MOFAD Legacy Quilt
The Legacy Quilt honors the countless African American food and drink producers who have laid the foundation for American cuisine. Standing at 14 feet tall and nearly 30 feet wide, this awe-inspiring object makes a powerful point: there are countless stories that deserve recognition. Share the story of your own African American culinary hero as part of the Legacy Quilt Project.
Explore some of the incredible stories of African Americans who have shaped our country’s culinary identity starting with our highlight. Use the link below to use the full article.
https://legacyquiltproject.mofad.org/quilt/cocktail-banditstaneka-reaves-and-johnny-caldwell/
Tequila Sunrise Social!
Celebrate #NationalTequilaSunriseDay with us and Santo Tequila! We provide the cocktails, snacks, prizes and vibes. You provide the energy and dance moves.
Free to attend. Sign up using the link below
Juneteenth Cocktail Crawl
Charleston has some of the most talented and innovative mixologist in the Southeast. To celebrate Juneteenth and Black Excellence, this tour aims to highlight some of the Black bartenders in the Holy City bar scene. The group will hop aboard a party bus to visit four different bars to enjoy four unique and custom cocktail created specifically for the tour. Every cocktail will feature a premium spirit made with Jack Daniels and Herradura Tequila. Each cocktail is paired with a delicious snack to compliment the cocktail and reflect the vibe of each venue.
Purchase tickets using the link below:
Beverage Masters
The Black Women in Food Awards celebrate exceptional contributions to the food system made by Black women around the world. Honorees are selected through a public nomination process, reviewed by expert judges, and announced in March 2023. In its 6th year, the Awards have honored Black women leaders making immense impact in various sectors across the food and beverage industry.
THE BEVERAGE MASTERS
THESE WOMEN ARE LEVERAGING THEIR EXPERTISE TO MOVE THE BEVERAGE INDUSTRY FORWARD THROUGH EDUCATION, CREATIVITY, AND/OR ENGAGEMENT WITH PEOPLE OR BRANDS
Taneka and Johnny were honored to be recognized as Beverage Masters.
https://www.blackwomeninfood.org/awards
Women’s Month Cocktail Crawl
Charleston has some of the most talented and innovative mixologist in the Southeast. This tour aims to highlight some of the women bartenders in the Holy City bar scene.
The group will visit four different bars to enjoy four unique and custom cocktail created specifically for the tour. Every cocktail will feature a premium spirit made with Appleton Rum or Aperol. Each cocktail is paired with a delicious snack to compliment the cocktail and reflect the vibe of each venue. The tour is guided by Charleston’s Beverage Ambassadors, The Cocktail Bandits. Event is sponsored by Campari.
Purchase tickets using the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womens-month-cocktail-crawl-tickets-576487408357
Black Bartender Bar Crawl
Get to know some of Charleston’s top bartenders during this tour celebrating Black History Month and Black Bartenders in the Holy City.
Charleston has some of the most talented and innovative mixologist in the Southeast. This tour aims to highlight some of the Black bartenders in the Holy City bar scene. The group will visit four different bars to enjoy four unique and custom cocktail created specifically for the tour. Every cocktail will feature a premium spirit made with Ciroc, Ciroc VS or Deleon Tequila. Each cocktail is paired with a delicious snack to compliment the cocktail and reflect the vibe of each venue. The tour is guided by Charleston’s Beverage Ambassadors, The Cocktail Bandits. Event is sponsored by Diageo.
Purchase tickets using the link below
Mexico for the Win!
Mexico may very well be my favorite country to visit. I look for any excuse to visit and am delighted by the new discoveries I make during each trip. This voyage was at the invitation of our friends at El Tequileno. This brand is based in Tequila, Mexico, the birthplace of the iconic spirit. Unlike other trips to Tequila country, this distillery is located in a more remote, more rural part of the city.
As such, El Tequileno and Casa Salles hotel have created resort-like accommodations for guests. Complete with a gourmet restaurant, craft cocktail bar, full spa and my favorite feature, a sparkling swimming pool.
While this location is perfect for a vacation, I was there to study and hopefully pass my Level 1 Spirits exam hosted by WSET. The Wine & Spirits Educational Trust is an internationally recognized organization of spirits educators. The instructors are trained to explain the nuances of each spirits category in an understandable and consumable way. Our instructors, Peter Smolarz and Gina Castillo were engaging and informative.
I was most impressed by the diversity among the exam takers. Our class consisted of bartenders, chefs and beverage professionals from Mexico and the United States. Some attendees needed help with language translation that our WSET educators were able to accommodate. Very impressive.
After the studying and test taking was complete we received a guided tour of El Tequileno distilling operation. The brand stays true to its roots, following family tradition by using the same tried and true methods since their 1959.
But El Tequileno isn’t stuck in the past. We had the pleasure of trying the newest edition to their brand portfolio, Reposado Rare. This aged Tequila has been rested in American Oak barrels for 6 years. This limited expression essentially created a new age statement for Tequila. Way to lead the pack.
In an industry full of celebrity brands, El Tequileno is staying true to form while pushing the limits of product innovation.
Holiday Cocktail Class
Learn how to make an amazing cocktail for the holidays, see some Zyia fashions and be entered to win a signed copy of the cocktail book made by these beautiful ladies!
Presented by Jeanne Malota – Independent Ziya Representative
Holiday Cheers! Dinner Menu
No need to dread entertaining friends and family this holiday.
Keep it simple and fun. Use that extra time to bond with your loved ones. Instead of making a large elaborate meal; design a creative and memorable menu complete with dishes and cocktails that will excite taste buds and stimulate conversation.
We teamed up with Elise from @cookinwithbooze to design a creative and easy 3-course Holiday meal Infused with a little something extra -booze. Perfect for those who enjoy a certain kick in each dish and sip!
For Starters
This Amaro based cocktail was meant to set the tone for the evening. Intended as a mellow cocktail, ‘Bi-Coastal’ – uses Bacardi 8 to add spice aroma and rich color to the mixture. A bit of citrus is added for acidity and the apple juice to round out the flavors. I strongly believe apple juice is under used in cocktails.
Its mildly sweet light taste make it a perfect compliment to aged spirits like this Bacardi 8. Apple juice like apples come in a variety flavors based on the type of apple. Sample an assortment of apples to determine your favorite variety.
Bi-Coastal
1 oz of Montenegro
1 oz of Bacardi 8
2 oz of Apple Juice
¼ oz of Lemon Juice
Garnish – Amaro soaked Apple slice/Lavender leaf
Add ingredients to mixing tin. Fill tin with ice; shake passionately. Strain mixture into coupe glass. Place garnish. Take #GentleLadySips
Main Dish
Gin is such a great palette cleanser. The herbal notes seem to wash out all previous taste while you breath in fresh floral ‘smells’. Fortified by Ginger Liqueur and pineapple juice; this cocktails purpose is to let the main course shine.
Season’s Best
1 oz of Gin
¾ oz of Domaine di Canton
2 oz of Pineapple Juice
1 oz of Honey Syrup
½ oz of Lime Juice
Garnish – Lime Peel
Add ingredients to mixing tin. Fill tin with ice; shake passionately. Strain mixture into rocks glass full of ice. Place garnish. Take #GentleLadySips
Elise created a cheeky way to remix a classic holiday dish.
Dessert
Lastly, the dessert cocktail was curated to be substantial. A drink that would feel like the conclusion of some transformative; a celebration of some great triumph – as getting together with family sometimes is.
Our Courvoisier based Digestif, lovingly called, ‘Cherry Bomb’ combines the very old school with new aged sensibilities.
Cherry Bomb
1 oz of Courvoisier
1 oz of Bacardi 10
1 ½ oz of Orange Juice
½ Cheerwine Syrup
2-3 dashes of Chocolate Bitters
Garnish – Bourbon Cherry/ Lime Peel
Add ingredients to mixing tin. Fill tin with ice; shake passionately. Strain mixture into chilled coupe glass. Place garnish. Take #GentleLadySips
Make sure to visit www.cookinwithbooze.com for all the details on each dish. Elise explains who she infused a little booze in each course.
www.bacardi.com
www.courvoisier.com
www.docporters.com
www.goldbugcollection.com
www.amaromonte.com
www.cheerwine.com
www.cookinwithbooze.com
Italian Inspiration with Toschi Fragoli
We were first introduced to Toschi Fragoli during Southern Regional Conference for the United States Bartenders Guild. The 4-day program included sessions on professionalism in the bar community, training on the latest bar gadgets and, of course, spirits tastings.
Tad Carducci partnered with the Italian Trade Commission to educate our group of over 50 food and beverage veterans on Italian Amari. With ease, Tad delivered a brief history on each liqueur followed by a tasting of a craft cocktail using an Amaro. The herbal liqueurs were once used to stimulate ones appetite before a meal. Now, the bitter modifiers are a popular addition to craft cocktails. #ItalianSpirits
We fell in love with Toschi Fragoli. The strawberry liqueur is deliciously sweet without a medicinal aftertaste. The bottle is uniquely shaped and actually contains a couple handfuls of small strawberries. Very cute! We added a botanical Gin and dry Vermouth to balance the bright flavor and rounded out the cocktail with lime juice.
Infrared
1 oz of Toschi Fragoli
1.25 oz of Hendricks Gin
.75 oz of Dry Vermouth
.50 oz of Lime Juice
Garnish: Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil)
Add ingredients to mixing tin. Fill tin with ice. Shake passionately. Strain mixture into chilled coupe glass. Take #GentleLadySips
We named the cocktail ‘Infrared’ after the Pusha T song of the same name. The smooth beat of the song over poignant lyrics parallel the flavors of the cocktail.
http://italianspirits.ice.it/
www.usbg.org
Photos by Kim Craven Photography
MUA – John Mikal Artistry
