Archive for the ‘Bars and Lounges’ Category

Cruzan Rum’s Mixologist Jesse Card, straight from the island of St. Croix, has created specialty cocktails to help you celebrate this ”holiday” properly!  These cocktails are perfect to enjoy while kicking back, relaxing and embracing the “Don’t Hurry” that the Cruzan rum tribe embodies.  Enjoy these favorites by Jesse below…

CRUZAN® ”DON’T HURRY” CANE

Ingredients:

1 part Cruzan® Vanilla Rum

2 parts Cruzan® Aged Light Rum

1 tsp Sugar

3 Lime Wedges

Method:

Combine 2 of the lime wedges, sugar & Cruzan Vanilla Rum in a tumbler and lightly muddle for ten seconds. Add Cruzan Aged Light Rum and a scoop of ice and shake hard for 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled Hurricane glass and garnish with the final lime wedge.

CRUZAN® TAKE 9

Ingredients:

1 1/2 parts Cruzan® 9 Spiced Rum

3/4 part Dry Vermouth

1/4 part Curacao

1/2 tsp Grenadine

Orange Twist

Method:

Combine all ingredients over ice in a tumbler and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled Martini coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.

CRUZAN® COCONUT OLD FASHIONED

Ingredients:

2 parts Cruzan® Single Barrel Rum

1/2 part Rich Simple Syrup

3 dashes of Bitters

Coconut Water Ice Cubes (see additional recipe below)

Method:

Cut a wide swath of orange peel and lightly press it in the bottom of a rocks glass. Add rum, syrup and bitters. Now drop in a few Coconut Water Ice Cubes and stir gently.

Coconut Water Ice Cubes Recipe: Pour a can of Coconut Water (strain the pulp out first, if needed) in an ice cube tray – the bigger the cube try the better – and freeze for several hours.

Sunshine, Sensational Settings + Sublime Time = Dining Al Fresco at JOEY

Summer plus fun equals a good time at JOEY Restaurants.   Their patios are now open for warm weather lounging and dining.  Just like a vacation, each of the three casual yet upscale outdoor venues lends themselves to a distinctive food and drink experience.   JOEY Lake Union is right on the water’s edge, with the patio jutting out over the marina and float planes buzzing in overhead.  On JOEY Southcenter’s terrace, guests enjoy a local escape while they unwind al fresco in the lounge-like outdoor setting.  JOEY Bellevue offers intimate outdoor courtyard dining, where guests relax under twinkling tree lights.

The menu features a global variety of choices with bold, addictive flavors.  The fresh seasonal produce program sources vegetables and fruit from local farms, much of it organically grown. Blue Cheese Fries, an addictive JOEY signature starter, feature crispy spuds accompanied by a duo of blue cheese adornments – both crumbled and sauced.  A cooling Sashimi Tuna Salad is a mélange of seared rare ahi, mixed greens, mango, avocado and cilantro mint lime dressing.  Guests can savor the Panang Prawn Curry Bowl of stir fried veggies, red coconut curry, Thai basil and peanuts with an option of organic brown rice or transport themselves down south on a culinary tour with Baja Fish Tacos made up of fish, shrimp, white corn tortillas and Mexican hot sauce.

Summer in the city wouldn’t be complete without bright seasonal libations like JOEY’s Blueberry Mojito or St. Germain Spritz, both made using fresh fruit.  JOEY’s liquid kitchen offers an abundance of handcrafted cocktails, a selection of beer on tap or by the bottle, and a diverse wine list.

For more information, please visit www.JOEYrestaurants.com.

Note: Photo by Jason Johnson

Trinchero Family Estates (TFE), importer of Carmen Wines, today announced Carmen earned the Accredited Sustainable Certification by Wines of Chile (WOC).

Trinchero Family Estates (TFE), importer of Carmen Wines, today announced Carmen earned the Accredited Sustainable Certification by Wines of Chile (WOC). WOC created the Sustainability Program to recognize winegrowers and winemakers who reflect WOC’s core principles of conservation, sustainability, and wise stewardship of the land. This achievement reinforces Carmen’s steadfast commitment to sustainability.

Founded in 1850, Carmen is Chile’s first wine producer. Landmarks in its history include the rediscovery of the Carmenère grape – once presumed extinct – variety in its vineyards. This marked a turning point in the national and international wine industry and made Carmen the force behind Carmenére in Chile.

Carmen’s expert winemaking team travelled throughout Chile analyzing each viticultural area’s climate, soils, and temperatures in search of the best appellations. As a result, Carmen owns vineyards in Chile’s premier wine growing regions including Casa Blanca, Leyda, Alto Maipo, Colchagua and Apalta. Each vineyard showcases a varietal that best represents the vineyard’s unique character and terroir.

Today Carmen is dedicated to protecting the biodiversity of their vineyards, not compromising natural resources and using sustainable farming practices. “It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by Wines of Chile as a leader in sustainability. Our environment and people are healthier because of our commitment to sustainable agriculture, and we can only hope to influence others to follow in our footsteps” says USA Export Director of Carmen Wines, Hector Torres.

Carmen further extends their environmental responsibilities to the general operations of the winery. In an effort to lower carbon emissions, Carmen dramatically reduced its chemical use by using pruned organic material and manure as natural fertilizer.

Furthermore, Carmen leads the use of lighter-weight bottles and employs earth-friendly packaging. Their use of lighter-weight bottles reduces the consumption of glass and the polluting gases produced during the manufacturing and transportation processes. Carmen understands the importance of preserving the land for generations to come and has taken a proactive role to always practice sustainable agriculture. Carmen is creating a model of quality and environmental sustainability for other wineries to follow.

Trinchero Family Estates is wholly owned and operated by the Trinchero family, Napa Valley vintners since 1947. The company produces more than 28 brands of wine including Sutter Home, Trinchero Napa Valley, Main Street, Napa Cellars, Terra d’Oro, Montevina, Seaglass, Trinity Oaks, Folie à Deux, Ménage à Trois, and the number one alcohol-removed wine, Fre. The company also imports Angove Family Winemakers Australia, Doña Paula wines of Argentina, Carmen wines of Chile and markets and sells the Three Thieves and Joel Gott brands. To learn more visit http://www.tfewines.com or http://www.carmen.com.

The new Truvia® ’Behind the Bar’ product creates great-tasting, zero-calorie simple syrups to help operators meet the growing demand for reduced-calorie cocktails.

The Truvia® brand announced the nationwide launch of the Truvia® ’Behind the Bar’ product, specially designed for use at bars, restaurants and other foodservice establishments.  Now available through local foodservice distributors, the latest Truvia® brand innovation provides a solution to creating natural, great-tasting, zero-calorie simple syrups for cocktails.

As consumers pay greater attention to the sugar content of beverages, bars and restaurants are looking to provide lighter alternatives to the classic, sugar-based cocktail while maintaining great taste.  Research shows that “skinny” menu item claims have grown significantly over the past year. The Truvia® Behind the Bar product will help the food and beverage service industry meet this growing trend naturally and create great-tasting, reduced-calorie cocktails, teas, and lemonades.

Truvia® Simple Syrup is created by adding one package of Truvia® Behind the Bar product to ½ gallon of water and mixing until it dissolves.  This Truvia® Simple Syrup contains zero calories, compared to an equivalent amount of sugar-sweetened simple syrup with about 6400 calories.

“As the #1 natural sugar substitute in the United States, Truvia® natural sweetener has become a pantry staple for U.S. households,” said Mark Brooks, Truvia® global consumer products director.  “With its ability to deliver new revenue to the food and beverage industry, the Truvia® Behind the Bar product is a foodservice essential, as consumers expect a greater variety of reduced-calorie beverage options.”

Truvia® natural sweetener is a great-tasting, natural, zero-calorie sweetener born from the leaves of the stevia plant.  When used in cocktails, Truvia® natural sweetener enhances the intensity of fruit flavors such as citrus and berry, and smoothes out the overall taste while maintaining its flavor.

“This new product is a perfect tool for bars and restaurants to expand their menu offerings and give customers more of what they want – natural, great-tasting drinks at a fraction of the calories,” said Anthony Caporale, mixologist, host and producer of Art of the Drink.  “The Truvia® Behind the Bar product is the first natural, high-quality product with nationwide availability that is tailor-made for the food and beverage industry to deliver reduced-calorie cocktails.”

Discover reduced-calorie cocktails using Truvia® Simple Syrups and related product tips at www.truviacocktails.com.