Back Down South

The Drink: Monday Night Brewing‘s Fu ManBrew. We love this and think this brewery is putting out some of the best beers in Georgia. Their Belgian-Style Wit packs a punch of ginger and spice and all things nice and is the perfect beer for Spring porch sittin’. Or anytime, anywhere sittin’, really.

As of now, the brewery doesn’t distribute outside of the state, but plans on looking into it early next year. So, for you Georgia based readers, click here to see where you can fill your growler or get it on draught. Last month, the brewery started selling bottles in various spots around Atlanta (like Hop City), and plans on selling in Athens in the next two weeks.

For the non Georgia readers, this is a must try local brew the next time you visit.

The Attire: 

• Thrifted $3 OCBD, yellow buttonhole stitching swapped by Mark.
• Volunteer Traditions Georgia belt.
• Chubbies ‘The Vice’ shorts.

I first heard about this via Complex City Guide’s 25 Best Cocktails in New York Right Now, in GIFS. The Stout and Stormy came on and the GIF made a Stout look refreshing. I had to have one.

I made it for some friends with two different beers to compare. First, Duck Rabbit’s Milk Stout, to give the North Carolina brewery some love. This is a solid milk stout, no doubt, and the drink was successful…or so we thought. We then tried it with the recommended Southern Tier’s 2x Milk Stout, the beer that Goat Town uses for their recipe. The deeper flavor of this stout made the ginger flavors shine much stronger than the Duck Rabbit did, and made the drink much more well rounded. The Duck Rabbit masked the ginger flavors a tad, but brought out more lime flavor. Try it with both, or some other milk stouts, and see what you think!

So, onto the recipe…

The Drink: Whip up some ginger syrup. Shake 1oz of the syrup and 3/4oz fresh lime juice with ice. Stain into a chilled pint glass, float the stout (we recommend Southern Tier’s) on stop, stir a tad, garnish with a lime wedge.

The Glass: From Red Brick Brewing.

The Attire: Kristen in Patagonia’s Better Sweater.

The Drink: We both have had Bacon Old Fashioneds, but we thought a touch of chocolate would take it to another level…and it did! First, infuse your bourbon with bacon. We infused Four Roses via the Fat Washing method. In a few hours, you’ve got bacon bourbon! Next, put 3/4oz simple syrup, 2 dashes chocolate bitters (we used Fee Brother’s Aztec Chocolate), and 2oz bacon infused bourbon in your glass. Add a large ice cube (we love Tovolo Sphere Ice Molds) and stir. Garnish with an orange peel.

The Glass: Bormiolo Rocco Selecta Old Fashioned glass.

The Drink: Jamie wanted to make a Rum & Coke that was way better than the kind you get when you ask for one at a wedding and that wasn’t a Cube Libre. Thus, the Tuco Salamanca Libre was born. Muddle 1/4 lemon and 1 mint sprig. Add 2 oz Spiced Rum (we used Kraken) and top with Mexican Coke in a highball. Garnish with mint and lemon slice.

The Glass: Heavy Sham Highball from The Boston Shaker.

96% of what Jamie Clayton and I talk about is photography, music, and cocktails. We thought the new “Drink This” series was a perfect opportunity to combine parts of our bars together and make some goodness. So, we settled on some recipes, set up a bar in the back room of my BFF’s house in Nashville, and got to mixing (and dancing).

Today through Friday, we’re taking over the blog with the four drinks we made. First up…

KISS KISS BANG BANG; or, The Val Kilmer

Jamie bought me a bottle of Smoked Spiced Orange syrup from Nashville’s Bang Candy Company, so we wanted to use it in a cocktail. While digging online, we came across the bar menu for Founding Famers in D.C. (a place I’ve been to and loved). Their “Founders Smash,” listed on the menu, reads: Founding Farmers Rye, muddle lemon and orange syrup, bitters. Thus, the inspiration for our very own cocktail was born. I call it the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Jamie calls it The Val Kilmer, but we both call it delicious.

The Drink: Muddle 1/4 lemon with 3/4oz Bang Candy Co.’s Smoked Spiced Orange Syrup and 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Add 2 oz Rye (we used Rittenhouse), ice, and shake. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a lemon twist.

The Glass: Coupe from The Boston Shaker.