Le Fabuleux Monde de la Maison Cointreau

Take one part delicious orange liqueur, one part glamourous style icon, and a hearty dash of marvelous personalities. Stir (or shake, if you prefer!) and voilà! You’ve got yourself a taste of La Maison Cointreau.

Last week, Cointreau debuted La Maison Cointreau at Big Daddy’s Antiques in San Francisco: a fabulous world filled with decadence, glamour, music, and cocktails. As the evening opened, Dita von Teese made an appearance, posing for photographs and chatting with reporters. (Oh, for the record: she’s even more gorgeous in person!)

Dita von Teese poses for photos against a backdrop of Cointreau bottles.

Dita von Teese chats with a reporter.

Throughout the evening, bartenders kept guests’ glasses full with Cointreau-based cocktails. My favorite of the evening was the classic Sidecar:
1 1/2 oz Remy VSOP
3/4 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz lemon juice
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled glass rimmed with sugar.

Preparing Cointreau cocktails.

One of the things I enjoyed about the event was eyeing the fabulous style of the guests.

Guests posing for the camera.

I was lucky to run into Meghan of Voilà!, who has a chic, ladylike style that I admire…

With Meghan of Voilà! (Photo courtesy of Meghan.)

And I met Danielle the Dressmaker, who rocked a vibrant, flirty dress of her own creation:

Danielle the Dressmaker, wearing one of her own creations.

But the highlight of the evening was the mini cabaret, which started off with a glass performance by Johnny Rodgers and kicked into high gear with a dynamic, retro vocal set by chanteuse Lady Rizo. Nicole Renaud added a fun French flair with her accordion.

A glimpse of Lady Rizo’s energizing performance.

Enfin, Dita von Teese took over the stage with a playful and seductive burlesque performance set in a tropical Hawaiian scene. Alas, the audience was asked not to take photos, but Haute Living has a few shots online if you’re truly curious. :)

To be honest, I didn’t need much convincing to like Cointreau – it was already in my liquor cabinet since it’s a necessary component in Singapore Slings, and I use it in my version of the Boston Bog (recipes below). But I enjoyed the opportunity to try out new cocktails and soak in the divine atmosphere!

Cheers! (Photo courtesy of Meghan.)

What I wore:
Dress: vintage 1950s LBD via Eons Fashion Antique in Pittsburgh, PA
Earrings: Magicicada Earrings, Erica Weiner via ModCloth
Bracelet: Victorian mourning bracelet
Shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti via The Outnet
Purse: Cole Haan Valise Archer leather satchel via Rue La La

Also check out Meghan’s post!

Singapore Sling:
1 oz gin
1/2 oz cherry brandy
4 oz pineapple juice
1/2 oz lime juice
1/4 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/3 oz grenadine (I make mine from scratch – details in this post)
1 dash Angostura bitters
Shake with ice and strain into a Collins Glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and a pineapple wedge.

Boston Bog (my variation on the original recipe by Misty Kalkofen; click here for the full recipe):
6 fresh cranberries (+ 1 for garnish)
1 1/2 oz aged or reserve rum
1/2 oz ginger syrup (a dash of Benedictine & simple syrup make for a good substitute)
2 tsp lemon juice (or 1/2 oz if using fresh lemons)
2 tsp Cointreau
Muddle cranberries, add remaining ingredients, shake with ice, and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cranberry.

[Photos by me except where otherwise noted.]

Cranberry-Ginger-Rum Goodness

Last Christmas I gave my husband The American Cocktail by the editors of Imbibe Magazine (Chronicle Books, 2011). (It also came with the implicit promise that I’d be making him cocktails from the book. In our household, he tends to do more of the cooking while I mix up the drinks!)

It’s an awesome cocktail book – we haven’t gotten to all the cocktails yet, but every one we’ve tried so far has been delicious. My recent fave is called “Boston Bog,” a recipe from Boston bartender Misty Kalkofen.

I didn’t quite have *exactly* the ingredients called for in the recipe, so what follows is a variation based on what I had in my kitchen & liquor cabinet.

In addition to cranberries and ginger syrup (both of which I had/could make), the original recipe calls for Appleton Estate Reserve Jamaica rum, fresh lemon juice, and Rothman & Winter apricot liqueur. I substituted my favorite 7-year old rum, pre-squeezed lemon juice (though it is better with fresh lemons – since I used bottled juice this time, I reduced the amount originally called for in the recipe), and Cointreau (less than the amount of apricot liqueur called for – the Cointreau also helped temper the acidity of the bottled lemon juice). If you want the original recipe, check out The American Cocktail!

Cocktail ingredients: fresh cranberries, Cointreau, lemon juice, aged rum, and ginger syrup.

Ingredients
6 fresh cranberries (+ 1 for garnish)
1 1/2 oz aged or reserve rum
1/2 oz ginger syrup
2 tsp lemon juice (or 1/2 oz if using fresh lemons)
2 tsp Cointreau

To make the ginger syrup: combine 1 part water and 1 part sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat & let cool. Combine with 1 part diced ginger in a food processor or blender and purée. Strain.

Muddle the cranberries in a cocktail shaker. Add the rum, ginger syrup, lemon juice, and Cointreau. Shake well with ice. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh cranberry.

For the record, the ginger syrup is definitely worth making. I’ve made ginger syrup in the past by just simmering the simple syrup mixture with sliced ginger – but this method of blending in the ginger and then straining it makes it so much richer!

Tip: If you’re like me & don’t have a proper bartender’s fine-mesh strainer, a tea ball works beautifully! And the wooden end of a spatula or wooden spoon doubles up nicely as a muddler.

The finished cocktail: Cranberry-Ginger-Rum Goodness!

Cheers!

Do you have a favorite cocktail recipe?

Dresses, Drinks, and Dungarees: Diesel Launches “Our Glory”

Last week, Diesel celebrated the launch of its new men’s denim line, “Our Glory”, with a party at Industrie Denim in San Francisco.

Diesel's "Our Glory" line, inspired by 1950s workwear. The denim is created using traditional shuttle looms and dyed with vegetable indigo.

The scene at Industrie Denim

I joined the bloggers and media gurus who came to check out the line, sip cocktails, and mingle. My cocktail of choice: the Spicebox Ginger, which involves a jigger of Spicebox Whisky (I’m a gal who enjoys whisky) in a Collins glass filled with ice, a lemon slice, and ginger beer. The only other drink I’ve had before with ginger beer was a Dark & Stormy, and I have to say I liked this mix better!

With Whitney of Britt + Whit and Lindsay of A City Undressed. I didn't get the memo that navy & aqua were the colors of the evening!

And later in the evening we listened to PAPA rock out!

PAPA

What I wore:
Dress: Blogging Molly Dress in Wallpaper, Effie’s Heart via ModCloth