Celebrate Oscar like the stars. How? With swanky cocktails of course. The folks at Oval Vodka and Absinthe Mata Hari sent in a few fun recipes you can try at home. Enjoy “The Red Carpet” as the stars parade into the auditorium, and the “Starlet Cocktail” as they dole out the statues.

The Red Carpet

1 ½ oz. OVAL Vodka
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. Hiram Walker Pomegranate Schnapps
1 oz. Pomegranate Juice
½ oz. Simple Syrup

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Starlet Cocktail

1 oz. Absinthe Mata Hari
1 oz. Orange flavored vodka
1 oz. Hiram Walker Black Raspberry Liqueur
1 oz. champagne

Combine Absinthe, vodka, and black raspberry liqueur in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake thoroughly and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with champagne. Garnish with a raspberry.

more Hollywood Cocktails

Mardi Gras is upon us and Fat tuesday is around the corner. So why feature the classic New Orleans Cocktail. No, I’m not talking about a Hurricane, I am talking about the Sazerac one of the very first cocktail recipes in history. It was created in the 1830’s by Phamacist Antoine Amédée Peychaud, as a way to deliver a dose of his “health” elixir, Peychaud’s Bitters. These bitters are still used today.

The Cocktail get’s its name from a brand of Cognac, Sazerac de Forge et Fils, which was the original base ingredient of the cocktail. It also became famous at the Sazerac Coffee House, opened in 1859, which was said to have gained it’s name from the Cognac as well.

Sazerac

2 oz. Sazerac Rye Whiskey or Bourbon
1/4 teaspoon Absinthe or anise flavored liquor (such as Pernod, Herbsaint or Anisette)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon water
Dash of Peychaud’s bitters
Lemon twist

Pour the Absinthe into a chilled old fashioned glass, swirl the liquor around the glass until the glass is coated. Add the sugar, water and bitters and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Fill the glass with ice cubes, add the bourbon, stir well and add a twist of lemon.

Classic Cocktails of New Orleans
past Drink of the Week Cocktails

19th Century bartender Jerry Thomas is known as the father of the American cocktail and most just called him “Professor”. With stints in New York, London, San Francisco and other cities about the globe, he spread cocktail culture the world over.

Imbibe is Jerry’s story and a great read. The author does a great job of capturing cocktail culture of the late 1800s. Truly a great read.

Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar

more bartending books

A little restaurant called Tailor in NYC created this very adult candy. Not to be mistaken for a normal, mostly sugar Gummi Bears of your childhood, these bruins are 85% Absinthe with a touch of gelatin and sugar to hold it all together.

Served along side an espresso, the absinthe gummi bear is a true cocktail treat. And no need to order it and seem like a lush. Simply order an espresso and your new little friend will come along.

Ahh, the old days.

From: UrbanDaddy.com, via Asylum.com

Now that Absinthe is once again legal here in the US (and much if Europe), DOTW reader Katha felt we should be featuring a few cocktails to make with old green fairy.

Here’s what she came up with:

Absinthe Stinger
Absinthethea
Leprechauns Pot ‘O Gold

Q: I’m thinking about buying some Absinthe. I’d like to know what it tastes like, bitter?

A: Absinthe is anise in taste, in other words just like black licorice.

Q: Do current absinthe drinks (made in the U.S.) really include absinthe? Isn’t this illegal in the U.S.? I am wondering since in New Orleans there are drinks such as the Absinthe Suissesse and the Absinthe Frappe. Do these include substituted ingredients?

A: Absinthe is illegal in the US and much if the world. It is only legal in Spain, The Chech Repubic and The United Kingdom. They make a liquor that they call absinthe in the US, but it is really just Anise Liqueur.

Update: Absinthe is now Legal in the US