POSTS TAGGED : 5 days of cocktails

Behind-the-Scenes: Christmas Cocktail Party

Behind-the-Scenes: Christmas Cocktail Party

Merry Christmas!  As the Santa Claus of Crustcrumbs (oh wait, no, that’s John), I’m here to bring you the greatest gift of all: behind-the-scenes pictures from our Mad Men themed office cocktail photoshoot.

Crustcrumbs

The worst part about doing a big photoshoot like the one we did for our Christmas cocktail series is that I can’t post all of the images from the shoot.

Whether it’s Sara Hennessey getting weird with a nutcracker…

Sara Hennessey

Crustcrumbs Behind-the-Scenes

… or creating a cheesy conga line solely because John said “NO CHEESY CONGA LINES”, and he should probably learn by now that I’m going to think everything on his forbidden shot list is a good idea…

Crustcrumbs Conga Line

Crustcrumbs Behind-the-Scenes

… or just general “pretending to be drunk” shenanigans…

Crustcrumbs Behind-the-Scenes

Crustcrumbs Behind-the-Scenes

… we obviously had a lot of fun doing this shoot.  It was also sometimes difficult to remember that it was supposed to be about the drinks.

Crustcrumbs Behind-the-Scenes

Because I was having so much fun, I forgot to take a behind-the-scenes photo of my lighting setup.  Luckily I’m also clumsy, and I took this picture by accident:

Crustcrumbs Behind-the-Scenes

Shooting in an office is difficult.  First of all, when you’re dealing with multiple light sources, it can be a pain to balance the colour between the window light (blue) and gross fluorescent office lighting (orange).  Since I knew I wanted to desaturate the images and give them a bit of a “vintage” look, I didn’t worry too much about colour balancing.

Secondly, there is stuff everywhere.  Stuff casts a shadow.  Since I didn’t want to spend all day setting up multiple lights everywhere, I set up just one as seen in the photo above – an ABR800 ring flash in a moon unit pointed down at the girls over the cubicle wall camera right.  For a secondary light source, to fill some of the shadows and make them less harsh, I used a shoe mount flash (speedlite) attached to my camera and pointed it at the ceiling.  You can read more about bounce lighting here.

The end result:

The Ladies of Crustcrumbs

A big thank you to all five of our models and to Eagle for letting us use their office on a Sunday afternoon!

Related posts:

Christmas Cocktail Roundup Behind-the-Scenes: Halloween Dessert Cart 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 5: Bijou 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 3: Widow’s Kiss

Christmas Cocktail Roundup

Christmas Cocktail Roundup

I was out of town last week, so I missed getting drunk with all our Crustcrumbs readers during our 5 Days of Cocktails.  Allow me to reminisce with you all by rounding up all five of our Christmas cocktails.

5 Days of Cocktails

The first beverage in our week-long Mad Men themed office Christmas party was a County Nog.  The County Nog was modeled by Lynn, who later passed out under her desk.

County Nog

Next, we have Sarah drinking a Black Manhattan, garnished with bourbon-soaked cherries.

Black Manhattan

Sara joined us to drink a Widow’s Kiss, John’s twist on an old classic.

Widow's Kiss

A flashy Bourbon Sour was fourth, topped with a snowy froth and a swirl of bitters.  The Bourbon Sour was modeled by the lovely Mika.

Bourbon Sour

And last but not least is Michelle drinking a classy and elegant Bijou.

Bijou

That’s it!  We hope you enjoyed our office Christmas cocktail shenanigans.  Maybe drink a few glasses of water on your way out.

5 Days of Cocktails

 

Related posts:

5 Days of Cocktails – Day 4: Bourbon Sour 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 1: County Nog 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 3: Widow’s Kiss 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 2: Black Manhattan

5 Days of Cocktails – Day 5: Bijou

5 Days of Cocktails – Day 5: Bijou

Like a sparkling glass Christmas ornament, the Bijou shines bright with little extra adornment. Well put-together, it’s a cocktail that makes use of a combination of spirits with colours representative of precious diamonds and emeralds, immediately putting the drinker in a place of grace and elegance as its gleaming green hue illuminates from the glass.

It’s a polished cocktail for those looking to appreciate sophisticated flavours and aromas  such as juniper, anise, and orange.

Bijou

This jewelled cocktail is traditionally made with three spirits: gin, green chartreuse, and sweet vermouth. I’ve changed the formula for the Crustcrumbs office party because I wanted this cocktail to be completely emerald in colour so as to better embody the unabashed sparkle of Christmas. It’s a joyous alteration. The Lillet Blanc is a little less sweet than the vermouth would be and adds its own pleasant aromas of orange. I’ve opted for no garnish in our version, though a cocktail cherry or orange peel (not both, please) would be a welcome addition.

Bijou

Bijou

makes 1 cocktail

1 oz Plymouth gin
1 oz Green Chartreuse
1 oz Lillet Blanc
1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6

In a mixing glass filled with ice, add the gin, Chartreuse, and Lillet. Stir to chill. In a chilled coupe add a dash of orange bitters to the empty glass then pour the cocktail over top.

The Ladies of Crustcrumbs

That brings us to an end of the 5 Days of Cocktails and we’re feeling completely polluted. Soon it’ll be time to get the turkey in the oven! Thank you to all of our incredible Mad Men models – we obviously couldn’t have made it through the week without you.

Related posts:

5 Days of Cocktails – Day 3: Widow’s Kiss 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 2: Black Manhattan 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 4: Bourbon Sour 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 1: County Nog

5 Days of Cocktails – Day 4: Bourbon Sour

5 Days of Cocktails – Day 4: Bourbon Sour

Out of all of our Christmas cocktails this week, I think the Bourbon Sour is the most decked-out for the holidays. Sit this drink in front of one your guests and the others will certainly get jealous when they see the attention given to its pretty snowy top, swirled with amber bitters.

Bourbon Sour

Underneath this meringue-like blanket is a drink that’s gently spiced from bourbon and enlivening on the palate thanks to a burst of freshly squeezed lemon juice. It’s a flashy cocktail for those that appreciate some extravagance around the holidays.

A good sour is essential to any cocktail party menu. They’re a crowd pleaser and understandably so as they offer a satisfying balance between refreshingly tart and lightly sweet. They’re great for people that don’t enjoy the harsher edge certain spirits have, providing a pleasant and smooth sip. The real trick is to get the snowy layer of froth strong enough to hold the shape of the bitters when they’re carefully dropped on top. Getting it right comes down to when you add the ice to the shaker. Pre-shaking without ice helps to combine the ingredients and the egg white. A final vigorous shaking with ice, aerates the white enough that it pours out silkily on the surface of the cocktail.

Bourbon Sour

Bourbon Sour

makes 1 cocktail

2 oz bourbon (I use Bulleit)
3/4 oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 oz simple syrup
1 egg white
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

In a cocktail shaker combine the bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds, add ice and shake again for 20 seconds or so to create a good, sturdy froth. Pour into a chilled coupe glass and add two drops of Angostura on either side of the drink. Using a skewer, drag the bitters through the froth in a circular motion to achieve a marbled effect.

Simple Syrup

makes 500ml syrup

250ml cold water
250g granulated sugar

Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring a little to ensure the sugar dissolves evenly. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, remove from the heat and cool. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Related posts:

5 Days of Cocktails – Day 1: County Nog 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 2: Black Manhattan 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 3: Widow’s Kiss 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 5: Bijou

5 Days of Cocktails – Day 3: Widow’s Kiss

5 Days of Cocktails – Day 3: Widow’s Kiss

Let things get weird with an old flame at the holiday office party as you sip this one under the mistletoe. The Widow’s Kiss is an old cocktail but those just learning to drink can take comfort in its gentle, supple, and smoothly spiced aromas. What’s old is new again and with its generous doses of herbal liqueurs and French brandy, you’ll feel first-class as you lean in for another nip of this feisty elixir.

Widow's Kiss

Make no mistake, this is a hard edge cocktail but it’s subtle undertones of apple, honey and saffron add the allure of a feminine touch.

Cocktail recipes are regularly adapted depending on the personal preference of the mixer and the drinker, and as such, you may find countless variations for the Widow’s Kiss. The standard from what I can tell, includes Calvados, Yellow Chartreuse, and Bénédictine. Almost always, these three ingredients are represented in different proportions. Though I love herbal liqueurs, Bénédictine included, I thought I’d like to provide a variation that leaves it out and replaces it with Green Chartreuse, partly because I’m on a bit of a Chartreuse tear, but also because I thought it’d be nice to provide an option that doesn’t have you stocking your bar with ingredients you’ll seldom be using. Green Chartreuse is more powerful than the Yellow both in flavour and in alcohol – I love it but sometimes it doesn’t love me back – and thus works as an adequate substitute for the Bénédictine.

The orange peel garnish is another variation and completely optional. In the winter and especially around Christmas, I like the flavour an orange peel provides in my drink and if you wanted to go all out for your party, you could flame it as directed below.

Widow's Kiss

Widow’s Kiss

makes 1 cocktail

2 oz Calvados
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
orange peel, for garnish (optional)

In a mixing glass filled with ice, add the Calvados, Yellow and Green Chartreuse, and bitters. Stir and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Rub the orange peel around the rim of the glass before tossing the peel in the drink.

If you wanted to get a bit showy, you could flame the orange peel by pinching the peel above the drink while holding a match close to it, creating a quick and dramatic flame as the orange oils catch fire before hitting the drink.

Mad Men Office Party

Huge thanks to the hilarious Sara Hennessey for taking on the persona of the Widow’s Kiss for us! You can check out Sara’s tour schedule here. Go see her live! She’s a terrific woman!

Sara and the Nutcracker

Related posts:

5 Days of Cocktails – Day 5: Bijou 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 4: Bourbon Sour 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 2: Black Manhattan 5 Days of Cocktails – Day 1: County Nog