Blake Makes

Blake Sips Sparkle @ Bacco from Blake Killian on Vimeo.

You can watch Part 1 on BlakeMakes.com.

Blake Sips Swirl Wines from Blake Killian on Vimeo.

My Uncle David (aka Papa Gator) makes the best margaritas. I always loved visiting his farm in Tennessee, where he and my aunt had cocktail hour at 6:00 every evening. At least once during our visits, David would make a pitcher of his infamous margaritas.

His recipe is like a family heirloom. Once at a wedding shower, the guests were asked to bring their favorite recipe written on a recipe card for the bride-to-be. My mom, who was not known to be a great cook, brought the margarita recipe. No one was surprised.

When I recently asked Uncle David for the recipe, this is what he sent:

Start with a larger container than you think you’ll need.
Add 1 unit of good tequila.
Add 1/2 unit of triple sec.
Whatever amount you then have, add half that amount of orange juice.
Whatever amount you then have, add an equal amount of good margarita mix(the cheap shit is a sugary mess).

Add one small bottle club soda.

Adjust strength by adding more than 1 unit of tequila; above is the minimum tequila for more sedate gatherings.

Rub rims with lemon, lime, or orange wedges.
Salt rims. (People who request “no salt” for health reasons should be asked to leave.)
Fill glass as full as possible with ice.

Squeeze in three lemon, lime, or orange wedges over the ice, leaving one of those squoozed wedges in the glass.

Shake the margaritas until you get foam.
Pour over the ice.
Drink.

The most difficult part of following David’s recipe is the mathematics involved in figuring out units and half units. So, here are the actual measurements I used for a pitcherful:

3 cups good tequila (reduce to 2 cups for a sedate gathering)
1 cup of triple sec.
1 ½ cups orange juice (freshly squeeze if perferable).
4 ½ cups margarita mix * (see recipe below).
1 cup club soda

* The key to a good margarita is homemade sweet & sour mix. The margarita mixes you can buy are made with high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavorings, and preservative chemicals. It’s easy–and tastier–to make your own.

To make enough margarita mix for one pitcher, you’ll need 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 1 ½ cups freshly squeezed lime juice. Make a simple syrup by heating the sugar and water together in a saucepan over medium heat just until the sugar melts. Turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature. Then add the lemon & lime juices.

You’ve never had margaritas like this, I promise you, until you’ve tried them with homemade mix. It’s worth the effort of all that squeezing!

Meet This Sipper

Since she can’t afford cable television on her measly teacher’s income, Kelly challenges herself to cook new recipes at least once a week. She chronicles her kitchen escapades on her food blog Sounding My Barbaric Gulp. Having previously worked at a winery, Kelly admits to being a wine snob…and to not trusting people who don’t drink. She believes a good life includes good food and even better wine.  When she’s not trying new recipes, Kelly teaches college composition and literature.

The New Orleans Fizz (aka the Ramos Gin Fizz, or more simply, the Gin Fizz) is a foamy, refreshing cocktail that is in danger of once again becoming popular. In my opinion, this drink was nearly a century ahead of its time when in it was created in New Orleans by a fellow named Henry C. Ramos. In fact, I think there is a strong argument that the New Orleans Fizz is probably the first cocktail created that would fall into the category of Molecular Mixology. At its peak in popularity at Ramos’ New Orleans saloon, the Stag, 35 shaker boys were employed to aid the bartenders during the 1915 Mardi Gras season. When even they couldn’t keep up with the demand, the bartenders just started passing the cocktail shakers to the customers and made them shake their own drink! The former Louisiana governor, Huey P. Long, purportedly would travel with the bartender from the New Orleans Roosevelt Hotel on his trips to New York just so he could have ready access to this drink!

Ironically, prohibition both killed the popularity of the New Orleans Fizz while simultaneously insuring its longevity. Apparently Ramos was intensely secretive about the recipe and was very careful to only teach it to bartenders whom he deemed trustworthy (this would explain why the governor would have to travel with his own bartender). When prohibition went into effect in the United States during the 1920’s, apparently Ramos revealed his recipe as an act of public disobedience. While the drink survived to this day- it still hasn’t returned to its previous glory.

In a cocktail shaker, combine the following over ice:

3 oz Gin
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz heavy whipping cream
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Whip-It (optional)
2-3 drops of Orange Blossom Water
1 drop of Mint Extract or a handful of bruised mint leaves
2 egg whites

Now shake the living heck out of that cocktail shaker! A solid two minutes is the minimum, but be careful to vent the cocktail shaker otherwise it might explode when the liquid begins to degas (i.e. the air dissolved in the liquid escapes). Pour into a tall glass over ice and top with about an ounce or two of club soda. Garnish with a slice of something citrus and maybe some fresh mint.

This recipe is my own version of the New Orleans Fizz, it usually would not have the mint or the Cointreau and I find that the Whip-It just makes for a nicer, more stable foam. Just be warned: do not substitute the whipping cream for milk… your foam with just go flat after you pour it into a glass. The heavier the cream, the better. I suppose you might be able to get away with using Half and Half, but I don’t recommend it. Orange Blossom water might be difficult to find, but most grocery stores that carry Middle Eastern foods would have it near the Rose Water (which is easier to find). No worries, this drink is just as delicious without it, but it is nice if you can find it. Be very, very careful about how much Orange Blossom water or mint extract you add, both are very potent flavors and you only need a drop or two!

I hope you enjoy this drink as much as I do!

Jason is a PhD student in Biochemistry in Northern California who is taking some time off to work at a premiere winery in Napa Valley. He is originally from a small town in Louisiana, where he went to high school with both Blake and Bridget. When he isn’t experimenting in the lab, the kitchen or the garage (where he brews his own beer), he enjoys spending time with his fiancée, Claire, and his dog, Gus. A cat can be found in his house, but his official policy is that the cat does not exist. He is also, inexplicably and irrationally, afraid of sharks.

Los Angeles gets too hot in the summer for my usual cup or morning coffee.  It’s a time when iced coffee becomes the only option.  Unfortunately, none of the coffee shops around here seem to have learned a simple technique: cold-brewing coffee.

Instead they take their hot coffee, which has usually been kept hot for two long, and is slightly burnt, and pour it over ice.  The only way it’s really drinkable is with a generous helping of cream or milk, and sugar, if that’s your thing.

Cold-brewed coffee, on the other hand, requires no cream; At least I think so.  The flavor is smooth.  There’s no burnt quality to it.  And you can taste all the flavors in the coffee that you’re meant to taste.

I’ve heard cold-brewed coffee is the norm in NYC.  But there’s no need to make a trip to a fancy coffee shop (or, in my case, to the east coast) to enjoy it.  It’s perfectly simple to make it at home.

I use a mason jar into which I put my freshly ground coffee with the correct proportion of water (check your bag of beans, it should tell you what that is).  Then I leave it overnight to brew.

The next morning I filter the liquid through a coffee filter into a glass filled with ice until the glass is about 3/4 full.  Then I dilute it with some cold water.  Technically it’s supposed to be diluted 50/50, and if you want to get fancy you can make ice cubes out of the coffee to make the proportion exact.  But I just put a little more coffee in to balance out the ice.

In my ideal world I would use a french press for this process.  That way you don’t have to mess around with the coffee filter.  So, if you own one, lucky you!

Meet This Sipper

Lara grew up in northern California where the words “hella” and “tight” were avid members of her vocabulary. That quickly changed, however, as after starting at UCLA she was duly educated in proper SoCal etiquette. She currently works as an editorial assistant at The Robb Report, where she writes about furniture, and hosts a blog, The Ladybug and the Lion, where she writes about whatever she wants. She also loves food. Her current favorites include beer, oysters, and authentic mexican.

So my fiancée, Claire, and I found ourselves craving a margarita… but to our horror, we were out of both Sweet and Sour Mix AND lemon juice (FYI: Sweet and Sour Mix is roughly 1 part lemon juice + 1 part lime juice + 1 part simple syrup). After a quick survey of my bar (which I keep very well stocked), I decided to try my hand at mixology and used some Limoncello as a substitute. The results were delightful, and strong!

In a cocktail shaker, combine and shake the following over ice:

• 3 parts Tequila
• 2 parts fresh lime juice
• 1 part Limoncello
• 1 part simple syrup
• 1 part orange liquor (I use Citronge or Cointreau, but Triple Sec would work in a pinch)

Pour into a salted glass, and enjoy your summer afternoon! Salud!

Also in the picture- some cubed grapefruit and sliced strawberries with a bit of lime juice - it’s deliciously refreshing. Another twist that we really like is to use a wedge from a Blood Orange instead of a lime.

Jason is a PhD student in Biochemistry in Northern California who is taking some time off to work at a premiere winery in Napa Valley. He is originally from a small town in Louisiana, where he went to high school with both Blake and Bridget. When he isn’t experimenting in the lab, the kitchen or the garage (where he brews his own beer), he enjoys spending time with his fiancée, Claire, and his dog, Gus. A cat can be found in his house, but his official policy is that the cat does not exist. He is also, inexplicably and irrationally, afraid of sharks.

During the late summer months, the weather forecast in the St. Louis area is typically, and I quote, “Stifling heat with suffocating humidity.” My choice of beverages in July and August are cool, crisp white wines and bubbly champagnes. Frosty margaritas or ice cold ales are refreshing, too.

So, why did I drink a heavy stout with 9.2% alcohol recently? Because it was Stone’s Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. Because it’s their new anniversary ale, which was released on July 7. Because I am longing for winter. Because, when there’s a blustery wind blushing my cheeks outside and a draft chilling my house inside, I love curling up on the couch by the fireplace and drinking stout beer. Because that makes me warm and cozy. Because feeling warm and cozy makes me happy.

And because it’s damned tasty beer.

Not familiar with Stone Brewing? Known for their “monster” beers like Arrogant Bastard Ale and hopped-up IPA’s, Stone hails from Escondido, California. Their gargoyle mascot is supposed to “ward of modern day evil spirits such as chemical preservatives, additives, and adjuncts.”

While I enjoy their beers, what I like most about Stone is the clever label commentary, written by CEO Greg Koch. The back of the Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout reads in part:

Hours later, it’s dark, and I’m finally home. A moment to contemplate. A moment to enjoy a hard eared beer! Time to write the label and muse on the things at hand. And what immediately jumps forward to the mind? Hops. Or lack thereof. Never before have we ever had to think to ourselves “What if we wanted to brew anther new, uber hopped beer, but couldn’t because the hops weren’t available?” Well that’s exactly the scenario we’re faced with now. It’s a situation that’s traveled from rumor to semi-awareness to hard reality to panic to grim resolution in the brewing industry in the last six months. For many, the hops may simply not be there. Some brewers are faced with the prospect of literally paying ten times what they did the year before. Even worse, for others, the jps are simply not there. And so we found ourselves in a very limited position of possibilities for the Stone 12th Anniversary Ale. What the hell are we going to brew if it’s not going to be a really hoppy beer? [...] Instead of the bitterness of hops, we turned to the decadent bitterness of chocolate (obtained with a little help form our favorite local artisanal chocolate guys at Chuao Chocolatier). Think big oatmeal and bitter unsweetened chocolate.

Yes, this beer is bitter. But it’s not that mouth-puckering grapefruity bitter bite you get with IPA’s. It’s more of a dark (not sweet) cocoa flavor with a deep bitter finish and a creamy, silky (not crisp) texture. And it’s beautiful…black in color with a foamy rich brown head.

Despite the stifling & suffocating hot weather, this beer made me feel warm and cozy…and happy. As Koch writes:

When you open this, [...] you can let a big oatmeal pillow (with a bitter chocolate place “just so” on it) take you away and perhaps you can enjoy a little “January dreaming in late summer.” If such a thing exists…

Yes, Greg. It exists…thanks to your Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout.

My Serving Suggestions: Ever drink stout beer with dessert? It’s delicious! Try it with a bowl of fresh strawberries, a slice of cheesecake, a hunk of chocolate cake, or–better yet–with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make a beer float that’s perfect for these hot summer days!

Since she can’t afford cable television on her measly teacher’s income, Kelly challenges herself to cook new recipes at least once a week. She chronicles her kitchen escapades on her food blog Sounding My Barbaric Gulp. Having previously worked at a winery, Kelly admits to being a wine snob…and to not trusting people who don’t drink. She believes a good life includes good food and even better wine.  When she’s not trying new recipes, Kelly teaches college composition and literature.

What better way to launch Blake’s new wine/beverage blog than to take you through the process of actually making wine? Well… that is exactly what I intend to do! I’m a PhD student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology who is taking some time off from my research this fall to work at an ultra-premeire winery in Napa Valley. I’m pretty sure I can’t tell you where I’m working, otherwise I might be accused of divulging trade-secrets, but rest assured these guys know exactly what they are doing (and hopefully soon so will I).

You might wonder why I might be interested in doing something like this? I’m originally from a small town in Louisiana and food has played an important role in my relationship with my culture and my family. I have three important gustatory memories: the first was when my grandfather, Papa, taught me how to make cornbread. I remember not being tall enough to reach the counter, so I was standing on a chair over an old gas stove heating oil and butter in a cast iron skillet. I clearly remember the sound of the batter and oil exploding as I poured it into the skillet. It was so much fun watching for a crust to begin to form around the edges before putting into the oven. I had never before eaten corn bread as good as the corn bread I made on that day (and possible have not since)! In a way, this is also one of my first experiences with chemistry as well, although I would not have been sophisticated enough in my thoughts to have made the connection at the time.

My second memory was several years later at the same stove where my godfather taught me how to make scrabbled eggs for the entire family on Christmas morning. Using the same skillet, here the lesson was patience, patience, patience! Don’t stir the eggs until precisely the right time!

My third memory was with my great-grandmother in her home town of Mamou, LA. We walked into a very small grocery store and butcher’s shop, where for the first time, I heard my great-grandmother speaking in Cajun French. The language was foreign to me as she had raised all of her children to speak only English so as to avoid what was, at that time, widespread discrimination of people of Cajun heritage in Louisiana. I remember pressing my face against the glass of the meat counter and pointing at strange looking sausages and meats and asking what they were. This was where, for the first time, I tasted boudin (more posts on this later)- which my dad sells in our family’s restaurant.

In short, I’ve had a long and passionate relationship with science and food, and winemaking (and beer brewing) brings these two together. So, I hope you’ll be interested in joining me as I learn more about the wine industry and the science of winemaking over the next few months as I experience my first crush.

Jason is a PhD student in Biochemistry in Northern California who is taking some time off to work at a premiere winery in Napa Valley. He is originally from a small town in Louisiana, where he went to high school with both Blake and Bridget. When he isn’t experimenting in the lab, the kitchen or the garage (where he brews his own beer), he enjoys spending time with his fiancée, Claire, and his dog, Gus. A cat can be found in his house, but his official policy is that the cat does not exist. He is also, inexplicably and irrationally, afraid of sharks.

Blake Sips is almost here! Stay tuned (and pardon incomplete pages). I couldn’t wait to tell you!

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