour where the head chef, Tomas Curi, taught us how to butcher an entire Mangalitsa pig, and then fed us an insanely delicious snout-to-tail dinner.

Preparing half of the pig for butchering. 

Pulling out the big guns…err…saw.

A chef and his pork leg. Look at that smile!

Our full menu, with wine pairings. 

Mouth-watering yet? Book Chef Curi’s next SideTour at Corsino.

6 Local Beers You Should Be Drinking This Summer

    

• Characteristics: Described as a unique can for sun-worshipping ale lovers, this Bavarian wheat promises clear golden brilliance. We also love the fact that it’s served in a can.
• Alcohol Content: 5.2%
• Some Places to Find it: Blind Pig, Craftbar, Idle Hands, Whole Foods Union Square, Spring Lounge

2. Heartland Summertime Apricot Ale

• Characteristics: A wheat ale with a light, fruity apricot sweetness. We’re still a little confused why this brewery’s named Heartland since we’re on the East Coast, but we’re willing to overlook that since it’s pretty delicious.
• Alcohol Content: 5.5%
• Some Places to Find it: Heartland Brewery’s all over the city. The Seaport’s our fave. 

3. Dogfish Festina Peche

• Characteristics: A dry, tart, refreshing beer with a hint of peach. One of the most well known breweries of the bunch and readily available at good bars all over town.
• Alcohol Content: 4.5%
• Some Places to Find it: Blind Tiger, Tribeca Tavern, Eataly, The Breslin Bar, Barcade, Amsterdam Ale House

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Our Friday Cocktail: The Medicated Presbyterian

Every Friday afternoon during our weekly team meeting at SideTour, we select one cocktail to enjoy as a group. This week, we created a mix between a Presbyterian and a Penicillin. We’ll call it a Medicated Presbyterian…or a Liquored Up SideTouree. You pick.

The Medicated Presbyterian Recipe
1.5 oz of Knob Creek Bourbon
1.5 oz Ginger Ale 1 oz Club Soda
1 TB of honey syrup (equal parts honey and hot water, mixed and then cooled)
A dash of lemon juice

Fill a glass to the top with ice. Pour bourbon, ginger ale, soda, honey syrup, and lemon over ice. Stir vigorously and garnish with a lemon slice.