Happy New Year…Bottoms Up!
Well it’s officially 2011 and I want to wish you all a very Happy New Years! I hope everyone had a fabulous time celebrating with friends and family and that everyone stayed safe on one of the craziest nights of the year. 2010 was a very momentous and crazy year for Adam and I, and it brought lots of great memories. PCC is coming up on a year old and really has become something we cherish as a journal of all our wonderful travels. It’s amazing the wonderful adventures we’ve had and all the new cuisine we’ve tried in the name of research. Hopefully, the coming year will be another year of good changes and we are looking forward to whatever those might be, as well as finding new ways to branch out with Pop Culture Cuisine.
New Years is one of those holidays that typically has a lot of hype and lots of parties & events all in the name of celebration; and everyone who knows me knows I’m a person who loves a good excuse to celebrate. And what better way to celebrate with others than with a festive drink?…of which we’ve encountered quite a few of along our travels, some famous, others just a part of the experience. Still, I wanted to share a glimpse of some of the gems we have discovered and the places we found them at throughout this past year. So with festive cheer and no further adieu, I give you the Year in Drinks for PCC…Cheers!
Pat O’Brien’s – Orlando, FL and New Orleans, LA
Drink: The Hurricane
Created during WWII with a bunch of fruit juice and rum, this drink has been their most popular drink and a favorite place for many to hit up at any of their locations. We have visited 2 locations and every time we are near one we have to stop in for at least 1 hurricane…and usually many more! These babies are potent, but delicious, and can be enjoyed on their beautiful patios during the day or hopping piano bars at night!
Mariano’s – Dallas, TX
Drink: “The Frozen Margarita”
You may remember Mariano’s from our review earlier this year, but being the originator of the frozen margarita, it’s hard to not include them again in this drinks feature. Sweet and tangy like any good margarita should be, this one definitely was tasty and stood out in our minds as one of the better ones we have ever had. We are now glad to say we’ve tried the first ever created (more than once) and can from now on compare it to our hometown Hacienda margaritas.
The Pump Room – Chicago, IL
Drink: Cosmopolitan, Chocolate Martini, and White Russian
We lucked out on on my birthday trip a couple weeks ago that our hotel was attached to the famous Pump Room. Popularized by many celebrities of yester-year like Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack friends, this spot still has the old time feel of a great crooner bar. We were glad we could enjoy a couple of cocktails their throughout the weekend. Great atmosphere and really well made drinks.
Tujague’s – New Orleans, LA
Drink: Shock Top, Abita Brand Beers
One of the oldest bars in the whole USA, this New Orleans’ landmark in the French Quarter is a must stop if you are into history, old bars, or just want to take a break and cool off. On both of our trips to N’awlins we have enjoyed grabbing a beer and hearing some of the fun stories the bartender (who has been there all most as long as the bar and has become a New Orleans standard) has to tell. Although I am sure you can get any New Orleans staple drink you want, we opted for a nice cold beer on a nice hot day, and it was a welcome withdraw.
Cheers – Boston, MA
Drink: Blue Moon
I am pretty sure everyone out there is familiar with good ol’ Cheers….yes, that sitcom bar from the 80’s with Sam Malone and NORM! And if you didn’t know that the show was based off a bar in Boston, you must have been living under a rock or you are REALLY young. Nonetheless, I was lucky enough this past May to be able to pay a visit to the original location in Beacon Hill with my best friend Emily. I probably could have been adventurous and tried a real Bostonian beer, but already knowing I don’t like Sam Adams, I stuck to something I know and love…Blue Moon! It was fun to be in the atmosphere, although now pretty touristy, but still fun to look around and see all the old memorabilia. However, be forewarned, this place is nothing like the “Hollywood” set bar that we all know from the TV show….it’s MUCH smaller. So you may be in for a shock.
Epcot Food and Wine Festival – Orlando, FL
Drink: Leffe
This next spot I will go into way more depth in a future post, but since drink was one of the components of the whole event, I wanted to touch on in briefly. Each year, Epcot and Vanity Fair put on an International Food and Wine festival throughout the park where culinary dishes and drinks from around the world are matched and can be purchased. Although we opted not to drink at most of the stops, when we saw an old favorite being featured in Belgium, we knew a small taste was in order. It was deliciously refreshing on that hot day.
Jasper’s – Plano, TX
Drink: Jasper’s Triple Chocolate Martini
Jasper’s is another restaurant we have already given our glowing review too, but this martini was so OUTSANDING I still compare every chocolate martini to it and often dream about it. Ok…not literally about the dreaming part, but ladies (and gentlemen too I suppose ) this drink is purely sinful! Not only is it chocolately, it is also creamy and extremely rich. They are sweet and probably a million calories, but who cares…this is what a sweet martini should taste like!
The Walnut Room – Chicago, IL
Drink: Poinsettia
We had the pleasure of dining at the the famous Walnut Room inside Macy’s during my birthday weekend. The food and experience are another whole post in and of themselves, but again with drinks being the theme, I must share my beautiful festive poinsettia that I REALLY enjoyed. The perfect blend of champagne and cranberry juice, it is a drink I am certainly going to be making in years to come, and it was a perfect cap to a perfect birthday weekend.
Anheuser Busch Brewery – St. Louis, MO
Drink: Shock Top, Michelob Brands
Growing up in St. Louis I was unfortunately never of an age where I could enjoy touring a landmark that was so close to home. I was glad Adam and I were able to visit the brewery on a trip a few years back and really see the whole process at work. He and I are Bud people in preference, but it was this trip where I first got to try a Shock Top for the first time and it has quickly become one of my favorite beers. In fact, since that time, I’ve been seeing it in bars more and more. We had a great time learning about the history, the beer making process, and most of all enjoying some brews.
Drink: Silver Palm Cabernet Sauvignon
Although the wine brand and restaurant name are just a happy accident, the wine was every bit as enjoyable as the meal itself. We gave our rave reviews of the restaurant this year and one of the great features was the great atmosphere, especially where we enjoyed a few drinks after our meal. I highly recommend this bar (and the tiny Matchbox next door) for a sort of a little unknown jewel for a night out in Chicago.
Drink: Pink Lemonade
Unfortunately I can’t remember or find the name of this drink I ordered at the Hula Hut, but suffice it to say, it was their version of a pink lemonade with a kick. It was very sweet and refreshing from what I remember, but also tasted too much like juice so it went down way to easy.
Drink: Lindeman’s Framboise
This was a spot in Dallas that we were so happy to stumble upon when we lived there. Louie’s not only had great food, but their ambiance truly made us feel at home as former Chicagoans. Because it was Valentine’s Day that weekend, I was looking for a little something special to drink so I was very happy to discover they have one of my all time favorite items on their menu…Lindemans’ Framboise. Although they are super sweet, I love the berry flavor and how they a just a fun change up from a typical beer.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed our brief recap of some of the wonderful beverages we enjoyed in 2010. I’m sure there were others along the way, but these were certainly the most tasty, most famous, or most memorable. I am going to forgo a traditional review of each, but know this…each of these drinks stood out to me or Adam either because of the drink themselves, the experience that went along with them, or both. We truly love every minute of our culinary adventures and the life journal that Pop Culture Cuisine has become for us. I hope you all continue to follow our crazy foodie adventures each week…and hey…maybe tell a friend or two. So “For Auld Lang Syne”…HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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