Cocktail Corner: Wine and Film Pair Perfectly With Santa Barbara Film Feast

Posted on January 24, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

Star in your own romantic comedy with SB Film Feast’s wine tasting specials. (photo: photostock, freedigitalphotos.net)

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg

Santa Barbara’s Film Feast, coinciding with the 29th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) January 30th – February 9th, has something for everyone, including a slew of great wine specials and award-worthy prix fixe tasting flights.

Nominees include “The Graduate Wine Flight” at Au Bon Climat Wine Tasting Room and The Jim Clendenen Wine Library (813 Anacapa St.), which includes eight wines comprised of four sets—one older and one younger vintage of the same wine. Taste the youthful, perky vintage against the graceful, nuanced library edition, accompanied by artisan cheeses from C’est Cheese.

“Film Noir and Pinot Noir,” is on the marquee at Conway Deep Sea Tasting Room (217-G Stearns Wharf), offering a flight of three different Pinot Noirs. The grapes all come from within Santa Barbara County and highlight movies that focus on Pinot Noir’s as well.

Featured at Grassini Family Vineyards Tasting Room (813 Anacapa St.) is the documentary film “Wine for the Confused,” a light-hearted introduction to wine for novices. John Cleese, a longtime resident of Santa Barbara, hosts the film. Tastings will offer interactive lessons on tasting wine, including blind tastings, as well as sensory experiences to help you decipher the sometimes confusing world of wine.

At Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant (131 Anacapa St.), it’s your turn to be the sommelier with “SOMM II: The Sequel.” Join the SOMM movie talent, Brian McClintic, as he and the Les Marchands team guide you through your own blind tasting just like in the movie. Enjoy a wine flight with your choice of red or white and take your best guess, while exploring and learning a little more about wine.

At Margerum Wine Company Tasting Room (812 Anacapa St.) enjoy the “It’s Complicated“ tasting flight and see where parts of the movie were filmed. Try a speciality tasting of the single vineyard Syrah flight, while enjoying clips from the film.

Silent films take center stage at Municipal Winemakers (22 Anacapa St.). With “Blind and Silent,” sharpen your wine tasting skills while enjoying a variety of famous films that will be silently projected. Muni will be offering blind tastings of a variety of its wines, while letting you guess the blend and silent film.

It’s opening night at Santa Barbara Winery (202 Anacapa St.) “Starring Grenache!” and featuring a new release wine flight starring their 2011 Grenaches. Co-starring in the performance will be boxes of locally made Grenache chocolate truffles. Sounds like a delicious way to celebrate the film festival.

Cheers!
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Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on January 24, 2014.

Leslie Dinaberg

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”

Cocktail Corner: The Whole Universe in a Glass of Wine

Posted on January 17, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

Thephotoholic photo, freedigitalphotos.net

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg |

Whether or not you’re familiar with Richard P. Feynman‘s famous quote, we think you’ll enjoy this lovely short video from the PBS series “It’s Okay to Be Smart,” which illustrates his lecture on the relationship of wine to the universe.

“A poet once said, ‘The whole universe is in a glass of wine.’ We will probably never know in what sense he meant it, for poets do not write to be understood. But it is true that if we look at a glass of wine closely enough we see the entire universe. There are the things of physics: the twisting liquid which evaporates depending on the wind and weather, the reflection in the glass; and our imagination adds atoms. The glass is a distillation of the earth’s rocks, and in its composition we see the secrets of the universe’s age, and the evolution of stars. What strange array of chemicals are in the wine? How did they come to be? There are the ferments, the enzymes, the substrates, and the products. There in wine is found the great generalization; all life is fermentation. Nobody can discover the chemistry of wine without discovering, as did Louis Pasteur, the cause of much disease. How vivid is the claret, pressing its existence into the consciousness that watches it! If our small minds, for some convenience, divide this glass of wine, this universe, into parts—physics, biology, geology, astronomy, psychology, and so on—remember that nature does not know it! So let us put it all back together, not forgetting ultimately what it is for. Let it give us one more final pleasure; drink it and forget it all!”

Check it out.

Cheers!

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Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on January 17, 2014.

Leslie Dinaberg

Cocktail Corner: Tupelo Junction Cafe

Posted on January 11, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

The Whistling Dixie at Tupelo Junction Cafe, photo by Leslie Dinaberg

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg |

You’ll find Southern comfort food in spades at Tupelo Junction Cafe, but this reliable old favorite downtown restaurant also has a creative and well-priced cocktail menu (1218 State St., 805/899-3100).

This week my tipple of choice was the Whistling Dixie, a smooth concoction of Maker’s Mark Whisky, Fresh Squeezed Lemonade and Soda that was just the ticket before a yummy meal of the Crispy Fried “Free Range” Chicken with Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Swiss Chard, Sweet Corn & Herbed Pan Gravy. Delicious … and just like Grammy used to make, if my Grandma didn’t specialize in making reservations!

Tupelo’s specialty martini list has clever home-fried names—which the writer in me approves of—and lip-smacking top shelf potions—which the drinker in me approves of. For example:

The Kentucky Derby, made with 10 Cane Rum, Amaretto, Pineapple, Orange Juice & Cherry.

The Sweet “Tea”ni, made with Ketel One Citroen, Blackberry Sage Iced Tea & Lemonade.

The Sour Lemon Drop, made with Grey Goose Vodka, Fresh Squeezed Lemon & served in a sugar rimmed glass.

The Pink Flamingo, with Tanqueray Gin, fresh squeezed Pink Grapefruit Juice & Soda.

The Southern Belle, an Absolut Mandarin Cosmopolitan with Cranberry and Lime Juice.

The Rajin’ Cajun, with Absolut Peppar, Chipotle Bloody Mary & Pickled Green Beans. This is definitely a brunch time favorite for Bloody Mary fans. Try the Wild Mushroom, Asparagus, Black Truffle Cheese Scramble with Baby Green Salad & Homemade Bread—you’ll swear you’ve died and gone to truffle-sniffing heaven!

The Spicy Smoked Chipotle & Crab Bloody Mary also has a lot of brunch time takers.

And for dessert, try the Velvet Elvis, made with Stoli Vanilla, Kahlua, Baileys, Banana Liquer & Chocolate. If you really want to “love me tender,” pair this with the Chocolate Turtle Beignets with Crème Anglaise & Candied Pecans. Ahhh, such sweet nirvana!

Happy Hour is also a great time to visit Tupelo Junction Cafe. Every night from 5–7 p.m. (they’re closed Mondays) they have selected cocktails for just $6, including The Rajin’ Cajun and The Southern Belle, as well as a Farmer’s Market Blackberry Mojito and a terrific Margarita with Fresh Lime, Mint, Cucumber & Tangerines. Selected wines by the glass are only $5 during happy hour, in addition to a whole slew of tasty small plates, including Cheddar Cheese Hush Puppies with Spicy Pepper Jam, Fried Green Tomatoes with Herb Buttermilk Dressing, and those Chocolate Turtle Beignets I was telling you about.

I’ll definitely be back again soon. Hope to see you…I mean y’all, there.

Cheers!

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Leslie Dinaberg

Cocktail Corner: Intoxerated

Posted on January 4, 2014 by lesliedinaberg

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg |

One of my favorite gifts this holiday season was a paperback book called Intoxerated: The Definitive Drinker’s Dictionary by Paul Dickson. Billed as “the book that set the Guinness World Record for most synonyms of a single word in English—’drunk,'” this slim volume is a fun read that is sure to spawn a new generation of party games for the tipsy.

According to the author, “the first person to ever collect and publish a sampling from the cornucopia of English slang for drunkeness” was Benjamin Franklin, with his 1737 Drinker’s Dictionary. Other prestigious contributors to the oeuvre were Charles Dickens, H.L. Mencken and Ambrose Bierce, among other lubricated literary lexicography lions.

Some of my favorite synonyms for soused (from the book) include:

A Weeble: from the name of the toy Weebles who wobble but they don’t fall down.

Cabbaged

Boris Yeltsinned: after the notoriously alcoholic Russian Prime Minister, then later popularized in an episode of “The Simpsons,” where they give a breathalyzer to a bar patron to see if it was safe for them to drive. The meter had the following degrees of inebriation: Not Drunk/Tipsy/Pissed/Boris Yeltsin.

The emoticons: *), %*) and %-).

Full of loud mouth soup

Snicker-doodled

Count Drunkula

Zambonied: a reference to the Zamboni ice re-surfacing machine.

Feng schwasted: a surrounding harmonious atmosphere encouraging of a state of intoxication.

Pixelated

Obnoxicated: a combination of “intoxicated” and “obnoxious” coined by Louis Jordan in his 1947 hit song, “Open the Door, Richard.”

Picassoed

X Filed

That’s just a sampling of the synonyms in this toast-worthy book. Pick up a copy. I think you’ll find it … quite intoxicating.

Cheers!

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Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on January 3, 2014.

Leslie Dinaberg

Cocktail Corner: Notable News

Posted on December 27, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

Blue Tavern’s Pisco Sour features Porton Pisco, angostura bitters and cinnamon tincture. (courtesy photo)

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg |

Winemaker Doug Margerum‘s first release from his new brand, BARDEN came out earlier this month. Margerum says, “The BARDEN collaboration is the pairing of my dream to make the ultimate expression of Santa Barbara County grapes and winemaker Jason Barrette’s acute craftsmanship and skill. BARDEN showcases a fusion between Jason’s southern hemisphere and worldwide winemaking experience, our access to the top vineyards and the philosophy and knowledge we both share in what makes a wine world-class. The BARDEN trade name is my middle name and its English meaning is ‘Lives near the boar’s den’ … thusly we have adorned the label with an image of the wild boar that is pervasive in the vineyards of Santa Barbara County.” The wine, which retails for $87, received 92-93 points from Tanzer and can be ordered by emailing tastingroom@margerumwines.com. |

Acclaimed mixologist Deysi Alvarez at the hot new restaurant Blue Tavern (119 State St., 805/845-0989) utilizes a unique blend of cultures as inspiration for her cocktail menu, which features classic drinks made with housemade tinctures and small-batch spirits. The Margarita features Espolon tequila, house orange reduction, fresh lime Juice, agave nectar, and Gusano salt; the Mojito de Martinique showcases Clement Rhum VSOP and clement cane syrup; and the Old Fashioned takes a trip to South America with the replacement of bourbon with mezcal. Blue Tavern’s wine list focuses on local vintners, many of whom have tasting rooms in the Funk Zone, just blocks from the restaurant.|

Nikki and Jeff Nelson, owners of Liquid Farm, the small production wine project focused on Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay and Happy Canyon AVA Rosé, are plowing through this year’s early harvest in a boutique winery space within the newly-established, local coop facility, the Buellton Wine Center (65 Los Padres Way, Buellton) with the help of friend and winemaker, James Sparks. Located just half of a mile north of Firestone Walker Brewing Company and Taproom Restaurant, Liquid Farm joins seven other Santa Barbara County wine producers in the Coop, including Bonaccorsi Wine Company, Larner Winery, Casa Dumetz Wines and Municipal Winemakers. Michael Larner, the visionary behind the new Coop, has transformed two adjacent industrial buildings into private, individually walled-off wine production spaces outfitted with communal harvest equipment and resources, as well as cooperative common areas. |

As part of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival celebration, from January 30 – February 9, Film Feast 2014 will take you and your taste buds on a culinary journey of cuisine and libations, made famous in Santa Barbara. Local talents and ingredients have come together to produce award-worthy tasting flights. Nominees include “The Graduate Wine Flight” at Au Bon Climat Wine Tasting Room and The Jim Clendenen Wine Library (813 Anacapa St.) which includes eight wines comprised of four sets – one older and one younger vintage of the same wine.

Cheers!

Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on December 27, 2013

Leslie Dinaberg

Cocktail Corner: Cocktails and Cookies for Santa

Posted on December 21, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

Ocean Vodka’s White Christmas Cocktail, photo by Jessica Pearl

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg |

Maybe your Santa Claus drinks milk with his cookies … but after a long night’s journey up and down chimneys delivering gifts, mine prefers a good stiff adult beverage.

Here are just a few of Santa’s favorite Christmas Eve cocktails (click on drink names for links to the full recipes).

Santa Sleigh Cocktail from the always-festive Sandra Lee of the Food Network features brandy, amaretto and ice cream. Yum!

Bourbon and pear puree are the primary flavors in this delicious Santa’s Little Helper from bartender Kris Doyle via laist.com.

Want to tickle Santa’s Whiskers? Try this concoction of 42Below Honey Vodka and Angostura Bitters from Mixologist Pete Gugni via about.com’s cocktail section.

Vodka, amaretto and cranberry juice create a refreshing red splash for Santa’s Helper from Chris Nease at celebrationsathomeblog.com.

Leave it to Rachel Ray to create the Tipsy Santa cocktail, featuring bourbon and ginger ale.

Our friends at Ocean Vodka came up with the White Christmas, a tasty treat featuring peppermint extract and Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur.

Finally, we’ve got 12 Days of Christmas Cocktails from the fabulous folks of Tablespoon.com. Try the Spice “Cake Batter” Shots to give your night an extra festive kick.

Cheers!

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Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on December 20, 2013.

Leslie Dinaberg

Cocktail Corner: Holiday Gift Guide

Posted on December 14, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

Wine Sweaters by Skedouche (courtesy photo)

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg |
From cocktail kits to barware, here are some of our favorite gift ideas for anyone who loves cocktails.

1. Julibox Membership

Fruit of the month clubs are great, but wouldn’t the drinkers in your life prefer a cocktail of the month instead? Enter Julibox, where each month they’ll get to try two great cocktails. Designed by world-class mixologists for easy home preparation, packages include ingredients for two of each cocktail.

2. The Drunken Botanist

There’s a good reason that Amy Stewart’s The Drunken Botanist is on so many “best of” year-end lists: growing cocktail friendly plants is a hot trend right now, and this fascinating concoction of biology, chemistry, history, etymology and mixology is a really fun read.

3. Crystal Head Vodka

Talk about a cool gift! The Crystal Head Vodka bottle was designed by none other than Dan Aykroyd (with John Alexander) and it’s the official vodka of the Rolling Stones’ 50th Anniversary. This is the perfect gift for the rock ‘n roller in your life who likes to drink the good stuff.

Tray by Rock Flowers Paper (courtesy photo)

4. Cocktail Trays by Rock Flower Paper

As any hostess knows, the secret to great cocktails is at least 50% presentation. These beautiful trays (available at Santa Barbara Museum of Art Gift Shop) are available in a variety of designs to brighten up your presentation and make your cocktails shine.

5. Wine Bottle Sweaters From Skedouche

Ugly holiday sweaters are a seasonal tradition, so why share the tackiness with your wine bottles too! A perfect Secret Santa gift, these sweaters are guaranteed to generate laughs.

6. Amina Ceramic Tile Coasters

Give your drinks a taste of Santa Barbara with these handcrafted ceramic tile coasters (available from The Santa Barbara Company).

7. The Gentleman’s Guide to Cocktails

This retro-inspired cocktail guide includes suave cocktails for the debonair men (and women) in your life. Author Alfred Tong teaches you how to mix a margarita with mojo, a gimlet with grace, and a piña colada that packs a punch (Available at Industry Home).

Courtesy After Five Catalog

8. Personalized Bar Signs

For the home bartender who has everything, look to the Goleta-based After Five Catalog for personalized bar signs for every style and taste.

9. Saddle Leather Cocktail Shaker

Add a monogrammed initial to this beautiful leather cocktail shaker and you’ve got yourself a thoughtful and practical gift for any cocktail enthusiast (available at Pottery Barn in La Cumbre Plaza).

10. The World of Pinot Noir

The delicious world of Pinot Noir is coming to the Bacara Resort Feb. 28–Mar. 1. Why not treat your loved ones (and yourself) to a delicious weekend of grape immersion.

Cheers!

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Leslie Dinaberg

Cocktail Corner: Ocean Vodka Makes a Splash With Great Taste, Organic Practices

Posted on December 7, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

Photo by Kristin Hettermann, courtesy Ocean Vodka

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg |

A little bit of the ocean came with my family to the desert last week, when I brought a bottle of Ocean Vodka on vacation to Palm Springs. This craft distillery—which recently announced its expansion into rums, whiskies, bourbons and organic liqueurs and is sold locally at BevMo, Lazy Acres and Vons, among others—bills itself as “the only spirit in the world made with the sun, ocean and organic Earth.”

Based in Maui, just a short drive from Maui’s Kahului International Airport, Ocean Vodka is produced about 1,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, with breathtaking panoramic views of the North and South Shores of Maui, the West Maui Mountains and 10,000 ft. Mount Haleakala. Given the location, it’s not surprising that the company now offers public tours and tastings from their 80-acre organic farm.

The tours include information on sustainable and organic farming practices through abundant fields of organic sugar cane; a local history of Hawaii sugar cane farming with species identification; organic spirits distillation with state-of-the-art equipment, including a 60-foot tall column still; and green manufacturing processes in a 6,000 square foot solar-powered bottling center.

In addition to producing what I can attest to as a very nice, smooth vodka, this place is also very green: The Ocean Vodka Organic Farm and Distillery utilizes solar panels to power 100% of the operations of the distillery and facility. The sugar cane is organically farmed on rich, volcanic soils without the use of synthetic pesticides or herbicides, and mature sugar cane stalks are hand-harvested for processing.

Martini Garden and Gift Shop. Photo by Jessica Pearl, courtesy Ocean Vodka

The place even has a Martini Garden, designed specifically for martini lovers, and growing fresh, local ingredients such as Kula lavender, local citrus, passion fruit, pineapple and strawberries.

Not only that, since its inception in 2005, Ocean Vodka has given a portion of proceeds to oceanic preservation and conservation causes, such as Oceana and Surfrider Foundation.

Sounds like we’ll have to take our next family vacation in Maui!

Meanwhile, here’s their recipe for a Spa Cosmo, straight out of the Martini Garden, to put you in an ocean kind of mood no matter where your travels take you!

Ocean Vodka’s Spa Cosmo

Ingredients

2 oz. Ocean Vodka

1 oz. Pomegranate Juice

1/2 oz. Cointreau

1/4 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

Dash of Simple Syrup, if Needed

Orange Twist (or Cucumber) for Garnish

Combine in a mixing glass and shake with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with lime twist.

Cheers!

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Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on December 6, 2103.

Leslie Dinaberg

Cocktail Corner: Enjoy Cocktails With Culture at 1st Thursday: After Hours

Posted on December 2, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

Figueroa Mountain Brewery

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg

It used to be that the fun was just getting started when 1st Thursday ended…but not anymore! Lobero Theatre, The Granada and The New Victoria Theatre have teamed up for a terrific new production: Historic Theatre District’s 1st Thursday: After Hours from 7:30–9:30 p.m., where you can enjoy your cocktails with culture every 1st Thursday.

Premiering on Thursday, December 5, 1^st Thursday: After Hours is a fun FREE event featuring entertainment by magician Mark Collier, bites from Sojourner Café, and beer tasting by Figueroa Mountain Brewery. This first one will be on the historic (newly reopened) Lobero Esplanade in front of the Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.

In addition, the party also features a no-host bar and additional live entertainment.

This is the first of six “1^st Thursday After Hours” celebrations with Santa Barbara’s newly formed Historic Theatre District in which the Lobero Theatre, the Granada Theatre and The New Vic are teaming up for new ways to access the best in Santa Barbara’s performing arts. After enjoying the exhibits throughout the downtown galleries and local shops, guests are invited to keep the fun going in Santa Barbara’s Historic Theatre District.

Hosted at a different theater each month, the 1st Thursday After Hours will feature sips and bites from one of the Theatre District’s restaurant partners and live local entertainment.

“This creative partnership between the three theaters is a great example of cultural organizations coming together to increase access to the arts and expand their audiences, while engaging the community,” says Ginny Brush, executive director of the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. “1st Thursday has become an immensely popular tradition for local Santa Barbara arts and culture enthusiasts, igniting the Cultural Arts District after 5 p.m. With the addition of ‘After Hours’ at the theaters, that energy can continue!”
The schedule of 1st Thursday: After Hours through the Spring is:
·       December 5, 2013 at the Lobero Theatre
·       Skipping January due to holidays
·       February 6 at The Granada Theatre
·       March 6 at the New Vic
·       April 3 at the Lobero Theatre
·       May 1 at The Granada Theatre
·       June 5 at the New Vic

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Originally featured in Santa Barbara SEASONS Magazine on November 29, 2103.

Leslie Dinaberg

Cocktail Corner: Thanksgiving With Friends

Posted on November 24, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg

When I count my blessings this Thanksgiving season—gobble by gobble, of course—friends and family fall at the very top of the list.

So cheers to a happy holiday to all of you and yours … and a little bit of Friends fun to get us in the mood.

Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Leslie Dinaberg

LeslieDinaberg.com

Leslie Dinaberg Editor & Writer

Category Archives: Cocktail Corner

Cocktail Corner: Wine and Film Pair Perfectly With Santa Barbara Film Feast

Cocktail Corner: The Whole Universe in a Glass of Wine

Cocktail Corner: Tupelo Junction Cafe

Cocktail Corner: Intoxerated

Cocktail Corner: Notable News

Cocktail Corner: Cocktails and Cookies for Santa

Cocktail Corner: Holiday Gift Guide

Cocktail Corner: Ocean Vodka Makes a Splash With Great Taste, Organic Practices

Cocktail Corner: Enjoy Cocktails With Culture at 1st Thursday: After Hours

Cocktail Corner: Thanksgiving With Friends

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