Drink of the Week: Summer Blush Cocktail

Get rosy-cheeked over the holiday weekend with the Summer Blush cocktail from St. Louis bartender, Matt Seiter. Silver tequila and St. Germain blend with fresh cucumber, lime juice and a splash of rose water for an incredibly light, refreshing cocktail that pairs perfectly with a patio chair on a warm, sunny day.

Summer Blush
1 1/4 oz. silver tequila
1 oz. St. Germain
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
2 dashes rose water
4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
2 cucumber slices
Ice cubes
Tools: muddler, shaker, fine-mesh strainer
Glass: cocktail
Garnish: cucumber slice

Muddle cucumber slices with rose water, Peychaud’s and lime juice. Add tequila, St. Germain and ice and shake. Double-strain into a cocktail glass, rub the remaining cuke slice around the rim and place on the rim for garnish.

Matt Seiter, Sanctuaria, St. Louis

June Events for Imbibers

Summer is the season for drink festivals, and June is packed with great events across the country featuring everything from tiki to tea. Here's a snapshot of a few events we think are not to be missed next month:

Philly Beer Week
June 4–13
Philadelphia is one of America's most beloved beer meccas, and this weeklong celebration shows why, with parties, tastings, dinners and festivals happening across the city.


9th Annual Hukilau Festival
June 10–13
Taking place in balmy Fourt Lauderdale, Fla., this is the ultimate gathering for tiki enthusiasts. Spend four days immersed in all things tiki, including art shows, cocktail competitions, seminars, dinner shows and more.

Word Tea Expo
June 11–13
This trade event happening in Las Vegas is a great place to learn about the world of tea, particularly if you're in the biz or thinking of getting into it. There are tastings, demos, seminars and lots of interesting products to check out.

Food & Wine at National Harbor
June 12 &13
This festival is a celebration of the best food, wine, beers and spirits from the region and across the U.S., and with a location at the beautiful National Harbor on the Potomac River, the setting can't be beat.


Pinot Days
June 27
Taking place in San Francisco, this is always one of the country's best showcases of Pinot Noir from around the world. With more than 200 producers on hand, you can sample up to 500 Pinots and meet some of the winemakers behind them.

Drink of the Week: Marcato “I Prandi” Durello Brut NV

When it comes to inexpensive sparkling wine, Italy has an abundance of options—first with Prosecco and now with its latest bubbly, Durello. Harvested mostly in the northeastern Veneto region, this high-acid grape is grown in mineral-rich volcanic soil, making it approachable and food-friendly. This particular bottle from young vintner Enrico Marcato is crafted from 85 percent Durello, 10 percent Chardonnay and 5 percent Pinot Noir, a blend that balances fruit, acid and richness. Made in the charmat method, this sparkler spends eight months on its lees, adding a creamy, full mouthfeel to notes of flowers, honey and lemon zest. And at $9 a bottle the price alone is worth celebrating.
$9, timelesswines.com

Imported by Vedi Wines, Santa Rosa, California

Drink of the Week: Urthel Saisonnière

When the warm weather starts to creep in, saisons become one of our favorite go-to beer styles, so we're excited to see Belgian brewery Urthel's Saisonnière rolling out across the U.S. just in time for summer. Brewed with 20% wheat, this unique farmhouse ale is deliciously nuanced. Fruity notes of citrus and banana blend with spicy, peppery flavors and a trademark saison funkiness, and at 6% ABV, it's nice and light. Pack a picnic with a bottle of Saisonnière and some bread and cheese, and you've got the perfect summer day ahead of you.

Five Things You Never Knew About … Dale DeGroff

Dale “King Cocktail” DeGroff rarely needs an introduction, and he's featured as one of our 25 most influential cocktail personalities of the past century. But aside from the books, TV appearances and countless accolades, here are a few things you might not know about this legendary cocktail ace.

1. “I’m a saloon singer and have been singing with piano player friends in New York City since the early 1970s. But I hate karaoke.”

2. “I started out as an actor—nothing surprising there—but I've been on television and radio countless times as a bartender ... not an actor.”

3. “I worked at Howard Johnson Times Square at the same time as chef and television personality Jacques Pepin. He was developing recipes and I was washing dishes!”

4. “I was Zsa Zsa Gabor’s driver and personal secretary for three weeks at the Waldorf Towers when she appeared in Forty Carats on Broadway.”

5. “I was a driver for a NYC moving company called Van Gogh Movers—no kidding, that was the name. Our trucks had two guys moving a large ear painted on the side. You can't make this stuff up.”

Upcoming Event: New Orleans Wine & Food Experience

In just two weeks, the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience will kick off in the Big Easy with more than 175 wineries from around the world and 75 of the city's best restaurants on hand for several days of tastings, dinners, tours and seminars. On Wednesday, May 26, the festivities will begin with a series of wine dinners taking place at restaurants across New Orleans. Then, on Thursday comes the Vinola Tasting & Auction as well as the Royal Street Stroll, a fun opportunity to shop the galleries of Royal Street while sampling wines at each stop. In addition to a full line-up of seminars covering everything from Rhone-style California wines to farmstead cheeses, Friday and Saturday will feature the Grand Tastings with hundreds of wines from around the world and lots of great food.

If you live in or around Nola, or you're planning to be visiting, you won't want to miss this event. It's always a great time and happens during one of the best times of year in New Orleans. For more info and to purchase tickets, click here.

Drink of the Week: Martini Rosato

There’s no question that vermouth is making a comeback, with old-school labels tweaking their formulas and new brands putting their own flavorful stamps on the category. On the heels of this resurgence comes the Martini Rosato, whose nationwide rollout begins next week. This new rosato style is floral and sweet up front with flavors of strawberry and meyer lemon, while bitter grapefruit, lemon peel and dried herbs emerge on the finish. It’s refreshing when sipped on the rocks with a twist of lemon, or try it topped with a dry Cava for a bubbly aperitif. And at $10 a bottle, you can’t beat the price. martini.com

To see how seven dry vermouths stacked up against each other, check out Dry Wit in the new May/June 2010 issue.

Memorial Weekend in the Wine Country

Late spring is always a beautiful time of year in Oregon's Willamette Valley and a perfect time to get out and explore the area's wine country. Every year over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, hundreds of wineries throughout the Willamette Valley open their doors for tastings of new releases and older vintages, barrel tastings, specialty foods and sales of limited-quantity wines. This is always a great chance to check out wineries of all sizes, meet the people behind some of your favorite labels and get your hands on wines that might normally be tough to get. On top of that, Willamette Valley Wineries will donate a portion of event fees to Ecotrust’s Farm to School Programs, which helps educate kids about Oregon agriculture and bring more locally grown products to school lunchrooms.

So if you're looking for something fun to do over the Memorial Day weekend, this is always well worth the trip—who knows, we might just cross paths!

What: Memorial Weekend in the Wine Country
When: May 29-31, 2010
Where: Willamette Valley, Oregon
For More Info: willamettewines.com

Win Tickets to the Tastemaker's Punch During the Manhattan Cocktail Classic!

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic kicks off in less than two weeks, and we're busy planning out all of the fun activities that will be going on during this year's festivities. One of the events we're most looking forward to is The Dizzy Fizz Tastemaker's Punch, a celebration of the creativity and artistry of New York City cocktailians with a soiree featuring an array of delicious punches, and we're excited to be able to give away two tickets to this event to one lucky imbiber.

This fun event is taking place at RamScale, a West Village gallery overlooking the Hudson River, and exhibiting artists will include saloon artist Jill DeGroff, graffiti artist/designer Claw Money, cocktailian/painter Charles Hardwick, cocktailian/painter Nicole Desmond, cocktailian/photographer Elba Giron, and many more. Dave Wondrich will be on hand as the official toastmaster, and spring-inspired punches will be created by talented NYC mixologists, including members of LUPEC NYC. A silent auction will also benefit the Museum of the American Cocktail.

All you have to do to be eligible to win these tickets is email us here by Wednesday, May 5 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, and tell us what your favorite punch is to make and/or imbibe. We'll randomly select one winner who will receive two tickets to this event, valued at $50 per ticket. Note that you must be 21 years old to be eligible and to attend the event.

What: The Dizzy Fizz Tastemaker's Punch
When: Monday, May 17, 7–11 p.m.
Where: RamScale Gallery, 463 West Street between Bank and Bethune Street