Mixología at Oak at Fourteenth: Experiencing the Art of Crafting Tequila Cocktails

Anyone who spends time with me knows how very much I love Oak at Fourteenth. The food, libations, owners, and staff make this one of the best places in town for a cocktail, small plate, happy hour, formal sit-down dinner, late night… It’s always great, but somehow, I think it managed to move up a notch.

I attended a Milagro Tequila make-your-own cocktail “class” and dinner, led by Gaston Martinez, a brand ambassador of Milagro Tequila. As a weekly guide of my own cocktail tours, I’ve tried a fair share of tequilas. But, this was my first in-depth experience with Milagro.

When I say the “class” was led by the brand ambassador, that means that a real tequila aficionado came to Oak, set up the Acorn Room with all things Milagro, and spent two hours or so introducing us to the Milagro brand of tequilas.  As a note: I paid the $40 to attend this event and was not asked to, nor offered anything free to write a glowing review.

The attendees met at 5:30 in the Acorn Room, Oak’s private dining room, which was all decked out in Milagro Tequila swag. 

There were Boston shakers, muddlers, ice buckets, and all the ingredients needed to make three signature tequila cocktails, such as blackberries and sage, pineapple and basil, cucumbers and jalapeños, cilantro, bitters, freshly made sour mix… I hadn’t actually been expecting to be muddling, let alone to be amongst a group of twenty muddlers, so, let’s just say I was stoked upon arrival.

Oak’s esteemed staff started passing their signature Crispy Fried Pickles & Green Goddess Aioli, Key West Shrimp and Grits with Tabasco Butter, and a welcome cocktail called “The Freshest Margarita” made with Milagro silver, lime juice, and agave nectar.

After a couple welcome beverages, we gathered around the table for a nice greeting by Oak owner and crafter-of-all-things-cocktail, Bryan Dayton. Then, Bryan set us loose with Gaston who got us right to work making our first cocktail: The Mercadito (You’ll find all cocktail recipes at the bottom of this post).

Midway through making my Mercadito (a cucumber, jalapeño, cilantro cocktail), I switched settings on my camera… as a side note…

The Mercadito was paired with our first course- Chicken Tacos with Guacamole.

One tip we learned from Gaston about our first cocktail, which had jalapeño, was that a cocktail that is spicy on the lips is too spicy. Apparently, that’s a fact, and it created some great conversation with those around me. By the time we had muddled, measured, poured, shaken, strained, and sipped our first cocktail, it felt like we had gathered around a table with old friends. It was clear the evening was headed in the right direction.

Then it was time to move on to cocktail #2- The Veracruzana. This one was particularly fun because we had to muddle pineapple, which quickly turned into pineapple juice after a few moments muddling. I shared in some giddy-as-a-schoolgirl enthusiasm with the women across the table from me.

We sipped The Veracruzana while enjoying Braised Short Ribs with Jalapeño & Peanut Relish.

Moving on to the third course… it was time once again to get muddling. Blackberries and a pinch of sage turned into a gorgeously fragrant jam-like medley in our glass.

The Carpe Dia was our third and final cocktail, paired with Grilled Chicken Tenders & Shishito Pepper Skewers with Pomegranate Molasses. Yum.

I had the honor and privilege of sitting next to one of Oak’s bartenders, Audrey, and I assure everyone at the table had a similar smile upon seeing Oak’s presentation of the skewers stuck into a log. It’s one of the coolest food presentations I’ve seen and hope to see it again at Oak.

But anyway… back to the booze. We weren’t done drinking our third cocktail (fourth if you count the welcome drink, and I had two of those, so… uh oh…) We were presented a tasting of three award-winning select barrel reserve tequilas- a silver, resposado, and añejo.

Gaston dusted the reposado with cinnamon, the añejo with cocoa, and brought out a plate of fresh mint that we got to slap (or spank) before adding a leaf to the glass of silver tequila.

I had such a good time that evening and look forward to Oak’s next culinary event. You can find out more about special events on the bottom right side of Oak’s website oakatfourteenth.com, or on their Facebook page facebook.com/oakatfourteenth. I’m going to do my best to attend their next event and hope to see you there, too.

THE FRESHEST MARGARITA

2 parts Milagro Silver

3/4 part Milagro Agave Nectar

1 part fresh lime juice

Combine all three ingredients in a Boston shaker glass. Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a slice of lime and salt (optional).

MERCADITO

2 parts Milagro Silver

3/4 part Milagro Agave Nectar

1 part fresh lime juice

4 cucumber slices

1 pinch cilantro

1 thin jalapeño slice (or 2 if you’d like it spicy)

Muddle lime and cilantro in a Boston shaker glass. Add remaining ingredients, shake vigorously with ice, and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a slice of cucumber and a sprig of cilantro.

VERACRUZANA

2 parts Milagro Reposado

3/4 part Milagro Agave Nectar

1 part fresh lime juice

4 pineapple chunks

2 basil leaves

3 dashes angostura bitters

splash of ginger beer

Muddle pineapple and basil in a Boston shaker glass. Add the remaining ingredients (except the ginger beer), shake vigorously with ice, and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Top off with ginger beer and garnish with a basil leaf.

CARPE DIA

2 parts Milagro Añejo

3/4 part Milagro Agave Nectar

1 part fresh lime juice

5 blackberries

2 sage leaves

Muddle the fruit and herbs in a Boston shaker glass. Add the other ingredients, shake vigorously with ice, and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish the cocktail with a blackberry and a sage sprig.

The Cove at Star Bar, Denver

If you venture out of LODO or LOHI for artfully crafted cocktails, there’s no better place to go than The Cove, a patio bar created by the one and only Britt Henze.  Britt had been featured on Boulder cocktail tours while at Mateo, and then left the bubble and headed to the big city where she [wo]manned the bar at a number of fine dining establishments. Then she apparently decided she’d be happier on a humble patio in the back of the Star Bar, so she renovated a vacant cement space into a fun, inviting, uniquely Britt-the-bartender-run joint.

Britt built a full bar, stocked with booze-cicles, jello shots, beers… there’s a grill so you can BYO food to grill…

And let’s not forget she has a FULL BAR, where the extremely talented Henze creates some of the best cocktails in town.

The Cove at Star Bar is a place not to be missed by anyone who 1) knows Britt and/or 2) appreciates cocktails. Enjoy sipping libations or sucking on booze-cicles while the weather is nice.

Star Bar

2137 Larimer Street, Denver

Pasta Vino, Boulder

The newest restaurant in town recently opened, and after hearing a number of positive comments about their pizza and pasta, I decided it was time for Heather (my trusty tour guide) and me to check it out.  Pasta Vino now proudly sits in a space once known as Juanita’s- squeezed between Salt and The Kitchen- and is a nice addition to the west end of Pearl Street.  While you’ll still hear some folks lament the closing of Juanita’s, I think after enough hungry diners walk in and satiated guests walk out, Pasta Vino will become another esteemed Pearl Street establishment.

Heather and I sat at the funky, lit-up, striped bar and started with cocktails.  We were pleased to learn that Pasta Vino features house-made limoncello, so after asking for a taste, I ordered the West End Moustache- a cocktail with limoncello.  Heather went for a barrel-aged gin Last Word.  Two excellent choices.

West End Moustache

Barrel-aged Last Word

Pancetta wrapped scallops came next, followed by house made bread and a salad.  We also switched over to house white wine.

There’s something on the menu for everyone just as you’d expect at an Italian restaurant- salads, pizza, antipasti, pasta… and Pasta Vino features different specialty pastas each day. We were there on a Wednesday and had the choice of a spaghetti with prawns, a greens-filled ravioli, or vermicelli pasta with pancetta.

I tried the Bucatini and Heather went with the Ravioli. These were two more excellent choices we made that evening… (Maybe Heather and I are on to something here…) After a little freshly shaved parmesan we got to work on our pasta.

At this point, I must dare to say that the pasta at Pasta Vino was perfectly cooked.  My vermicelli dish was so delicious that, despite feeling full by the third bite or so, I finished the entire bowl of pasta.  Heather’s ravioli were also very well done.  The greens for the filling maintained their identity and weren’t some wet mushy mess, and the chef seemed to have finished the dish in the oven because there was a crispiness to the edges not often found on ravioli. After much talk of bringing home the leftovers, both plates were licked clean.

Overall, I highly recommend Pasta Vino and can’t wait to start featuring them on both cocktail and dining tours.  In the meantime, check them out and give their pasta a try.  I’m already eager to return for another taste of hand-crafted Italian food.

Pasta Vino

1043 Pearl Street, Boulder

303-955-8791

Row 14, Denver Late Night Happy Hour

Don’t get me wrong… I’m a good, loyal Boulderite.  I love this town and I love the dining scene, but when it comes to late night food, there aren’t many options.  I wish we had kitchens open til midnight or later, and that food trucks could park downtown at night.  But no.  One must venture down to Denver to have such benefits.  So venture to Denver I did…
to Row 14 Bistro and Wine Bar.

Row 14 is right downtown in The Spire building across from my favorite blue bear at the convention center.  Big bonus right there.  They also have a late night happy hour from 10pm-midnight, so walking in at 11:30 pm I sampled…

The Pickled Seasonal Vegetables.  I order this dish now at every single restaurant I visit that has pickles on the menu.  I’m a big seasonal pickler myself, so I am always interested in comparing professionally made pickles to my homemade pickles.  The beets, turnips, and onions were great. Crisp, balanced, delicious.

Hummus and Grilled Flatbread.  Yes, Please.  This is an ideal late night dish for me because it’s filling and healthy (remember I’m a Boulderite, so, health starts here…), and Row 14 makes a perfectly creamy chickpea hummus.

Crispy Calamari… let’s just ignore the fact that I only had my handy iPhone with me, so we’re obviously not looking at the most amazing photo here.  But, yum. I scarfed it all down, and washed it down with a unique libation made by up-and-coming mixologist Tyler French.

I told Tyler I like Rye and he crafted something for me that was spirit forward.  I like it strong sometimes.

If Denver weren’t so far away from Boulder, and if I didn’t have to stop at a hotel over night to break up the drive, I’d go more often.  But seriously. Boulder needs to step it up with the late night food offerings.  In the meantime, I’ll enjoy what Denver has to offer.

July Cocktail Tours- A Taste of The Colorado Cocktail Project

The Colorado Cocktail project was a really fun cocktail competition held in Denver on June 26-27.  33 mixologists entered the competition to create an official cocktail for Colorado.  10 finalists were invited to compete, 2 of who represent great bars in Boulder.

Britt Henze from Mateo came in first in people’s choice, and Evan Faber of SALT came in third in people’s choice.  So, July cocktail tours will feature 3 cocktails entered into the competition:

• The Western Slope by Caroline Johnson at the West End Tavern
• The Diamondback by Evan Faber
• The Bear Paw Palmer by Britt Henze

Come join us for this VIP cocktail tasting Thursdays at 3 pm.

The Colorado Cocktail Project

What does Colorado taste like?  The Colorado Cocktail Project is seeking an answer to that question in the form of a unique cocktail created by Colorado mixologists featuring Colorado spirits.  That sounds like a cool competition to me!  As New Orleans has the Sazerac and New York has the Manhattan, so too will Colorado have an official cocktail.

The rules, according to esteemed libations expert and creator of the Colorado Cocktail Project, Sean Kenyon, are:

-The base spirit (at least half of the spirit in the cocktail) must be a Colorado spirit — one produced by a Colorado distiller.

-There is a seven-ingredient maximum, including garnish

-All ingredients must be commercially available

-The cocktails must be available at the bartender’s establishment, preferably on a menu, from April 1 through June 10.

Boulder has some representation in this project-

Justin Lavenue from Bombay Bistro submitted “The Rocky Mountain Wildfire”

Caroline Johnson from The West End Tavern submitted “The Western Slope”

Evan Faber from SALT submitted “The Diamondback”

And there are a lot of entries from great mixologists in Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and a number of mountain towns.  This is going to be fun, and I wish I could be an official judge!  But, I still have a lot to learn about cocktails before I’d be judge-worthy.  Guess that means I should head out to a number of establishments and order some Colorado cocktails as I refine my cocktail palate.

Check out the list of mixologists and their cocktails on the Museum of Contemporary Art’s website, and then go drink cocktails and get a taste of Colorado!

More details:

Sunday, June 26, 2011 12-6PM
Drop-In Colorado Spirits Tastings & Lecture Marathon Series
Food Trucks. Drinks. Colorado Cocktail Experts.

Monday, June 27, 2011 5-9:30PM
Meet the Bartenders and help the judges decide which will be the winning Colorado Cocktail. Learn. Drink. Vote.

Tickets:
$40 per day
$70 two-day pass
available at www.coloradococktailproject.com or by calling 303-298-7554

Cheers!

Getting Old Fashioned

Getting Old Fashioned with Evan Faber on Vimeo

Local Table Tours is starting to make some short films.  Check out the first one here on Vimeo!

Valentine Fizz

On a recent dining tour, Greg, the esteemed beverage manager at OAK at Fourteenth, made a unique new cocktail for us called a Valentine Fizz (it is February, after all).

You’re definitely going to have to get over to OAK for this cocktail because, even if you have all of these ingredients at home, it’s nice to have an expert do all of that shaking!

OAK’s just sweet enough and too complex to really describe Valentine Fizz has: Gin, Campari, Rose Water, Egg White, Lemon, Cream, and Peychaud’s Bitters, sweetly drawn in the shape of a heart.

And the sweetest detail of all- when we finished our cocktails, the heart shape remained at the bottom of the glass.

Chrysanthemum Honey Ginger Scotch Collins

The recipe is all in the name of this spontaneous cocktail, created for me by Evan Faber, one of downtown Boulder’s most creative mixologists.  As much as I enjoy mixing and matching with his popular Cocktail Element, it is always a pleasure to taste his creative concoctions.

This was a scotch collins with some chrysanthemum honey and Domaine de Canton (which just so happens to be one of my favorite spirits).

But, it is not on the menu at SALT. Not yet, anyway.

ROOT: Not just plain old rootbeer

Some bars in Boulder are starting to serve ROOT, a pre-prohibition style spirit that is sure to please anyone who likes the flavor of root beer.  In fact, root beer, a prohibition non-alcoholic beverage, got its start from Root Tea, an alcoholic spirit.  The folks at Art in the Age say it best, so I’ll quote:

“Here at Art in the Age, we thought it would be interesting and fun to turn back the clock and recreate a true pre-temperance alcoholic Root Tea. We’ve even made it certified organic, since back then, everything was organic. This is the opposite of corporate culture. It’s a genuine experience rooted in history and our own landscape. It is a truly interesting and contemplative quaff. Certainly like nothing else we have ever tasted before. It is NOT Root Beer flavored vodka or a sickly sweet liqueur.”

I recently got to taste ROOT in 10 or 11 different cocktails at Colorado’s First ROOT Cocktail Competition and realized just how versatile this spirit actually is.  If you enjoy the flavor or root beer, I can pretty much guarantee you’re going to like this spirit.  it is available in Liquor Mart if you’re adventurous and enjoy dabbling in mixology at home.

If not, you can ask for a cocktail at Oak at Fourteenth, The Bitter Bar, or Mateo. tell them Megan from Local Table Tours sent you.