Negroni Week

In honor of Negroni Week, we are doing a host of variations at SoBou.  A carbonated classic version, a mezcal version and even a sherry version because it is also Sherry Week!

Here is a popular nergroni variation from last year's summer menu.  

Dizzy Blonde Negroni

Build in soda siphon, batching for 7 cocktails

7 oz  Gin,

7 oz Aperol

7 oz Dolan dry vermouth,

3 ½ oz Cointreau,

3 ½ oz water

served carbonated from a soda siphon into a OF glass filled with ice

Garnish: Grapefruit twist

Both the soda siphon and the batched cocktail should be kept cold in the freezer or refrigerator to get maximum fizziness from the siphon.

This is a light aperitif cocktail.  It would pair well with cured meats, cheese, olives and pickles.  Brunchy food, it would be divine with a quiche.

Bayou Sunset Sangria

I demonstrated a rose rum sangria at the Bayou Boogaloo. Events like the Boogaloo are what made me fall in love with New Orleans! I am so proud to share my love for cocktails on this beautiful day!

Bayou Sunset Sangria

(Serves 10)

Watermelon 

Honeydew

Cantaloupe 

Red grapes

Blueberries

One jalapeño pepper

3 cups Bayou white rum

11/2 cup Bayou spiced rum

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/2 cup Bissop hibiscus concentrate

2 bottles of rose wine

Using a melonballer, break down half each of the melons. Reserve melon shells as serving vessels if so inclined. Slice grapes in half and add blueberries whole. De-seed the jalapeño and slice into thin rings

To fruit salad add agave, hibiscus and half the rum, reserving the other half for the wine punch. Fruit salad can now stay fresh for up to 3 days. 

To make wine punch, just combine rum with the wine. 

When ready to serve, use one scoop of fruit salad per person over ice with 1 cup of wine punch per person. 

Best Bars in America

And don't you forget it!

http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/americas-best-bars

LeSigh.. I wish all my photos were GIFs of me at the Beagle...

Sno-Balls for Grown Ups

New Orleans has a name for frozen slushie type drinks.  Daiquiris.  These drinks are as about as far removed from an original Daiquiri as a Mango-Choco-Appletini is to an original Gin Martini.  While I have no room at my bar for a full on Daiquiri machine, I try to re-create the frozen drink craze during our hot summer months with Beverly, my industrial ice crusher.  Beverly Crusher (the smaller version is called Wesley) creates beautiful fine shaved ice more reminiscent of our famous Sno-ball stands or the shaved ice I used to get from the little old Dominican men with a huge block of ice on their shopping carts in my old neighborhood in New York City.  These men sold piraguas with hand shaved ice and homemade syrups.  My favorite here in New Orleans is called a Pink Squirrel, a cherry almond syrup that is greatly enhanced by a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk on top, a topping as common has whipped cream here at New Orleans Sno-ball stands.  Take flight with this boozed up version of the Pink Squirrel with that other form of city vermin, The Pink Pigeon.

Drink:  piragüas or as we call them in New Orleans, Sno-balls for grown ups

Pink Pigeon

¾ oz fresh lime juice

1 oz Luxardo Sour Cherry Syrup

¾ oz Luxardo Amaretto

2 oz good white rum Rum (I like a local rum like Old New Orleans, Bayou or Rouraroux)

Shake all ingredients over ice and strain ½ of mixture onto a mound of crushed ice.  Pour the remaining ½ and then top with more crushed ice.  Garnish with a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk and a cherry.

Of course Strawberries and Cream are another natural combination.  Try this classis New Orleans Sno-Ball Boozed up:

Tiger’s Blood

2 oz Coconut Rum

1 oz Coconut Milk

1 oz simple syrup

Fresh Strawberries

Spiced Rum Whipped Cream*

Muddle about 2-3 ripe strawberries into the simple syrup.  Shake all ingredients over ice and strain ½ of mixture onto a mound of crushed ice.  Pour the remaining ½ and then top with more crushed ice.  Top with Spiced Rum Whipped Cream and fresh strawberry.

*To make the spiced Rum whipped cream, whip 1 cup of heavy cream with 1 tsp of vanilla, 1 Tablespoon of spiced rum and 2 tablespoons of Steens Cane Syrup.

Belinis, Sangrias and Daiquiris…on ice!

Not all snowballs are creamy.  Adding some bubbles to shaved ice created a refreshing frozen treat that dances a conga on your tongue. 

Island Bellini

1 oz Passion Fruit Puree

1 oz Peach Puree

3 oz of Moscato d Asti

3 oz Dry Cava

Pour all ingredients over crushed ice and mix gently.  Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and a fresh peach slice if you are so inclined.

I use half moscato and half dry cava to control the sweetness to my liking.  When working with frozen ice or blended drinks, it is key to go a tad sweeter than you would normally.  The dilution of the ice needs a bit more sugar to bring forward the entire flavor of the cocktail.  Of course, all sweetness should be adjusted to your own personal preference.

Things You Might Have Missed

I know my poor blog has suffered from a lack of posts since I have moved down to New Orleans.  That is, of course, due to my very busy job running an amazing bar in the French Quarter.  It has been quite a joy receiving wonderful feedback from my guests and have even gotten some notice from the press as well.  So I thought I'd share some fun stuff in case you missed it.

GoNola.com has a twenty questions they do and I have fun thinking about all the great new stuff I love about my city in this piece.

And I actually got on the cover of the Times Picayune with a sassy shot of me and my tattoo with this great piece that has some of my dearest new friends profiled as well.

Trust me...for this piece, my refrigerator has never looked so clean.  City Eats is a great new tool for our restaurant as well.

When Wine Enthusiast notices your talents as a Bartender, you've come a long way, baby!

Thrillist is so male centric, I hoped to get a boyfriend out of this piece, but alas, no.  

Speaking of not getting dates....I waited on two very cute gentlemen at the bar the other day.  Now they were here for a bachelor party, but they were past their blasted 20's, I think, and I rather enjoyed their company and conversation at the bar.  I am a bit ashamed to admit, I had some high hopes for myself after taking care of them all night.  Being around cute boys will do that to ya. The next morning I saw them again and had to hear about their exploits at the strip club.  LeSigh.  I should just stick to tending to their bar needs and realize that my needs may be forever on hold.

So here is my Bloody Mary recipe.  For all those strip club hangovers that I am doomed to attend to.  This appeared in Men's Journal, natch.  I am IN Men's Journal, but not in Men's Journal, you know?  Bummer.

Bloody Marys are often appropriate during the hectic holiday season, whether they are used to shore up one's courage before the ride to grandmother's house and a houseful of in-laws, or as the salve to the wounds of the office holiday party. Abigail Gullo, a veteran of Brooklyn's Fort Defiance and Manhattan's The Beagle, is part of a recent wave of bartender emigrés to New Orleans. Gullo brought her Bloody Mary recipe to her new post as Head Bar Chef at SoBou in the French Quarter, and it's been her personal passion to craft smooth, drinkable Marys without the astringency and excessive spiciness that can upset a tender stomach and turn one off mid-drink. She discovered a new secret ingredient in the form of a ghost pepper pickling juice that executive chef Juan Carlos Gonzalez makes for her, but, as Gullo says, everyone's Bloody Mary should be different. "Just throw it all in and see how it tastes," she suggests. "Everyone likes something different, so adjust it until you like it." That said, Gullo does warn us about the spiciness. "It always gets hotter the longer it sits, so go easy on the hot sauce at first and add more later if desired," she says. And Bloody Marys don't have to be made with traditional vodka only. At SoBou, you can get any of four different spirits to go with its mix below: Vodka, Gin, 100% agave Tequila, or Aquavit. The last one, a caraway seed spirit from Scandinavia, is Gullo's personal favorite."

Ingredients:
• 36 ounces V8 (get yer veggies in!)
• 4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• 2 teaspoon orange juice
• 3 teaspoon fresh lemon or lime juice
• 4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 14 dashes hot sauce (we like Crystal here in Nola)
• 10 dashes celery bitters
• 1.5 ounces Krogstad Aquavit (or your clear spirit of choice, per suggestions above)
• 10 drops of spicy bitters, such as Thai chili or sriracha
• 4 teaspoons of ghost pepper pickling liquid ("Any pickling juice you have on hand will do, again: just add slowly and taste as you go," explains Gullo)

Read more: http://www.mensjournal.com/expert-advice/six-holiday-cocktails-thatll-impress-your-guests-20121219/abigail-jullos-sobou-bloody-mary#ixzz2hWLW9Mce
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We Want Beer!

Parade down South of Bourbon...

SoBou will be doing $3 beer specials all during Tales.  Brooklyn Lager, Red Strip, Abita Mardi Gras Bock, Covington Bayou Bock and more!  Just in case you need that break from cocktails during Tales.  Get them while they last!

Beer is good for hydration right?

Tales of the Cocktail

I am very excited for Tales of the Cocktail this year as I finally got back on track to actually take advantage of the educational seminars that are my favorite part of this cocktail extravaganza.

Don't get me wrong.  I love the parties and seeing my friends from all over the world.  But now that I actually live here in New Orleans, I would encourage those friends to come back when it is not Tales so we can ran rampant all over the amazing city.

This year I will be Bar Smarts certified in one series of seminars and will learn more about my friend St John's idol, Charles H. Baker.

This year I am also hosting my first Spirited dinner.  This really is a dream come true.  During my first visit to Tales, I was asked to go to Bayona for their Tequila dinner by the lovely Heidi and Junior Merino.  I remember thinking how lucky I would be if I got to play host and pair cocktails with delicious food.  That is happening this Thursday Night at SoBou!  Well, actually that happened every night at SoBou.

Beyond the dinner, I also get to throw an awesome vintage Latin Themed 1940's party with my dear friend Lynnette!  Did I mention Chefs Table at Commander's Palace with a best gal pal from High School?  Its all just falling into place so nicely and I am so excited for what will be a whirlwind birthday week.  40 is the new...well, Happiness!  

Now...to find a man.

Keeping Up with the Collins

I must be homesick for NYC...more specifically, my home in Red Hook, Fort Defiance.  Lately my former job and co-workers have been showing up in my dreams.  I figured out that when outside forces threaten me, my sub-conscious goes to my "safe place", The Fort, to work out the problems.

Enough with Psychology 101!  Get to some drinks!  

In honor of the Collins section we used to have at Fort Defiance, I have created my own Collins section at SoBou for our Spring Menu.  Entitled "Keeping up with the Collins", it is a list of refreshing twists on the classic Collins (gin and fizzy lemonade).  I also threw in our most popular cocktail, The Faubourg Tall Boy since it is a combination of a Tom Collins and a Kir Royal.  




Michael Collins
1 1/2 oz Powers Irish Whiskey
3/4 oz Lemon
3/4 oz Lavender syrup

Shake, stop with soda in a collins glass, garnish with fresh lavender



Cumberbatch Collins
1 1/2 oz Gin
3/4 oz lemon
1/2 oz Benedictine
dash of simple
2 slices of cucumber

Shake, stop with soda in a collins glass, garnish with Cucumber



Joan Collins
1 1/2 oz Square One Basil Vodka
3/4 oz lemon
1/2 oz simple
muddled strawberry

Shake, stop with soda in a collins glass, garnish with basil



Phil Collins
1 1/2 oz Barrel aged Bols Gevever
3/4 oz Cointreau/simple
3/4 oz lemon

Shake, stop with soda in a collins glass, garnish with fresh thyme

Rock Stars

Rock Stars

One of the best things about my job is the delightful wonderful charming lovely people I get to meet.  Thanks to my dear friend Lorelei, and some positive Yelp reviews, some more of these people found me.  These guys were sweet enough to get some of us from the restaurant into their sold out show, hang out with us in the VIP room, and be generally awesome, kind and funny.  And they had the audacity to call ME the rockstar!  

Here is The Barnacle created for Aaron of Awol Nation last night.  Thanks guys!

The Barnacle
1 1/2 oz Johnny Drum Bourbon
1/2 oz Willett Reserve Rye
1/2  oz Apricot liqueur
1/2 oz lemon
dash of ginger syrup

shake serve up

Super Pardi/Mardi Bowl!

We are in the middle of some fun times here in New Orleans!  The sun is shining, my bar is hoppin' and I sleep in a bed of glitter, feathers and body paint.  Its my first Carnival Season in New Orleans!

But wait...Time to take a break and through the biggest tailgating party of the year!!  Its the Super Bowl!  Though our beloved Saints were SABOTAGED this year from participation, we are very happy there will be no Dirty Birds in Nola, but the noble Ravens Vs the 49'ers...Forty Niners?  How does that go San Francisco?  I am just glad we don't have to deal with any teams that remind of of our genocidal past (I am looking at YOU DC!  Changer your logo to a Potato already!  The Fightin' Taters!  Your Cheer Leaders are the "Sweet Potatoes"...It will be GREAT!!)

So in honor of those two teams, I propose a shot for each of them. The Ravens get "The Edgar Allan Poe" (whose poem the team is named for since Poe is a son of Baltimore) Its Nola's own Toulouse Red Absinthe layered with a float of Guinness on top.

The 49ners get a shot of Fernet Branca...they love that stuff out on San Fran..sell more than any other place in the USA...even out sell Brooklyn!

So come into SoBou and visit me for some shots, chow and lets get ready for some Football!!!!!  

What do you say, Vincent Price?

or James Earl Jones?

Christopher Walken?

Incredible Honor



Jill DeGroff sees me as this saucy minx!

On of the greatest honors you can have in our industry is to have your likeness drawn by the amazing incomparable Jill DeGroff.  Mrs. King Cocktail herself has for years been capturing the spirit and personality of the many characters on both sides of the bar.  She has published these works of art in her series of books. Lush Life, Portraits from the Bar.  And now she had done me the honor of drawing my likeness in front of my beautiful bar here at SoBou!  I love how she captured my crooked smile, my Fleur de lis and my bodacious ta ta's.  I even have a great Derby hat on!  Thank you so much Jill!  I am moved and so excited!  Whoo hoo!  I am a muse of the Saloon Artist!  Perfect, now that I have my own Saloon here in Nola!

Creole Commando

One of my favorite drinks I learned during my time at The Beagle in NYC was the Commando.  Its a variation of the Sidecar, another favorite classic of mine.  And here at SoBou, when people ask for an off menu drink, I often guide them to the Commando.  Its refreshing and citrusy but has a nice Bourbon kick.  And the Absinthe rinse is pure New Orleans.  

The Commando was such a hit with a customer last night, that he asked for further variations of THAT drink!  Well, easily done as Creole Shubb makes an interesting, more Nola alternative to Cointreau and this blog is called RyeGirl, after all.  So I present the Creole Commando!  Reminds me of all my New Orleans friends who spent the recent hurricane with pistols and automatic weapons strapped to their sides (yikes!).





Creole Commando
1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
1 oz Rhum Clément Creole Shrubb
1/2 oz Lemon juice

Rinse coupe with Absinthe. Shake, strain up, no garnish.

Commando 

1/2 oz lemon,
1 oz Cointreau,
1 1/2 Elijah Craig 12yr.

Rinse coupe with Absinthe. Shake, strain up, no garnish.

Sidecar

3/4 oz Lemon

3/4 oz Cointreau

1 1/2 oz Brandy or Cognac (Lairds apple brandy is good!)

rim glass with lemon juice and sugar rim, shake, strain up.