While some simple folk turn to ye trusty margarita come summer, we know can do a little better than that in Austin, Texas. So when Drink.Well reached out to Austin Eavesdropper TV and asked if I'd like a summer cocktail lesson, I said: Drink? Free? With you? Give me five minutes.
Thus, I came shaker-to-shaker with Jessica and Tacy, intrepid co-owner and bar manager of Drink.Well, as well as competitors in the national mixology competition: the Manhattan Cocktail Classic. Having invented, and spat out, several of my own cocktail inventions (see: 2010's "Pumpkin Pie White Russian," 2011's "Kombucha Vodka Twist"), I was eager to learn Jessica and Tacy's ways.
On today's Austin Eavesdropper TV, the two comely ladies showed me how to mix their award-winning beverages (the Civetta in Islay, which isn't just pretty to say, it won Jessica a Campari regional competition), and the Espirita de Vida (which won Tacy a Don Q Rum regional competition).
Jessica also taught me the Italian lore behind the Civetta in Islay (a sexy phrase which apparently refers to a "tease," as well as an owl — um, didn't you know that the owl is the Sophia Loren of the animal kingdom?), and Tacy taught me how to "spank" my mint before I add it into my beverage. This technique releases the mint flavor... but more importantly, makes you look like a badass.
Bottoms up!