Friday, February 25, 2011

Atta Boy, Squirrels, May the Force be with You



Seems like everything southern is hot right now, or maybe it always is. The upcoming Imbibe Magazine is all about drinking in the south. We're happy to see so many of our friends and colleagues featured so prominently in this ode to liquid culture. To further support our point, we'd like to announce that our very own Michael Searles (pirate name "Squirrels) is taking some of this heat to New York City this weekend to represent Atlanta in the Cocktail World Cup, an international event co-hosted by 42Below and the US Bartenders Guild. Searles is advancing to New York because he killed it in the regional competition held earlier this year with his "Betty Rampage."

Says Squirrels, "The drink's a bit girl-friendly, but those drinks have their place, damnit! The peaches I'm using are from Gaffney, South Carolina, who beats Georgia in overall production, to this day, and the ginger ale is Blenheim's spicy variety. The cocktail's color and opacity represent a uniquely Southern U.S. red clay that's given life to our local foodways and ruined every pair of white tennis shoes I've ever owned. I've named it for a true Southern Belle who's not afraid to engage in a bit of roller-derby violence. It's sweet and sassy and not at all shy, which again encapsulates (through our character, the Belle) all I've learned and love about the South."

We'll all be cheering for you on Sunday, Squirrels, and can't wait to see you move on the final round in New Zealand.

For those of you who might like to try this at home, we submit the recipe here:

The Betty Rampage

1) Coarse chop one pecan, cut a small wedge from a 2nd pecan

2) Add chopped pecan, .25oz white wine vinegar, 3 dashes Angostura bitters to a tumbler

3) Add 1.5oz peach preserve to tumbler... Canned peaches will suffice

4) Add ice and 1.5oz 42Below vodka to tumbler

5) Top with .75oz spicy ginger ale or ginger beer, though be aware and adjust (more vinegar or more bitters, respectively) if the ginger ale is either overly sweet or the ginger beer is overly citric

6) Shake vigorously

7) Double strain into double Old Fashioned over rocks

8) Garnish with the near-whole pecan and sprig of spicy green such as arugula or rapini

Enjoy!



















































































































btw, the Bottle Shop is opening next week.