In January, we landed in New England. When the mercury plummets and Chicago streets are a muddied mess of slush, ice and rock salt, nothing hits the spot like the comfort flavors of the Northeast. Chef Lacasse hails from the great state of Vermont and spent his early years delving into the rich flavors of the region. From the spirits and cocktail side, I was eager to uncover new combinations using the plethora of products, flavors and themes that grew from the area. As the docking point for pre-revolutionary Americans, our spirited history was launched by settlers in many of the would-be states that make up New England (that’s Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut….thank you very much Rand-McNally). Taking a look at the bordering areas reveals even more of the groundwork for our boozy beginnings (think Medford rums and Pennsylvania ryes of old).

It seems like each time Chef and I put our heads together for one of these dinners, our pairings compliment better each time. I guess we read each other better with practice, like a shortstop turning a double-play without missing a beat…although if his Red Sox jersey turns up missing, or say, discarded…I wouldn’t lose much sleep over it. We were definitely rewarded by our guests with clean plates and empty glasses as each course hit the bar.

Picking my favorite of the four courses is an unfair task, as chef outdid himself this time around. We greeted our guests with fresh pine aroma to help set the tone. The opening amuse was a trip to Nick’s childhood, reminiscing of “sugar on snow”. A tradition shared outdoors during winter festivities where locally tapped maple syrup is drizzled over fresh snow (insert yellow snow joke here). Using that inspiration a single spoon of rosemary granita, topped with apple gelee and Vermont maple syrup kicked the night off. Paired with a small-scale flip consisting of Michter’s 10 year rye, tawny port, a touch of that maple syrup and the indicative whole egg, we were off to start that made you want to paaark the caaar and strap on your snow shoes.

Moving into a local staple, the “chowdah” course did not disappoint. While taking cues from countless childhood meals, chef really made this one his own. My attention was immediately drawn to a beer pairing with this, so I went to work on a new cocktail using some regional suds. The Adams & Otis (named for two of the men who answered the call to stand up against unfair British taxation) combined Old Overholt rye, Creole Shrub, Boston Lager and finished with an I.P.A bitters mist that was cooked up early that day. I took a bit of liberty on the bitters by using Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA, from Delaware, as the base for the bitters. New Englander’s are known to be neighborly folks so what the hay.

Courses to follow included more reminiscent dishes with modern touches that even Grandma could love. Gouda scalloped potatoes, bison “pot roast”, and a cocktail named for a 40 foot tidal wave of molasses that took out more than 100 people in Boston after the turn of the century. And no, we didn’t forget about dessert.

So if you find yourself on the Third Coast or you’re fortunate enough to call this great metropolis home, make a reservation for one of our At the Bar experiences. You never know where in the world we’ll end up, but we promise to leave your belly full, your cheeks rosy and your brain armed with a few factoids that might just provide the final answer for that game show you’ve been wanting to go on (if you win, don’t forget who your favorite chef and bartender are please).

Well done, brother.

First, Charles and Chef Nick Lacasse with be WGN Midday News on Friday, October 30th. Nick will be cooking and Charles with be mixing up some tasty, fall inspired cocktails with Cabana Cachaca. (We’ll have video posted as soon as it’s available.)

Next, Tim heads to New Orleans to compete in the finals of the DeKuyper Mixmaster Challenge on Thursday, Novemeber 5th.

Then, Charles and Tim both square off against six other talented mixologist from the midwest in the semifinals of the Domaine de Canton Bartender of the Year Competition.

(It’s competition season. Can you tell?)

Wish us luck?

I’ve linked to their site above, so I won’t get too in depth about the curriculum. The numbers look like this; 5 days in a New York classroom, spend 9-11 hours each day in an interactive lecture/practicum, blind taste through 160 spirits representing nearly every category on the planet- less than 250 bartenders have had the opportunity in the last 7 seven years. Yeah, it’s cool like that.

As hand crafted cocktails, classics and drinks with soul are becoming more accepted by the general populous- now is a more important time then ever to hone our craft. We need to gently bring our guests into the fold and raise awareness, so amazing cocktails with culinary elements (yes, we have fallen so far that even fresh citrus is a culinary element) become the expectation not a luxury. This is an invaluable opportunity and tool to spread the good word and continue to help the movement in whatever small way I can…not to mention spend 5 days with 40 of the best bartenders in the country (and one gent working in China).

Now I don’t want anyone to read the long days and think I’m complaining….oh wait, let me complain for a minute. We started the day by blind tasting Tanqueray 10, a rare Bar Sol pisco, an even more rare highland Cachaca, Don Julio 1942, Glen Morangie Nectar d’Or and Michter’s 25yr Single Barrel Rye- have I told you I love this job lately?

What followed were intensive breakdowns, blind tastings, historical delving and analytical insight of the gin and vodka categories along with a core of cocktail history and early mixology (hosted by Dave Wondrich, Dale DeGroff, Steve Olson, Doug Frost, F. Paul Pacult & Andy Semour….not bad company to keep). It was literally half of my library standing at the front of the room….have I told you I love this job lately?

I’ll be jumping on each day recaping. For now, I have 4 days of in depth study culminating in a written and practical exam. I’ll be sure to take some photos and answer any questions you may have. I’ll also not bother talking about the “Sazerac” complete with muddled lemon and shaken I had at my late night dinner. At least there was a bottle of Black Maple Hill to wash it down after…Cheers.

In more recent news, Tim won trip to Puerto Rico courtesy of Don Q rum. (Quite honestly, Tim thinks Charles’s drink was better, but will take what he can get and is happy to actually have won a competition.) (To round out the day he had an early birthday dinner with his wife at Schwa. Fan-freaking-tastic. Thank you, Chef.)

While Nick was busy stewing, braising and searing every cut of meat imaginable, Tim & I fired up the “Smoking Gun” (bartender’s have all the fun) to infuse some Cabana with hickory and applewood flavors.

Our unsuspecting guests arrived to a bar set with a few atypical utensils, bowls of sugar and a bottle of Benedictine for good measure. We talked about the history of Brazil & cachaca, muddled caipirinhas together and made one too many Cheech & Chong references….if that can be done.

Tim and I took the initiative on this one with our friends at Cabana Cachaca. We’ve been hard at work (stop laughing) this past week with a couple prequel events. These will culminate on Tuesday with a ticketed event to be held at the Drawing Room featuring the culinary stylings of Chef Lacasse, drinks by the Angel’s Share gang and a highly anticipated performance by the local Brazilian ju-jitsu/dance team, Capoeira Gingarte.

We started things on Wednesday with mixological jam session hosted by Angel’s Share and Cabana at Salud Tequila Lounge. While agave is usually the star of the show at this venue, some double distilled sugar cane took center stage for the afternoon. The idea is to get a bunch of spirit geeks together, talk booze, trends and cocktails and mix it up for a few hours. We laid out a spread of every fruit, vegetable, herb and spirit we could fit in the Jeep and let the bartenders follow their inspiration. These types of exercises are particularly useful in honing your craft. You are not only challenged to work outside of your comfort zone with no expectation of what will be available, but there are also no rules. This will inevitably result in some flavor combos that don’t quite hit the mark and some unexpected surprises that may have never ended up in the same mixing glass otherwise. Most importantly, it’s fun- you get to spend an afternoon with a crew that shares your passion and bounce ideas off one another. Did I mention I love this job?

After a couple hours of talking cachaca and mixing it up we put our collective palates together to choose the drink that stood out among the crowd. It was Jeff Donahue, of Province, that created a blend of Cabana, Noilly Pratt Sweet, Domaine de Canton & Fernet Branca that fell into place. There were several great drinks prepared, but this one shone through with subtle layers and balance. We’re looking forward to sharing it with our guests at the upcoming Brazilian dinner on the 8th!

The planning started with a trip to the Green City Farmer’s Market. The growing season seemed to take forever to kick in this year, but is definitely in full effect. Cherries are looking amazing (albeit already on their way out), peppers that were so perfect they could have been waxed and a dizzying array of herbs greeted us. This time of year, it’s all about the flavors- as Tim says, let the produce do the talking and just stay out of its way.

Nick and I settled on creating combinations of sweet and savory flavors. Walking through the vendors tables, I grabbed some of the most prime selections. Letting the produce be the inspiration is a great way to create- colossal bunches of striped beets, perfectly ripe raspberries and nearly glowing sungold tomatoes aren’t a bad place to start a cocktail.

We definitely took some chances with this menu. When the guests arrived and began to review the menu, a variety of facial expressions came across. Maybe it was the juiced corn and muddled arugula or perhaps the Chioggia beet puree with avocado peeked interest- either way, we were putting it all on the table.

I’ll be sure to shoot some pics next time around- We aim for the first Thursday of the month for these events. If you’re going to be in Chicago, give us a call. Dinners tend to sell out 2 – 3 weeks prior.

“Jam?” I suggested. The Seedling staff were disappointed. Jam was the only idea anyone had been able to come up with.

I took that as a challenge. Here are the results. It goes without saying, but make sure to peel the papery husks off the gooseberries before using them. These are for you Dan.

Recipe #3 is the simplest and, I think, the best.

(Note: These cocktails are nameless. A lot of the time names are the hardest part of creating cocktails.)

Recipe #1:
20 gooseberries
.5 oz. simple syrup
.75 oz. lemon juice
.75 oz dry sherry
1.5 oz. Plymouth gin
3 dashes orange bitters
pinch of salt
tools: shaker, strainer, muddler, tea strainer
glass: cocktail

Muddle gooseberries, simple syrup and lemon juice in mixing glass. Muddle. Add other ingredients, add ice and shake well. Double strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Recipe #2:
20 gooseberries
.5 oz. simple syrup
.75 oz. lemon juice
.5 oz dry vermouth
.5 oz. grapefruit juice
1.5 oz. Plymouth gin
pinch of salt
tools: shaker, strainer, muddler, tea strainer
glass: cocktail

Muddle gooseberries, simple syrup and lemon juice in mixing glass. Muddle. Add other ingredients, add ice and shake well. Double strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Recipe #3:
20 gooseberries
.5 oz. simple syrup
.75 oz. lemon juice
1.5 oz white rum (I used Ron Botran)
tools: shaker, strainer, muddler, tea strainer
glass: cocktail

Muddle gooseberries, simple syrup and lemon juice in mixing glass. Muddle. Add other ingredients, add ice and shake well. Double strain into chilled cocktail glass.