Southern Pacific Brewing Company opened the doors to its massive brewpub last week. The highly anticipated project has been in the works for the past two years.

The folks who brought us Famous Grouse blended Scotch Whisky have added a new blend to their portfolio — the Black Grouse, a smooth, sweet whisky with just a hint of smoky peated malts. To showcase the new release, the Black Grouse put together the Distinctive Bartender Tour, with stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami, and a final night in New York to wrap things up. With Mabel’s Smokehouse BBQ as a backdrop, and comedian Baratunde Thurston as master of ceremonies, John McCarthy, Frank Cisneros, Max Messier and Lynnette Marrero each created two cocktails featuring the new blend and served them to an eager crowd of imbibers, who helped select the “most distinctive” of each bartender’s drinks.

Marrerro’s Flannen Isle Luau was a standout, with a cinnamon syrup enhancing the gentle smokiness, and the balanced addition of tart citrus notes and sweet coconut.

The Flannen Isle Luau (created by Lynnette Marrero)

2 oz. The Black Grouse

.75 oz. Grapefruit Juice

.75 oz. Cinnamon Syrup

.5 oz. Lemon Juice

Barspoon Shredded Coconut

Shake all ingredients and strain over ice.

“A light wind came through my window and three peppers that were sitting on a cutting board rolled into the fire of my stove top which was turned on, I screamed Roasted Jalapeno Syrup!” That day, the idea was sparked to start Cent’Anni syrups.

“I quickly entered the competition circuit to promote my products,” said D’Amato. And, in her first tequila cocktail competition, she earned first place. Chocolate Chilli Spice syrup was the next product added to her line followed by Strawberry Rhubarb, Spiced Lemon and our favorite, the Candy Cap Mushroom which boasts an amazing scent of maple combined with the earthy taste of mushroom.

And, in line with California’s organic first, local whenever possible approach, all of the Cent’Anni syrups are natural, organic and home-made.

Enjoy at just $15 a pop. For more information visit www.centannicocktails.net or e-mail Victoria herself at centannicocktails@gmail.com.

On the heels of our pre-Valentines Day ‘Like It Hot’ event last week at The Pierre Hotel, we just can’t get enough of hot cocktails, particularly ultra toasty tipples. So, we set out on the streets of New York as the snow was starting to flurry this weekend to sample some of the tastiest Toddys and other hot concoctions around. Here are the favorites, from what we found.

Lani Kai

You might not be able to fork out the dough for a flight to Hawaii in the height of winter but you can certainly pretend you’re in paradise at Lani Kai, a polynesian cocktail den in the heart of Soho. My personal home away from home, pays homage to breezy tradewind nights by serving up their Spiced Rum, a cozy blend of spiced Dmerara Rum, spiced Aged Rum, Hawaiian honey syrup, spiced butter, hot water and freshly ground nutmeg. This house-made treat is the perfect escape to boozy and stirred paradise.

Maharlika

If you’re seeking a warm, spiked serving quick or on-the-go, then pop by Maharlika Filipino Moderno and ask for a Warm Gin Shot. This toasty sip is served with a side of house-made vinegar as a chaser. It’s not particularly hot in temp, but it sure does leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy after upon first shot. Take two!

Rum House

Rum Houses selection of Toddys was perhaps most impressive. Choose from a total of five. Our favorite? The stiff and toasty, Scotch Toddy which mixes together Auchentoshen Bordeaux Cask, fresh lemon juice, honey water, cloves, cinnamon and boiling hot water.  A hot bracer is there ever was one.

PDT

Not only an ideal ‘under-ground’, exclusive escape for when temps drop below, low but also as cocktail progressive as it gets. The Pumpkin Pie is the latest toasty tipple to appear on the evolving menu here which incorporates Santa Theresa 1796 Rum, Pierre Ferrand Cognac, All Spice Liqueur, Demerara syrup, egg white, organic pumpkin puree, half and half and grated cinnamon. Need we say more about this decadent and served warm sip? Delish!

Two E Bar & Lounge at The Pierre Hotel

Though we at CitySip brought the warm cocktails to our party last week at The Pierre, they have a sturdy selection of sizzling cocktails to choose from on any given day of winter. The Mayan is muy bien, made of Ilegal Mezcal that’s infused with Habanero then blended together with Grand Manier, cinnamon syrup and hot chocolate. The Stolen Moment is made for dram lovers and concocted with Black Bushmill Irish Whisky, Averna, home-made Guiness cordial and chilled hot chocolate. While, the Northern Expedition offers an unexpected hot escape in the form of Pisco infused with fresh lemon curd, limoncello, white hot chocolate and lemon custard. Two E Bar & Lounge is a top spot for an over-the-top toasty tipple selection.

Whether you’re staying in and preparing a home-cooked meal for your sweetie or taking your hot date out on the town. We have the perfect nightcap treat to top of your Valentine celebration. Elusive, sexy speakeasy spot, Angel’s Share offers another stellar service on top of their craft cocktail preparation that many might not even know about, a liqueur infused chocolate plate, perfect for pairing with a bottle of bubbles or one of the haunts tantalizing tipples. You and your date can even enjoy a cocktail flight which the spot standardly serves on Sunday nights (7 flights for $35), but will bend the rules per your request. That’s right, Angel’s Share is full of fantastic surprises complete with appropriate nooks and crannies that provide the utmost intimacy we all want on V day.

The cacao platter selection includes dark chocolate infused with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, milk chocolate spiked with Calvados, white chocolate that’s imbued with Bowmore 12 and virgin cocoa selections like  a dark gooey brownie and truffles to boot. And, of course, appropriate chocolate indulgence wouldn’t be complete with out chocolate cover strawberries. The platter comes with one, ask for two!

Should you prefer to sip your cacao. Try the Bitches Brew. While not the most romantic name, the sip is certainly quite seductive made with Irish Whisky, house-made bitter chocolate liqueur and steaming milk topped with Madagascar vanilla cream and star anise. And, if you’re more of an apple pie kind of couple, opt for the Fair Night that blends Calvados, hot apple cider, caramel syrup, fresh lemon-juice and fuji apple slices, garnished with a cinnamon stick.

Angel’s Share is a charming pick that your partners sure to adore. Happy Love Day!

Make up for that lame prom experience you had in High School

Prom for adults is a way cooler experience, anyway. For the second year in a row, Big Bar is hosting a prom and the theme is “Midnight in Paris.” Complete with a Punch Garden, hor d’oeuvres, a caricature artist in the kissing/romance Artist Alley, a make-your-own-cocktail setup (partnering with Miracle Mile Bitters), mimes and accordions, French singers, a cheesy and “magnifique” prom picture station and of course, a 17-foot Eiffel Tower. While all of these elements are key for the perfect prom night, it wouldn’t be complete without dubbing a Prom King and Queen. There will be a judges panel voting for the winning couple, who will be whisked away by a romantic horse and carriage at the end of the night. Hosted by Eugene Lee and Dan Long of Big Bar, they’ve invited Aidan Demarest of Neat to return as MC. Long has also put together a hot mix of love potions to be served all night. The event runs from 7 p.m. to midnight. Check out Big Bar on Facebook for more information.

Big Bar

1927 Hillhurst Ave Los Angeles, CA 90027

323.644.0100

http://www.alcovecafe.com/bigbar/

Belt Out The Blues at Love Stinks Karaoke

Down on love? This is the place to go to vent your “I Hate Hallmark!” frustrations and distract you from gorging on heart shaped boxes of chocolate all night. Local booze blogger Caroline on Crack is hosting Love Stinks Karaoke at Neat for all love rebels or those simply itching belt out a wobbly version of “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” Winners of the karaoke contest will win prizes like dinner for two at Papilles.  If karaoke isn’t your strong suit, you can treat yourself to Drunken Udder’s boozy ice cream or sip on $6 cocktails where $1 from each is donated to Share Our Strength a non-profit to end childhood hunger. Karaoke starts at 8 p.m. but you can show up at 5:30 p.m. to enjoy half-priced happy hour menu items.

Here’s a taste of the cocktail specials:

Tipperary Cocktail: Jameson Irish Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, Green Chartreuse

Hearts on Fire:  Absolut Citron, Benedictine, Jalapeño, Limoncello

Mandarin Mule: Absolut Mandarin served neat (neat style) with a sidecar of fresh ginger, fresh squeezed lime juice, Angostura Bitters, ginger beer float

 Neat

1114 N. Pacific Ave Gneldale, CA 91202

818.241.4542

http://www.theneatbar.com/

On Wednesday we revealed some LOVEly cocktails to consider whipping up for your loved one this Valentines Day. However, should your sweetheart prefer a glass of vino, bubbly or some other spiked alternative to a sugary V-day cocktail then CitySip’s favorite local wine store, Winfield & Flynn has got you covered. We took a trip across the street (lucky us!) to scour the fully-stocked selection that our neighborhood boite stocks and selected some sweet swag for our loved ones. Here are some of the selections we found at Winfield & Flynn that simply made us swoon…

Moet & Chandon Brut Rose Imperial ‘Tag Your Love’

Leave it to the glam squad at Moet & Chandon to invite you to share your love in a passionate and modern fashion. Drawing inspiration from graffiti legends, use the marker that comes with your Brut filled bottle to declare your feelings for your sweetheart while creating a luxuriously personalized, sparkling experience.

Kings County Distillery ‘Chocolate’ Flavored Whisky

For your dram lovin’ lover, spice up their whisky world with this cacao flavored selection. Chocolate is an aphrodisiac, not to mention chock full of health benefits, meaning even the most traditional whisky drinker won’t turn down a bottle of this stiffly sweet stuff.

Patron – XO Café Dark Cocoa Liqueur

Though, we weren’t completely sold on this one, the fact that the phone rang a dozen times with requests for it while we there made this one a must include! Let’s face it, the masses love Patron and with this V-day inspired new product addition, it’s a no brainer for the trend-setting sweetheart.

NV Veuve Cliquot Brut Rose Champagne Cliq-Up

Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin unfolds its newest innovation and the Champagne world is up for a treat. Cliq-Up is the first foldable Champagne bucket. The pocket-sized functional device allows bubbly fiends to chill their bottle while showing off the Yellow logo-laden design at the same time. Smart selection for the branded babe.

…saving the most seductive for last

Cream

Not new to the market but quite possibly a fresh addition to your romping rut. Cream is a boozy whipped delight designed for your wildest fantasies. The spiked whip comes in a variety of  flavors including chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.

Winfield & Flynn is located at 558 Third Avenue (between 36th St & 37th St). For more information visit: www.winfieldflynn.com

The romance and seductive lure of Valentine’s Day beckons equally delectable cocktails. With lovey dovey day less than a week away, how about considering whipping up your sweetheart one of these fine tipples or two. Create an ultra-sweet ‘I heart you’ start to your February 14th date with these tasty cocktails:

Primrose

1 ½ oz Hendrick’s Gin (3 parts)

½ oz Lillet Rouge (1 part)

1 ½ oz apple juice (3 parts)

½ oz rose syrup (1 part)

½ oz fresh lemon juice (1 part)

2  dashes orange bitters

Shake and strain up into a chilled a martini glass. Garnish with a rose petal.

Gypsy Rose Tea Punch

2 bottles Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur

1 bottle Lillet Blanc

1 bottle Hendrick’s Gin

50 oz. strongly brewed Gypsy Rose Black Tea

25 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

12.5 oz. Trader Tiki’s Vanilla Syrup

1 bottle dry, sparkling white wine

Chill all ingredients prior to mixing and build in a small bunch bowl over a large block of ice.  Stir to incorporate and garnish with edible rose petals and lime wheels.

Pink Victrola

1 ½ parts Hendrick’s Gin

1 ½ parts fresh pink grapefruit juice

½ part fresh lemon juice

½ part simple syrup

1 barspoon real grenadine*

Combine all ingredients into a mixing container.  Ice, shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Take a grapefruit peel between your thumb and first two fingers skin facing the cocktail and squeeze your fingers extracting the fragrant oils on top of the cocktail.

*Equal parts pomegranate juice and sugar heated until the sugar has dissolved.

Floradora

3 parts Hendrick’s Gin

1 part lime juice

1 part Raspberry Syrup

In a long glass combine ingredients and add ice.  Give a good stir, top with ginger beer and give a gentle stir.  Garnish with a raspberry and a lime wheel 

G’Vine Gin, is proud to announce the official launch of the G’Vine Gin Connoisseur 2012 (www.legcp.fr) – the global quest for the world’s best gin bartender.  This year, the theme will hark back to a golden era of cocktail making paying focus to French Classics. Any bartender from anywhere in the world can enter the contest. Uniquely, it doesn’t matter if G’Vine is in their bar or even in their country! So, any gin lovin’/cocktail makin’ will have the chance to compete and win a trip to the World Finals in Cognac, France in June 2012!

Interested? First step is to complete online exams at www.legcp.fr (site available in English, French and Spanish). Bartenders who can attend a Preliminary contest hosted in the UK, Scotland, France, Spain, Canada & the USA throughout spring can qualify for the World Finals in Cognac in June.  The preliminaries will begin with a seminar exploring an avenue normally closed to bar staff:  How the Gin Business Works (e.g. sales figures, calculating margins, etc.) The Challenges include creative mixology and the renowned Blind Gin Nosing & Tasting. Bartenders who can’t attend a Preliminary can enter as Wild Cards, completing the same online exams but making an Xtranormal cartoon video (www.xtranormal.com) using the theme ‘French Classics’. Fun and different stuff that CitySip certainly appreciates!  Check out a cartoon sample here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u3vjjS5a-0 ?.

The eventual 15 world finalists will be announced in May and will be flown to Cognac for a week of extraordinary challenges under the watchful eyes of Jean Sébastien Robicquet, president of EWG and creator and master distiller of G’Vine, master mixologists Philip Duff, Gary Regan, and marketing & business development director of EWG, Audrey Fort.  As well as guest seminars, speed & accuracy, Distill Your Own Gin and the Gin Written Test challenges, Finals Week concludes with one last Challenge: running your own one-person bar at the G’Vine Summer Ball in Cognac, using your charm, mixology knowledge and bar decor skills to attract as many of the great and good of the Cognac drinks industry to try your cocktail!

If all this weren’t perk and excitement filled enough, the Grand Prize winner will enjoy a years supply of G’Vine Gin for their bar plus a $3,000 cash prize and bragging rights as the finest gin bartender on the planet. It’s Juniper-iffic! Enter here.

The Super Bowl is coming! So, where do you intend to watch the big game complete with an endless bucket of beers, greasy grub and most importantly, huge flat screen TVs? Here in NY, we can expect a mad house at any given bar seeing that our home team The Giants are facing off against the New England Patriots. CitySip’s tip is to toss your own Super Bowl party with with fellow fans and friends. Make a spirited punch, stock your fridge with an eternal supply of brewskis and appoint a chip and dip re-filler for your cheering fuel. But, should your place be the size of a storage closet or if you simply thrive off of packed places, then these are the bars to book it to:

Brother Jimmy’s BBQ

Need we say more? The sheer name of this place screams testosterone. With various locations (some multi-level), a southern BBQ filled menu, your basic selection of beers and an impressive bourbon selection, could any average guy really want more? It’s Fratastic! Another manly-man option is The East End Bar and Grill. Being dubbed an official New York Giants Bar makes this a go-to spot for die-hards. $40 will get you and your friends all you can drink draft beer and half priced wings from game start to finish. Like it rowdy? Then hit East End!

East End Bar is located at 1664 1^st Ave. www.eastendbar.com.

Indoor Park           

If you like me are as in touch with your athletic side as much as you are your fashionable one, then the Indoor Park is a perfect place to take in Super Bowl Sunday. Openhouse Gallery is screening the Super Bowl on a ten by twenty foot screen in the indoor pop-up park. $75 will get you an open bar and assortment of mouthwatering bites like booze infused cupcakes. Party starts at 5:30 p.m. and goes until 11:30 p.m.

The Indoor Park is located at 201 Mulberry St.

Sanctuary Hotel

For more secluded scenery, The Sanctuary Hotel is a smart Super Bowl fans choice. From 6:30 p.m.-12 a.m., the hotel will be showing the game on a 106-inch screen, there will be complimentary Medea Vodka cocktails as well as shots for every touchdown scored. Two high-powered offenses if you ask us!

The Sanctuary Hotel is located at 132 W. 47^th St. www.sanctuaryhotelnyc.com.

Yotel Cabin's

Yotel

For just $49 at hip, new hotel, Yotel, guests can enjoy unlimited crispy chicken wings, grilled pork spare ribs, beef sliders, fries and all you can drink draft beer, sangria and “Manning Margaritas.” Plus, patrons to this Super Bowl party will watch the Big Game on the big screen at STUDIYO, equipped with a bar and pool table or they can reserve the Private Club cabins for a more intimate gathering which can seat 8-20 of your closest pals.

Yotel is located at 570 10th Ave. www.yotel.com.

Lucky Strike Lanes

It’s a score! The lanes are offering football fans a $50 ticket including unlimited beer and wings and for an extra $50, a lane for up to 8 people. If you book two lanes, you also score a free pool or ping-pong table. Lucky Strike is also hosting a “Predict the Score” raffle to win a vacation to Viva Las Vegas. This party is the perfect pick for the interactive fan.

Lucky Strike Lanes is located at 624-600 W 42^nd St. www.bowlluckystrike.com.