Clement Rhum Tasting in Philadelphia

I was very fortunate to be invited to a very rare opportunity...a tasting of the Rhum's of Clement.
George Reppert, from Social Chemist, extended this invitation to me and I am very grateful. He also introduced me to David Suro Piñera. I had heard and read many great things about his brand of tequilas, Siembra Azul and the clincher for me to make this trip a reality was that David was hosting this tasting at his restaurant, Tequilas. My wife, Sarah, was more then eager to accompany me because of her love of Mexican cuisine.

I had met David the week before here in Pittsburgh to taste the Siebra Azul Tequilas. I need to reserve a special blog entry exclusively to these hand-crafted aged Highland spirits. Ever the gracious host, David arranged for me to stay across the street from his establishment at the Raquet Club of Philadelphia. Located in the heart of Center City, this private club has 13 exclusive newly renovated rooms that matched the unique architecture.

The tasting on Tuesday night at Tequilas was daunting! 9 Rhums from Martinique from both Clement and Rhum J.M. The main focus of the tasting was to inform us on how diverse the rum category can be (rhum is the French-based spelling of rum).

Clement Rhums are in a very specific and unique grouping of rums, A.O.C. Rhum Agricole. A.O.C. stands for Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée . A.O.C. Rhum Agricole must meet very high standards regarding: production grounds, sugarcane fields, cane variety, juice extraction, fermenting process, distilling process, storage and ageing process. Only those rhums obtained by distilling fresh, fermented sugarcane juice have the right to bear the label Appellation Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée "Martinique". The sole overseas region to posses the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée distiction is Martinique.

Some real standouts amongst the 9 Rhums I had the pleasure to taste:Rhum Clement Premiere Canne - Ultra pure, natural rhum distilled from fresh, free-run juice of select sugarcane varieties from Habitation Clement. Great for cocktails and sipping because of it's great finish.



Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb - The best orange infused liquor I have ever tasted! A blend of the finest white rhums and aged rhums married with macerated Creole spices and sun-bleached bitter orange peels. I need to raise the profile of this by making it one of our cocktail staples.


Rhum Clement X.O - Rhum Clement XO is a rare blend of very old aged rhums including the highly regarded vintages of 1976, 1970, and 1952, which have been recognized to the finest ever in Martinique. Each vintage brings to the bottle spice, toffee, and tobacco flavors and the Cellar mast has miraculously married them together to create one of the finest sipping rhums in the world.



The staff of Tequilas created signature cocktails for the evening using the rhums we had tasted. The kitchen produced some amazing dishes also while using these rhums. It was an amazing experience that was well worth my trip to the City of Brotherly Love!

Philly Trip

Another two wedding weekend for me just passed.

Some people work 40 hours in a week...I can do it in a weekend!

I'm heading out to Philadelphia for a Clement Rhum tasting at Tequilas this Tuesday.

George Reppert from the Social Chemist group extended with invitation along with David Suro.

I met with David Suro, owner of Tequilas last week and I am very excited to dine at his establishment.

David is has his own brand of premium Tequila, Siembra Azul. I promise to dedicated a blog entry about these amazing spirits. I am in the early stages of planning an event here with David, so look for that potentially as early as September!

Tonight, however, I'll be going to Swanky Bubbles! What a great name for a restuarant, right?

Their specialty? Sushi and Champagne. What a perfect combination!

I'll blog about what I saw in days to come!

Lucid Absinthe

I tasted a diverse amount of new products yesterday but the one I had been waiting a while for was Lucid's Absinthe.

There is so much history behind this type of liquor that I was really excited to try it.

Absinthe is a distilled, and highly alcoholic (Lucid is 62%), anise-flavored spirit derived from a variety of herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb wormwood. Absinthe is typically of a natural green color but is also produced in both clear and artificially colored styles. It is often called “the Green Fairy.” Lucid's was a light olive color. Although it is sometimes mistakenly called a liqueur, absinthe is not bottled with added sugar and is therefore classified as a liquor. Absinthe is unusual among spirits in that it is bottled at a high proof but is normally diluted with water when it is drunk.

I always knew of absinthe as the drink of choice for such trend setters as Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, and Aleister Crowley. I've also heard of its hallucinogenic properties. I always attributed this to the wormwood. In fact it comes from the Thujone in the wormwood. Thujone is the only chemical that could potentially cause a psychedelic effect but the drinker would die of alcohol poisioning way before they would get enough of this element of absinthe to do that. Which is why the halucinations are a myth. The mystique and danger element of absinthe is something that really sets it apart from other liquors so stories of such things are exaggerated to boost sales or to enhance the experience.

Lucid's natural coloring will breakdown with exposure to sunlight because of the chlorophyll. Absinthe is to be stored in a cool room temperature location without exposure to heat and light. Quality absinthe, when stored properly, can improve greatly with age.

The traditional French style of drinking absinthe as follows:

• Pour 1oz of absinthe into a glass (traditional absinthe glasses has a 1oz section of the glass at the bottom).
• A slotted absinthe spoon is then placed over the glass.
• A single sugar cube is placed in the middle of the spoon.
• Pour 3ozs of water over the sugar cube and through the spoon.
• (I found that pausing after pouring 2ozs of water gives the sugar time to dissolve and then the remaining 1oz will melt the remaining sugar.

During this process, the components that are not soluble in water, mainly those from anise, fennel, and star anise, come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky opalescence is called the louche (which is French for "opaque" or "shady"). The addition of water is important, causing the herbs to "blossom" and bringing out many of the flavors originally overpowered by the anise.

Lucid is the first of what is currently 5 legally available absinthes in the United States. The important thing to look for if you are trying to find a true historically accurate absinthe is grande wormwood and not southern wormwood. The makeup is quite different and the latter is not a style of absinthe that anyone would consider "true", due to it's flavor and color.

From the reviews I've read, Lucid is poised to be a great starter absinthe because it appeals to American palates. It is sweeter and more anaise influenced then most European absinthes. Not as bright green as some and not as clear as others, Lucid is murky and very herbal looking.

Reviews: http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=191&Itemid=1

Lucid's site: http://www.drinklucid.com/

Absinthe and related products: http://www.originalabsinthe.com/absinthe-c-21.html

Soho Lychee Liqueur

Here's an e-mail I recieved on Tuesday:

Good afternoon,

This past Saturday evening I attended a wedding reception at your facility.

For the dance with the bride/groom you prepare a drink that was wonderful. So good that I inquired of the bar tending staff for the ingredients. I believe it was grapefruit juice and lychee liquor - but I'm not sure about the liquor part.

Would you please check it out and let me know?

I've told everyone about the reception and how wonderful it was and have raved about this drink.

Thank you,

Stan B

Vermilion, Ohio

Here's what I sent Stan:

Hi Stan,

I’m glad you enjoyed your time here at Bella Sera including the drink that I had prepared for their dance.

The drink in question is sometimes called a “Forbidden Fruit”.

It is Soho Lychee Liqueur. and grapefruit juice. I didn’t want to overpower the drink with ruby red grapefruit juice but the color might have worked better because lychee is a heart shaped red fruit. I really enjoy Soho lychee with blue agave silver tequila as well.

Once again, I’m very glad you had such a memorable experience with us and I hope to see you again soon.

I'm a very big fan of Soho Lychee Liqueur. When the bride and groom gave me total freedom to create any drink I wanted for their bridal dance I didn't want to go with something boring or played out.

X-Rated Fusion Liqueur

This weekend's weddings went perfectly!
I can't wait to see photos of both.
Saturday night's wedding extended their time at our facility, stayed till the closing of Jackon's, and the after-after party got broken up at 4:00am! Now THAT's a party!

The main topic I wanted to talk about was X-Rated Fusion Liqueur.
This tart drink really makes for some great drinks. Most of it's applications are designed for drinks that appeal to women. In that respect it really excels.
It's vibrant pink color really draws your eyes to the drink.

Wine Enthusiast gave X-Rated Fusion Liqueur a 96 out of a 100 point rating in the Best Buy category (May 2008 issue).
Here's what they had to say:
"Attractive foggy pink/rose color. The bouquet is highly perfumed with intense fragrances of orange peel, passion fruit, and mango pulp, with a backnote of spice. Entry is lusciously tart and fruit, displaying an ideal balance between the alcohol base, acidity, and fruit. Finishes impeccably balanced, clean and juicy. Bravo!"

Here's what's going to be on the bar here this Thursday for the monthly Women of Southwestern Pennsylvania meeting:

Wedding Pictures from 9/8//07

I just recieved pictures from Erica's wedding here on September 8th, 2007.
The table layout was one of the most unique we've ever had here.
These pictures are from Redford Studio.

FlashBox Demo...Tonight!

For anyone who wants to check out the latest in event technology, come to our demonstration of FlashBox tonight at 6:00pm.

Just Stop by!

FlashBox Wedding Demo Sample Video (4:51): (If requested, the password is fbx07)http://flashbox.phanfare.com/album/380512#imageID=36039164

Pittsburgh TODAY Live segment on the FlashBox (2:43): (If requested, the password is fbx07)http://flashbox.phanfare.com/album/598133#imageID=39413367

Non-Alcoholic Drinks

I don't want everyone to think I only drink alcohol!

Far from it.

I drink a variety of sodas, bottled waters, and energy drinks.

Here's some of the things I've been drinking:

HiBall Energy Drinks

HiBall Energy Drinks are unique because they are the only (that I am aware of) sparkling energy waters. They make for great mixers as well! With sparkling orange, wild berry, lemon lime, grape fruit, club soda, and original you have a good variety of sparkling drinks with a kick. Check out their sleekly designed website: http://www.hiballer.com/

Fred Water
I love bottled water. I've been drinking Smart Water and Voss for years and now I have another water option I really enjoy...Fred! I was instantly caught by it's unique bottle design (it basically looks like an apothecary bottle or maybe a flask). It's also a very refreshing water with an enjoyable taste. I think it's also embraced all the newest market trends. See what I mean at http://www.lovefred.com/ and http://fredspot.com/. They also have a MySpace, Facebook, and Flickr page.

Jolt
It's been my brand of choice since 1993. The official drink of the early 90's real and (in my case) wanna-be hacker. Movie cameos in Jurassic Park (Wayne Knight's drink), Wayne's World, Deep Impact, and most importantly...Hackers, Jolt has been an under ground high energy beverage before anyone knew what an "energy drink" was. Since 2005, Jolt has switched to a battery shaped designed can. At 23.5 oz, the can is much more impressive then Red Bull! Flavors include Cola, Cherry Bomb, Silver (Lemon-Lime), Wild Grape, Blue Raspberry, Orange Blast, Ultra (Low Carb) and as of right now (for me)...Passion Fruit. I'm trying the brand new flavor of Jolt and it's very different. Somewhat dry but with a very candy-like finish.
www.joltenergy.com

This weekend at Bella Sera

Well I'm a few hours away from the end of my loooong weekend!

We had two great weddings here this weekend.

The first was for 250 guests on the much talked about "6-7-8" date.
The candy "bar" concept was a big hit with guests of all ages. With the ornate bags provided for the guests, the candy made for a customizable favor.

Sunday's Wedding was not only very classy but quite a fun party! Sunday weddings are really taking off and today is a good example of why.
One of the best ideas was that since both the bride and groom had red hair their Dollar Dance shot was...The Red Headed Slut! Yager, Peach Schnapps, and Cranberry Juice is all it takes to really get the party moving.

All in all a busy weekend...but well worth it!

October 12, 2007 Wedding Pictures

Christie Pham just sent me these great pictures from her amazing stations wedding here on October 12, 2007.

This wedding had it all. Including one of the best favors I've ever seen...Pear Infused Olive Oil (A Perfect Pair)!

Spring Cooking Classes

Here's a cool slideshow of the Spring cooking classes

We would like to extend a big "thank you" to the hundreds of people who attended our 2008 Spring Series Cooking Classes. Every class provided guests with informational packets on recipes and techniques, plenty of food and great prizes. Please look for bigger and better classes in the fall! We also would like to thank the companies that supported us and made the classes a little sweeter for our guests:
All Clad Metalcrafters, for providing us with amazing prizes

Terry Clark, for making the memories last a little longer with the greatest pictures we've ever seen (View photos from the classes here)
All Occasions Party Rental, for providing the tent to protect us from the elements during the Grillin' & Swillin' III class
Big Day Entertainment and Kenny Blake, for creating a soothing atmosphere with live jazz music
Evan Verbanic from Cherry Valley Organics, for educating our guests about organic products and creating the fresh spinach salad at the Healthy Cooking class
Fred Marra from The Italian Wagon, for donating a gift basket with Imported Gourmet Italian Foods 724.942.4136
Hart Johnson and Mindy Heisler from The Sharp Edge restaurants, for educating our guests on lagers, ales and stouts at the Grillin' & Swillin' III class
Kelly Costello, from Southern Wine & Spirits, for pairing great wine with our dishes
Liberty Mart, for bringing kitchen products and teaching our guests how to use them during the Kitchen Skills Class and Interactive Session
Molto Bella Ceramica, for donating prizes for our guests
Table Magazine, for giving six lucky guests a one-year subscription