Jamie came to Atlanta a few weeks ago to join me in fulfilling our high school dreams with a Dashboard Confessional and Third Eye Blind concert. We found ourselves with an open afternoon and figured there was only one way to successfully fill the time: Drink This Takeover! 

The Drink: We’re starting with a cocktail neither of us had ever had: the Left Hand Cocktail – found in The PDT Cocktail Book. We knew there was no way we wouldn’t love this drink. Bourbon, Campari, Sweet Vermouth and Mole bitters (which we are always looking for new ways to use). Sam Ross combined his favorite classics (and ours, too), Italy’s Negroni and America’s Manhattan, into one drink and named the result after Lefty, an Italian-American character from the movie Donnie Brasco.

• 1.5 oz Elijah Craig 12-Year-Old Bourbon. Our stores didn’t have the Elijah Craig so we used another great bourbon – Willett
• 3/4oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
• 3/4oz Campari
• 2 drops Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with 3 brandied cherries on a pick.

The Glass: Coupe from The Boston Shaker.

That delicious beast is Ronnie LeClair’s A Rose for Emily cocktail (available at King + Duke).

This is one of the 6 Southern Cocktails For Your Kentucky Derby Party piece by Jess Graves that I photographed for Town & Country.

Photographed in Atlanta, GA at JCT. Bar

The Drink: Oh you know, just another winner from JCT‘s Beverage Manager Eduardo Guzman in collaboration with Lara Creasy. This is my kind of twist on a French 75.

• 1 oz Wild Turkey American Honey
• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz honey syrup
• 3 oz sparkling wine

Shake all ingredients (except wine), pour into a flute, and top with sparkling wine.

The Drink: Jamie and I launched our second Drink This Takeover with a Mint Julep, so they’re no stranger here. I (Caroline) claim it as my all time favorite cocktail, and I drink ’em like crazy during the Spring and Summer. On Sunday (Mark’s birthday!), we had a few friends over to for a back porch party, and I thought it was the perfect time to make my first Julep of the year. I figured I wouldn’t be the only one drinking them, so I wanted to prepare them ahead of time. If you make them the “right” way (muddle mint with simple syrup, crush ice, etc) they can be pretty time consuming, and I didn’t want to spend the entire party at the bar. Solution? Bottled mint juleps. Bonus? I’ve still got some in the fridge.

Your first step is to whip up a batch of mint syrup and let it cool.
For a 16 oz bottle, funnel 12.5 oz bourbon and 2.5 oz syrup*.
Cap it and mix the ingredients together (don’t shake).

To serve, pour 3 oz into Julep cup or glass and pack with ice.

If you want to serve these at a party like I did, crush up a bunch of ice in a Lewis bag and keep it in the freezer. Then, per order, all you’ve gotta do is pour the cocktail, add ice, garnish and serve! If you have leftovers, drink them within a week or so.

*If your bottle isn’t 16oz, just use a 2.5 oz bourbon and 1/2 oz syrup recipe when adjusting proportions.

The Cup: 8 oz Salisbury ‘Texas’ Pewter Cup.

The Attire: Levi’s shirt, QALO rubber ring.

Photographed in Atlanta, GA at JCT. Bar

Raised in:
Mexico

Lives in:
Atlanta, Georgia

Favorite thing about JCT‘s bar program:
The staff and the vibe we have together every night behind the bar. Also, I love our goal to always promote local products, farms, and small craftsmanship.

Favorite spirit:
I hate to be stereotypical but…tequila.

Now would ya look at that:
Eduardo Guzman, Beverage Manager at JCT. Kitchen & Bar and The Optimist.
Below is his delicious Squash Me Another One cocktail from the late winter cocktails he launched last week at JCT. If you’re in Atlanta, swing by and give it a try! And don’t miss the 3 other new additions: Changing Seasons (kumquat-infused tequila, Kina Lillet, lime); Midnight Express (Chattanooga Whiskey, cranberry shrub, sage/honey syrup); and Rosebud (fig-infused bourbon, spice pear liquor, brown sugar, Fee Brother’s Aromatics, Fee Brother’s Orange).

1.5 oz St. George “Dry Rye” gin
1 oz Winter Squash/Orange cordial*
1/4 oz honey syrup
1/4 oz lemon juice
pinch of salt

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain, served straight up.

* If you’re not in Atlanta to go order one of these for yourself, not to fear. Here’s how to make the Winter Squash/Orange cordial.

1 whole squash
4 cups of water
1 cup sugar
2 cups OJ

Peel, take the seeds out and cut the squash into cubes. Add squash into blender with 4 cups of water. Blend, double strain the squash purée in order to have a “squash water.” Combine squash water with orange juice and sugar. Shake or stir until sugar dissolves. Keep it cool. Yields: 1 quart of cordial.

A taste of Atlanta’s Most Romantic Cocktails piece by Jess Graves that I photographed for StyleBlueprint.
For the record, all of these cocktails are delicious!
Read the full story here to find out where to go get ’em and how to make ’em.

The Drink: I had my first Hot Toddy in college. I came home sick and my Dad made me one. Not a whiskey drinker at the time, this was just a glass of hot medicine to me, prescribed by Dr. Dad, and you know what? I liked it. At the time, I had only just learned how to get a fake id and was completely oblivious to the delightful taste of whiskey. And you know what else? I did feel better…

All these years later, the Hot Toddy has become one of my favorite whiskey drinks. Next to wassail, which I only drink around Christmas, it’s a go to winter evening cocktail. And like wassail, there’s a ton of ways to make it. The most classic is incredibly simple – shot of whiskey, spoonful of honey, squeeze of lemon and hot water. Stir it with a cinnamon stick. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.

Once I started making these on nights that I wasn’t sick, I decided to up my Toddy game. So far, The Tippler‘s recipe (slightly adapted) has been my favorite since discovering it in an Imbibe issue last year. My only two changes: I use Laird’s Applejack (an American apple brandy) instead of a Calvados (apple brandy from Normandy), and I use straight honey instead of honey syrup. The reason for the former is simply because I already had a bottle. The reason for the later is because it’s just one less step in the prep process.

• 1 oz bourbon – I typically use Four Roses Yellow or Bulleit
• 1 oz apple brandy – Applejack or calvados
• 1/2 oz cinnamon syrup – I keep some of this in the fridge all winter. It’s such an easy way to spice up a classic cocktail by substituting this for simple syrup. Cinnamon Old Fashioned, Cinnamon Manhattan…
• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 oz honey
• 2 dash Angostura bitters
• Hot water

Pour all ingredients in a mug and stir.
Top with desired amount of hot water. I prefer about 3-4 oz so I can still taste the booze. Typically, I use 1 oz more of the booze than listed above for a stiffer Toddy. If you’re a whiskey neat person, I’d recommend 1.5 oz of the bouron + brandy with the rest of the measurements the same. Trust me.
Sip by a fire in your pajamas for maximum enjoyment.

The Glass: Bodum bistro mug.

The Attire: Munki Munki llama pajamas, Essie ‘After School Boy Blazer’ nail polish.

In our last post, you met Billy, Founder of Righteous Brothers Coffee Roasters (RBCR) and partner with DISTRICT Roasters. Mark and Billy went to the same high school and stayed connected through social media. Through that, we were introduced to what Billy was up to with RBCR and DISTRICT (as well as his killer fashion). Over Thanksgiving, we were able to meet up with Billy to hear more about his involvement these roasters, as well as his insider information on some of the upcoming transformations of Old Town Tomball.

About Righteous Brothers Coffee Roasters:
A curiosity for coffee roasting led to the birth of a start up business. RBCR was founded in my kitchen in the Summer of 2013. We quickly discovered our passion for coffee fostered conversations that birthed a community of local artisans and makers who have a shared appreciation for both craft and culinary.

About DISTRICT Roasters:
In 2014 we were approached by DISTRICT Roasters with an opportunity to partner in taking Coffee on Mission. DISTRICT Roasters was formed that year by a small team of people dedicated to seeing the elimination of economic, physical, and spiritual poverty. To see freedom restored to those that live under the tyranny of economic, physical, or spiritual slavery. We extract great, unique coffees to western markets and redirect profit back to the same farmers who cultivated the coffee. Our customers get the very best coffee and, with every sip, directly reinvest at the source. Our customers help farmers, their families, and their communities taste freedom from the cycle of economic, physical, and spiritual poverty and enslavement. People who are concious about helping good causes, but who also love a good cup of Joe, may want to check out the JUST LOVE COFFEE CAFE WEBSITE to see the good work going on over there that is benefiting various charities across the company’s franchises.

____

Purchase direct online or via one of their stockists. This stuff is delicious!

I was in the lobby of the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City, TN when I was introduced to Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. I was there to pick up Jamie, both in town shooting weddings, but first, we needed to stuff our starving bellies with Cook-Out. So we stood in the lobby, downing burgers and fries, talking to drunk guests from the wedding he’d shot. One of those guests had a bottle of E.H. Taylor Small Batch, and Jamie asked him to pour me a taste. I sipped it, very much enjoyed it, and then let Jamie have the rest (I’m so nice, I know). It just didn’t feel right to wash a cheap burger down with something so good…

Two weeks ago in Athens, I shot my last wedding of the busy Fall season, and on my way home Sunday I decided to reward myself with a stop of Total Wine. I walked straight to the whiskey aisle, saw the E.H. Taylor Small Batch in a box, and decided that’d be just right. I’m a big fan of buying myself gifts that come in a bottle…

I love the butterscotch notes in this bourbon. That, and it’s dangerously smooth for 100 Proof. With the price at a tad under $50, it’s just the right amount of “treat” without feeling guilty for pouring a glass just because it’s a Tuesday. Get getchyaself some.