Repeal Day Redux

It's time for a long overdue recap of our adventures on Repeal Day. Apologies for taking so long for the recap, December is by far the busiest month of the year in my world, so I didn't do any blogging last month.

Round I
We started out at the Clark Street Ale House, where we nibbled on snacks and enjoyed some great pre-Prohibition cocktails. All of the lovely ladies of LUPEC Chicago were present except one (who had a family emergency). In the picture above are (from left to right): Stone Manhattan, Delilah, Little Audrey, Shelley Temple, Morning Delight, Kiki Royale, Ginny Tonic and Eight is Enough.

I started the night with a Martini (as I do every Friday night), and then slowed down a bit by having a Monkey Gland. We had a special menu of cocktail options that evening, and many new drinks were tried. Both of mine were delicious - Erin definitely knows how to make a great drink (and it was a bonus that we had a woman bartender)! Thanks to Adam and everyone at the Ale House, and also to everyone who came out to celebrate with us - we were joined by several old and new friends. Unfortunately, my camera conked out and I don't have any pictures from there - the above came from someone else. I have a new camera now, so watch out!

Round II
We headed over to The Drawing Room, where the entire staff was dressed in period attire, and we had fantastic music from the Ron Mills Orchestra. We had a special menu of period drinks, including several of the namesake drinks for our members.

Collectively, we had many Stone Manhattans, Little Audreys, and Delilahs, as well as some other fantastic creations from the mixologists at the DR (from left, DJ Love, Charles Joly and Tim Lacey).

Much to our delight, many attendees dressed in period attire as well, and we really did get to party like it was 1933.

A great time was had by all, and a big THANK YOU to our friends at the Drawing Room, as well as all the great people who came out to celebrate with us.

We're looking forward to next year's celebration already, and are thinking up ways to top ourselves.

Talking Tiki

We had our November meeting this week, and it was a great one. Too bad some of the ladies couldn't make it, but that just meant more for those of us who did. Shelley Temple, Eight is Enough, our gracious hostess Delilah, and yours truly were present.

The theme this month was Tiki Drinks 101 and Delilah lined up a guest speaker to join us. James Teitelbaum is the author of Tiki Road Trip and a man of many talents. This was the first time a member of the male persuasion has attended one of our meetings, so we eyed him with suspicion initially. But as the night wore on, he won us over enough to let him stay for the evening.

Many in attendance didn't realize that there were good sipping rums, and had their eyes opened to new possibilities with rum. Thanks James!

The Drinks
James started our evening with the Test Pilot, a cocktail invented by Donn Beach, and a discussion of the beginnings of the Tiki movement. Next up was the classic Mai Tai and a discussion of Trader Vic. We finished the evening with the classic Dark 'n Stormy, made with Gosling's Black Seal Rum and Barritt's Ginger Beer. The Gosling's people would be most proud of us for respecting their trademark on this occasion.

The Eats
The food accompaniments included Cuban sandwiches, homemade tropical salsa and Ahi tuna skewers with a ginger-maple glaze. All were delicious. Of course we also had goldfish.

Here were the two favorite recipes, determined by a vote of the members in attendance:

Test Pilot
1.5 oz Dark Rum
.75 oz Light Rum
.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
.5 oz Velvet Falernum
3 teaspoons Cointreau
Dash Angostura bitters
1/8 teaspoon Pernod
Blend with 1 cup crushed ice, garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Polynesian Glaze
3/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup
1 cup water
1 3/4 tbsp. Fresh Grated Ginger
4 cloves Garlic finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp. prepared Horseradish
1 tsp. salt
Combine all ingredients in a pan and heat until boiling. Simmer for 15 minutes (or until reduced by half). Enjoy over your favorite fish. Delilah served this over ahi tuna skewered with granny smith apples and green peppers.
Note: can be made ahead - glaze will keep in fridge for several days.

Now everyone go off and Tiki!

Edit: I forgot to add in this month's Rye Confession, which comes from Shelley Temple. She advised that she is often carded when out with her husband, even though he is not. This occasionally makes him quite upset, and encourages her to call him "papa" for fun.

Party Like its 1933 - Repeal Day in Chicago!

The lovely ladies of LUPEC Chicago are excited to announce our first event, first two events, actually. We're hosting two celebrations of Repeal Day on Friday, December 5th. It's the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, which took effect on December 5, 1933. We hope you'll join us at one or both of our celebrations!

As a further encouragement for your cocktailing with us, a portion of the proceeds from all purchases of food & drink at these events will be donated to the Greenhouse Shelter in Chicago.

Here are the details - mark your calendars now!

Act I: Clark Street Ale House - Informal Happy Hour
742 N. Clark, Chicago
6.00-9.00 PM, Friday Dec 5th
Join us for a cocktail or three and toast the occasion. Just buy your own drinks and you won’t get into trouble.

Act II: The Drawing Room - Come Party Like it’s 1933
937 N. Rush, Chicago
10.00 pm on, Fri Dec 5th
Try the $33 Prefix Dinner & Drink Pairing Menu, or sip on a Prohibition-era cocktail from our special menu, all while listening to 1930’s tunes by the Ron Mills Orchestra.

October and the Shushing (sp?)

We had a mini-meeting in October, with just three of us in attendance (Shelley Temple, Stone Manhattan and yours truly). We met at Weegee's Lounge for cocktails and conversation, knowing we could get a great cocktail there. Unfortunately, we ended up being there on the night of the last Presidential debate, and no one warned us of the serious debate watching party that would take place. We were actually "shushed" and asked to be quiet! In a bar! As a result, we closed our meeting early, after finishing our cocktails.

We did have some great cocktails, including a classic Martini (made with my favorite gin), as well as a nice Alice, Mine and a Manhattan.

November brings our Rum Escape, with all things Tiki. Sounds perfect given how cold it is out there today - I'm all for pretending we're somewhere tropical. More on that one soon!

More Recipes from Past Events

Before we head into October's event (coming up in a couple of days at one of our favorites, Weegee's Lounge in Chicago), here are the recipes from our last two events:

August 2008 - Meet Us in St. Louis

Planters Punch
2 oz Dark Rum
Juice of one lime and half of a lemon
2 tsp Grenadine
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar syrup

Pour all ingredients into a large mixing glass and stir. Add ice cubes and stir until thoroughly chilled. Strain into a tall glass that is 3/4 filled with cracked ice. Garnish with fresh fruit.


St. Louis Toasted Ravioli (recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)
2 tbsp whole milk
1 egg
3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 package of frozen cheese ravioli, thawed
3 cups vegetable oil
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
16 oz marinara sauce

Combine milk and egg in a small bowl. Place breadcrumbs and salt in a shallow bowl (and stir). Dip the ravioli into the milk mixture, then coat with breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, heat marinara over medium heat in a saucepan, bring to a simmer.

In a large heavy pan, pour oil to a depth of 2 inches. Heat oil over medium heat until a small amount of breading sizzles and turns brown. Fry a few ravioli at a time, for 1 minute on each side until golden. Drain onto paper towels. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately with hot marinara.

September 2008 - Parlez-vous Français?

Kiki's French 75 Cocktail
2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice (or more, to taste)
Champagne

Pour gin, simple syrup and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled and pour into a champagne flute. Top with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Apple Tarte Tatin (Serves 8)
Step One: Caramelized Apples - the apples can be made several days in advance and stored in the frig.

• 6-8 medium firm apples (I used golden delicious...and I used 8 apples).
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I actually used a bit more because I like the flavor)

Peel, core and thickly slice apples. Heat in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter, stir in apples. Sprinkle with half of the sugar and cook until apples begin to brown a bit (about 10 min).

Stir in the remaining sugar. Cook and stir until apples are golden (about another 10 min). Stir in cider, salt and cinnamon. Heat to a boil, cook, stirring until apples are tender - about 5 min (don't let them get mushy). Remove apples with a slotted spoon to a plate or bowl. Cook pan juices until they thicken slightly. Our over apples. If making these ahead of time - store in fridge. Otherwise proceed to next phase.

Step Two: Prepare the Apple Tarte Tatin
Carmelized apples (see recipe above)
1 unbaked refrigerated pie crust (or if you are a Martha Stewart type - make your own pie crust)
Sweetened whipped cream or softened vanilla ice cream (I used regular whipped cream and did not add any sugar to it)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. If apples have been refrigerated, warm them in a skillet on stovetop (or lightly microwave them if in a hurry). Transfer to 9-inch buttered pie plate. Fit the pie crust over the apples, tucking the crust inside the dish between the fruit and the dish. Cut a few slits in the crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake until crust is golden brown - about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack about 10 min. To serve, place a large serving platter over the pie plate, quickly invert the tarte onto the platter. Remove the pan. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Parlez-vous Français?

Kiki Royale hosted a festive French-themed affair this month (on September 23rd). Despite not feeling so well, Ms. Royale was a wonderful hostess to our full house this month (all eight of us).

A Tribute to Kir
To start the evening, we visited the light, refreshing Kir Royale - crème de cassis topped with sparkling wine. This drink was named in the Dijon region of France around the time of World War II, perhaps by (and for) a mayor or instead a priest, named Kir. However, it may have actually been consumed as far back as the 1840's, when crème de cassis was first introduced in the area.

French 75s
Continuing with the champagne cocktails, we moved on to the French 75. Named for a French artillery weapon, this drink is traditionally made with gin, fresh lemon juice, sugar and sparkling wine. Some say it was originally made with cognac, and in fact the legendary French 75 Bar serves it that way. Ms. Royale made hers with gin, and they were delicious. Recipe coming soon.

Fromage et Pommes
Ms. Royale also put forth a spread of French treats, including an array of cheeses, cheese fondue, and Tarte Tatin. The Tarte Tatin was the favorite, and the recipe should be forthcoming.

Additional notes:

• We are planning a big celebration for Repeal Day this year (Dec 5), and are starting to make our plans now - more details soon!
• Thanks to Ms. Royale, there were goldfish crackers present, even though they are not shown in the pictures.
• This month's Rye Confession comes from yours truly. In the midst of a discussion of world travels and visiting tombs, I shared a story from when I went to visit Lenin's Tomb in the mid 1980's with a school group. I had a crush on a boy in our group (named Troy), and was trying to look pretty (I was 14 or so at the time). Therefore I was not wearing my glasses - they were in my pocket. When we got into the tomb, we were not allowed to put our hands in our pockets, so I couldn't get my glasses out - the guards yelled at me and stopped me. So I couldn't see Lenin, just a fuzzy shape in the distance. Maybe I'll have to go back someday, or maybe not.

Meet us in St. Louis

For our August event, Eight is Enough graciously invited the gals to her place for a trip through some cocktails & treats invented in St. Louis, Missouri. Ms. Enough grew up in St. Louis, and yes she is a Cardinals fan, much to the dismay of the Cubs fans in our group. We set aside our baseball differences for the evening, and enjoyed some fantastic drinks & snacks.

First up: Planters Punch
In her research, Ms. Enough discovered that this wonderful (and intoxicating) punch may have been created in St. Louis at the Planters Hotel (which no longer exists). Like many drinks, there are competing theories on its real origin, but this was good enough for us. The punch was delightful, a mix of rums, fresh juices and homemade grenadine. All the ladies were very impressed that Ms. Enough went to the trouble to make her own grenadine. Unfortunately I haven't yet gotten the recipes from her, so I can't post them here (hopefully coming soon!)

Second up: Tom Collins
This drink is even more contested as to its origin, but Ms. Enough found at least some reports that it was created in St. Louis. We had a brief discussion as to it's origins, and then sipped while we snacked. It was a great refresher on a hot day.

Speaking of snacks, Ms. Enough outdid herself with a robust spread of treats. The favorites were the Mayfair Salad, created at the Mayfair Hotel, and the toasted ravioli, which is apparently a St. Louis staple. I had never had toasted ravioli, so I was a bit surprised to realize that it is really fried ravioli. Toasted sounds much better.

Rye Confession
And this month's Rye Confession comes from Ginny Tonic. It's not exactly a confession, but some very exciting news - she is in the process of adopting a child, and she's getting pretty close to the end. Cheers to Ms. Tonic!