Mixology

So I had a fantastic weekend full of socializing, food and cocktails. (What else can I really ask for?) Friday night I went for sushi at Amuras (Sandlake location) and, as usual when I make the drive all the way out to Restaurant Row; I treated myself to the Crystal Bubble Roll, one of my personal favorites. Rolled with rice paper instead of seaweed, it contains tempura shrimp, crab, lettuce and radish and is paired with a slightly sweetened sauce. It’s light and refreshing and really a great solution to easing some of this Florida summer heat. Also kudos to the traditional Spider Roll (soft shell crab) with the non-traditional Spicy Mayo. The addition of their spectacular sauces is a reminder that sometimes it is worth the hike.

Saturday afternoon I headed out to the school for a masterworks series on Mixology. The class was headed up by the incomparable Carolyn Jones, sommelier and general smartie pants on all things booze. The lecture was very captivating and full of little known fun facts. And again I was reminded of how many things I really don’t know, or at least know very well. It also (unfortunately) inspired me to really stock up my liquor cabinet. Mostly with high-end liquor, considering some of the things I learned about the cheap stuff. (Gold grade Tequila? Who knew it was just food coloring.)

I also had a fantastic Pina Colada; probably my first one that didn’t come from a powered mix. It was irresistibly creamy and buttery and not too sweet. Nothing like full fat Coco Lopez to really get the blood going (or, more likely, slowing.) Can’t wait for part two, hopefully working on pairing flavors.

So this blog thing has been a little slow going, but now that I have a camera, etc. to use (thanks AG), I hope to get the ball rolling and stop using clip art. Also, with another great suggestion from SR, I hope to be much more detailed and illustrated with recipes. Thanks for all of the support everyone!!