Summer Cocktails at ONE Midtown Kitchen

Yesterday, I was invited to taste selections from the new summer cocktail menu at ONE. Midtown Kitchen. Bartender Jorie Habian mixed up drinks and chatted, explaining that the goal for the restaurant's bar program and, more specifically, the new menu is to showcase classic recipes (sometimes with modern twists) and the fundamentals that go into quality cocktails. Thus she and her colleagues squeeze fresh juice and make their own syrups, infusions and artisan mixes and garnishes.

Eviction Notice ($10) is a play on the southside cocktail (circa 1930s):Eviction Notice is made with fresh watermelon juice (the fiber is strained out), gin, basil and fresh lemon juice. The watermelon flavor is subtle, thus the drink is not overly sweet; it is so well balanced that each element can be tasted on the palate. Refreshing and refreshingly sophisticated.

Eve's Apple ($10)Apple martinis can be so syrupy sweet they make your mouth pucker. This one is subtle and crisp, like a fresh slice of Gala rather than canned apple pie filling. It's made with house-infused apple vodka, fresh lime and simple syrup. An apple martini for grown-ups.

Arancio Americano ($8) This cocktail gets my vote for most pleasant surprise. Had I not been tasting several cocktails and instead been planning to order just one, I likely would have skipped over this mix of Campari, sweet vermouth, fresh orange juice and prosecco in favor of something else. And that would have been a gosh darn shame. This drink's complex flavors exceeded expectations.

Claret Lemonade ($6) A variation on the classic Spanish sangria, this mix of red wine, fresh lemon and Luxardo Maraschino is delicious and food-friendly.

Jonny's Medicine ($12) The menu warns that this mix of house-made ginger beer (which isn't carbonated), fresh lemon juice, honey simple syrup, Dewars scotch and Laphroaig scotch is "not for the novice drinker." True enough, but you don't have to be a whisky expert to appreciate the complexity of this cocktail. The finish lingers long on a peat note.

Jalisco Old Fashioned ($14) My friend Camper, who's been on a mission to make ice that's crystal clear, might be disappointed by this white sphere of ice, but I thought the large ball of ice added a fun element to this drink even if it was cloudy. This twist on the Old Fashioned (circa 1862) features reposado tequila, agave nectar and two different types of bitters (cinnamon and orange). This drink offers more sophisticated layers of flavor than a margarita, yet maintains the pleasant pairing of orange and tequila.

The Bee In Your Bonnet

The previous cocktails described in this post are available daily throughout the summer of 2010 at ONE. Midtown Kitchen. This cocktail was last night's special feature (and special feature offerings rotate). It combined a syrup made with scotch bonnet peppers, gin, grapefruit and black pepper. I anticipated it might burn my tongue with spicy heat but it did not: Balanced and complex in the mouth, it finished on a pepper note that built pleasant warm heat at the back of the throat. I wish I'd had a few of these tasty sips when I last felt a cold coming on.

Mint Plus Six
Jorie serves this little liquid treat as a palate cleanser. It's a sublime mix of port, lime juice, simple syrup and mint, garnished with a violet. After a big meal this would be a great final Mmmm.

Bottom line: ONE has long been a great bar; it's now even better.

ATL

Those who read my Facebook and Twitter posts are already familiar with my efforts to make a few changes at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (airport code ATL)--most passionately to replace the photographic mural that's displayed at the top of the escalators up to the baggage claim area. All arriving passengers are subjected to a poster that shows children playing in the water fountains of Centennial Olympic Park. That may sound quaint and adorable, but let me assure you, it's tacky to say the least. I did not snap a photo of it out of good taste as well as fear of getting grabbed by a TSA Agent. So this description will have to suffice: At the center of the poster a young girl with budding breasts stands in a wet swimming with arms stretched up and out, as if to say, "Welcome to Atlanta, child pornographers of the world!" Surrounding that girl, children of various age and ethnicity pose in various states of undress. An androgynous child at the far right appears to squat naked (upon closer inspection he (?) is wearing a flesh-toned diaper). That kid, who is probably 15 years old by now, must cringe in shame and pray that no one recognizes him every time he returns home from travel.

I'm sure when it was first put up, the idea behind the poster as art to greet arriving passengers was simple enough: What could be cuter than a bunch of kids playing in a fountain? What could be more peaceful than the image of kids of various races playing together? What prouder moment in Atlanta than when it served as host of the 1996 Olympics?

Those ideas are laudable, the execution of it laughable--a cringe-inducing, heckling kind of laugh. That poster is outdated: Atlanta hosted the Olympics in 1996; that poster has been on display at least since I arrived to the city in 1998. Enough already! A city as progressive and cosmopolitan as Atlanta deserves more. Many airports around the world greet arriving guests with multi-media displays that are informative and engaging; it would make sense for the world's busiest airport to do likewise.

I've sent letters to the PR firms in charge of the airport. I've sent letters to various airlines. I've talked about it to anyone who will listen. I've complained online. So far, no results. Is it the world's greatest problem? Of course not, but it is an issue worth pursuing.

I've suggested an engaging video replace the poster. Imagine my surprise upon seeing a new video screen posted above the baggage claim--not my preferred location, but a step in the right direction. It compels folks to "Catch Our Attractions." Images then shift to showcase Piedmont Park, Fernbank and Centennial Olympic Park.

That's right. Just three Atlanta attractions are showcased. Three! Here are just some examples of what the brains behind that misplaced missed-opportunity overlooked: the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, CNN Center, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, various Martin Luther King historic sites, the Margaret Mitchell House, the Atlanta Zoo, Stone Mountain Park, and oh-so-much more.

Perhaps the folks who choose artwork for the Atlanta airport have never left it.

Florida Increases Apalachicola Bay Oyster Production

I received the following press release on June 17, 2010:

FLORIDA PROVIDES FOR INCREASED APALACHICOLA BAY OYSTER PRODUCTION

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson and Chairman Rodney Barreto of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) today announced that both the winter and summer oyster harvesting areas in the Apalachicola Bay System will be opened for harvest seven days per week through August 31, 2010.

Before this action was taken, the summer oyster areas were closed for harvest on Fridays in June, July and August, and the winter oyster areas were closed altogether for harvest during those months. This action marks the first time that the two agencies, which jointly manage oyster resources in Florida , have permitted seven day per week harvest during the summer months and opened the winter oyster areas during the summer months.

"We are pleased to support Commissioner Bronson in this effort to help the hard working people in Florida 's oyster industry," Barreto said.

Staff of both agencies will continue to closely monitor Bay water quality, oyster harvest, oyster handling and oyster processing to ensure oysters resources are protected and are safe to consume.

"This action should be viewed by the citizens of Florida and the United States that Gulf of Mexico seafood in restaurants and markets is safe," Bronson said. "With demand for safe Gulf oysters at a peak, this action will benefit both our oyster industry and consumers alike."

After reading it, I reached out to experts for some additional information:

Does this move mean future generations of Apalachicola oysters will have smaller populations?

According to David Heil, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant director of the Division of Aquaculture for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: "Oysters are highly regulated both from a public health perspective (Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) – so oysters are safe for humans to eat) and from a conservation perspective (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) – are the oyster stocks protected).

Focusing on oyster safety: DACS has specific rules relating to commercial and recreational oyster harvesting which prohibit and severely restrict harvest from several locations in the Bay System at all times of the year – where oysters live and reproduce, but oysters are not safe to eat (these closed areas can be considered spawning or conservation areas although not specifically intended for that purpose).

Focusing on oyster conservation: FWC has specific rules relating to commercial and recreational oyster harvesting: minimum oyster size limits, maximum bag limits, and harvest gear – simply put, if the conservation regulations are followed, the oyster resources are conserved.

The combination of public health and conservation make oysters one of the most protected (and regulated) protein species in the nation. Too, for probably many reasons known and unknown, the Apalachicola Bay System has historically been one of the most productive oyster producing areas acre for acre in the nation. DACS and FWC believe that the threat of pollution (oil or other potential insult) is the biggest concern for the long term continued survival oysters, the oyster industries, and the oyster consumer."

Is anything being done to protect some number of oysters in case oil does reach the region, so they don't go extinct in that case?

According to oyster biologist Mark Berrigan: "Oysters are a highly resilient species with a tremendous capacity to recover when favorable substrate is available and conditions return to normal. Also oysters are very widespread in Florida ’s northern Gulf Coast estuaries and it is unlikely that impacts will be so extreme as to adversely affect, damage, or destroy all of the populations and habitat. The most likely scenarios for widespread damage will be oil in combination with hurricane storm surges which would disperse oil products over a larger area and force oil further up river basins. If situations become dire in estuaries like Apalachicola Bay, then we may consider identifying suitable refuge areas, like Goose Island/East Cove in the state park and Big Bayou on St. Vincent Island. Major restoration efforts can be initiated following the adverse impacts and can be expected to be successful in accelerating recovery of oyster resources. Recovery could be expected in as soon as two years following a devastating event."

Gulf Oil Catastrophe

"The most important thing for us to do right now is remind people to keep traveling. Right now our beaches are clear, and we're open for business." It doesn't matter which PR firm provided that particular quote, because the truth is that I've been hearing much the same thing from hundreds of sources for the past several weeks.

I get it. The gush of oil that continues to rage in the Gulf of Mexico has people concerned about loss of income. In response, PR firms whose clients include resorts, restaurants, hotels, casinos, food producers and more want to get the message out that these folks are still in business. Of course one way the average person can help folks who live in the Gulf region is to visit and spend money to help keep their businesses vibrant.

But I can't agree that it's the most important thing. In my opinion, the Number One Priority is stopping the leak, cleaning up the mess and doing everything possible to save wildlife. Quite frankly, saving jobs ranks as a lower priority than saving the world.

Though the coastal states are at the front lines of this environmental war, oceans flow together: This is a global crisis and not just a regional one. This catastrophe is devastating. It has the potential to eliminate a crucial food source, contaminate ocean water well beyond the Gulf of Mexico, cause the extinction of multiple species and annihilate human cultures.

Words like sad and infuriating seem insufficient to describe how I feel about this event. My response is to do what I can, which means writing about it. My first story, on the safety of Gulf seafood, ran in a recent edition of Sunday Paper. Since the oil continues to gush and clean-up will take decades, I have a feeling this story is one that I'll be reporting on for the rest of my life. Next month, I'll report from the front lines.

Piola

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http://getawaysforgrownups.com/pizza-in-atlanta/

2006 Ravines Cabernet Franc

Ravines' 2006 Cabernet Franc from New York's Finger Lakes region was light and tart with notes of currant, cranberry, just-ripe plum and crisp bell pepper.

Bottom line: Best with food. Consider antipasto, wood-fire grilled pizza or roast pork.

New from Bacardi

This past weekend we hosted a cocktail party for our neighborhood and I must admit that these two new products from Bacardi helped simplify some prep: Torched Cherry rum is infused with the interesting flavor combination of Barbados cherries (a.k.a., acerola) and the Torch Plant aloe that's native to South Africa. The website suggests mixing it with Coke, Sprite, lemonade or cranberry juice. We opted to pair it with Coke and it proved to be a very popular cocktail option at the party, tasting like an adult Cherry Coke. (It retails for approx. $14.)

Bacardi Piña Colada is pre-mixed and ready-to-drink--which means it's the easiest possible option for the host of any party since serving only requires cracking open the screw-cap. While a traditional from-scratch piña colada can be complicated to prepare and packed with calories, this Bacardi option has 0 fat because coconut water is used instead of cream. Smooth and refreshing, it was also a popular option at our party. Folks who chose this cocktail came back to the bar for seconds. (It retails for approx. $13.)

Bottom line: Thumbs up.

Rum Round-Up

Although we were never able to agree on the proper tasting order, during a recent rum tasting Dean and I did reach consensus about the key aromas and flavors of these four rums:

Appleton Special sniffs of apricot and butterscotch. It tastes of them, too, and picks up spice on the finish that lingers into molasses. Tasty with some alochol bite.

Appleton Estate smells and tastes of maple syrup, molasses and brown sugar. It's smooth in the mouth and lingers on bananas foster notes.

El Dorado packs strong notes of maple, brown sugar, banana and caramel. Smooth with a soft, long finish.

Tortuga Dark Cayman Rum opens with whiffs of dark molasses and chocolate covered caramel then adds a coffee note on the palate. The complex finish lingers on the coffee note.

Bottom line: Four tasty rums. We'd choose Appleton Special to mix into a cocktail and the other three to sip on their own over ice.