Table Kits at the Underground

Bottle service is SO last year. Why don’t you forget it and opt for a table kit instead? What’s a table kit, you ask? Well, I headed to the Underground to find out what Benjamin Newby, GM and cocktail creator, had concocted.

The latest offering is a cocktail experience, where well-trained servers in Cold War Era booty shorts take an artisan approach to pouring a drink.

Seeing that I had just come from Rockit (where I had my first Kobe beef with brie burger, followed by a couple of vodka martinis with three bleu cheese olives - more on that obsession later), I could really only handle two of the kits. I was already familiar with Cosmos and Mojitos, so I settled on the Absinthe and the St. Germain table kits.

And out they came.

The Absinthe Table Kit was served on a silver platter with glasses reminiscent of Waterford crystal. It was as if we were about to enjoy tea at the Dorchester, except Absinthe had taken the place of Earl Gray (okay, okay, it was dark and I may or may not have had a couple of martinis, but hey, they looked beautiful). As I took my quick drink of Absinthe (you drink it as you would a shot, but with more revere - you’re drinking Pernod Absinthe, the oldest Absinthe brand in the world - show some respect, people!). I couldn’t help but feel as if I were entering a forbidden world. A round of Absinthe drinks are made in the traditional way with sugar and fire and served per person ($15 each). Each table is limited to one round and this particular kit is only available until midnight.

Next was the St. Germain Table Kit. For those yet to experience the lovely nuances of the French elderflower liqueur, I encourage you to try it as a secondary flavor with your next cocktail (Champagne, sparkling water, St. G). It offers a fantastic flavor - one of my favorites. St. Germain naturally enhances the flavors of Champagne (or sparkling wine) and brings out notes that you may not normally pick up. Add a dash of St. Germain to your Champagne flute and suddenly peach, pear and citrus flavors can be detected. At UG, the St. Germain cocktails are served on the rocks with a silver straw spoon. A carafe serves about six for $75 and you have the option of adding on a bottle of Champagne for $50.

I didn’t have a chance to try the Cosmo Kit or the Mojito Kit, but you can imagine that high attention to detail is provided to ensure the ultimate cocktail experience.

And for those who like to detox to retox, Sunday brunch at Rockit can either be the perfect hangover cure or just another excuse to keep the party going. Rockit has one of the best gourmet Bloody Mary bars in the city and they’re channeling UG with their Mimosa Kits. The Sunday Funday Kits feature an assortment of fresh fruits and seasonal juices, including orange, pineapple, mango and pomegranate, served in carafes and accompanied by a bottle of Champagne: $50 for Veuve Cliquot, $30 for Domaine Chandon or $5 per glass.

Cocktail Party at the W Hotel

Thank you to everyone who came to the cocktail party that I hosted this past Saturday with VeeV at Whiskey Blue at the W City Center. What a great turn out (um, nearly 200 people!). Hope you enjoyed the fabulous VeeV cocktails.

I look forward to hosting more soirees and serving as a catalyst for you to try new brands.

Below are some photos that were taken. Just a few of my favorite things...

You know you love me.

XoXo

Trick or Treat: Cocktail Style

Nothing like a little candy with your cocktail. If you're too cool for school and rather dress up than don a costume (hater...), head to C-View where they're doing a cocktail and candy pairing. The Halloween-only menu is below and all candies are original confections from C-House's Executive Pastry Chef Toni Roberts. I must admit, the cocktails sound better than the candies below (I've never been a fan of jellied anything and I think Carmel corn is the worst Halloween candy ever) but props to the fab C-View for adding some high class to candy.

P.S. I'll choose a Take 5 over any of the below, all day, any day :)

THE CONCORD
RUM / CONCORD GRAPES / FRESH MINT / LIME
* Pistachio Brittle

GINGER CIDER
CANTON GINGER-COGNAC / CALVADOS / APPLE CIDER / HONEY
* Caramel Corn

THE FLOWER
ST. GERMAINE LIQUEUR / CHOPIN VODKA / LEMON
* Fruit Jellies

HONEY DON’T
AQUA LUCA / HONEYDEW / LIME
* Sour Candied Citrus

Cocktails by Design

On November 6th, I’ll be heading to the Merchandise Mart for the 7th Annual Dinning by Design extravaganza that’s hosted by DIFFA (Design Industry Foundations Fighting AIDS). Dining By Design is a multi-city tour that showcases spectacular, over-the-top dining environments- so cool.

DIFFA will bring together a talented cast of local and national designers, artists and personalities to put a spotlight on stylish and outlandish trends in design in an effort to raise money to support Chicago area HIV/AIDS service agencies.

I’ll be headed to Cocktails by Design on Thursday, Nov. 6th where you can mingle with designers, preview their dining creations, and sip specialty cocktails from Stoli and Stoli elit. Stoli elit is the national sponsor of DIFFA 2008 Dining By Design and they’ve enlisted the creative services of the Rockwell Group to create an extravagant dining experience on behalf of the brand.

You can buy tickets to one of three events:

Cocktails by Design
Table Hop & Taste

Gala Dinner

Even if you know nothing about table top design, like me, buy a ticket, come on down and we can drink together.

Hip Sips of Cocktails, Cuisine and Couture at the Dub

The W Chicago-City Center’s “ristorante we” and chef Brad Phillips will begin hosting ongoing monthly HIP SIP soirees throughout February 09 which will be inspired by a variety of themes including Golden Era (60’s), Art of Food, White Party, Bridal and New Year, New You. Each HIP SIP will feature small bites, cocktails and fashion to match the evening’s theme and will take place in the restaurant, plateau and ballroom.

Check out tomorrow’s event. Sounds pretty cool. I would totally be there if I didn’t have to head out of town for the weekend. Drink up!

October 24th-Golden Era (60’s)
Guests will enjoy 60’s inspired small bites, in addition to classic cocktails such as the martini, gimlet, Manhattan and sea breeze. Luxury vintage clothing will be on display and available for purchase while makeup artists will offer vintage style makeup including false eyelashes and red lipstick to keep in theme with the evening.

Friday, October 24th from 6-8:30pm
Location: W Chicago-City Center
172 West Adams Street
Chicago, IL 60603

Basil Hayden Design Chicago

A fierce and fabulous crowd of Chicago’s top tastemakers turned out for the Basil Hayden Design Chicago finale event, where they sipped Basil Hayden cocktails and cast their votes to determine the winner of the competition. Once results were tallied, Chicagoan Rion Stassi was named the winner of the Basil Hayden Design Chicago competition. Rion’s distinctive 36-inch Basil Hayden-inspired chandelier garnered praise from guests and event host Nate Berkus, earning him the $10,000 grand prize, which he plans to use to jump-start his career.

The top three designs were: a distinctive Basil Hayden-inspired chair designed by Sarah Tranum; a modern coffee table inspired by Basil Hayden's rich amber color and signature copper-band packaging created by Bryan Lump; and an elegant, 36-inch chandelier designed by Rion Stassi. Each designer resides in Chicago and they received $2,500 to turn their concept into a reality for display at the VIP finale event at Crimson Lounge that happened on Oct. 15th.

Piper-Heidsieck and Viktor & Rolf

While I'm on the subject of Piper-Heidsieck, Viktor & Rolf re-imagined the iconic bottle and here it is. The Rose Sauvage- Upside down. It's sitting in a glass display case on my bar. I just don't have the heart to drink it. It's too cool. Rumor has it the house is collaborating with another designer to redesign the bottle in their own way. Here's hoping it's Lagerfeld...

What Constitutes a Rare Year?

Over the last three decades, few years were sufficiently out of the ordinary to justify the creation of a rare vintage. To take a basic step back, a vintage means that the grapes that make up the wine were grown during the same single year. So a 2000 vintage means that that wine is made from grapes grown only during the year 2000. A lot of wines are nonvintage, or blends of different years.

During the hot summer of 1976, France was hit by an unprecedented drought. Under such extreme conditions, winemakers wondered if the creation of a vintage worthy of the house of Piper-Heidsieck could be achieved. However, such an extraordinary event could give rise to an extraordinary vintage and confounding all expectations, the vintage created in 1976 was one of extreme purity. It was given the name Rare as a reminder of the events which shaped it. Ever since, special vintages have been produced in those rare years in which nature shows its unpredictable side, each time very different but always exceptional.

All of the wines below were made during rare, or unusual years, when the temperatures were extremely odd. But they’re all in the same family because they are all made of the same rare blend: Chardonnay, completed with Pinot Noir.

Patrón Tequila Express

The Patrón Tequila Express (a 1927 refurbished, private rail car) rolled into Chicago today and needless to say, I was bummed to have missed a mid-day tequila tasting, good food and live music. The train is part of the Patrón Music in Motion Tour, a national fundraising effort to help rebuild New Orleans. There are four ways to participate (see the web site for details) and for those who are active in helping to raise funds, can win some pretty cool prizes like a Gibson guitar, a trip with friends on the Patron Express, a chance to attend a NYC Red Carpet event and the VMAS and tons of Patron product. Chicago is the last stop before the train rolls into the Big Easy.

Check out the website for more info: www.musicinmotiontour.com.

Lunch with Harald Stückle of Beck’s Oktoberfest

Last week I had a chance to meet with German brewmaster, Harald Stückle who is the brains behind Beck’s seasonal Oktoberfest offering. Brewed in Bremen, Germany, Beck’s Oktoberfest is brewed using fresh glacier water, Beck’s exclusive strain of yeast that’s been nurtured and cultivated for generations, top-grade barley, and hops hand-selected from the Bavarian Hallertau region by German brewmasters. Stückle, a Beck’s brewmaster who lives in Germany and has spent 14 years perfecting the science of brewing, came to Chicago to talk to with me over a leisurely, nearly two-hour, European-style lunch. We chatted about the Beck’s brewing process and the tradition behind Maerzen-style Oktoberfest beers, which are traditionally only available September through October. We sipped and sampled original Beck’s and the Beck’s Oktoberfest, all from souvenir steins, which conveniently hold a Beck’s bottle. The Oktoberfest was rich with caramel and spice undertones: A perfect fall beer.

Be sure to check out the October issue of Scene where I cover off on other seasonal brews that have reached Chicago just in time for Oktoberfest; well, the tail end of it at least (the Bavarian beer fest traditionally runs from the end of Sept. to early Oct.)

Fear No Fashion Sponsored by Kilo Kai

Thought that I’d share some info on a great grassroots organization in Chicago that is being sponsored by Kilo Kai Rum. I covered Kilo Kai in the August issue of Scene and now, the renegade rum brand has proven that there is more to them than just a great tasting spiced rum. On Sunday, September 28, 2008, Kilo Kai is one of the sponsors of “Fear No Fashion,” a fundraising event at the Cubby Bear in Wrigley that will benefit the PAVE Foundation (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment). Nadia Underwood (from TV’s Beauty & the Geek 3) and Josh Mora (Comcast Sportsnet) are the celebrity hosts. PAVE is a Chicago-based national grassroots nonprofit organization that uses education and action to shatter the silence of sexual and domestic violence. ”Fear No Fashion” will take place from 4 to 8 pm (open bar from 4 to 5 pm) and will include a fashion show, burlesque acts, complimentary drinks from 4-5pm and a silent auction. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at www.fearnofashion.org.

C-House

When I was invited to dine at Marcus Samuelsson’s restaurant du jour, C-House, located at the new Affinia hotel, I gleefully RSVP’d and immediately googled the dinner menu. Then panic struck. I was torn between the chorizo mac & cheese and the freeze-dried corn to start. Then came a face-off at the raw C-Bar: Yellowtail fish tacos vs. Cobia (coconut puree with radish and cashews). And I nearly lost sleep over the fresh Lobster Club sandwich, which was up against the fish & chips with homemade sweet and spicy ketchup. What’s a girl to do? Well, I ordered all of it. Seriously. I did. Granted the dinner was complementary, courtesy of the restaurant and their PR team who wanted to get the word out about the latest installment from the Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised Samuleson. He’s a two-time James Beard winner and NYC figurehead of the glorified Swedish restaurant Aquavit, Riingo, an American-Japanese fusion restaurant and African powerhouse, Merkato.

At only 37, Samuleson is polite, professional and wise beyond his years. When he came to my table to introduce himself, I delved into a story about my love of scallops and he immediately brought out a plate of two massive scallops, with beets, horseradish and cabbage. I hugged him.

Of course I rounded out the dinner with coconut ice cream and an apple-plum turnover with cinnamon spice sherbet and sliced apples.

Make a reservation. The ambiance is upscale but cool. Very Graham Elliot.

Mixology at the Hotel Intercontinental

Dear Lushes,

I've been neglecting you. Apologizes. So without further adieu, thought I'd kick off the month of September by recounting a great Mixology class that I attended at the Hotel Intercontinental. I was invited there for a crash course in how to make the classic cocktails that will be offered this fall at The Bar. I deserved a big slap on the wrist for having never been in the hotel; it was stunning. We gathered in the Lion's Hall, which was the gateway to the former location of The Men's Bar when the property was known as the Medinah Athletic Club in the 1930's, and were greeted with champagne paired with cucumber and crab meat jello, topped with caviar.

Tamas Vago, Food and Beverage Director was the master of ceremonies, guiding us through the tightly edited collection of cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. We had three phenomenal drinks, each of which were uniquely delicious and had legs to stand on its own. I hope the three food and drink pairings below inspire you.