Cosmopolitician

You can’t have elections without politicians, and politicians are just better with a Cosmopolitician in hand!

1 ½ oz. vodka

½ oz. triple sec

½ oz. Monin Blue Curacao Syrup

1 oz. white cranberry juice

½ oz. fresh lime juice

Combine ingredients in a shaker, cap and shake vigorously.  Strain into chilled serving glass and garnish.

(Inspired by: Monin)

The Running Mate (Torani Rum Runner Punch)

Let this drink by Torani be your running mate as you take on the elections.  And best of all, it’s a punch so there are plenty of Running Mates to go around!

1 cup (8 oz) Torani Mojito Mint Syrup

1 cup (8 oz) soda water

2 tbsp (1 oz) Angostura Bitters

½ of one whole nutmeg finely ground

1 cup (8 oz) bourbon

½ cup  (4 oz) light rum

Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl.  Top with a splash of soda water and garnish with fresh mint, lime slices, and orange slices.  Add ice and you’re ready to go!

(Source: Torani)

Bipartisan Spritzer

A little red, a little white, and a little blue.  These ingredients come together to make a rather agreeable sparkling beverage.

4 oz. dry white wine

1 oz. simple syrup

Club soda

Strawberries, sliced in half

Blueberries

Ice

Fill glass with ice and top with berries.  Add simple syrup, then white wine.  Top with club soda and garnish with a sprig of mint.

(Inspired by: Pretty Plain Janes)

Winning Ballot Americano

Cheers to America with this classic drink that’s a winner on anyone’s ballot.

Ice

1 ½ oz. Campari

1 ½ oz. sweet vermouth

Club soda

Orange or lemon slices

Fill an Old Fashioned or Collins glass with ice.  Add Campari and vermouth and top with club soda.  Garnish with a slice of orange or lemon.

(Source: Chowhound)

The Undecided

If you haven’t picked a side, this is the drink for you.  The Undecided is a purple hue to reflect a mixture of both the red and blue sides of the political spectrum.  Show your indecisiveness by mixing one up!

1 part Blue Curacao

1 part Cranberry Juice

2 parts Gin

Splash of Lemon Juice

Ice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake.  Strain into glass, garnish with a citrus peel and enjoy.

(Source: Rock Your Political Party! Election-Themed Cocktails)

The post Election Day Cocktails! appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Every wine glass is comprised of three different parts:  the bowl, the stem, and the base.  The base allows the glass to stand up, and the stem allows you to hold the glass without warming the wine or smudging the glass.  The most imperative, though, is the bowl—designed specifically to allow the appropriate amount of surface area for the wine you are drinking.  Generally speaking, white wine does not need to breathe as much as its red counterpart and thus white wine glasses are taller with narrower openings whereas red wine glasses are designed with a larger surface area, allowing the wine to “breathe.”

White wine glasses typically come in two shapes. Both are tall, u-shaped, and upright to help maintain the optimal cooler serving temperatures.  But younger whites, such as a crisp sauvignon blanc, require a slightly larger opening to direct the wine to the tips and sides of the tongue to allow the drinker to taste its sweetness.  More mature whites, as in a buttery chardonnay, necessitate a straight and tall glass, dispensing the wine to the back of the tongue so that its bolder flavors are sensed.

Red wine glasses are, as mentioned, fuller and rounder to allow one to dip their nose in and smell the complexities of the bouquet as the wine comes into contact with the air.  A Bordeaux glass is taller, with a slightly smaller bowl, and is designed for full-bodied red wines such as cabernet or merlot—the tall glass sends the wine directly to the back of your mouth to maximize its flavor.  The more delicate flavors of lighter red wines—think Pinot Noir—require a larger bowl to direct the wine toward the tip of the tongue.

When drinking sparkling wines, the intent is to capture the flavor while retaining the carbonation and keeping the fluid as cold as possible for as long as possible.  Fluted glasses with long stems are optimal for the enjoyment of your favorite bubbly.

Dessert wines are slightly higher in alcohol content so serving them in small glasses is ideal.  Additionally, smaller glasses direct the wine to the back of the mouth, slightly quelling its sweetness.

Practically speaking, it may be difficult to offer a glass style for every wine provided, either in your home or in your restaurant.  A general suggestion, then, would be to make sure you have flutes on hand for sparkling wines, and some sort of all-purpose red wine glass as well as an all-purpose white glass.  Or at the very least, choose a single glass with a bowl shape between that of a red and white wine glass so that it acceptable to use no matter the drink preference of your diner.

As for the material of a wine glass, the favorable choice is crystal or blown glass because the glass is thin, as is the rim, so as not to inhibit the flow of the wine you are drinking.  While designs on wine glasses can be fun, clear and smooth is preferred because it allows one to appreciate the legs of the wine, how the light affects the color, and the clarity and texture of the wine being tasted.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, how you clean your wine glasses matters.  Hand washing in hot water only is the preferred method of cleaning, as it does best at preventing soap build-up.  However, if you must use soap, remember that less is more when washing your wine glasses.

Drinking wine should be a pleasure, and while good wine is a pleasure in and of itself, pairing it with the appropriate glass can intensify your wine tasting experience.  Whether red wine, white wine, or sparkling wine is your drink of choice, give the optimal glass choice a try and see if you notice a difference.

The post What’s Your Wine? Why the Glass Matters appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Although not many can afford (or even want) to drop that much money on a cup of coffee, no matter how sublime, research studies show that coffee consumption in America is on the rise.  Coffee is the beverage of choice, over soda and teas, for many Americans—in fact, over 60% of adults in the United States report drinking coffee daily.  And it doesn’t appear that this will change any time soon, as interest in other energy-inducing beverages is waning with reports of their adverse health repercussions.  So how can coffee aficionados get a great cup of coffee without spending a fortune?  One way is to embrace the up-and-coming “flat white” coffee, an Australian invention that has finally made its way to America.

The flat white is, generally speaking, a coffee beverage consisting of coffee, milk, and foam.  What separates this drink from the others with the same ingredients (think cappuccino, latte, cortado) is the method of preparation. The flat white is a smaller beverage with a higher proportion of coffee to milk than other traditional drinks.  The milk is steamed to a cooler temperature, allowing it to retain the fats and proteins and thus retaining a sweeter flavor than what one would normally find in customary coffee-house offerings.  The froth, a velvety “microfoam” with a silky texture, is then carefully folded into the espresso.  The result (besides the signature white dot in the cup) is an artistically crafted, smooth, decadent cup of coffee, richer and tastier than a cappuccino or latte, and for a fraction of the price of a cup of the elitist Geisha from Panama.

I’ve tried a flat white coffee and found it to be worth the hype that surrounds it.  Have you tried it yet?

The post Be Trendy, Try a Flat White appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Photo courtesy of Libbey.

Quality and affordability combine to make one fantastic new line:  the Spiegelau Wine Lovers collection by Libbey.  Known in the industry for its high performance and detailed craftsmanship, Spiegelau is dedicated to producing the best possible glass and has yet to disappoint.

Spiegelau’s Platinum Glass technology—the process of passing liquid glass through platinum-lined tubes—increases  the durability of the glass, leaving you with brilliant, scratch- and fog-resistant glasses even after 1500 dishwasher cycles.

The Wine Lovers collection is available in three different bowl shapes, each designed to enhance character and bouquet.  The red wine glass offers a larger opening to the bowl, allowing the lovely aroma of the wine to reach the air and then the nose, heightening the overall red wine experience.  Opt for the Bordeaux glass for fuller-bodied, heavier wines such as Cabernets and Merlots.  The glass is taller, which maximizes flavor by allowing the wine to directly reach the back of the mouth.  Serve whites in the straighter white wine glass—U-shaped and upright—to help maintain the chill of the wine while still allowing the aroma to escape.   And for champagne or sparkling wine choices, opt for the Wine Lovers flute—the narrow shape retains carbonation and captures the flavor of the beverage in the glass.

Hard-wearing glassware that retains its elegant clarity at an unbeatable price makes Wine Lovers collection the obvious choice for any dining establishment.   Because really, what’s not to love?

The post For the love of wine: Spiegelau Wine Lovers Collection appeared first on Houston's Blog.