Try serving your signature cocktail with an ice chunk if you want it to sparkle. The purpose of a signature drink is set the mood for the evening. Offering guests a cocktail that taste great and looks exciting will let them know that they are in for a fun evening.
In two previous blogs we have talked about alcohol at supper clubs:
1. Signature Drinks
One of the keys to kicking off a Supper Club or dinner party is getting guests a drink as quickly as possible as they arrive. It doesn’t need to be a “signature” drink. It doesn’t even have to be alcoholic. There is just something welcoming about giving guests a drink.
The Recipes for Two Classic Signature Cocktails
2. Pick Your Poison – Adult Beverages of Choice?
Wine has always been the adult beverage of choice for supper clubs. The increased popularity of Craft Beer and the fact that hard liquor (without mixers) presents a low/calorie/carb option has brought the wine choice into question. A deeper dive into the data might suggest otherwise.
We went to a great bar in Denver The Green Russell that did an amazing job with cocktails. They serve all their cocktails with hand sculpted ice chunks. Their chunks are cut from blocks of ice that are custom made to produce clear pure ice that dilutes the cocktail in perfect proportion.
(Ice block before sculpting)
(Gr
(Green Russell bartender Alex and his ice block)
Using Green Russell Ice Chunks in your signature drinks at a supper club is a great idea with a few caveats:
- It takes a little work to get that perfect ice chunk and perfect cocktail.
My eyes started to glaze over as Alex of the Green Russell was telling me how he made his ice chunk and how to prepare the perfect Old Fashioned. What is simple for Alex would mean quite a bit of work for your average supper club host.
- You don’t want your guests to get hammered
If you offer a guest a great tasting drink that they are not used to drinking, there is a good chance that they will want more than one and then things can get a little dangerous. You want your guests to socialize, not get wasted. You certainly don’t want your guests to get a DUI on the way home.
I still think that the ice chunk is a great idea for supper clubs, you just need to be selective. My sister and mother love to put ice cubes in their Chardonnay, especially during the summer. While this has historically been a sacrilege from my viewpoint, I hate to say it, but maybe wine with an ice chunk is a good idea. It certainly is different. It shouldn’t increase the risk of getting your guests hammered. You certainly don’t need to serve your best wine with ice.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW, ice in wine is a BAD IDEA! Unless you like ice in wine, ice dilutes and takes away from the flavor. I am still scarred from Christmas dinner years ago where my sister put ice cubes in my special cabernet.
However, There is the old mantra that:
You should do whatever you want with your wine as long as it makes you happy! That’s what wine is for, after all.
Doing something that is a little different and adds excitement and flavor at supper club is a good thing. Give ice chunks a try. I will be testing it out and will probably be selectively using it.
If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.