CocktailSmarts Preview

Getting Ready for CocktailSmarts
Preview & Recipe

The final proofs for CocktailSmarts arrived today, and we couldn’t be more excited about our newest creation. I admit, historically I’ve shied away from making drinks at home (and for that matter drinking them when I’m out). But as we’ve developed this product, the whole art of the cocktail has become quite intriguing to me, and I’ve been trying out lots of fun concoctions both in and out. Over the next few months, we’ll share with you some fun cocktail recipes and facts, including a particularly yummy one this week.

Like our other products, CocktailSmarts has the fascinating question and answer cards with a scorepad that you can play at your next cocktail party. And the Companion Guide is packed with tips and tricks about how to make drinks at home. This time we’re also including a dozen festive coasters with drink recipes and it comes in a fantastic tin that will make is an especially stylish addition to any home bar or coffee table.

We’re busy planning launch parties in New York and San Francisco later in the year, and if you haven’t already done so, sign up for our newsletter now.

We’ll be sending out information about these parties as we get closer to the date, and the guest list is sure to fill up fast. We’re curious about your favorite drinks and bartenders. If you have drinks, bars, or cool bartenders, you think people need to know about, send a note to cocktail@smartsco.com and we may to blog about them.

In the meantime, we thought we’d share with you some of the recipes and factoids that will be in CocktailSmarts.

Question: What do you get when you add gin to an Americano?

Answer: Negroni

If you want to make one of these popular drinks at home, here’s how:

1 ounce gin
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Orange slice or twist
Yield: 1 drink

* Note: In this drink, gin replaces club soda.

Combine gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth in a cocktail shaker with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled short glass such as an old-fashioned. Add a splash of club soda to taste, garnish with the orange slice, and serve. This drink can be served up or on the rocks, although in the U.S., the up version is usually served by default.

All three ingredients can be combined in a pint glass with ice, stirred and strained into a chilled cocktail glass, or served over ice in an old-fashioned glass.

Cars in Carmel

Artichokes, Land Rovers & Concours d’Elegance

A few weeks ago, I enjoyed a simply decadent day of food, wine, perfume, and cars down in Carmel, one of the most beautiful locals California has to offer. After driving through picturesque farmland on Highway 1 and entering Carmel, a police car raced around us to stop traffic. While normally, one would be pretty bummed to be the first car to be stopped, we quickly realized this was a good thing as we got a front row seat for the “Tour” of the cars participating in this year’s Concours d’Elegance. The Concours is “an international gathering of automotive enthusiasts for ‘a celebration of the automobile’”. In other words, a really cool car competition and exhibition featuring some of the most luxurious classic cars from around the world.


With the fancy cars and wealth enthusiasts in town, all sorts of luxury goods companies take the opportunity to show off their stuff. So when a friend got an invitation to the Land Rover Experience Driving School at Quail Lodge in Carmel, we jumped on it. After checking in at the stunning golf club, we jumped in the Land Rovers with a professional driver who gave us a mini-class in off road driving. Our instructor trains special forces troops for the U.S. military, so he certainly knew what he was doing. I’m typically not a fan of cars (in fact I don’t even have one any more, opting for the bus), but I have to admit, it was pretty fun. I was a bit scared on the back roads, but the Land Rover pretty much does everything for you (including handling the breaking as you go downhill), so I felt quite safe. An exhilarating 1.5 miles / hour!

After our road trip, the event promoters had all sorts of activities for us – including a cooking class and a perfume class featuring L’Artisan Parfumeur, which apparently is the perfume of choice for the stars. My favorite was their “La Chasse Aux Papillons” which, I’m told is the perfume of choice of Kirsten Dunst.

The best part of the day was the cooking class, from Tony Baker, the exec chef at Montrio Bistro in Monterey. We had a great time, learning how to make fire roasted artichokes with a spicy, Moroccan style charmoula mayonnaise dip. So delicious! Being a native to the SF Bay Area, I grew up on artichokes, but always just had the old standbys – steamed with mayo & lemon. It’s definitely worth experimenting with these yummy thistles. You can now find them year-round, but they are in fact perennials that bloom twice a year—peaking in March & September. There are four types of chokes: Green Globe, Imperial Start, Desert Glob, and the Big Heart. The Green Globes are typically considered the best.

Many argue that it’s difficult to pair a wine with artichokes, but I think a mellow low-acid white wine, such as Riesling would do quite well. Or better yet, I’m thinking a nice amber beer (easy on the hops) would make a great companion. I think I’ll have to do some experimentation on the subject – I'll keep you posted.