Thirsty Thursday Halloween Cocktail: The Dark & Stormy

T’was a dark & stormy night, the Wednesday before Halloween…quite literally, indeed. I almost lost my umbrella.  The St. Louis Cardinals were on the verge of losing the World Series, and we were sitting at one of our favorite watering holes, Ophelia’s Wine Bar.  As I studied the menu, I thought, “what drink could best signify this evening?  What cocktail most lends itself to Halloween?  And of course, what is actually going to taste good?”

And there it was on the menu, staring back at me… “The Dark & Stormy”. Served in a copper tankard typically reserved for Moscow Mules, it seemed somehow appropriate for this brooding sort of night.  Though you can’t brood over the taste at all.  This is possibly one of my new favorites.  Lauded as the “official drink of Bermuda”, this delicious combination of black rum & ginger beer feels as though it should be served in a hurricane glass with an umbrella rather than a traditional tankard, but I’m not complaining. 

If you’re the type of person who WANTS to like ginger, but can’t seem to get past that “I just sprayed Pledge in my mouth” aftertaste, then this is the drink for you.  All the refreshing spiciness of ginger without the burn.

Recipe:

2 oz Goslings Black Seal Rum

6-8 oz Barritt’s Ginger Beer

1 lime wedge (it’s inside the tankard, I promise you…drowning it’s little limey sorrows)

 

Directions: Combine rum & ginger beer over ice.  Add lime.  Voila.

 

Happy Halloween, friends!  Oh, and if you’re in the Springfield area, be sure to stop by The Inside Scoop this weekend!  It’s our last weekend of the season before we close down for winter.  And if you bring the kiddos or pup by in costume, they can get a free treat!

Thirsty Thursday: Pimm’s Cup

We haven’t had a Thirsty Thursday in a while, so I figured it was high time!  Today we’re going with a New Orleans classic cocktail: The Pimm’s Cup.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a watering hole in NOLA that doesn’t have this on its drink menu; however the original version comes from the Napoleon House, on the corner of Chartres & St. Louis in the French Quarter.  But since the Napoleon House is 627 miles from me, I had to rely on one of my favorite local watering holes, Ophelia’s.

Now, before any of you cocktail aficionados start commenting: yes, I know there’s not a cucumber in there.  They were out.  But we’ll let that slide.  (This time, AJ…this time.)

Recipe:

2 oz Pimm’s No. 1 (a gin-based liqueur from London featuring quinine, fruit juices, & spices)

2 oz lemonade

2 oz club soda (or, replace both of these with a lemon-lime soda)

lemon & lime wedges

English cucumber wheel for garnish (some recipes call for muddling the cucumber & fruit in the bottom of the glass before adding the liquids. I’m actually a big fan of that version, too.)

 

Mix well & serve.  Goes great with the Spread Trio at Ophelia’s…just FYI.

 

Smoked Trout Spread, Syrian Roasted Red Pepper Spread, and Hummus.  YUM.

This is a really nice, refreshing cocktail with a very classic feel, which is perfect for sipping on a back porch…or in a wine bar while studying for the ASBOG exam.  Because really…where ELSE would you study? Sheesh. 

Thirsty Thursday: Ophelia’s Blueberry Lemon Martini

Wednesday nights for the FeauxFamily (aka, me & the hubs) are Trivia Nights.  Every Wednesday, unless we’re sick or out of town, we can be found playing trivia at our favorite watering hole, Finnegan’s Wake.  It’s a great mid-week break to the monotony of white-collar office work.  And a good opportunity to work on our superb drawing skillz:

…And it usually means that the hubs & I can have a mini-date night dinner before trivia, which is always nice, because it means some one-on-one face time to talk about our day and enjoy some food that we didn’t have to cook.

We usually try to dine close to downtown, so we can just walk to trivia after dinner.  So last night, we picked Finnegan’s “sister” establishment, Ophelia’s Wine & Tapas Bar.  Granted, yes, I’m biased, but Finnegan’s & Ophelia’s are two of my favorite downtown establishments (along with AmyCakes, of course).  Because while Finn’s appeals to my desire for mid-week brain stimulation and a wide brew selection, Ophelia’s appeals to my need for wine…and cheese.

(I love this case so much that we sat next to it so I could drool.)

 

But last night was not a wine night, because Ophelia’s is also famous for their infused vodkas:

 

(My apologies for the blurry photo—I somehow managed to leave all of my cameras at home & resorted to my phone.)

 

As you can see, the current selection includes olive-infused, melon-infused, a berry concoction, a mixed citrus infusion, and…my favorite…the blueberry lemon.

And since Wednesday’s Happy Hour special features $4 infused vodkas…yeah.  Obvs.

The hubs ordered a beer (they have a small selection of high quality draft brews that rotate out frequently; I believe this was a Hummel-Brau).

The blueberry-lemon flavor is really nice and super-smooth, though in this particular batch, the blueberry definitely dominated the palate.  Every batch is a little different.  They also make a cinnamon pear sometimes that is just out of this world. (NOTE: If you can’t get to Ophelia’s & want to try creating your own infused creations, here’s a pretty simple WikiHow.  My suggestion: start with good vodka.  And the peeps at Ophelia’s tell me the blueberry takes a little while longer than some fruits to build a good flavor, because of the skin.)

…and then of course, we got some munchies.

A selection of awesomeness (clockwise from the top): Smoked trout cream cheese spread, prosciutto, Missouri summer sausage, my favorite cheese Cypress Grove’s Humbolt Fog, and some smoked gouda.

YUM.

The hubs didn’t care for the Humboldt Fog so much, as it is a goat cheese with a distinctive tangy finish to it…but I was totally okay with that because, hey…more for me!!! :D  So I let him have a larger portion of the gouda and spent my time savoring each tangy bite.

 

A really wonderful way to start our evening, and perhaps a bit of good luck, since we did end up coming in second place at trivia!  Meaning that next week, we’ll be dining at Finn’s on a free pizza & appetizer! 

 

As always, mad props to the proprietors of Finnegan’s Wake & Ophelia’s, the illustrious Tom Muetzel & Anne Kim, and the fabulous staff at both establishments.  Visit soon, visit often, and tip your waitstaff generously!  It’s what the cool kids do. 

LiveJournal Tags: thirsty thursday,martini,blueberry-lemon,ophelia's,finnegans,cheese