Of [...]]]> No, that’s not a trick question. Sure, it’s time for an organic cocktail whenever you like. Still, if you’re looking for a thematically correct way know when to reach for your shaker, here’s a timepiece fashioned entirely from organic materials. Sprout’s strap is made of organic cottton, the dial of bamboo, and it’s powered with a mercury-free battery. Amazon.com 

Of course, you could always just see what time it is on the cell phone you already own!

Of course, depending on the company, you can always say it’s a play on the famous prohibition-era cocktail, The Last Word.

Amazon says buyers of my book also dig Randy Newman. On plus side, these folks also buy a how-to sex book (mercifully unrelated to Randy Newman).

Finally, a solution to the age-old conundrum [...]]]> A quick roundup today of news and ephemera about cocktails (read: I’m feeling crushing guilt that I haven’t posted in a while, so here, happy?!)

Amazon says buyers of my book also dig Randy Newman. On plus side, these folks also buy a how-to sex book (mercifully unrelated to Randy Newman).

Finally, a solution to the age-old conundrum of how to shake four cocktail shakers simultaneously

NYT reviews Crop Harvest Earth’s just-released organic Farmer’s Gin (I just scored a bottle myself; drooling to try).  I’ll be posting again – and for real - about this soon.

Shameless self promotion alert: Healing Lifestyles & Spas reviews my book, shares organic cocktail recipe from.

Sure, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday commemorating the improbable victory in battle of a brave band of Mexican soldiers over a much larger French army in 1862.

But more importantly, it’s that day of the year when Americans bail early from work to go guzzle tequila drinks at happy hour. And drink to the collective cinco-ing of our mayo.

This [...]]]>  

Sure, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday commemorating the improbable victory in battle of a brave band of Mexican soldiers over a much larger French army in 1862.

But more importantly, it’s that day of the year when Americans bail early from work to go guzzle tequila drinks at happy hour. And drink to the collective cinco-ing of our mayo.

This year, the preposterously tolerant hosts of Tampa Bay’s Studio 10 show (click here to see segment), Holley Sinn and Jerome Ritchey, had me on to mix up a couple organic Cinco de Mayo drinks. I went with a couple tequila-based drinks – one hot (as in spicy); one cool. Here are the recipes…

Coming in Hot!

In this remarkably multifaceted drink, a few teensy slivers of
jalapeno transform what would be a tasty but ho-hum strawberry
margarita into a modern classic.

 2 organic strawberries (I used Driscoll’s), hulled

4 slivers peeled and seeded organic jalapeno chile (for less heat, go easier on these slivers)

3/4 ounce freshly squeezed organic lemon juice

1 1/2 ounces organic Casa Noble reposado tequila

1/2 ounce organic agave nectar

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the strawberries, 3 of the jalapeno
slivers, and lemon until well mashed. Add the tequila and agave
nectar, and fill the shaker with ice cubes. Shake vigorously, then
strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the
remaining jalapeno sliver.

Fresh Basil Margarita

Here’s a drink that would also be nice with zingy mint, but basil’s spicier herbal flavor really makes this cocktail shine. The basil also wakes up your appetite. Not that you’ll need any help scarfing down everything in sight come midnight.
 
4 to 6 organic basil leaves

1 ounce freshly squeezed organic lime juice

1 ounce organic agave nectar (you can find this in most grocery stores)

1 1⁄2 ounces Casa Noble organic tequila (either blanco or reposado)

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the basil, lime juice, and agave nectar until the basil is bruised. Add the tequila, and fill the shaker with ice cubes. Shake vigorously, then strain the mixture into an ice cube–filled rocks glass. Or serve it straight up in a chilled cocktail glass.

Don’t worry, this idiot won’t be reading. He’ll be shaking. As in making tasty cocktails, which if you come to any of these [...]]]> I’m heading this week for a West Coast book tour. Now I know what you’re thinking: Dear god, why would anyone want to go listen this idiot read from some book about cocktails, organic or not?

Don’t worry, this idiot won’t be reading. He’ll be shaking. As in making tasty cocktails, which if you come to any of these events, you’ll be able to drink. Think of these as parties that just happen to have some books lying around. Books you can, if you feel so inclined, purchase. Did I mention what fine photography there is in this book? Along with recipes for great drinks?

In other words, perfect eco-conscious gifts.

So if you or any friends, family, colleagues, non-violent former cellmates, happen to be in Los Angeles, Scottsdale, San Francisco and Portland, come find out why organic cocktails are tasty – and better for the planet.

I’ll be in Los Angeles on Monday, April 19, for an Earth Day kick-off party at the O Bar & Kitchen at downtown’s O Hotel from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sponsored by TRU Organic Spirits and Skylight Books.

I’ll be at The Spa at Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Tuesday, April 20, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

I’ll be at San Francisco’s Elixir on Thursday, April 22 (Earth Day!) from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., sponsored by Square One Organic Spirits.

And I’ll be at Portland, Oregon’s Teardrop Lounge on Friday, April 23, for a happy hour party sponsored by Harvard Common Press and Imbibe Magazine.

Trouble is, green beer is, well, beer (often crappy beer) colored with green food coloring. Most cocktails served today also tend to achieve their emerald color from chemicals not found in nature.

That’s why I’m going with [...]]]> Okay, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, which means you’ll likely be drinking and it’ll most likely be some hue of green.

Trouble is, green beer is, well, beer (often crappy beer) colored with green food coloring. Most cocktails served today also tend to achieve their emerald color from chemicals not found in nature.

That’s why I’m going with cocktails that aren’t swill and get their looks from ingredients that don’t come from a test tube.

Richmond Gimlet

Fresh, crisp and, well, green. A lovely drink. And it’s the right damn color.

2 ounces organic gin

1 ounce fresh organic lime juice

1 ounce organic simple syrup

Large sprig of organic mint

Into a shaker combine all ingredients, add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Fresh Basil Margarita

Here’s a drink that would also be nice with zingy mint, but basil’s spicier herbal flavor really makes this cocktail shine. The basil also wakes up your appetite. Not that you’ll need any help scarfing down everything in sight come midnight.

4 to 6 organic basil leaves

1 ounce freshly squeezed organic lime juice

1 ounce organic agave nectar (you can find this in most grocery stores)

11⁄2 ounces organic tequila (either blanco or reposado)

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the basil, lime juice, and agave nectar until the basil is bruised. Add the tequila, and fill the shaker with ice cubes. Shake vigorously, then strain the mixture into an ice cube–filled rocks glass.

Green Tea Mojito

The health benefits of green tea are well known.

But what may not be as celebrated is how well it works with mint and rum to make a remarkably

refreshing spring thirst quencher.

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed organic lime juice

4 large organic mint leaves

2 teaspoons organic sugar

3 ounces brewed organic green tea, cooled to room temperature

1 ounce organic white rum

In a Collins glass (most any tall, narrow drinking glass will work), muddle the lime juice, mint, and sugar together until the mint is bruised. Fill the glass three-quarters full with ice cubes, pour in the green tea and rum, and stir well.

The crime?

Serving cocktails – specifically a very tasty one dubbed the Earl Grey MarTEAni – made with raw egg whites.

Naturally, the New York cocktail scene is whipped up with worry that [...]]]> The New York Times just posted a story online about some goofball health inspector recently citing Big Apple cocktail mecca Pegu Club for alleged health violations.

The crime?

Serving cocktails – specifically a very tasty one dubbed the Earl Grey MarTEAni – made with raw egg whites.

Naturally, the New York cocktail scene is whipped up with worry that the city will start cracking down (okay, even I’m cringing at these puns) on the use of eggs in drinks.

Now, I come across plenty of folks who, when I tell them I’m making them a cocktail with egg whites, scrunch up their face and say, um, isn’t that dangerous? Fair enough. But when a health inspector in New York, a person who routinely pokes around in some of the world’s greatest kitchens, is this maddeningly ignorant, well, WTF?!

Pegu Club mixologist Audrey Saunders, whose Earl Grey MarTEAni creation has bartenders around the city scrambling (sorry) to figure out if they’ll soon have to pluck all egg-containing cocktails from their menus, is quoted in this same NYT piece saying she’s looking into sourcing organic eggs – which may placate health officials.

I’m betting this whole misunderstanding gets cleared up soon. That eggs won’t be tossed from Pegu’s – or any other bar’s – menus.

But she does bring up something that I agree with: that you always want to use the freshest, highest-quality ingredients, in your cocktails.

So here’s my two cents about selecting eggs – be they for an Earl Grey MarTEAni or an eggs Benedict. It is true that raw eggs can harbor dangerous kooties such as salmonella. But if you exercise the same judgment you would in selecting any other food, you’ll be fine.

Of course, as with most foods these days, shopping for eggs never used to be so complicated. Today you’re faced with eggs that are “certified humane” or “American humane certified,” omega-3 fortified, cage free, free range, or any number of designations awarded by a constellation of federal and state agencies.

Here’s all you need to remember: Pick eggs that are Grade AA (best quality) and have the USDA organic emblem, which means they meet the standards of the U.S. agriculture department’s National Organic rogram. This means that, among other things, the birds are kept cage free and with access to the outdoors, they are not given antibiotics (even if sick), and their food is free of animal byproducts and made from crops grown without the application of pesticides, fertilizers, and/or raw sewage and that haven’t been irradiated or genetically engineered.

Eggs can still be organic if deemed so by an independent or state-run program, but verifying this can be more trouble than it’s worth. The same goes for eggs bought at farmers’ markets.

Come to think of it, here’s a cocktail made with eggs that’s one of my favorites, courtesy of mixologist John Hogan…

Pineapple Caipirinha with Sweet Lime Espuma

This cocktail is a zesty, airy confection that deftly uses contrasting textures—foam and firmness—to highlight how well lime, pineapple, and the sugarcane brandy cachaça play together.

Half of an organic lime, cut into 4 pieces

Four 1⁄2-inch cubes organic pineapple

4 organic sugar cubes

1 ounce freshly squeezed organic lime juice

1 ounce organic agave nectar

1 large organic egg white

2 ounces organic Cuca Fresca cachaça

1 spiky organic pineapple leaf (optional)

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the lime, pineapple, and sugar cubes until the mixture has an even consistency. In a separate small shaker, combine the lime juice, agave nectar, and egg white to make the espuma. “Dry shake” (shake without ice) until the mixture is thickly frothy, about 30 seconds. Add ice cubes to the muddled mixture and pour in the cachaça. Shake vigorously, then pour the mixture, unstrained, into a tall glass. Top with the espuma and garnish with the pineapple leaf, if using.