Pittsburgh Cocktail Week...What a Week It Was!

Before I go any further, let me first thank my designated driver throughout this very first Pittsburgh Cocktail Week...without you this week could never have been the tour de force de cocktails that it truly was. Thanks, Mark! It was a tough job and somebody had to do it. (Glad it wasn't me.)

Although the event ran for an entire seven days, as hard as I tried I couldn't begin to make it to every bar and restaurant participating in the week. Nor could I make it to every special seminar or event, but I gave it my all. There were industry events: an Agave seminar at Verde, Ice Carving at Livermore, a Wigle Distillery seminar on aging, a tour and tasting at Boyd and Blair Distillery.

Boyd and Blair - tour and tasting

Tender hosted a seminar entitled "Drink What You Like and Like What You Drink, led by Johnny Foster and Butterjoint conducted a hands-on class on shrubs and preserves as used in cocktails.

Ground Cherry Pineapple Shrub in process at Butterjoint - Now THAT'S a muddler!

Started at Butterjoint, finished in my kitchen - YUM!

Not to be forgotten, cool events for you and me were held, too. The bartenders at Verde had folks step right up to the bar for a hands-on class in making the perfect margarita, Livermore's Giuseppe Capolupo taught a few basic tricks to carve your own ice at home, Wigle conducted an aged whiskey tasting that SOLD OUT quickly! 

There was a cocktail and food pairing class at Industry, South Seas Thursday at Tiki Lounge with Lucky the Painproof Man and totally amazing, authentic tiki drinks using the best rums and liquors, fresh squeezed juices and handmade syrups. 

(Heads up....Lucky takes over Tiki Lounge and creates these EVERY Thursday from 4 - 9 PM, not just for Pittsburgh Cocktail Week!)

Lucky the Painproof Main, Tiki Bartender Extrordinaire

(I'm not saying this tiki mug got the Pirates into the playoffs, but....)

Probably the most exciting happening during the week (for me, anyway!) was the cocktail competition going on all around the town! Restaurants and bars entered one or more cocktails into several categories. This is where my designated driver came into play...the fun was in trying cocktails in various spots, voting on them via an app called Grail. The developers of Grail, Rhomania, are right here in Pittsburgh! (Check out Grail and all the cool things it does and restaurants it carries right here.) 

At the end of Pittsburgh Cocktail Week, a winner was declared and won $1,000 in barware! Not bad for the very first ever event!  I won't tell you right now who won, but I DID get to enjoy the winning entry early in the week. 

It was impossible to get to every spot and to sample every cocktail...at least for me it was. I did hear rumors that an attempt was made by at least one hardy soul! Here are (some of) the cocktails I tried.

Oaxacan Campfire by Hannah Morris - Verde Mexican Kitchen

The Secret Garden by Erika Joyner - Salt of the Earth

Amelia's Last Flight by Sean Rosenkrans - Tender Bar and Kitchen

Pittsburgh Sour by Chris Matrozza - Franktuary

Billy Porter's Kinky Boots by RaeLynn Harshman & Alyssa McGrath - Dish Osteria

Looks like a whole lot of cocktails...it was...and that's just the ones that were photographed! Then there were those that were shared among we cocktail geeks and afficianados. Fun times! 

As said earlier, I just managed to scratch the surface of the creative libations to be had. Giving it a go EVERYWHERE was impossible! I missed Pittsburgh Cocktail Week specialty drinks at Harvard and Highland, Bar Marco, Livermore, Benjamin's, Tamari in Warrandale, Spoon, Industry Public House, Meat & Potatoes (yeah, I can't believe I didn't get there either!), Butterjoint - but I got there for that fabulous Shrub class!, Toast, Speakeasy, Pino's or Lidia's. NEXT YEAR!

But what about THIS year's winner? That would be the lovely Erika Joyner with her creation using Wigle Ginever, cucumber mint syrup, lime juice and eucalyptus bitters called The Secret Garden. Well deserved, Erika! 

If you didn't get to participate in Pittsburgh Cocktail Week THIS year, start planning for next year. Next year will be even bigger...and hard to believe as it is...BETTER! 'Til next year. (I think my liver will enjoy the break.) 

 

Bloody Maria - Verde-Style

Those of you who have been following Dinner Plan-it for a while, know of my penchant for Bloody Marys. Those of you who just stumbled upon this blog also now know of my not-so-secret favorite cocktail!  Blame it on my Uncle Harry who mixed these vodka concoctions for weekend brunches back in the 50's (yes, I was way too young to be drinking them...but those sneaked sips had me hooked!) and served them with my very first ever Eggs Benedict. The man could COOK!  And he mixed a mean cocktail.  (He also made one refreshing ADULT snowball in the summer with shaved ice, sloe gin and chocolate syrup, too...that's for another post...maybe in the heat of July or August.)

A while ago, my Restaurant Week post prominently featured a Bloody Maria from Verde Kitchen + Cantina.  I have to tell you this is THE best in the city.  Smooth yet with a kick of heat and subtle undertones of mysterious Mexican peppers, Verde's version is divine. Like all of my favorite Bloodies, Verde's is a homemade mix.  What makes their Bloody so special? Hannah, Verde's lovely bar manager, shared with me the secret of a couple of the ingredients - fresh garlic and dried guajillo peppers.  Could I duplicate their subtly spicy red magic?  I gave it a try.

I toasted a few dried guajillo peppers in a dry skillet, covered them with water and simmered until they softened. After the guajillos were cooled and moved to a big glass bowl, I tossed in a few cloves of garlic, some jalapenos, lime AND lemon juice, celery ribs, cumin, mesquite smoked salt (my new find!) along with a few other goodies and let it mellow out overnight in the fridge. How did it turn out?

It was WONDERFUL!  Did it match the sublime Verde version? Nope. Is it one of my best homegrown versions? Absolutely! I'll be making these regularly for brunch at home, but I'll STILL be looking forward to Sunday, Bloody Sundays at Verde.

Oh! Here's a little preview of coming attractions...I served these at a fun brunch on our deck last Sunday to some food blogger friends and cocktail cohorts. Recipes for Szechuan Smoked Pork Belly and Grilled Pina Coladas coming up! Soon. 

Bloody Marias - Verde-Style

• 2 T. wheat free Tamari - or soy sauce if gluten isn't an issue for you
• 2 ribs celery - sliced thinly across
• 2 garlic cloves - smashed, left whole
• 1 large jalapeno - sliced thinly
• 2 t. mesquite smoked salt
• 2 t. cumin
• a handful of cilantro leaves
• a large dried guajillo pepper - broken into large pieces (you can find these in the Mexican section of Giant Eagle or (more fun!) Reyna's in the Strip District)
• the juice of 1 lime
• the juice of 1 lemon
• a bottle of high fiber V-8 - I think it gives a better mouthfeel and substance to the mix

Start by toasting the dried chile in a dry skillet (I love cast iron for this) over medium heat. When it smells warm and toasty, cover with water, bring to a boil, lower heat immediately and simmer until it is soft and pliable. Remove and cool.

In a large glass bowl, add all of the above ingredients along with the toasted and softened guajillo pepper pieces. Stir and refrigerate overnight, covered.

The next day, remove the solids from the liquids with a large slotted spoon or spider and squeeze all the liquid from the solids letting the liquid fall back into the bowl. Once all the solids have been removed you have Bloody Mary or Bloody Maria base! Transfer to a glass or plastic pitcher and refrigerate until cocktail time. 

Assembly: In a pint glass or Mason jar, pour 1 1/2-2 ounces of mezcal, tequila or vodka - whichever you prefer (I like smoky mezcal in a Bloody Maria). Add the Bloody Mary base 2/3 of the way of the glass, add ice to the top and garnish with fresh lime. Stir gently. Enjoy.