A Farewell Martini

Amanda, over these past few years you have defined my experience at Bentley's.  From crafting the perfect martini (I've written about it how many times?) to introducing me to new wines and liquors, you've broadened my palette and my perspective.

I've celebrated birthdays, commiserated bad dates, bragged about good ones, lamented my father's heart attacks, brought in co-workers, shared friends, and rolled eyes at other patrons with you (well you never rolled your eyes at anyone - always professional!).  You've worked hard and earned your reputation as an expert, sommelier, confidante, and powerful woman.  I'm so proud of your next bold move in life and wish you all the best in Nevada.

I don't remember the first time we met or the first drink you made for me, but I will not forget the last one on Tuesday evening.  A cloudy sunset, my spectacular man beside me, and the perfect martini: Hendricks, St. Germain, lemon.

Thank you for everything.

Martini - 10
Evening to remember - 10

Asheville (or as pronounced by the GPS...Ash VILLY) Moonshine

There are trends that incorporate bits of our heritage as they undulate or repeat over decades - nothing is new, right? And where better to find the most au courrant cocktail with a very personal twist than stunning Asheville, NC on Memorial Day weekend?

We caught a glimmer of Lex 18 through the lace curtained window when we went to put our name in for dinner at Bouchon (tres bien by the way).  A 45 minute wait seemed like exactly the right amount of time to have a cocktail...so instead of going up the hill to an old standby (Sazerac) we decided this weekend had been perfect for new experiences, so we'd give Lex a whirl.  Sometimes atomosphere has a much to do with enjoying a drink as the quality of the cocktail itself.  Lex 18 delivers.  Sitting across from my handsome gentleman who knows his Dizzy Gillespie from his Tito Puente, I admired the deco cut glass on the bar, the copper still embedded in the wall, the tin tiles on the ceiling, and the incredible music Patrick Lopez was coaxing from the upright piano.  While my date ordered a custom cocktail (hello rye and tequila - surprisingly good), I selected the Lemon Shine martini. 

This drink transcended the modern trend of classic cocktails by incorporating a lemon moonshine instead of an infused gin or vodka and further differentiate itself by balancing the high octane of the shine with a little elderflower liqueur. Served up in a proper martini glass (stem!) with a sugar rim and a unique lemon scented ice sphere, it definitely delivers an upgrade to the lemon drop martini and is an excellent aperitif. 

Lemon Shine - 8
Lex 18 atmosphere - 10
My incredible suitor - off the charts

aaaaaaand CUT!

How on earth has it been over a year since I checked into Martini USA?  Grad school, that's how.  Finally DONE!  And you can believe there were some martinis during the past year, particularly a night with lemon drops and a presentation.  Or was that the year before? Oy, there's no telling what shenanigans occurred through that gin and vodka and book laden time.

I can say it was the year of the Manhattan.  Not that I made it to NYC, but I got serious about perfecting the Perfect Manhattan.  And I'm not bragging - it's an actual style of Manhattan with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth.  The first one I had was at Custom Shop.  Delicious.  Makes me want to go there tonight.  But like the rest of 30 something America I am trying to cut back in the first few weeks of the new year and show a modicum of self control for spirits and eating...so I'm eating truffles and drinking wine for dinner. There may be popcorn for dessert.  So much for yoga tonight - I made it a whopping 3 days (not counting the pizza and beer on day 1).

I am making some changes this year, though let's not call them resolutions:
1. Be grateful.  My next door neighbor's apartment caught on fire and they lost almost everything.  I'm so fortunate that nothing in my place was damaged - just a little smoky.  Grateful. Seriously.
2. Go somewhere you haven't been with someone you haven't been with before.  I spent a week in Portland, OR for New Years and haven't laughed that hard, drank so much, danced so freely, and breathed so deeply EVER.  I'm still reveling in the memory (albeit a bit depressed that I'm home).
3. Sit still.  I always thought the "granola" part of yoga was too out there for me...but I've tried 4 classes in a week's time and I have learned to breathe differently.  And that makes a big difference.  Although, so does gin...hee hee hee.

 So a belated cheers to the New Year and all the mysteries it holds! 

And since there's no martini tonight, I'll rate the upcoming year:
Optimism v Pessimism = tie
Breathing skills = 10
Search for new martinis = 100 (WHOAH - that's a first)

Toyland Toyland

Just when you think you've grown up and entered the world of adults where people speak what they think and treat others with care and respect, you slip and fall into the world of dating where it's a generic playground all over again. Be fickle, change your BFF, stop sharing your toys, blah blah blah. Even the best people, despite all previous behavior as a predictor, suddenly fall into the selfish trap and conduct themselves inappropriately.  Cue your girlfriends.

Thank goodness for my two ladies, Cassandra and Kate, for accompanying my suddenly free evening while I wrapped my family's gifts and made grandma's favorite cookies (yes we ate a dozen...but there's plenty left!). And of course, Pandora and Michael Buble...

Cassandra and the PDT handbook...that's...er...Please Don't Tell (PDT) - google it...found some delicious cocktails for us.  Gin, triple sec, bitters, lemon twist. Yum. Go on with your bad self, Bluecoat.

Cocktails - 7
Friends - 1,000,000

Merry Christmas, folks.

H

Educational Martini(s)

Sometimes school is too much to handle and our team goes out for a drink after we study or work on a project.  But Thursday was a little different...maybe it's because Ke$ha was in Charlotte.

Fitzgerald's gets a lot of this post studying decompressing time, but on Thursday John was stuck in traffic so we wound up there before we even got started!  "Just one glass of wine and we're going to study" I said with conviction.  But when John arrived we didn't go to school, we stayed at the bar and the glass of wine turned into a lemon drop martini (magic).  Great sugar rim, good flavor (1/2 off helps too!), but the lemon wedge was awkward and chunky.  After an hour and once the glitterfied Ke$ha concert goers left, we did go practice our presentation; the first three times were flawless...but there was a lot of giggling. And then at 9:00 we ended up right back where we started, only 3 of us this time. And 2 more lemon drops.  My glass got larger each time, but Jessica's got smaller - weird.

Overall, 6 for the lemon drops - a little sticky!

Operatini

I went to my first opera last night, Bizet's The Pearl Fishers.  It was brilliant.  And amazing.  And impactful. I've heard of people who are overcome by emotions when listening to music and I finally understood it.  The harmonies were liquid; caressing your ears and your soul at the same time.  The story was timeless; friends torn by love - one true love and one unrequited...of course it's the same woman. The resulting anguish shared through solos and duets tore through me.  I was speechless last night but finally found my voice about it today and had to share.  Thank you, Jane, for including me in your good fortune of amazing tickets.  I have officially become an opera junkie and want to buy seasons tickets.  And for once it's not just about the clothes (although that does help the cause).

Getting dressed was a blast - playing with all the options for both Jane and I as well as doing fun makeup and jewelry.  Love being a girl.

We didn't have a ton of time for dressing so we didn't start with martinis.  Our plan to go out to dinner was a little pressed for time as well, so we wound up at the concession stand ordering a martini and a pack of crackers to get us through.  Back to the martini in a moment.  The concession stands these days have a "pre-order" option for intermission!  What?!  It's fantastic.  You can tell them what you'd like and prepay and they have it waiting on a table for you once you arrive during intermission.  No line!  So of course we had to try it and it worked.

But back to the martini.  They didn't have martini glasses or vermouth.  But the very helpful bartender did chill me a bit of gin, and dress the plastic cup with a lime.  Timeless...just like the opera.

Martini - 6
Experience - 10.

Surprise!

I finished my first day of grad school yesterday. It started with a 2 hour delay. Thank you ice storm. We had a whopping 2 hours of accounting and then broke for lunch. Then quantitative methods...of which I am terrified. I have not been lulled by our gentle introduction...or the fact that I overprepared for class so I actually knew what was going on today. And then we got out 1 hour early!

So what does this have to do with martinis?  Last night I went to Zink and had a New Fashioned martini. In light of my change of lifestyle (revert to student) I'm breaking all the rules on his one. Makers Mark. Decidedly not gin. Cherry schnapps. What is that? Orange liqueur. This drink is delicious. It makes me want to change my moniker from Gin Diva to Bourbon Belle. It even makes you feel southern.  Oh - there's a cherry in it so as not to stray too far from it's old fashioned roots. But I didn't eat it.  Well, either of them.  Because of course, it was so good, I had two.

By the way the food at Zink is pretty great - very good food pairings.

Martini - 8.