November to Remember

I have come to the conclusion that I'm not a daily, or even weekly blogger. My strength and personality matches the world of Twitter better. Maybe it's the caffeine, or my former life in New York, but regardless I've always been known to move fast. Instead of letting this avenue close, I have decided to compile happenings every month into a faux-blog newsletter. I hope you like the outcome and find some good resources here.

Show and Tell

LAB 5702 officially opened the doors in late August and I've felt very fortunate to have the clients I have. The LAB focuses on marketing strategies, branding and research for artisanal beverage companies. What in the hell does that mean? Well, the emphasis is completely on the world of drinking and how food and daily life revolve around the drinking experience. And by drinking, I'm not only talking about boozing it up. There's tea, coffee, alternative drinks, syrups, equipment, etc.

Maybe a company needs help with packaging design, or jumping into the world of Facebook, or more media coverage, or launching a product in a new market...and so on. There are no clients in health care, automobiles or anything outside the beverage industry. Yeah, that's what happens at The LAB.

Outside the LAB

It seems like I've been on the road a lot lately. Every time I get in the car and drive I always feel so proud of this country. I mean it. It is so beautiful and different region by region. That is also showing up in beverages like it has with food. Here are some noteworthy images from my recent trips.

Recipes and Concoctions
Ok, enough about turkey, ham and comfort foods. This is a great time of year to drink also. Repeal Day was December 5th. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one to pass up a great meal, but I love comfort drinks and the memories they can serve. When I make drinks this time of year, I compare it to baking. It's all about the experience, the smell and then the taste. Here are three recipes perfect for this time of year. Cheers!

Mulled Apple Chai Cider
Recipe (per serving)
3 oz Liquid Chai Latte (Third Street or Oregon Chai)
3 oz Apple Cider from your local apple orchard
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Directions:
Pour contents into a saucepan and heat on medium to 150 degrees. Stir constantly. Pour and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
Note: This taste like a liquid apple pie. For a variation that taste like apple pie with ice cream, add an equal amount of whole milk to the serving size you made. Example, if you have 6 oz. of chai and apple cider, add 6 oz of whole milk.

Smashing Pumpkin
Recipe (per serving)
2 oz White Rum (used Ron Matusalem Platino)
1 oz Cream or Half&Half
3/4 oz Pumpkin Puree
1/2 oz Ginger Simple Syrup
Dash Cinnamon & Allspice
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and add ice. Shake long to blend and chill. Strain and pour into a cocktail glass. Top with additional dash of cinnamon.
* Recipe from Sonja Kassebaum of North Shore Distillery

Domaine 415 (created for a private party event)
Recipe (for one serving):
1 oz Domaine de Canton
1 oz Fresh sq. Orange Juice
3 oz Prosecco
Apple
Clove
Juice the oranges you need. Add Domaine and Orange juice into glass or as a premix. Top glass with Prosecco and stir. Garnish with apple and clove piece (see photo). I cut the apples in slender slices so they garnish easily. Poke the cloves through the slices of apple and garnish as shown or the way you want. The cloves will hold the apple together. Served room temperature.

What the Tweet

I continue to become a stronger fan of Twitter day-by-day. It's not for everyone, but just like any outlet you have to decide whether it works for you and have a strategy going into it. 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. 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 ones to share from the last couple of weeks...

• Very good write up @DraftMag. Top 10 Beers Without #GABF Hardware. http://draftmag.com/magazin.... Any additions tweeters?

• Finishing off the weekend with a root beer float. Used Millstream Brewery's (Iowa) soda http://twitterurl.net//X19771 w/ apple ice cream.

• With guests in & out, good time of year to try affordable, but unique #wines. Check out http://corkd.com/ to share & learn from vino lovers.

• RT @WineEnthusiast Just Released! Our Top Spirits and Beers of '09 (Intriguing Ales, Vibrant Whisky & More)http://bit.ly/7kjTe4 -I'm pumped.

• Just sharing emails with author of Uncommon Grounds. A must-have book for#coffee enthusiasts http://twitterurl.net//Q19385

• Panama is one of those origins that I think hits quality over quantity w/ #coffee. Just saw this 95 review http://twitterurl.net//X18627

Take the time to watch this great video on Social Media

http://eguiders.com/video/social-media-revolution

In the Laboratory

There's always something going on where I'm either behind the computer researching and writing or in The LAB with lots of spirits, fresh fruit and measuring devices. One huge success in 2009, and sort of officially launched the company, was Drink Club. This "group" was formed based on Fight Club (seriously) and the underground supper clubs in most major cities. We have had 6 very successful events. That's about all I can share, but you get a glimpse and we'll let a bit more out of the bag in 2010.

Another branch of LAB 5702 is Home Batch. This program will launch in the winter of 2010 in Kansas City and then spread to other communities. If you create your own drinks or additives (syrups or sauces) to drinks, shoot me an email and I'll tell you more.

And lastly, there's the writing part, which I don't make enough time for. I blame it on the internet. Here's a link to my most recent article in Kansas City's Tastebud Magazine, which covers several great gift ideas for the beverage lover in your inner circle. http://www.tastebudmagazine.com/drink_liquid.asp

That's A Wrap

If you have made it this far and didn't get bored, then you deserve a shiny bottle of something unique. Umm, not sure if I can legally do that but maybe you can print this part out and show to your local store of choice. Thanks for checking this out, please share your feedback and don't forget to check out the daily activities on Twitter and Facebook. Cheers and happy holidays everyone, although I'm going to try and get another one of these out in a few weeks.

Jason from The LAB