Outside The LAB
My visit to Omaha was unfortunately a short one, but there will be more visits. A good friend of mine that worked with me in the coffee industry was able to show me around a bit. Coffee was lacking from this visit though. I continue to be shocked to find a lack of specialty coffee in some of these states surrounding Missouri. Omaha does have a craving for craft beer though. Lucky Bucket will lead this charge in the years to come. Their operations are set up for the brewery and Nebraska’s first distillery since prohibition, the Solas Distillery. If you are a beverage geek, you’ll like the direction this young company is going. Brewmaster and distiller, Zac Triemert, has a trophy from his thesis project at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. I won’t tell the whole story…you’ll have to make a visit. Be on the lookout for the Certified Evil beer and Joss Vodka from these guys.
Leftover patches of snow, roaming cattle, lots of pickup trucks and good people with even better stories defines driving through Kansas. This state is quickly making a name for itself for coffee and beer. One of the top coffee companies in the world is actually based out of Top City, or officially known as Topeka, Kansas. PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. has received 7 – 95+ rated coffees on CoffeeReview.com. I don’t think any other roasting company has achieved those results. PT’s has one coffee shop that they run, but supply to some of the top cafes in the country. I try to always visit that shop anytime I pass though Topeka. They have an arsenal of talented baristas, including Robin Seitz (former Midwest barista champ), Morgan Smith and Kasey Klimes.
How can you not love big college towns? There’s always an important rivalry game, up and coming bands passing through and independent shops along the main strip. K State University in Manhattan is home to the Tallgrass Brewing Company. What better college experience than having a craft brewery around the corner. Tallgrass has a great lineup of craft beers including a following behind their cream stout, Buffalo Sweat. Currently they have distribution in Nebraska and Kansas, but will branch into Missouri and possibly other states in 2010.
Recipes and Concoctions
New Year’s Eve is just a few days away. Enjoy your celebrations and hopefully they extend past midnight. Put the popcorn and stale wine away. You deserve better. Here are a few recipe suggestions for a variety of imbibers.
Hot Chocolate
¼ Tsp Chili Powder
½ Tsp Ground Cinnamon
4 oz. Heavy Cream
4 cups Chocolate Milk (whole) *Use a good brand in your market
Directions: Pour the heavy cream and milk into a saucepan over high heat. Add spices and whisk for 3-5 minutes. Do not let milk burn. Bring heat to lowest setting and continue to whisk for a few minutes. Use a ladle to scoop out the hot chocolate into glassware. Keep in mind the better the spices, the better the outcome.
Makes 2 to 3 servings.
Peach Fizzle Dizzle
1 Tsp Sugar
1 ½ oz Fr. Squeezed lime
2 oz London Gin
3 oz Peach flavored Club Soda
Angostura Bitters
Directions: Add sugar, lime juice and gin into glassware. Build chipped ice and stir. Top with 3oz Peach flavored Club Soda and 2 dashes of bitters. Stir one last time.
*Soda is made by adding Monin Peach syrup.
Philadelphia Fish House Punch
*Recipe courtesy of Imbibe Magazine http://www.imbibemagazine.com/Philadelphia-Fish-House-Punch
1/3 pint Fr. Squeezed lemon
3/4 lb. white sugar
1 pint of mixture*
2 1/2 pints cold water
Directions: *To make this mixture, take 1/4 pint of peach brandy, 1/2 pint of Cognac and 1/4 pint of Jamaica rum. Stir ingredients together in a large pot, and when ready, pour over ice.
Tom and Jerry
*Recipe courtesy of Michael Rubel of the Violet Hour in Chicago
Serves 12
1 oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon
1 1/2 oz Sailor Jerry's spiced rum
1/2 oz Licor 43
For the batter: 12 eggs,
2 lbs superfine sugar,
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon,
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg,
1/2 teaspoon ground mace,
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.
Directions: Separate yolks and whites. Beat yolks until they flow like water. While you're beating yolks slowly, gradually add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and cloves. Beat your egg whites until they are stiff and fold them in.
To serve: Prime your mug with hot water then dump it and ladle two ounces of the batter, 2 ounces Buffalo Trace Bourbon Whiskey and 5 ounces boiling milk. Grate fresh nutmeg on top and enjoy.
Behind Bars
With another year coming to a close, it always a reasonable time to reflect. Not that I need to think hard about the places I’ve ordered a drink or two, but I thought I’d insert my top 5 places in Kansas City to drink here. I tend to spend less time visiting places in my own backyard as I do when I travel, but I’m very proud of these places being at my doorstep. And there was a lot of traveling for drink research in ‘09…Chicago, St. Louis, Columbus, Hershey, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, D.C., Hartford, Nashville, Des Moines and Omaha. That almost completes the Cash song, I’ve Been Everywhere.
This list is not in order but here are the top 5 places in Kansas City that I recommend for a cocktail or beer.
Manifesto – Speak easy style in basement of recommended restaurant
Bluestem – One of the top restaurants in the Midwest, great wine list and cocktail menu
R Bar - New bar with great music and cocktails, in unique part of town
Flying Saucer - Heaven for the beer drinker, a chain but I still love it
Harry’s Country Club – Rusty and full of variety, great Scotch and tequila list
What the Tweet
For The LAB, my mission was to spread information and education about all beverages. I don't talk about picking my son up from school, or jogging and feeling old, or any of that stuff that might actually make someone laugh on Twitter. I save all of those jokes for my wife. Just good ol' what and where to drink, who's doing what in their shop and what mixes with this and that. Here are a few fun tweets to share since my last blog...
• Vote for Best Craft #Beer of '09 - http://twitterurl.net/i/ws @thefullpint This is a tough one.
• I wonder if #Philadelphia is going to become the "next" place for beverage innovation. Cocktails, regional beers, coffee. Hmm. Thoughts?
• RT @nytimesdining Wines of The Times: Champagnes Below $40 Regain Pop http://bit.ly/7itQsM ---> Prep for NYE & a new decade!
• @titosvodka - I bet there hasn't been any Buddha's Hand infusions http://twitpic.com/uj67b & http://twitpic.com/uj64r This tastes great.
• America’s Best Coffee from MSN http://twitterurl.net/i/lg - CrescentMoon, Intelly, PTs, Novo, CounterCulture, Gumpy, Gimme!, Ritual, Blue...
• Good drink blog for the @denverpost by Doug Brown. Quick, easy reads w/ variety. http://blogs.denverpost.com/drinkreport/
• Had a nice soda that any ginger fan would love http://twitterurl.net/i/h3 @Oogave
That's A Wrap
So, what is this LAB 5702 thing? The Cliff Notes version goes a little something like this…”The LAB” was created to focus on marketing, branding and research for beverage related clients. I design for some clients, work on social media for others, pr and media coverage and overall brand or product strategy for others. My clients are in many disciplines of the beverage industry and are located in several states. Basically, I’m a beverage enthusiast and I’m passionate about learning about everything bottled and enjoyed.
Two blogs all wrapped up. I hope that you find something entertaining or educational from these. I’m always open to suggestions. Thanks again to my clients, friends and family for all of your support. Happy New Year’s and remember to be safe and smart. Here’s to a better decade. Don't forget to check out The LAB’s daily activities on Twitter and Facebook.
