the daily muddle

It was brought to our attention that Beverage Industry News had recently written a great article on 10 Trendsetting Mixologists. One of these trendsetting mixologist was Ted Kilgore. Here is an excerpt from one of our conversations with this creative mixologist:

How did you come up with the name, Blood & Samba?

The name and the drink Blood & Samba is a riff on the classic Blood & Sand cocktail. The original Blood & Sand was made with equal parts scotch, cherry heering, sweet vermouth, and orange juice. I traded out the scotch for cachaça, and voila! The Blood & Samba was born! It's a great way to get people to try cachaça if they've never had it before, and I love having people try out new cocktail experiences!

What is Cherry Heering?

Cherry Heering is a cherry liqueur made in Denmark. They've been using the same wonderful recipe for their cherry liqueur since 1818.

Why did you choose Leblon for this cocktail?

As for why I chose Leblon, let me stress that I feel that you can't have a quality cocktail without starting with quality ingredients. For example, this is why I always use freshly squeezed lemon juice with simple syrup instead of sweet-n-sour mix. To put it simply, Leblon is by far the best cachaça available to me here in St. Louis! That's why it makes such a delicious Blood & Samba!

We love the Aspen Food & Wine Classic! It’s quite possibly the best combination of food, wine, and partying in the country... picture two or three 60-yard long tents, filled with table after table of wine from the best vineyards in the world, spirits from the best distilleries, and food from some of the best chefs you’ll ever enjoy. It’s practically a reunion of the Food Network personalities and anyone else who is important in the culinary world. If you have the means, we definitely recommend it.

This year in Aspen, Leblon teamed up with the Children’s Health Foundation to raise money for children at “Greenalicious”. This CHF charity event was held at the Belly Up, Aspen’s premiere music venue. CHF brought in 400 VIP’s from the “A” list and it was a great success. The caipirinhas were flowing like a huge river of slushy, yummy watermelon, and smiles abounded. Five-star tapas from famous chefs like Michael Nischan wowed the crowd as well.

On the main stage, a very cool cover band, The Hollywood Stones, cranked out some dead-on covers of Mick and the gang. The crowd was in full tilt party mode and singing “Hey, you, get off my cloud!!” at the top of their lungs. I think even Ivanka Trump joined in when she and Flo Fulton from J Mendel weren’t sipping their Leblon caipirinhas! Definitely coming back for another year in 2009!

Dawn grew up on the Southside of Chicago - 'in the ghetto,' as she called it. She moved to New Orleans a few years back and has been a bartender for four years here at the Old Absynthe House located here in the French Quarter on Bourbon Street. She says she's 'seen it all' here at the Absynthe, and she has some great stories, thoughts, and cocktail recipes. Make sure you try her Sazerac and Ramos Fizz, and certainly try this recipe that she created for us: the 'Crescent City Green Dawn.' Made with 1.5 ounces of Leblon, a half ounce of La Fée Absynthe (which she says is one of the smoothest), and half a lime muddled with 6 square cubes of sugar (and a splash of water). She serves this drink shaken in a rocks glass with crushed ice, and it's out of this world!

I don’t know about you, but the news doesn’t seem to be too positive lately. Whether it’s the economy, war, natural catastrophes, scandals, oil prices, or just the international ‘getting along’ thing, the headlines can really get you down. The internet and 24 hour cable news doesn’t seem to help the situation very much.

One thing is for sure: nobody seems to manage economic crises and scandals better than the Brazilians. Throughout history, Brazilians have managed through with a smile and laughter, keeping a positive attitude and muddling their way through. Now, growing 5% per year, Brazilians really have something to smile about.

In these times of duress, it’s important to balance the bad with the good, and take a page from the Brazilians and create some good of our own. Let’s take a time-out. Let’s give ourselves a break. Let’s put down the Blackberry, turn off the computer, and put away the cell phone. Let’s get together with friends, put on some nice music, and enjoy a Caipirinha. Vamos desligar – juntos!

The dreaded holidays (and the weight gain that inevitably accompanies them) are nearly upon us! Christmas, for instance, is just around the corner—and it seems that little miniature candy canes are lurking around every bend, tempting you. They’re everywhere—at the drycleaners, behind the receptionist’s desk in your office, in the lobby of your building—you just can’t escape them! If you’re going to survive this holiday season and still be able to fit into your favorite pair of skinny jeans, you’re going to have to ditch the sugar rush and indulge in a Pomegranate Frost.

The Pomegranate Frost Caipirinha
1 oz. Leblon Cachaça
1 oz. Pomegranate
4 drops Rosewater
A splash of Champagne

Pour the Leblon, pomegranate juice and rosewater into a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne.

Leanne Shear and Tracey Toomey met behind the bar many years ago, and amidst the craziness of the “scene” in Manhattan and the Hamptons, managed to co-author the novel The Perfect Manhattan, released by Random House in 2005. These days, instead of slinging drinks to pay the bills, they’re writing and business partners: their second book, Cocktail Therapy, was released by Simon and Schuster’s Spotlight Entertainment division in August. Branded as bar psychologists and experts in human behavior—not to mention mixologists—they also freelance for several magazines and newspapers including Glamour, Life & Style, Runner’s World, Item, the Huffington Post, and Hamptons.

New York, NY (September 2007) -- In the past year, Leblon, a luxury cachaça from Brazil, has created a trend that is surprising even the most cynical of journalists:
cachaça-based cocktail and food pairings in fine dining establishments around the country.

Starting with the Bouley Test Kitchen in New York and including top restaurants in the Hamptons, Washington D.C., Houston, Boston, San Francisco and Phoenix, Leblon cachaça and innovative cocktails created with this super-premium entry from Brazil have been the muse for many of the nation’s leading chefs. From Duck Breast with Farro and Lucques Olives to Prime Ribeye Steak with Lime Chimichurri and Charred Asparagus , menu items are finding delicious new accompaniments in Leblon cocktails.

Patty Unterman, who writes for the San Francisco Examiner, attended a pairing at Jardiniere in San Francisco and wrote the following, “At Jardiniere the other night, I ate a four-course meal accompanied by different cachaça cocktails. While I don’t recommend this under any circumstances, I did discover a divine cachaça aperitif that went perfectly with Jardiniere’s scallop and cherry tomato ceviche.”
At Tabaq Bistro in Washington, D.C., Executive Chef Daniel Labbone and mixologist Omer Buyukbayrak created a spectacular menu featuring indigenous Brazilian dishes and new Leblon cocktail creations that stretched the definition of caipirinha. A Brazilian Julep (Leblon cachaça, Southern Comfort, lime juice, simple syrup, mint leave torn) was paired with a Brazilian Moqueca a Baiana, a seafood stew of red snapper, onions, garlic, tomato, cilantro, chili pepper, and a blend of palm oil and coconut milk. Art Smith, chef for Oprah Winfrey and new owner/operator of Table in Chicago worked with Leblon and Bar Chef Albert Trummer to create a great evening of foods and cocktails, pairing a Bar Chef Caipirinha with Summer Lobster Gazpacho with Avocado Cake and Cachaça Crema.

Other dinners have included Della Femina in the Hamptons, Polo’s Signature in Houston, Sibling Rivalry in Boston and Elements in Phoenix.

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March 1st, 2007 - Shaken or Stirred? Superfine, Regular, or Brown Sugar - or Simple Syrup? Club Soda? These are the ethical dilemmas that a Caipirinha creator will encounter. All are very good questions indeed. Let's try and tackle them... Shaken or Stirred: stir if you want to be a traditionalist - and have the patience to properly mix the ingredients (at least 20 to 30 seconds); shake if you want to quickly get the ingredients melting and melding fast (i.e. you ADD types). Type of Sugar: Similar situation: superfine for traditionalists; simple syrup for the greatest probability of dissolve; brown sugar for a twist (a lot of the 'bar chefs' dig this), and sugar only if you have to. And Splenda works great for any of you carb-counting freaks like me. Club soda: not if you want to claim 100% "that's not how it's done in Brazil;" however, like the Mojito, it brings some aromatics, some mouthfeel, and if you like that sensory effect, go for it!

February 12th, 2007 Tyler has been making these Caipirinhas in the back kitchen these past couple weeks, and finally we convinced him that they were ready for the world. He just scribbled down two recipes which will knock your socks off - better than his hand-writing! 1. Tyler's First Caipirinha That He Made For Us ===>>> Muddle two Tangerine segments with one tablespoon of Honey. Add ice, 1.5 ounces Guava Juice (Goiabada!), 1 ounce of Heavy Cream, and 2.5 ounces of LEBLON. add a splash of Cointreau (use the good stuff - no triple sec!). Shake well. Strain. And serve in a chilled Martini glass. 2. Tyler's Second Caipirinha Caipirinha That He Made For Us ===>>> Muddle three strawberries with 1.5 ounces of Sugar. Add ice, 0.5 ounces of Coconut Cream, 1 ounce of Heavy Cream, and 2.5 ounces of LEBLON. add a splash of Grand Marnier (Grandma!). Shake well. Strain and serve up in a chilled Martini Glass.

February 8th, 2007 Slice & Sweeten. Smash & Squeeze. Shake & Stir. Sip & Smile.

February 1st, 2007 (Delaware) - some recipes taste great to the naked eye...

drop two tears in the glass
stir with bitters
2.5 oz of leblon
twist of lemon
drink slowly while thinking of snow in the mountains

January 11th, 2007 (South Beach) - wow, what a great party last night! we threw a great gig at the Penthouse of the Pelican Hotel in South Beach, Miami. what a blast! great music spinning from DJ Marcelo (check out his two songs to download in the music section). and we had the pleasure of tasting five amazing cocktail creations from five of the top bar chef hotspots in Miami. Thank you everyone for coming.

January 5th, 2007 - Kevin and I were recently on a trip from Miami to Key West, and visited an amazing Churrascaria: Braza Lena in Islamorada, Florida. Our friend Lisa was just there, and said that they are now serving Leblon, with a new menu which includes their Classic Caipirinha and Fresh Fruit Caipirinhas (including strawberry and mango, and the caipi-cola). Michelle knows! And, Dane the Bartender came out with two special Caipirinhas, and has provided the recipes to those folks who can't make it to Florida and the Keys this weekend...
Cachaça Colada

1 3/4 oz Leblon Cachaça
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Pina Colada mix
Fresh muddled limes and a splash of simple syrup

Chambord Caipirinha

1 3/4 oz Leblon Cachaça
1/2 oz Chambord
Fresh muddled limes and sugar
Splash simple syrup

Both served on the rocks

January 2nd, 2007 - the Year of the Caipirinha has arrived, and now is the time to make your New Year's Resolution with a fabulous Leblon Caipirinha toast. To help you with this endeavor, we have a great Pineapple Caipirinha Infusion recipe that we have added as our Caipirinha of the Month for January.