Butter Pecan with Brandy Ice Cream. Photo: Ice Cream Happy Hour.

Want to get a buzz on for the holidays? You could stick to plain old cocktails. Or you could jazz them up a bit by adding ice cream.  Better yet, why not churn some ice cream that’s flavored by vodka, rum or some other liquor? Click here to read my HuffPo post with recipes you can use for the holidays or all year round.

Related posts:

1. North Fork, LI: Magic Fountain’s Divine Rum Raisin Ice Cream
2. Ice Cream Fridays: Wall Street Ice Cream
3. Ice Cream: Edible Series and Ice Cream on Awards List

Cascabel to open soon on the Upper West Side. Photo: Laura B. Weiss

Update: Manager Luce now says Cascabel will open Thursday or Friday, June 30 or July 1.

Cascabel, the popular Upper East Side Mexican spot, is slated to open its new Upper West Side spot soon, possibly in the next few days, according to a manager at the restaurant who identified herself as Luce.

The new outpost, at 2799 Broadway (corner of Broadway and 108th Street) with its trendy menu of tacos, carnitas and other Mexican favoties, is sure to be a hit with Columbia students looking for a moderately priced bite to eat. The place also has a full menu of cocktails.

Will the Upper West Side joint be as noisy as the one across the park? We’ll have to wait and see.

And will Cascabel give Mama Mexico, just down the street at 2672 Broadway, a run for its money?

Let me know what you think of the new place.

Cascabel (Upper West Side)
2799 Broadway (Broadway at 108th Street)
NY NY 10025
212 665 1500

Related posts:

1. Cascabel UWS: Tacos Disappoint But Other Dishes Shine
2. Upper West Side: Two Boots Pizza Plans Soft Opening Next Week at New Broadway and 96th Street Location
3. Upper West Side: Trader Joe’s Opening, Week 3

Gin and Tonic. Photo by by massdistraction via flicr.

Nothing says summer more than gin and tonic, so this June 10 gin-and-a dose-of-history event at The Old Stone House in Brooklyn, is well-timed. You can hop on the 2/3 train which stops near the Old Stone House, then have yourself some summer drinks and learn a little gin history, too.

They’ll serve old time gin drinks as well as modern ones. Apparently, gin has a strong connection to NY drinking history.  The early Dutch settlers, it is said, were fond of gin. To give  the event that old time feeling, historian Sarah Lohman, author of the food blog www.fourpoundsflour.com, will present a flight of traditional gin cocktails.

Here are the details:

What: Gin in June! Classic Cocktails & the History of Gin – a fundraiser to support the Old Stone House of Brooklyn.

When: Friday, June 10, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm

What’s to drink: Sarah Lohman, author of the food blog www.fourpoundsflour.com, will present a flight of traditional gin cocktails. Sample four gins, including two historic gins and two contemporary gins, from traditional Dutch Genever to locally distilled Breuckelen Gin. Lohman will discuss the history of each liquor and mix it into a cocktail from the past.

Where: 336 Third Street, between 4th and 5th Avenues in Park Slope, Brooklyn. During the playground renovation, enter the park mid-block on Third Street and access the House through the door facing 4th Avenue.

How much: Tickets: $45 in advance, $50 at the door. Purchase at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/177776.

Related posts:

1. Brooklyn Uncorked Set for May 13 at BAM
2. An All Ice Cream Dinner June 6 in New York
3. Brooklyn: Calling All Locavores

Oscar Statue.

The Oscars are coming! Chances are you’ll be hosting a party Feb. 27 or going to one. A pot luck may be part of the plan. So, whether you’re rooting for Black Swan or The Social Network, you’ll surely want a drink and snack close at hand.

Chef Renee suggests the following:

Oscar Party Drink and Snack: Blushing Campari and Kale Chips

A bittersweet cocktail (or mocktail), this crimson-hued bubbly is a perfect companion for the tart and salty kale chips.

BLUSHING CAMPARI

4 servings

4 tablespoons Campari
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons orange liqueur, Grand Gala or Grand Marnier (not Cointreau)
1 pint sparkling wine, or citrus flavored club soda
Chilled glasses
Combine the Campari, lime juice and orange liqueur in a pitcher. Leave for 10 minutes to develop the flavors.
When ready to serve, rub a piece of lime peel on the rim of each chilled glass, add sparkling wine, and serve (a champagne flute or tulip shaped wine glass works well) immediately.

KALE CHIPS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

One head of kale, leaves removed, washed, dried, center stem removed and cut or torn into large (2×2 inch) shards.  Discard the lower portion of the kale if you can’t get large pieces.

Prepare the pan: using a cookie pan or wide baking pan with sides, spray the pan bottom with olive oil.  Spray the kale shards with olive oil and toss them well, so they are completely coated with oil.  Sprinkle sea salt on kale and toss again.

Spread kale in one layer on baking pan or cookie sheet.  It is important not to crowd the pieces together.  You may have to do this step twice.

Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes (check after 5 minutes).  When the edges are just turning brown, but the kale pieces are still green, remove the pan and let the chips rest until they cool down and harden.

Variation: you can toss the raw kale shards with a curry, masala or chili powder mix.

Related posts:

1. Cocktails and Snack Recipe: For New Year’s, A Sparkling Cocktail; Caramelized Spice Walnuts
2. Best Potato Chips in NY Area? Try Chips at Southold’s Piping Plover on the North Fork
3. Recipe: Watermelon Cocktail and Feta Popcorn for July 4th

Photo by ambernambrose via flickr.

New Years in my book can turn into one of those nights of forced gaiety when you’re suppose to celebrate, or else! The ultimate example of this mindset, of course, is the scrum of howling revelers that converges on Times Square for the ritual midnight dropping of the ball.

But if you’re spending New Years Eve with friends, as I am, the evening can be a great way to end the year on an up note—a chance to mingle with those near and dear to you.

First, up, you need the right drink—like a tantalizing cocktail, for instance.

Drinks sites abound with bartending tips, recipes, and food pairings.

So, bottoms up, and Happy New Year!

• The Bar offers a food pairing guide and lots of drink recipes.

Related posts:

1. Cocktails and Snack Recipe: For New Year’s, A Sparkling Cocktail; Caramelized Spice Walnuts
2. Christmas Cookies: Recipes, Bakeries and Mail Order
3. Where to Find Christmas and New Years Ice Cream Flavors Around New York

Unwined at Symphony Space on Broadway is moving. Photo: Unwined.

Unwined, the Upper West Side  wine bar tucked into Symphony Space at 95th and Broadway, is moving. The new location hasn’t been announced. E-mail me if you have info on the new locale.

Related posts:

1. Upper West Side: Symphony Space’s Unwined Opens for Lunch
2. Symphony Space: Bloomsday on Broadway Dips Into Food
3. Upper West Side: Wine Bar to Open in Former Docks Space in October

Photo: by Digimist via flickr.

True, O’Neal’s, on 64th Street between Broadway and Central Park West, is filled with blue-haired ladies on their way to Lincoln Center. (Actually, when it was the Ginger Man a very long time ago, I’d stop there with my mother for a bite to eat after we’d attended a Philharmonic concert.)

The New York Times has reported that O’Neal’s will close in June to be replaced by a fish joint.

Despite its staid clientele, O’Neal’s also features a cozy bar with a nice wine selection.

I have a certain fondness for O’Neal’s My playwriting friends and I would drink there early and often. Sometimes, our teacher Charlie would join us for a little nip.

Now, we’re blue because we’ll have to find another watering hole.”That’s so wrong,” said my friend Stephanie of the closing. “And as a good Irishwoman I will mourn appropriately by getting sotted.”

Any suggestions for replacement bars in the neighborhood would be appreciated.

Related posts:

1. Arpeggio Outdoors Restaurant Opens at Lincoln Center
2. Upper West Side: Oscars and Hors d’œuvres March 7 at Lincoln Center
3. Upper West Side: Daniel Boulud Plans New Lincoln Center Restaurant

Chocolate Sauce. Photo: Grown Up Kids Stuff.

Yes, it still feels like November out there, but ice cream season will soon be upon us. If you’re a chocolate sauce fanatic like I am, you may want to enrobe your ice cream with chocolate topping from Grown Up Kids Stuff. Why? Like so many other chocolate sauces, it’s not cloyingly sweet. And it boasts a rich, fudgy consistency.

There are two varieties. Luscious straight-on chocolate sauce and a second variety laced with Grand Marnier. I found the latter too sweet, but it may be appealing if you’re looking for a chocolate experience with an orangy flavor twist.

Right now, this sauce is sold primarily in stores in the Midwest. But you can buy it online.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Local Food: My HuffPo Post on Whether Locally Grown is Going Corporate
2. Upper West Side: Kosher Israeli Gelato Screme Hits the Hood
3. Recipe: Valentine’s Day Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich and Chocolate Heart Cookies

Happy New Year!

Sparkling Ginger Daisy. Photo, Spice and Ice.

Sparkling Ginger Daisy Cocktail
from Spice & Ice – 60 tongue-tingling cocktails, by Kara Newman (Chronicle Books, 2009)

A daisy is a classic juice-based cocktail sweetened with grenadine or a red liqueur, and often topped with sparkling wine. Here, the bright spice of ginger plays against a backdrop of bubbles for a festive holiday sparkler. And if you feel like gilding the lily, try one or both of the optional special touches below.

1 ounce Plymouth Gin
1 ounce Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
Lemon juice
1 teaspoon grenadine
Brut champagne

Combine gin, ginger liqueur, lemon juice and grenadine in an ice-filled mixing glass. Stir until well chilled, and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with champagne.
Optional touch #1:  If desired, rim the flute with sparkle sugar before pouring in the drink.
Optional touch #2:  Garnish with a cherry at the bottom of the flute.

Sparkling Ginger Daisy (Mocktail Version)
Adapted from Spice & Ice – 60 tongue-tingling cocktails, by Kara Newman (Chronicle Books, 2009)

Sparkle sugar, to rim the glass
2 coin-sized rounds of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
2 oz pomegranate juice
2 oz white grape juice
3 oz spicy ginger beer (I like Fentiman’s)
Lemon slice
Moisten the rim of the glass with lemon and rim a champagne flute with sparkle sugar. Set aside.
In the bottom of a mixing glass, muddle the fresh ginger. Add pomegranate, white grape juice, and ice. Shake vigorously and strain into champagne flute. Top with ginger ale.

Caramelized Spiced Walnuts

Make a lot of these crunchy sweet and spicy walnuts– you won’t be able to stop eating them.  You can make them in advance. They can be stored at room temperature for at least a week.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups walnuts halves
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon dried red peppers (hot)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350F.
Put 2 quarts of water on to boil.
1) In a grinder or processor (easiest in a coffee or small grinder): grind the cardamom, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick and hot peppers until finely ground.  Then mix with salt and sugar. Put aside.

2) When water is boiling, add walnuts and let water return to a boil. Boil the walnuts for one minute and drain through a strainer.
While the walnuts are still hot, toss them with the spice mixture.  It will cling to the nuts– that’s the idea.

3) Lay the nuts onto a cookie sheet lined with a paper bag, wax paper or parchment.  Bake in oven for about 10 minutes, until they turn almost dark brown and smell wonderful.  Cool in the pan, and store in an airtight container.

Related posts:

1. Oscar Night Cocktail and Snack: Blushing Campari and Kale Chips
2. Recipe: Spiced Holiday Walnuts
3. New Years Cocktail Recipes to Enjoy in New York or Anywhere

Photo by Juanfrans via flickr.

Everybody’s celebrating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s sail up the river that now bears the Dutch explorer’s name. What better place to mark the the event than….Hudson Beach Cafe in Riverside Park at 105th Street?

On Sunday, you can drop into the cafe, down some oysters and take a peak at the river. There’s beer to drink and things for the kids to do too. And if you want your dog to join in the festivities, there’s a dog park right across the way.

Here are the details.  For other Hudson-related events in the park this weekend, click here.

Riverside Park Oyster Festival 2009

Saturday, September 12; 3 – 9 pm
Hudson Beach Cafe (105th Street in the Park)

Celebrating 400 years along the Hudson River. Enjoy freshly shucked oysters, beer, great food, activities for children, and live music all day at the Hudson Beach Cafe. Admission is free; food and drink can be purchased.

Related posts:

1. Riverside Park Leaf Cleanup Day Slated for Dec. 5
2. New York Outdoor Dining Blooms on Upper West Side
3. Holiday on the Hudson Celebration Tonight