The Original Black & Tan

For an upcoming Chicago Scene article I was looking into the latest and greatest in the beer world. When I connected with my guy at A-B, he sent me this great invention: the Bass Brolly.

The authentic Black & Tan has been made with Bass Pale Ale and Guinness stout since the 1800s and for nearly as long, adults have attempted to pour their Black & Tan by placing a bar spoon over the lid of their pint glass. The bar spoon is an easy tool to use, but it often results in something closer to a caramel than a Black & Tan. To help beer drinkers pour the perfect Black & Tan, Bass created the Bass Brolly, which sits atop the pint glass and allows the stout beer to flow through slowly, resulting in the desired layered effect.

Chicagoans can head to www.budshop.com to pick up their own brolly, or swing by your local Binny’s to grab a case of the regular, English Pale Ale.

Bass Pale Ale

I'm competing in a Cocktail Competition (Scary)

I'm competing in a charity cocktail competition (Yikes!). See details on this invite.

 I would LOVE to see you all there. 

I've judged many but have never actually participated. It's Thursday, Feb. 19th at Texas de Brazil and they've asked the Wine & Spirits Editors from the Sun-Times, Chicago Social, PLATE Magazine, Chicago Scene (me, obviously) and the Chicagoist to create a recipe incorporating Cachaca (National spirit of Brazil, it's like white Rum) in honor of Carnivale.

All proceeds go to Meals on Wheels. Whether you come for the good food/drinks or to see me crumble under pressure, it's going to be a good time.

Cheers.

Bourbon Tasting

Last Saturday I headed to 5 Star (1424 W. Chicago) in West Town to attend one of their monthly Whiskey University sessions. Chicago’s own Whiskey Professor, Steve Cole (yes, that’s his official title, I even checked his business card), who works on behalf of Beam Global Spirits, chatted with a hefty group of dedicated bourbon drinkers.

Cole unveiled the rich history and heritage of bourbon through a fun but informative, in-depth tasting of Basil Hayden’s, Knob Creek, Baker’s and Booker’s bourbons, all from the Beam family.

Professor Cole channeled the great Greek thinkers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. I knew they were smiling down on Cole, their proud eyes locked in on the teacher, as he taught and expanded the minds of his meager students with bourbon basics.

It was beautiful.

It was enlightening.

It must have been divine intervention.

All bourbons are whiskies, but not all whiskies can be bourbons. Whiskey is the umbrella and falling under the umbrella are several varieties: Scotch (whiskey made in Scotland), Irish Whiskey (can you guess where that’s made?), Tennessee Whiskey (think Jack Daniels) and Bourbon.

Technically, bourbon can be produced anywhere in the U.S. It doesn’t have to come from Kentucky. That’s a myth. But, only bourbon made from Kentucky can label itself as such. The limestone from that great Southern state produces a fine, unfiltered water that makes bourbon production in Kentucky unlike any other region in the U.S.

We sampled the bourbons according to alcohol proof - lowest (Basil Hayden’s) to highest (Booker’s). This girls favorite? Booker’s was the winner. Sure, it had the highest alcohol proof, but what did it for me was the syrupy texture, the spicy notes that hit mid-palate and the slow, warm sensation that I got as it went down my throat and warmed my soul.

Mmmm, it’s the Drink of the Gods.

Hope To See You Thursday, Feb 5th!

Inauguration Party at Park 52

To celebrate the inauguration of our 44th President, Mr. Barack the man Obama, I dined, drank and danced the night away at Park 52 in Hyde Park. Hennessy was the evening's sponsor so of course, Congnac was incorporated into all of the cocktails that evening. I started the night drinking the Congnac straight up in a small snifter, but my personal favorite was combination of Hennessy, cranberry juice and fresh ginger. I was psyched when I received the Limited Edition Hennessy Bottle. Look at the label. Pretty cool. You can pick one up too. Binny's and Sam's has them. Music was provided by a fantastic jazz band, Julia Huff and the Company.

Cheers.

While in San Francisco...

I can count on one hand, the number of instances where I've stopped a server at a restaurant and begged for them to write down the name of the wine that I'm drinking. 

This was one of them.

So inspiring was the 2007 Groth Sauvingnon Blanc, that I've taken the time to read the history of the vineyard, the evolution of the land and have run several google searches on the owner (an early investor of the 1980's video game phenomenon Atari).

I was in San Francisco on business and was seated at a round table in the middle of the small dining room at Piperade, a Basque inspired restaurant set against Telegraph Hill.

The food was delicious. The wine, phenomenal.

For a girl who is loyal to her reds, this cool, crisp alternative swept me off my feet. I would only allow myself the tiniest sips as I enjoyed the artisanal cheese with thinly sliced serrano ham. Although Groth is known for the full bodied Cabernet Savingnon's that they produce in Oakville, Napa Valley, their Sauvignon Blanc won me over with its a clean, citrus backbone. 

It had remarkable character. 

For those who don't live on the west coast (sigh...) you can pick up a bottle of Groth's Cabernet Sauvignon of Sauvignon Blanc at your local Binny's.

The Heismans

We got to go to the Heismans. Pretty cool experience. The Nokia Theater is much smaller than it looks. I was so close to Kirk Herbstreit (my man) and the three Heisman nominees- Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy, that I could nearly touch them. I may or may not have seen a bead of sweat drip down Kirk's brow. Hey, he was probably a little nervy.

The Heismans 2008

PAGE SIX

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12172008/gossip/pagesix/benefit_curfew_144607.htm

December 17, 2008 --
AFTER donating three hours' use of their venue at no cost to benefit Charity Water, it's no wonder Metropolitan Pavilion organizers wanted to clear the space for a money-making endeavor. Monday night, Adrian Grenier hosted the benefit, but at 10:20, the Met Pavilion "flipped the lights on and off, turned off the music, and kicked everyone out. They were scheduled to host a bat mitzvah." Even with the time constraints (and co-host Jessica Stam out with the flu), Grenier raised $40,000 before heading off to the VIP party at RDV, while most guests were herded over to Kiss n' Fly. Page Six heard that that Adrain left with two special ladies. It's been said that one girl's name was Stephanie.

Charity: Water Event with Adrian.

I spent the past five days in glorious NYC. Above is one of the highlights. Allison and I met Adrian Grenier at the Charity: Water event. He's really cute, obviously, but he was kind of a dud. I give him props for not bringing an entourage with him (no pun intended, literally, he did not have one guy or girl hanging with him all night).  Stay tuned for pictures from the Heismans and GASP! a Whitney Port sighting. She's filming the Hills spinoff, "The City."

Debut in Cheeky Chicago

As most of you already know, last week I made my debut in Cheeky Chicago. For those of you not familar, check it out: www.CheekyChicago.com It's a pretty fun site geared towards smart, saavy, cosmopolitain, tres chic Chicago women. I'll be writing and editing weekly columns for the SCENE section, so sign up for our weekly newsletters for the latest and greatest in Chicago. I'll still be penning monthly Drink Reports for Chicago Scene, but think of this as your quick go-to guide when you can't find anything to do. Our SCENE section is new every Friday, so see you soon...

The Cheeky Girls on ABC 7's 190 North

Janet Davies chats with Jessica and Erica on a Novemeber episoide of ABC 7's 190 North.

http://www.190north.com/shows/110908_cyber.htm

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

Moet & Chandon White Star...Chicago Scene Style

Received two bottles of Moet & Chandon White Star embossed with customized crystals. My girl Kimberly Burt sent them to be photographed by the Chi Scene creative team. Keep a look out for these in the Dec. Drink Report. Customized bottles like this are available exclusively at Martini Park.