Some bunnies bring cocktails on Easter.

Let me start by saying that I may be struck down by the hand of God by writing this blog, but I must go on. I will always remember my Great Aunt Francie who drank Sherry every day, lived to be 107, and use to say: “The Devil won’t take me and God’s not ready for me yet.” I have always lived my life by that motto and if I’m still here after all I’ve done, I have to ask the following question:

Is drinking on Easter sacrilegious?

Let’s face it, the answer is ‘no’ unless you live in a church or a house full of religious zealots.  Don’t get me wrong, religion has its time and place, but let’s face it; even I drop to one knee and “Tebow” every time I enter a bar and see several full shelves of magical bottles. I remember many an Easter with thick ham, luscious turkey, deviled eggs and wine flowing around the table.

Picture this: a chubby adolescent descending a staircase, holding the rails as training wheels. It is a cool, brisk, spring morn. The day is Easter – the day Christ has risen again. Christ rose from the dead and fatty sat cross-legged in front of a basket of plastic, green grass. In celebration of the rebirth of Christ, the corpulent child dug candy from the fake turf and licked his lips as he devoured it as it smeared his cheeks.

That fat kid was me and I can remember when I first outgrew the candy phase. I had started bartending and I rose one Easter morn (or afternoon depending on how you look at it) and went downstairs to find a basket full of airplane miniatures, a martini shaker and matching martini glasses.

“What is this?” I started. “Where’s the candy, the Peeps, the basket?”

“I didn’t know what else to get you,” my mother replied.

“Are these Drunken Olives?” I quipped as I dug through the synthetic grass.

 “You’re a bartender now. You’re older. I figured you would like this kind of stuff.”

“You’re right,” I said. “Let’s have a cocktail to Jesus.”

“Well just a small one,” she said.

There is nothing better than making your own mother a cocktail to enjoy. We had two drinks each and went to Easter service with a slight buzz. We sang the songs, celebrated the rebirth and even enjoyed the wine they served at the sacrament.  We returned home and drank wine with a late Sunday brunch and I fell asleep on the couch by six o’clock.

Another Easter celebration I remember was being with my parents in New Orleans, LA. We went to Commander’s Palace during Jazz Brunch and my father ordered a Bloody Mary. Out came a glass of tomato juice which was followed by a waiter with a bottle of vodka encased in ice. Having been one of the coolest presentations I had ever seen, I ordered one and the whole table followed suit.

The lady at a table next to us said, “That entire table is drinking! On Easter!”

I asked our waitress to give her one. The religious stranger initially scoffed at the drink, but sipped when no one was looking.

Listen, I’m not trying to poke fun at Easter or religion, but the fact is that you can drink during any holiday; especially those that include family. That being said, here is a quick list of some Easter cocktails that I thoroughly enjoyed serving while behind the bar.

The Easter Bunny

Ingredients:

3 oz Absolute Vodka

3 oz Dark Creme de Cacao

1 tsp Chocolate syrup

1 tsp Cherry brandy

Method:

Shake creme de cacao and vodka with ice. Strain over ice in a rocks glass. Float chocolate syrup and cherry brandy.

Carrot Cake Martini

Ingredients:

3 oz Bailey's Irish cream

3 oz Kahlua

1 oz Goldschlager

Whipped Cream Rim

Nutmeg dusting

Method:

Shake over ice the Bailey’s and Kahlua and strain into a martini glass. Pour chilled Goldschlager on top and rim the glass with whipped cream. Dust with nutmeg.

Jelly Bean Shot

Ingredients:

½ oz Kahlua

½ oz Anisette

½ oz Bacardi 151 proof rum

Mixing instructions:

Add chilled Kahlua and Anisette to a shotglass and float the Bacardi 151. Light it on fire. Blow it out after 5 seconds and shoot.

The Jolly Rancher

Ingredients:

3 oz Belvedere Vodka

1 oz Midori melon liqueur

Fill with Cranberry juice

Method:

Shake the Belvedere vodka and Midori, pour over ice in a high ball and fill with cranberry juice.

The Candy Bar

Ingredients:

3 oz Cream

2 oz Kahlua

1 oz Creme de Cacao

1 oz Frangelico

Method:

Shake Kahlua, creme de cacao, Frangelico and cream with ice. Strain and serve over ice cubes in a highball glass.

Yellow Bird

Ingredients:

1 oz Bacardi 151 proof rum

1 oz Ketel One Vodka

½  oz Galliano

4 oz Sour mix

Method:

Add all of the booze in a blender with a handful of ice and pour into a highball glass. Stir in sour mix to fill the glass.

Tootsie Roll Shooter

Ingredients:

1/3 oz Tia Maria

1/3 oz Dark Creme de Cacao

1/3 oz Frangelico

Method:

Pour all ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass and enjoy.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope you enjoy Easter with friends and family. If you gave up booze for Lent, then I know you will have a great Easter celebration!

Remember to pick up your copy of Swig Knowledge: 2011 Vintage by clicking here!

The American Distillery

Distilleries have been part of world history since the Chinese developed rice based liquor in 7000 BC. The growth of US distilleries developed in the rural South during Prohibition with “bathtub hooch” production to rise against the state and local liquor laws.

In terms of worldwide sales and distribution of liquor, Diageo (based in London) ranks #1 with $16 billion in sales. Diageo is followed by Pernod Ricard (Paris - $11 billon), Carlton (Australia – $4 billion), Brown-Froman (Louisville, Kentucky - $3 billion), and Foster’s (Australia - $3 billion) to round out the top five.

What about the little guys? Just like the microbrew craze, microdistilleries are gaining popularity across the US. Today, there are a total of 57 microdistilleries in the US market with several opening each week in compliance of state laws. Though they produce a small piece of the total US sales of alcohol, they continue to be a trend to watch for global liquor production.

This summer, New Columbia Distillers (http://newcolumbiadistillers.com/) plans to open the first distillery in Washington, DC. Headed by John Uselton and Mike Lowe, the distillery plans to start its Gin and Whiskey production to combat other local distilleries such as  Catoctin Creek Distillery in Virginia (Gin producer) the Mount Vernon Distillery in Virginia (produces small amounts of whiskey based on George Washington’s recipes), and Blackwater Distilling in Maryland (Sloop Betty vodka).

This leads me to my next question: Out of all of the little guys, who is making the surge to put US distilleries on the global map? My answer is Philadelphia Distillers. Located north of Philadelphia, this distillery has been producing American spirits since 2005. The founders (Andrew Auwerda, Timothy Yarnall and Robert Cassell) have a strong belief that spirit drinkers appreciate high quality American crafted spirits.

Beginning with Bluecoat American Dry Gin (2006), Philadelphia Distilling has developed its catalog by adding “Penn 1681 Rye Vodka” (2008), “Vieux Carre Absinthe Superieure” (2009),  and recently added “XXX SHINE White Whiskey” (2011). The spirits can now be found from Italy to Hawaii and most places in between.

Bluecoat American Dry Gin (2006)

This five times distilled spirit boasts a unique in flavor profile and is craft distilled using organic juniper berries and a blend of organic American citrus peels and other organic botanicals. Bluecoat is distilled in a custom-built, hand-hammered copper pot still. In true batch distillation, the process calls for extremely slow heating of the pot, which allows for maximum separation of alcohols. The result is a spirit that is intensely smooth and invigorating.

Penn 1681 Rye Vodka (2008)

Penn 1681 Rye vodka’s name comes from the year (1681) in which King Charles II granted William Penn the land to create the "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania"--to pay homage to the founding of the state of Pennsylvania. It is made with organic rye selected from local farms. At 100 calories per shot, it received the 2010 silver at the San Francisco World Spirits competition. Penn 1681 Rye Vodka is 80 proof, so it is of a moderate proof relative to other vodkas.

Vieux Carre Absinthe Superieure (2009)

Named after the French Quarter (locally known as Vieux Carré) which is the soul of New Orleans, Louisiana. This homage to the unique and colorful history of Absinthe in New Orleans was first released on December 31, 2008. It is the first legal absinthe to be distilled, bottled and sold on the east coast of the United States in nearly 100 years. I recently had a chance to take in this botanic spirit at District Commons in Washington, DC.

A quick history of Absinthe:

Absinthe originated in Switzerland and achieved great popularity as an alcoholic drink in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers. Vincent van Gogh and Oscar Wilde were two notorious absinthe drinkers. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as "la fée verte" (the Green Fairy) and in cafes from Paris to Prague, absinthe was drunk by artists and laborers, butchers and bankers. 

New Orleans embraced the Green Fairy in 1869 when the Aleix brothers opened a bar named the "Old Absinthe House" at the corner of Bourbon and Bienville streets in the French district. The Absinthe Room attracted an impressive list of visitors, including presidents William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Aaron Burr, and Oscar Wilde.

XXX SHINE White Whiskey (2011)

With the tag line: “No Sugar, No Color, No Wood –No Bullshit”, Shine is the real deal. This blend of American corn is distilled three times (XXX) in a copper pot still. As a shot, on the rocks or with your favorite mixer, XXX SHINE Whiskey is clear and smooth and becomes almost invisible when mixed. I had the chance to try this distilled spirit at a wine show in Washington, DC. With its smooth taste and finish, it paired well with a head full of wine.

I am certainly looking forward to what comes next from these American micro distilleries.