snoop dogg and my drinking patterns

[by john]

just visited scott holliday down at rendezvous and got him to rant about certain rap stars dropping names and upping prices (as they are wont to do, but with usually riffraff like designer vodka and cristal, not cognac!). i also enjoyed some egg on easter with his cynar flip.

[by Mike]

While John was talking hip hop, my intentions were set on taking advantage of Scott Holliday's experience to garner ideas for the bottle of Creme de Violette I was given yesterday. To this end I started off with something of a Violet Fizz (gin, lemon juice, Creme de Violette, orange flower water, egg white, and soda). The addition of the few drops of orange flower water was brilliant, complimenting the floral notes of the Creme de Violette while at the same time keeping it from overpowering the drink.

The fun really didn't begin until the second round. Inspired by the Cucumber and Mint (Hendrick's gin, mint, cucumber juice, lemon juice, and lime juice) my friend had ordered, I proposed a combination of the vibrant cucumber juice and my favorite spirit, tequila. After some back and forth, we settled on the Cucumber and Mint with Herradura replacing the Hendrick's and I could not have been more pleased.

When it comes to cocktails, my favorite flavor pairing is easily tequila and fruit. While it can be easily abused, the combination can be magical when the taste of the fruit resonates with the grassy, floral notes of a good tequila. Prominent examples include the Mexican Firing Squad (tequila, a good savory homemade grenadine, syrup, lime juice, Peychaud's bitters, and angostura bitters) and a simple strawberry margarita (tequila, in season strawberries muddled with just a little bit of sugar, lime juice, and triple sec).

Sadly, the cucumber was so fragrant that it was all too easy to fall into the illusion of summer which made the cold, windy walk home all the more painful.