07 September, 2008

Drinking with the Stars

That sounds like a much better show idea than Dancing with the Stars, doesn’t it? Contestants would party with an ever-changing cast of celebrities/athletes; each round of successful partying gets the contestant a bigger prize (and calcified liver). The final rounds intensify with Party Partners like Charlie Sheen or Tony Stark . . . er, Robert Downey, Jr. The Final Challenge, of course, would pair the contestant a rotating cast of the most legendary celeb party people like Keith Richards or Amy Winehouse.

I’d watch that. Hell, I’d sign up to be a contestant. And hopefully I’d have some winnings left over after paying for rehab.

Well until that show exists, those wishing to mix up some Friday happy hour beverages apropos tonight’s draft need look no further. Here are two recipes offered at last week’s Alexander Ovechkin celebration by party sponsor Hammer & Sickle vodka:

Mmmm, martini...The Hart-tini
Vodka
Prosecco (dry sparkling wine)
Crème de cassis (blackcurrant-flavored liqueur)
Orange liqueur (e.g., triple sec)

The Hart-tini was actually pretty good. Tart, not very sweet. I wouldn’t drink two, but one was enjoyable.

The Slapshot
Fresh lemon juice
Limoncello
Grappa
Vodka
Simple syrup
Dash of vermouth

I didn’t try the Slapshot; it sounded a bit sweet for my taste and I’m not a vermouth fan. I much prefer a dryer beverage . . . in fact, here’s how I make martinis:

The OrderedChaos
Pour some very good vodka (Russian Standard, Grey Goose, etc.) into a cocktail shaker.
Briefly think about extra-dry vermouth (don’t actually add any).
Shake vodka heartily with ice; strain into a large martini glass.
Add about a teaspoon of olive juice and 2-3 olives (bonus points for bleu-cheese-stuffed olives)… or if you’re not an olive fan, a twist will do.
Rinse, lather, repeat.

Oh, and since a couple readers emailed me to ask about the party-post title “Ain’t No Party Like a ‘Veckin Party“: it was inspired by the Coolio lyric “Ain’t no party like a west coast party” from his song 1-2-3-4. I don’t know if that makes me cool or geeky . . . hopefully a bit of both, but likely just the latter.

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7 Comments

  1. Bryanne wrote:

    Mixology was not what I was expecting when I tuned in to my morning dose of puck, but ce la… Now I’m wishing it were 5 o’clock!.

    Friday, June 20, 2008 at 8:27 am | Permalink
  2. Amy wrote:

    Bite your tongue bro-in-law. Pulling a Coolio lyric makes you neither cool nor geeky - simply in touch w/ ones circa 1980 birthdate, and that’s OK. I rather enjoyed the reference. Coolio held a spot (albeit small) in 90’s culture and you’ve paid your respects. Maybe you could somehow fit in a Gansta’s Paradise reference in a future blog, but that might be over-doing it.

    Friday, June 20, 2008 at 1:48 pm | Permalink
  3. pepper wrote:

    Definitely with you on the martini, Mike. I particularly enjoy a Manhattan, but a bone dry vodka martini is a close second, and Id say a better summer choice anyway.

    Cheers to a great draft tonight!

    Friday, June 20, 2008 at 1:55 pm | Permalink
  4. KK wrote:

    Ain’t no party like a west coast party ’cause a west coast party don’t stop…how can people not remember that from the 90’s?

    Friday, June 20, 2008 at 2:22 pm | Permalink
  5. JR wrote:

    I have to take issue with your preference for Goose, etc. As vodka is neutral and blind taste tests have produced winners like ‘Smirnoff’ why waste money on premium vodka?

    Friday, June 20, 2008 at 3:28 pm | Permalink
  6. Lee (PTO) wrote:

    Triple-distilled vodka contains far fewer of the impurities that cause hangovers. I reach for the Skyy whenever possible. Hangovers simply waste time that could’ve been spent drinking more!

    Friday, June 20, 2008 at 4:38 pm | Permalink
  7. Lee, I have a 1.75-liter of Skyy in my freezer right now (admittedly only about 10% full at this point). It’s my go-to vodka.

    JR, it’s certainly possible I’m fooling myself with the vodka preferences, but I’d swear I can tell the difference.

    Thank you Amy & KK for the Coolio props. :)

    Friday, June 20, 2008 at 11:29 pm | Permalink

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