What We're Talking About This Week: James Bond Edition

Who doesn't want to steal the timeless chic of a Bond film's set?  This Get the Look post offers up decor inspiration from some of the most memorable moments in the series.

Everyone knows that James Bond takes his martinis 'shaken, not stirred' but the classic drink is just one of many cocktails featured in Ian Fleming's books. 

This is an interesting article about the evolution of Bond films, comparing it to the ever popular Batman franchise.

Spectre is the last Bond film that director Sam Mendes plans to make.  He also directed Skyfall, the best so far starring Daniel Craig. We hope that Craig will stick around for one more.

Any excuse is a good one to share this Comic Relief skit starring Craig and Catherine Tate.

You can read more about our love of Bond here.

What We're Talking About This Week - City Guide Edition

So much is always changing in both of our cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and in the surrounding areas.  We love keeping up to date with the latest restaurants, sights, shops, and exhibits, so we are always looking for the next great city guide to inspire us... These are some of our favorites recent ones:

A Foodie Guide to Napa & Sonoma

San Francisco Cocktail Guide


Paso Robles Wine Country Guide

Brad Goreski's Guide to LA

A music-inspired guide to Joshua Tree

Recipe - Southpaw Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 3/4oz Jameson

3/4oz Fresh Lemon Juice

3/4oz Simple Syrup

1/2 Fresh Orange Juice

Cucumber Slices

Fresh Spearmint Leaves

Recipe: Gin & Zin @ Jones

We love the Gin & Zin, an updated take on the French 75 that Jones in San Francisco serves.
Here's our interpretation of the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 oz. gin (preferably Hendricks)
3 oz. your choice zinfandel wine
1/2 lemon, squeezed
1 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
Pour into a glass and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Serves one.

We Recommend: The Gin Cocktails at Coqueta

Right on San Francisco's Embarcadero, exists a little bit of Spain in the restaurant and detached bar of Coqueta.  Featuring a variety of amazing tapas to choose from, they also have some of the most inventive - and beautiful - gin cocktails we have been lucky enough to sample.  Gin & Tonics are a way of life in Spain, and the mixologists at Coqueta have elevated them to new heights with house infused flavors.  We sampled two varieties:  The Barça and the Galleon, as well as a Not So Dirty gin martini.  While The Barça was a more classic take on the G&T, using dry gin and Fever Tree Tonic, with the addition of hints of grapefruit and pine, the Galleon was more inventive, with its gin mixed with an acorn and apricot tonic, along with berry shrub and lime.  Finally, the martini used the traditional gin and vermouth, with an olive brine dusted rim - giving it the perfect hint of 'dirtiness'.  While we would be hard pressed to choose a favorite, the G&T's were perfect alongside all of the delicious bites, and we would definitely recommend you try them for yourself.

Holiday Gift Guide: One for the Road

Clockwise from top left: bitters, ice cube mold, bar spoon, tasting glass, wine rack, shot glass, knives,

citrus juicer,beer kit, copper shaker, ice scoop, rabbit opener, bar tool, whiskey cube, decanter

Menu: Last Minute Halloween Cocktail Party

Whether you decide to go out (and have a pre-party) or stay in this Halloween, here are a few menu and decoration ideas.

To Eat/Savory:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Kimchi Deviled Eggs

Roasted Garlic Crostini with Assorted Toppings

 To Eat/Sweet:

Candy Corn and White Chocolate Cookies

Gingerbread Skeletons

Graveyard Pudding with Whipped Cream Ghosts

To Drink:

Witch's Brew Cocktail

Balsamic Bloody Mary

Decor:

Glitter skull, bats and brains in jars (cauliflower)

Recipe: The Bennet Cocktail at Tosca

We love the recently redone Tosca Café in San Francisco's North Beach - the new owners, April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman, did a great job updating the old school spot.  The menu is a perfect balance of innovative dishes and Italian classics, and the cocktail list is superb.  We are especially obsessed with the Bennet Cocktail, a simple but unusual mix of gin, bitters, and lime.  This is our interpretation of it:

 

2 ounces Miller's Westbourne Strength Gin (or other aromatic gin)

3/4 ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice

10-15 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters (or to taste)

Lime peel for garnish

 

In a cocktail shaker, shake or stir the first three ingredients over ice.

Pour into a chilled martini glass and garnish with the lime peel.

 

Serves one.

For more on Tosca, and some of their food recipes, check out Bon Appetit's feature on the hotspot as one of the ten top picks in their Best New Restaurants in America 2014.

Cocktail Recipe: Strawberry Caipirinha

The World Cup may be over, but summer is the perfect time to enjoy Brazil's national cocktail, the Caipirinha. 

Our version is kind of a cross between the Caipirinha and Caipifruta, taking advantage of seasonal ingredients.

Ingredients:

5 oz. cachaça of choice (we recommend novo fogo)

1 oz. fresh strawberry juice

1/2 fresh lime 

1 teaspoon sugar

3 basil leaves, plus extra for garnish

ice

Directions:

Squeeze the lime into a cocktail shaker.

Add the sugar and basil leaves, and muddle.

Add cachaça and strawberry juice, and stir to mix.

Pour into glasses over ice and garnish with a basil leaf.

Serves two.

Recipe: Jalapeño Martini at Playland Bar

When we go out on Polk St we always stop by Playland Bar. They have the best cocktails, and one of our favorites is the Jalapeño Martini, perfect for warm weather. Here is our interpretation:

Ingredients:

3 oz. jalapeño infused vodka

1/4 oz. dry vermouth

cucumber (for garnish)

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Add a slice of cucumber to garnish.

Serves one.

Recipe: Pomegranate Kir Royale

This is a perfect drink for Valentine's Day.  It's simple, but special, and has a rosy hue.

Ingredients:

Two teaspoons of pomegranate molasses
Chilled champagne, always the best you can afford
Pomegranate seeds for garnish

Put one teaspoon of the molasses into each of two champagne flutes, and top off with champagne.  Garnish with a few pomegranate seeds.

Serves two.

Image via Instagram

Cocktail Recipe: Foggy Day

It's been warm here in California lately, so we've been drinking this refreshing cocktail often. 

When it gets to be summer, we will also throw in some fresh cucumber and basil leaves.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Gin

1/2 fresh squeezed Lemon

1 oz. Soda Water

1 oz. Pear Liqueur

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. 

Fill a highball with ice and pour cocktail over. 

Garnish with a fresh lemon slice.

Serves one.

Recipe: Eggnog & Port

Ingredients:

2 oz. tawny port
6 oz. eggnog
Whole nutmeg

Shake the port and eggnog over ice, and serve up in martini glasses.  Grate the nutmeg as garnish.

Serves two.

Thanksgiving Recipe: Cranberry Punch

There's always so much to be done on Thanksgiving day that it's nice to have a cocktail prepared in advance that guests can help themselves to, so you can focus on the cooking. This recipe will make enough for all of your guests.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups unsweetened cranberry juice

1 lb. sugar

750 ml. bottle rum

750 ml. bottle bourbon

750 ml. bottle cognac

3 bottles Champagne

freshly ground nutmeg

Mix the cranberry juice and the sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Then fill a drink dispenser with ice, and add the cranberry juice mixture, bourbon, cognac, rum and champagne. Add a pinch of nutmeg to finish off each cup.

Makes about 20 drinks

Recipe: Witch's Brew Cocktail

Witch's Brew Cocktail

This spooky twist on a classic Sazerac includes a spidery looking star anise.

Ingredients:

3 oz. Gin

3/4 oz. Green Chartreuse 

1/4 oz. Fernet 

Star Anise

Combine the gin, chartreuse and fernet over ice in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a star anise.

Serves one.

Recipe: Bee Pollen Cocktail

Seventy7 Lounge is a great 'secret' bar tucked away behind the restaurants on Main Street in Culver City.  Their speakeasy-style menu has many delicious drinks, but the Bee Pollen Cocktail is one of our favorites.  This is our interpretation:

2 ounces Honey infused Bourbon (Barenjager or make your own)
1/4 ounce simple syrup
Juice of half a lemon
2 dashes of vanilla
3 dashes of Old Time Bitters

Serve in a low ball glass on the rocks, and garnish with a twist.

Recipe: Mclaren Cocktail

Based on the Mclaren Cocktail at Park Tavern, here is our interpretation.

Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Hendrick’s Gin
.5 oz. cucumber juice (make your own, or try this)
half a lemon
1 can ginger beer

Fill a highball with ice, and add the gin and cucumber juice. Squeeze the half of lemon into the glass and stir to mix. Top off with ginger beer, and garnish with a slice of cucumber and a piece of lemon peel.

Recipe: Cipriani Bellini

Ingredients: 

- White Peach Purée (Cipriani sells their own label purée, but you can also make your own.  Simply peel white peaches and run them through a food processor)
- Prosecco

Pour one ounce peach purée and three ounces of prosecco into each chilled champagne glass.  Enjoy!

Recipe - Summer Story Cocktail

We love the Summer Story cocktail at the Story Hotel in Stockholm. 

Based on the ingredients list, here is our interpretation.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Smirnoff Black Vodka

2 oz. Ginger Beer

0.5 oz. Amaro Montenegro

5 Raspberries

5 Blackberries

3 Strawberries

0.5 oz. Lime Juice

0.5 oz. simple syrup

Sprig of fresh mint

Powdered sugar (optional)

Muddle the berries and add them to a copper mug with ice. In a cocktail shaker add ice and all of the liquid ingredients. Shake well and pour into the mug. Stir to mix. Garnish with mint and berries, and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Kate Moss's Favorite Cocktail: The French 76

 

 When Kate Moss is in Paris, her favorite cocktail is the French 76 from the Hemingway Bar at The Ritz.  The model is such a fan that she had the hotel's head bartender, Colin Field, make it for her wedding.  The recipe is below, but drink with caution, for, as Kate says: 'It doesn't taste at all strong - and then, whoa, whoops-a-daisy!'

Recipe:

2 shots of your finest vodka
1 shot of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp of sugar
Champagne
Lemon peel for garnish

Shake the first three ingredients over ice, serve up in a martini glass topped with champagne and garnished with a twist.