Chilled Above the Arctic Circle

Best Drink Ever Mixed!

I was rafting the Hulahula River, above the Arctic Circle in the heart of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. For eleven days I carried an airplane-bar size bottle of Jim Beam bourbon in my backpack and I never touched it. Why? I had Hollywood visions of ending up lost in the Arctic, injured on the coastal plain of the Refuge, something dramatic! I thought that tiny bottle of Jim Beam might be an emergency supply and be the difference between life and death. Okay, so I envisioned Barbara Stanwyck or Jean Arthur in the lead (a classic movie fan)! On the next to the last day we rafted in bitterly cold, truly bone-chilling winds (and years ago I thought the winds in Chicago off Lake Michigan were bad!). We also experienced something I shall never ever forget for it was an absolute collision of all my senses...we rafted through an Arctic ice shelf, both sides of the Hulahula, closed in by thick fog and clouds, not seeing more than a few hundred yards in front of us. It was perfectly silent, a silence like none I ever heard, except for the sound of the Hulahula and water running over the ice . It was dark and yet light because of the brilliant ice and snow, and there was an aqua hue on the ice and reflected in the air around. We stopped on the ice and I took my trusty Nalgene 32 ounce liquid container and filled it with absolutely pure Arctic ice water.

That night in my tent, tucked into my sleeping bag, and protected from wind and snow in the dark light of the land of the midnight sun, sensing the presence of the migrating Porcupine Caribou herd and all the other Arctic wildlife, I took the Jim Beam from my backpack. I poured half of it into my cup and then poured the Arctic water. THE best bourbon and water a bartender could ever serve! The other half of the bottle? Jim Beam sits here on my bookshelf as a significant memento of a fabulous experience in a land of incredible reverent beauty.

Help to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

**Photo of snow, ice and fog in the Lake District, Cumbria, England

Courtesy of Jamie Bassnett, Trekking Britain, see Life Links=>

TRY OUR DRINK OF THE MONTH

MARCH DRINK OF THE MONTH COMING SOON!

JANUARY
Sweet Adeline
Submitted by a friend who created and served recipe #1 at a home party. Bravo!

Recipe #1
In a white wine glass
Over crushed ice
1/2 ounce of Absolut Pear Vodka
Fill with Sparkling Cranberry Juice
Garnish with wedge of lime or see garnishes listed below OR create your own!

Recipe #2
In a martini glass...chill martini glass while mixing
(for chilling glasses see Hints Home Bars #3 posted below)
Mix in cocktail shaker with ice
1 ounce of Absolut Pear Vodka
2 ounces of Cranberry Juice (no Sparkling here)
Strain into a beautiful Martini glass
Garnish with twist of lime or be creative!
*cut a tiny wedge of a firm pear, cut a length of lime peel, and spear both on a toothpick
*take two or three cranberries and spear on a toothpick
Have fun!

While this drink is great for any occasion consider it for a festive celebration, e.g. News Years' Eve party, Christmas, a winter birthday.

FEBRUARY
Arctic Bomba
**invented by Bartend-Her

1 ounce of Yukon Jack Canadian whiskey
1/2 ounce of Bacardi 151 rum

Pour the Yukon Jack into a cordial/liqueur glass or large shot glass
Top with the Bacardi 151
Though this was invented on an icy, cold day in the Ozarks, the inspiration came from the adventure of traveling north above the Arctic Circle, rafting an improbably named river called the Hulahula. Yukon Jack is the drink of the north country, and warms you inside down to your toes. The Hulahula indicates warmth and sunshine, thus topping the drink off with 151 rum adds a touch of sunshine. La Bomba! A perfect drink after you've finished the chocolate-covered strawberries!

PARTY HINTS

Hint #1

Instead of just putting out bottles of liquor (Scotch, Gin, Vodka etc.) select a special drink for the evening in addition to wine and beer. For instance, choose a Cosmopolitan and tell your guests about your “featured drink,” have copies of the recipe to hand out. Guests will always expect the same drinks to be served so you might temper the surprise by letting them know in the invitation…Beer, Wine and Featured Drink!
**AND always serve non-alcoholic beverages.

PARTY HINTS

Hint #2

For a special party hire a bartender! If you have a large group it really frees up your time as a host. Meet with the bartender ahead of time and determine drinks to be served…and limits for guests or how to handle someone who is drinking too much.
**Remember you can be held legally responsible in some states for serving someone who is intoxicated and allowing them to drive.

Alcohol and responsibility are the only real mix.

A Few Hints for Home bars and Good Drinks!

1. Always select a very good to excellent brand of gin, scotch or bourbon…for tastes vary!

2. Use less expensive vodka (Wolfschmidt, Smirnoff, Gordons) because vodka has very little taste. The expensive vodkas have the gorgeous bottles to impress friends and to tickle our fancy (and how we love those bottles!!)! Taste test? Pour a shot of Grey Goose over ice and then same with Smirnoff, taste and see if you can tell the difference…better yet have someone else pour the shots so that you don’t know the brand.

3. Always chill the glass for a drink that will have no ice, i.e. Martini straight up. Place crushed or cubed ice into glass before you start mixing the drink. Empty ice out before filling with your favorite Martini mix. Doing this at a party also impresses guests.

4. Bar workstations have the following bottles (and in this order from left to right): tequila, rum, scotch, bourbon, vodka, gin, triple sec, grenadine, Roses lime juice. If you want to keep a good bar in your home make sure you have these staples.

5. Never scoop ice with a glass…it can break in the ice bin, big ouch.

6. Shot glasses vary from ¾ ounce to 1 ½ ounces…make sure you know the size of yours when you are following recipes. Drinks can be spoiled by being too strong or too weak. The larger the shot can also double the calories! Remember that alcohol is sugar and can help support age-onset diabetes!

**Drink responsibly and Serve responsibly**

A Little Bar Information....A Little Bar History

Did you know...

...that gin originally came from Holland?
...that a cordial and a liqueur are the same?
...that a Perfect Manhattan is made with both Sweet and Dry Vermouth?
...that shot glasses can vary in size from 3/4 ounce to 2 ounces?
...that "with a little English" is asking a bartender to top a drink with a 1/2 ounce of Gin?