the daily muddle

Dozens of rums from around the world united at Rum on the River on Thursday August 19th at the Octo Waterfront Grill in Philadelphia, PA.  Guests enjoyed live Samba music, while some of the area’s best bartenders muddled up a storm competing in the 3rd Annual Mojito Olympics.  The event featured such rums as Bacardi, El Dorado and Appleton, but the winning cocktail was a Leblon Basil & Kiwi Caipirinha created by Andres Sanchez, mixologist at Positano Coast in Philadelphia.

Even if you don’t live in Philly, you can try Andres’ cocktail for yourself…

Leblon Basil & Kiwi Caipirinha
2 oz Leblon Cachaca
1/2 Kiwi
3 basil leaves
1/2 oz lime juice
1 oz honey

Muddle kiwi, basil,  lime juice, and honey together in the bottom of a shaker.
Add Leblon and fill shaker with ice.  Shake and serve on the rocks.
Garnish with a kiwi slice.

Leblon Cachaça received the top ranking of “Cachaça Master 2010″ from The Spirits Business Magazine, as well as the International Wine and Spirit Competition’s “Best of Class” award.

As the first-ever Cachaça Master competition, Leblon was deemed the best tasting among 18 other brands, encompassing both aged and non-aged spirits.  We are ecstatic to receive the Best of Class award, because the IWSC is one of the oldest and most revered independent spirits competitions in the world.  Entries are judged blindly and then undergo vigorous technical analysis to assure their quality when purchased by consumers.

“We are honored to have received these two prestigious awards,” said Gilles Merlet, Master Distiller, Leblon.”  At Leblon, we have dedicated ourselves to elevating the quality and the overall experience of Cachaça, Brazil’s noble spirit.  We are proud that our efforts have been recognized by these respected U.K. organizations.  The fact that Cachaça was given its own award category by The Spirits Business Magazine really shows its irrefutable popularity.  Moreover, it’s here to stay.”

Leblon also earned the “Best in Class” at the Rum Experience International Tasting Competition in London.  Leblon is soaring high above the competition in every category, which is why Leblon fittingly won the “Rising Star Growth Brand” Award by the Beverage Information Group and “Best Cachaça” with a Double Gold Medal Award at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, its fifth Gold Medal win to date.

On Thursday, July 22nd, Leblon had the honor to be featured at 25 Spirited Dinners at the Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, LA. Each dinner took place at a top restaurant in New Orleans. World-renowned mixologists worked with the chefs to create and pair a custom Leblon Cocktail with a specific course at each dinner. To say the least, the diversity and creativity of the cocktails were amazing!

In total, over 25 recipes were created by Tad Carducci, Paul Tanguay, Allan Katz, Kimberly Patton-Bragg, Charlotte Voisey, Nick Nemeth, Gaston Martinez, Audrey Saunders, Eric Alperin, Phil Ward, Lynette Marrerro, Ted Breaux, Chris Hannah, Todd Appel, Guillaume Lamy, Brooks Reitz, Leo Robitschek, Blair Reynolds, Allen Katz, Todd Richman, Gina Chersevani, Paul Clarke, Jeffrey Morganthaler, Jerry Thompson, Elayne Duke, Philip Duff, Simon Ford, Jamie Gordon, Chris Patino, Father & Son duo Jeffrey and Jonathan Pogash, Jim Ryan, Gardner Dunn, Yuri Kato, Tal Nadari, Rob Cooper, Ted Haigh, Kristen Amann, Rhiannon Enlil, John Lermayer, Patricia Richards, and Darby Kelly.

Here are a few recipes to try at home:

Broussard’s Cocktail by Nick Nemeth The Maison Jerry Cocktail 30ml Leblon Cachaça 30 mL Sailor Jerry spiced rum 15 mL fresh lime juice 15 mL simple syrup 30 mL Egg whites 6 Raspberries 10 Black peppercorns Method: Shake ingredients over ice, and fine-strain into a chilled coupe. Finish with brulee of Angostura Aromatic bitters.
Jackson Cocktail by Paul Clarke, Jeffrey Morganthaler, & Jeremy Thompson Third Course Cocktail 1 1/2 oz Leblon cachaça 3/4 oz Fresh lime juice 3/4 oz Pineapple gum syrup 1/2 oz Egg white 1/4 oz Luxardo amaretto 1 tsp Apricot preserves Method: Shake and serve in a cocktail glass.
Mike’s On The Avenue Cocktail by Jim Ryan & Bompass & Parrn Tony’s Coconut Batida 1 oz Leblon cachaça 2 oz Coco Lopez Coconut Cream 1 oz Half & half 1/4 oz Simple syrup Toasted coconut garnish Method: Stir together in a glass. Add toasted coconut for garnish
Restaurant August Cocktail by Rob Cooper & Ted Haigh Common Man’s Reviver 2 oz Leblon cachaça 3/4 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur 1 oz Lemon juice 1/4 oz Herbsaint Original Top with tonic water Method: Serve with spoon so recipient can stir.

Click here to see more recipes you can try at home!

Summer is in full swing and if you haven’t been to a Leblon Caipi-Hour, now is your chance. On July 22nd, we will be hosting a series of Caipi-Hours in New York and Los Angeles from 6-9pm. If you are in the LA or NY area, please join us at one of the locations below for a chance to win a night out on the town in the Leblon truck with 3 of your closest friends. If you are not in the NY or LA area and want to go to a Caipi-Hour please contact us or check out our Caipi-Hour schedule.

NY Locations

Empire Room – 350 5th St.
Caliente Cab Gramercy – 488 3rd Ave.
Macondo – 157 East Houston St.

LA Locations

Ciudad- 445 South Figueroa Street
Casa – 350 S Grand Ave

We created the LeBlon James cocktail to celebrate Miami’s newest star.  Use the recipe below to make the delicious cocktail at home, then raise your glasses and cheers to their bright future together.

Fresh lime, teased with sweetness, smashed with ice
and doused in Brasil’s Finest Cachaça

Fill a highball or pint glass with ice
Add 2 ounces of Leblon Cachaça
1 ounce of sour mix or 2 squeezes of fresh lime juice
Fill to the top with lemon-lime soda
Stir Well
Enjoy



The Thompson LES Hotel rooftop pool was filled with a bevy of beautiful women, scantily clad male models and Brazilian cocktails Thursday night during Alessandra Ambrosio’s Follow the Sun Party annual kick off to summer party.  Victoria Secret Angels Adriana Lima and Doutzen Kroes raved about their sweet Leblon Caipirinha’s to Alessandra and other guests.

Fellow Brazilian Alessandra said “I feel like I’m in Brazil!”
while drinking the strawberry basil caipirinha!

The Leblonettes Samba danced, poured freshly made Leblon Caipirinhas, and gave all the guests Leblon Bonfim Wish Ribbons for goodluck.  All the models and guests were eager to know where they could get their hands on more Leblon to make their own Caipirinhas at home!

Leblon Cachaça muddled cocktails for some of the TOP chefs in the country at the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen from June 18 – June 20, 2010.

We were excited and honored to be among the best chefs, wine connoisseurs, and mixologists.

Founder Steve Luttmann and Leblon enthusiast Jaime Keller hard at work in Aspen!

The Bar Magic boys were working their magic, shaking up our Leblon Basiado Caipirinha at Jimmys in Aspen at the Food & Wine after-party.  It was definitely a fun filled weekend we will never forget!

Everyone at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic went crazy over our Leblon Basiado cocktails!

Try out our new favorite Caipirinha using the recipe below:

Leblon Basiado Caipirinha Recipe

Ingredients:

2 oz. Leblon Cachaça, 3-4 lemongrass, 2 cucumber wheels, 2 lime wheels, 3 tsp cane sugar,  large pinch of cilantro, and coconut espuma

*Coconut Espuma

1/3 Leblon Cachaça
1/3 Coconut Syrup
1/3 egg whites

Preparation:

1. Muddle lemongrass
2. Fill with ice, add Leblon
3. Shake & fine strain over fresh ice cubes
4. Top with coconut espuma

We have waited patiently for four years, and now its finally here: The 2010 World Cup kicks off June 11th in South Africa! So get your jerseys and your game face on because it is promising to be anexciting ride and we’ll be here along the way to help you celebrate in style. May the best team win! If you are in the mood to go out and celebrate with friends, here are some locations that you can count on to have your game up on the big screen.

Baja Café: Deerfield Beach, FL

Bocabar: Somerset, Bristol

Canvas at Hilton: Sao Paulo, Brasil

Felix: New York City

Forneria: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Gigalum: London, UK

Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa: Fort Lauderdale, FL

Harry’s Bar: San Francisco, Caipi-Mosas for all morning games

Ipanema Grill: Seattle, Wa

Jack Dempsey’s: New York City

Jerry Remy’s Sport Bar and Grill: Boston, Ma

Jobi: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Kukui: Oxfordshire, Oxford

La Parrilla: San Francisco

Legends: New York City

Lobby Bar at Tivole Hotel: Sao Paulo, Brasil

Loca Luna: Atlanta, GA

Navy Beach: Montauk, NY

Novecento: Brickell, Miami, Coral Gables, FL

Patio Bar & Grill: Deerfield Beach, FL

Scuderia: New York City

Squat Bar: Sao Paulo, Brasil

Sushi Samba: New York, Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas

The Crimson Lounge @ Tommy Doyle’s: Cambridge, MA

Urban Golf: London, UK

Via dei Mille: New York City

Vox Populi: Boston, MA

Wake Up Paris: Paris, France

Warwick Hotel: Paris, France

If you ever wanted to see how Cachaça is made and how hand crafted care truly makes a difference, now is your chance. We are offering a trip to visit Maison Leblon through liquor.com and one lucky winner and a guest will get to see first hand why Leblon is so special.

After visiting 20 of our top accounts in New Jersey we have finally found the Best Caipirinha in New Jersey.  This years winner was Richard Tandoc from Rio Rodizio 22 in Union,  New Jersey. Make sure to stop in and taste the best New Jersey has to offer!

Team USBG AND THE FROZEN LEBLONS participated this year in the 10th Annual Chicago Polar Plunge at North Avenue Beach. The Polar Plunge event benefits The Special Olympics of Chicago and Leblon made a  donation on behalf of the USBG Chicago chapter. After racing into the freezing water participants warmed up their bones with a much needed Leblon hot toddy!

Whether you’re hanging in or dining out, cocktails are always a fun idea.  Liquid Architecture founder Kim Haasarud shows us how easy it is to make cocktails at home, using fresh produce from places like Marina Farms, Los Angeles.

With over 300 guests in attendance and music played by DJ Maurice the Artefacto Coral Gables WOW event was definitely an event not to miss. Those in attendance including Miami’s well known entertainer, Elaine Lancaster, sipped on delicious Leblon Cocktails such as the our Traditional Caipirinha and the stylish and delicious Lychee Ginger Caipirinha. The amazing drinks were the perfect accent to the painted dancers and models wearing designs by Carlos Miele’s.

Manhattan Magazine just recently held their annual Chef’s Night Out featuring dishes from the hottest restaurants around NYC.Top Chefs such as Jean-Georges prepared delicious signature dishes which paired perfectly with our Leblon Sangrias created by Naren Young.  Who could ask for a more perfect night? Mouth watering plates with thirst quenching Leblon Cocktails!

At the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, Leblon Cachaça held a USBG Caipirinha Competition.  The United States Bartenders Guild had 18 bartenders from 9 cities represent their chapter to compete for the top prize and a golden muddler to bring back to the winning city.

This years competition was hosted by The Modern Mixologist, Tony Abou-Ganim, and was judged by Naren Young (New York Cities BoBo Restaurant), Junior Merino (The Liquid Chef), and Francine Cohen (Editor of Food and Beverage Journal, media partner for the National USBG Caipirinha competition). Winners this year were Peoples Choice: Tad Carducci (The Tippling Brothers) and Judges Choice: USBG Las Vegas Chapter which was composed of Tobin Ellis and Andrew Pollard.

(more…)

This summer, it’s time to mix and mash! Leblon and SUSHISAMBA are proud to present MUDDLE, SHAKE and POUR, the ultimate contest of cocktails where twenty aspiring mixologists will vie in making and muddling of summer’s most creative concoction. The winning cocktail of the competition will be featured at SUSHISAMBA for the month of August.

Celebrity mixologists will be part of the judging team at each location:

Jay Law – Miami Florida
Naren Young – New York
Patricia Richards – Las Vegas
Debbie Peek – Chicago

This past week, we hosted the First Annual Muddle.Shake.Pour Competition in South Florida.  11 of Miami’s top bartenders competed from their respective bars/restaurants.  Its was no easy task choosing our favorites, but we had some great judges including: Sarah Ehrlich (our very own from Miami), Jay Law (Master Mixologist from The One Group), Robert Burr (The Gifted Rums Guide) and David Ortiz (Cassi D’s Marketing) to narrow down the field.  One bartender flambéd pears with Leblon (nice work Elad), others lit hot peppers on fire (great cocktail Tom), while others used CO2 to infuse flavors into a cocktail (cool stuff Richie).  This years winner was Julio Cabrera from Senora Martinez.  Congrats Julio!!!  Special thank you to: Sarina from Frankie’s Hideaway, George from Fontainebleau, Tom from Sunset Lounge @ The Mondrian, Adam from Florida Room, Richie at Shore Club, Julio from Sra Martinez, Arthur at Town Kitchen, Jose from Apple Kore, Elad from Gansevoort South, and Matthew at Senora Martinez.

Stay tuned for the Northern Florida Muddle. Shake. Pour and then the two winners will battle it out for Florida’s top bartender!

Flavored ice is delicious.  Flavored ice with alcohol is even better.  We teamed up last week with Glazierepura, a new product with the technology capabilities to freeze spirits at a higher proof.  Sam Hazen, of Tao fame, hosted the cocktail party and it was a blast.  Muddling on the Beach was spinning Brazilian Beats at STK (what a beautiful private room!!).  Guests enjoyed Mango, Raspberry, and Passion fruit ice cubes and sipped on the STK signature Cocktail the Barely Brazilian which is a wonderful blend of Leblon, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and thyme.

In a few short weeks the Tales of the Cocktail USBG Leblon Caipirinha Competition is heading to New Orleans. Bartenders from around the country will be competing for the Golden Muddler and  this past Sunday, Francine Cohen from Food & Beverage Magazine was nice enough to allow us into her home as Tad Carducci (defending USBG cocktail champion) hosted a cocktail party as a ‘warm up’ for New York’s USBG members and top bartenders in the area. Jason Littrell of The Randolph at Broome made some fantastic cocktails and Derek Brown and Chantal Tseng from Washington DC stopped by to show some support as well as Junior Merino, Cedric Hosy, Elba Giron (last years winner’s partner) and James Menite from NYC.  Even Pablo Moix, the USBG member, representing the SoCal market in the competition dropped by to stir up some trouble.

As Las Vegas introduced its first mixology event called Social Mixology Tuesdays, top mixologists and industry insiders checked out the event to an over-whelming response. Over the past few weeks, Leblon was invited to be the featured spirit and guest bartenders such as Tony Abou-Ganim, Anthony Alba, Kristen Schaefer, and Naren Young got behind the bar to muddle up some great fresh fruit cocktails.  Tobin Ellis and John Hogan of Barmagic Las Vegas have a great concept going on and something Las Vegas has been looking for.

The Supper Club Los Angeles and Angeleno Magazine came together to host a ‘Fashion’ focused dinner party to celebrate the release of the March Fashion Issue in the stunning SkyBar hut at the Mondrian, catered by Asia de Cuba.  The event got off to a flying start poolside with specialty (fantastic) cocktails by LA mixologist Pablo Moix. Followed by a seated dinner for 24. Guest included Natasha Henstridge, Kate Sumner, Nicholas Berggruen and Jason Blum.

The night before the Las Vegas Nightclub and Bar Show kicked off Tony Abou-Ganim hosted National USBG members from around the United States to an artisanal cachaça and caipirinha tasting. Tony prepared fresh fruit caipirinhas and guests enjoyed a traditional churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse) experience at Texas de Brazil. Gerard Schweitzer presented to the USBG members a tasting of the top artisanal cachaças on the market today.

Located on three islands in Hawaii, Merriman’s serves the freshest ingredients paired with amazing cocktails. Jason Castle, Merriman’s Sommelier and Beverage Manager, has an incredible passion for wines and spirits. He favors fresh and organic ingredients. His creativity in the creation of cocktails has made him open the first “foam bar” in Maui, a very popular bar where there’s always something to discover.

Merriman’s Foam is a creative cocktail that uses fresh and simple ingredients such as fresh squeezed lime juice, home made simple syrup and some unique ingredients such as xantham gum for  a creative and innovative foam.

The foam is made in a canister (like for dessert):

24 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
8 oz. home made simple syrup
1 teaspoon of xantham gum
Use the Co2 of 2 cartridges to make the foam

To make the drink, pour 1.5 oz of Leblon Cachaça over ice. Fill with foam and stir.

Besides knowing how to make the perfect caipirinha, it is essential that you capture another tradition of Brazil, Samba. Samba is the traditional dance of Brazil and can be seen and felt during Carnaval in Brazilian homes, clubs and street festas. Be sure to watch Vitória teach the basics to this foot moving, hip shaking and soul satisfying dance.

The 26th Marie Brizard International Cocktail Challenge Final and International Bartender Seminar took place in Bordeaux, France early last December. After holding qualifying series around the world over the past year, 36 competitors, representing 30 nations were invited to Bordeaux for the finals.

The most awarded Brazilian bartender, Rogerio Rabbit, who finished 3rd last year at this same competition, came to the 2008 edition with a Leblon recipe. Rabbit has created the cocktail menus for great bars in São Paulo, such as Café Journal and Banana Café.

Rabbit went through the first round, finishing first of his group, with a Leblon cocktail.

The Brazilian Soul of Marie

4cl Leblon Cachaça
2cl Marie Brizard Anisette
1cl Marie Brizard limoncini
8 Pieces fresh white grapes
5 Fresh basil leaves

On the 2nd and last day of the challenge, the final 8 competitors went to Chateau du Taillan, outside Bordeaux. The 2nd round worked on a “mystery ingredient box” basis, where competitors had to demonstrate creativity and flexibility on a short length of time. The goal was to create one cocktail in no more than 7 minutes with the ingredients from the box. Rabbit won against Maxime Hoerth, from the George V Hotel in Paris, Maxime who also choose Leblon as main ingredient on his original recipe on the 1st round.

On the 3rd round and Ultimate Final, the last 4 bartenders had a larger “mystery box” and this time the goal was to create 3 different cocktails within 10 minutes with a previous 5 minute set up.

The final result of last years competition was:
Gold Award: José Abarullo, Venezuela
Silver Award, Rogerio Rabbit, Brazil
Bronze Award, Jan Schaefer, Germany
4th place: Kolodziej Bartlomiej, Poland

We recently hosted the Mixoloseum’s Thursday Night Drink Night.  Check out some of the great recipes the participants came up with.  The attached photo comes from Gabriel Szaszko and Matt Robold who created the Sao Paulo Iced Tea during the course of the evening.

Cocktail Highlights:

Sao Paulo Iced Tea

2 oz Leblon Cachaca
1 oz Absolut Peach Vodka
1 oz Gin
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a tall glass with ice and top with soda.  Garnish with a sprig of mint.

*Drink photo courtesy of RumDood.com

Cherry Crush

2oz Leblon cachaça

1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz grapefruit juice
1/2 oz vanilla syrup
1 dash grapefruit bitters
1 dash grenadine

Shake all but grenadine with ice and strain into a crushed-ice laden rocks glass. Drizzle on the grenadine.

MADE BY:  Tiare from A Mountain of Crushed Ice

The Shaven Yak’s Belly

2 oz leblon cachaça
1 oz maraschino liqueur
3 dashes Angostura bitters

Swizzle with lots of crushed ice and add a yak comb for garnish.

MADE BY Blair from Trader Tiki

Ginger and Green

2 oz Leblon cachaça
1 oz of your favorite white rum
.5 oz Chartreuse
2 dashes absinthe
ginger beer, to top

Build over ice in a festive glass.

MADE BY Rick from Kaiser Penguin

The Red Baron

1 1/2oz Leblon cachaça
1 1/4oz Plymouth sloe gin
3/4oz egg white
3/4oz lemon juice
2t Campari
1/4 oz simple syrup
dashes grapefruit bitters

Shake with a plethora of crushed ice for at least 30 seconds.

MADE BY Jay from Oh Gosh!

Hey Stef,

Thanks for the Leblon! With no fresh fruit here in the desert, we’ve been quite inventive and came up with a few new drinks:

Mortar-Shell Muddle

Commando Caipirinha

Machine Gun Mojito

Bolo Knife Breeze

I’ll send you the recipes later. Gotta run. I think enemy forces are trying to run off with my muddler!

There’s no better way to celebrate the end of a crazy year than with friends and a delicious cocktail. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

The Leblon Virtual Mixology Challenge kicked off at the Global Gallery on the 16th floor of The Plaza in Downtown Orlando overlooking the Orlando city lights and Lake Eola on Sunday, November 16, 2008.

A guest list of 450 of Orlando’s “young, industry, trendy and influential” guests, as put by Sarah Ehrlich, Leblon’s Florida Regional Manager, included such guests as Professional Wake Boarder Parks Bonifay, Chris Kirkpatrick from N’Sync, Leblon Owner Gerry Schwitzer, and radio personalities Tiffany Martin from Real Radio 104.1 and Mel Taylor from 101.1 WJRR.

Everyone had an amazing time being entertained by not only samba dancers and capoeira performers, but also by the opportunity to sample 8 different cocktail recipes submitted by some of Orlando’s most prestigious venues.

Our Virtual Mixology Challenge Finalists were:
Quinn from Tempanos
Sean from Samba Room
Scott from the Rosen Center Hotel
Christian from Latin Quarter
Brianna from Club 23 on Church Street
Pat from Howl at the Moon on International Drive

Finally, our winners:
Jeremy from Luma on Park
Jessica from CityWalks’ Rising Star

All finalists were awarded Leblon gift bags and our 2 winners, Jessica and Jeremy, will each enjoy an all-expense paid weekend trip for two to South Beach’s Shore Club.

All guests left the evening with an amazing swag bag which included a Leblon muddler, Leblon CD, 200ml bottle of Leblon, necklace, and brochure heading over to Club 23, which later hosted the Leblon after party. The event was a tremendous success and the cocktails were a hit!

Hope you can join us at Chaise Lounge (1840 W. North Ave, Chicago) where you will get to taste, vote and mingle with some of the hottest Samba dancers in the Midwest.

The evening starts out with a prix fixe dinner from one of Chicago’s best culinary talents, chef Cary Taylor. This is one of the best meals and deals in an elegant environment.

The fun does not end until your taste buds have been tantalized, your mind has been stimulated, your thirst quenched and your feet ache.

The New World Symphony event was held at the Gibson Guitar showroom in the Design District of Miami, a very cool event space with a real rock and roll feel.  About 300 people showed up to support New World Symphony.  It was a mixed crowd of professionals and hipsters and everyone had a great time.  There was a terrific performance by Locos por Juana and the guests were all dancing, mingling, drinking Leblon and having fun! The music was great and the Pineapple Mint and Grape Five Second Caipirinhas were delicious!

The wind is blowing, the ghosts are scaring and DJ Love at the Drawing Room is mixing up some tasty Halloween cocktails.  In the famed Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago we find ourselves mesmerized by these hauntingly delicious cocktails.  One in particular is the Pumpkin Caipirinha and the recipe is as simple as a witch’s brew of eyes, tongues, lizard tails and a dash of cobwebs…. seriously here it is;

1 ½ oz. Leblon Cachaca
½ Lime
½ oz. agave nectar
1 ½ oz. Pumpkin Puree
½ oz. Canton

Cut lime and place in a shaker with agave nectar and muddle. Add crushed ice, Leblon Cachaça, pumpkin puree and Canton in the shaker. Shake well and garnish with nutmeg, pumpkin flesh twist and lime wheel.

Although this cocktail will not promise to turn your worst enemy into a warlock it will send your taste buds on an evocative tour of Halloweens past.

In order to prepare for Halloween, Leblon recently held a cocktail challenge in the birthplace of this spooky celebration, Salem Massachusetts. Salem’s best Bartender’s met on September 30th to shake it out at Rockafellas and the results were delicious!  The “Gato Negro” by Justin Edward Philbrook from 62 on Wharf won best of show narrowly beating out the “Original Sin” by Kimberly Ann Phillips from Rockafellas.  Kimberly’s Original Sin was served in a hollowed out apple and captured the essence of Fall and the attention of everyone at the event.  Honorable mentions were earned by David “Murph” Murphy from Finz Salem for his “Smashing Apples” creation, Marie MacIsaac from Rockafellas for her “Black Widow-tini”, Matthew Sullivan from Rockafellas for his “Mango Lantern”, and Adam Gerhart from Fresh Taste of Asia for his “Vampirinha”.  Happy Halloween!

We were invited to be part of the 10th Annual Tasting Benefit that was produced by Project by Project.  The event brought in over 700 guests and restaurants such as Bouley, Chanterelle, Morimoto, Matsuri, and Ringo who served specialty items (each one unique and equally as delicious) throughout the night.  With the theme this year naturally geared towards politics our friend Junior Merino served up two cocktails throughout the evening:  The Caipi-Bama and the McCaipirinha.  One cocktail representing the Blue States and one cocktail representing the Red States.  Lets just say there were more Caipi-bamas being sipped throughout the evening then McCaipirinhas.  We wonder if this is any indication of how the polls will turn out this year.

As Fashion Week took over New York City we decided it was our responsibility to provide some relief to friends and of course models. Our Fashion Relief party was held at Coffee Shop, a trendy restaurant located in Union Square, NYC. The party was great but the drinks were even better, with the amazing Skinny Caipirinha and chilling passion fruit batidas that helped beat the heat. The icing on the cake was the enormous turkey legs that were enjoyed by all!

As the end of summer draws near we find ourselves sitting around our bbq thinking of fun new recipes for Leblon. All of a sudden I realized the ice in my Caipirinha was all melted. As I was grabbing a little more ice to freshen up my drink, an idea crystalized. ‘How about a Caipirinha on a Stick?!’ All I could think of was enjoying frozen fruit ice pops with this grown up twist. Now the only question was to decide on a flavor.

We called up Junior Merino, our friend and famed bar chef, to help on the realization of this exciting new summer venture. Junior came up with a mouth watering Frozen Caip on a stick; here it is:

LEBLON-LYCHEE POPSICLE
1 1/2 oz. Leblon Cachaça
4 oz. coconut water
a pinch of coconut shavings
1 oz. simple syrup
3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. Boiron Lychee Puree

Mix all ingredients in a mixing glass. Pour into your favorite popsicle mold (Bed Bath & Beyond sells a few) you could add pomegranate seeds for a cool effect.

To make a batch of popsicles simply multiply the ingredients by the number that you wish to make. Put in the freezer and enjoy.

It was brought to our attention that Beverage Industry News had recently written a great article on 10 Trendsetting Mixologists. One of these trendsetting mixologist was Ted Kilgore. Here is an excerpt from one of our conversations with this creative mixologist:

How did you come up with the name, Blood & Samba?

The name and the drink Blood & Samba is a riff on the classic Blood & Sand cocktail. The original Blood & Sand was made with equal parts scotch, cherry heering, sweet vermouth, and orange juice. I traded out the scotch for cachaça, and voila! The Blood & Samba was born! It’s a great way to get people to try cachaça if they’ve never had it before, and I love having people try out new cocktail experiences!

What is Cherry Heering?

Cherry Heering is a cherry liqueur made in Denmark. They’ve been using the same wonderful recipe for their cherry liqueur since 1818.

Why did you choose Leblon for this cocktail?

As for why I chose Leblon, let me stress that I feel that you can’t have a quality cocktail without starting with quality ingredients. For example, this is why I always use freshly squeezed lemon juice with simple syrup instead of sweet-n-sour mix. To put it simply, Leblon is by far the best cachaça available to me here in St. Louis! That’s why it makes such a delicious Blood & Samba!

I have just returned from the annual Tales of the Cocktail event in New Orleans held from July 16-20 in the searing heat of the Crescent City. The event is the best event of its kind in the world and also attracts the biggest name bartenders, owners, managers, authors, consultants, liquor companies and all sorts of other cocktail geeks. For anyone serious about this wonderful drinks industry, then this is a must attend week. Put next years date in your diary now: July 8-12.

In between countless inspiring seminars and events, I had the pleasure of getting some face time with Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller, two cocktail historians and true industry legends to learn some fascinating insights into Cachaca. Why do they know so much about Cachaca? Well if it involves anything alcoholic, then they probably know virtually everything about it. You see they’ve just released a wonderful book on the history (and future) of Cachaca called The Soul of Brasil.

They’re research – as always – is exhaustive – and they’ve dug up many unknown facts and artifacts for us all to learn from. It’s not much to look at; in fact I’ll be honest in saying the small amount of pictures that are present are terrible. But it is packed full of great information and it is an indispensable tool for anyone fascinated by this great spirit.

I also had the chance to get them on camera at the historic Muriel’s Bar and Restaurant in the heart of the famous French Quarter and share a few yarns and (overly sweet) drinks (not made by any of us of course) about Cachaca in general. I thank you both for your precious time. Click here to see the full interview.

For more information about these walking drinks encyclopedia, log on their website: www.martiniplace.com

We love the Aspen Food & Wine Classic! It’s quite possibly the best combination of food, wine, and partying in the country… picture two or three 60-yard long tents, filled with table after table of wine from the best vineyards in the world, spirits from the best distilleries, and food from some of the best chefs you’ll ever enjoy. It’s practically a reunion of the Food Network personalities and anyone else who is important in the culinary world. If you have the means, we definitely recommend it.

This year in Aspen, Leblon teamed up with the Children’s Health Foundation to raise money for children at “Greenalicious”. This CHF charity event was held at the Belly Up, Aspen’s premiere music venue. CHF brought in 400 VIP’s from the “A” list and it was a great success. The caipirinhas were flowing like a huge river of slushy, yummy watermelon, and smiles abounded. Five-star tapas from famous chefs like Michael Nischan wowed the crowd as well.

On the main stage, a very cool cover band, The Hollywood Stones, cranked out some dead-on covers of Mick and the gang. The crowd was in full tilt party mode and singing “Hey, you, get off my cloud!!” at the top of their lungs. I think even Ivanka Trump joined in when she and Flo Fulton from J Mendel weren’t sipping their Leblon caipirinhas! Definitely coming back for another year in 2009!

Dawn grew up on the Southside of Chicago – ‘in the ghetto,’ as she called it. She moved to New Orleans a few years back and has been a bartender for four years here at the Old Absynthe House located here in the French Quarter on Bourbon Street. She says she’s ’seen it all’ here at the Absynthe, and she has some great stories, thoughts, and cocktail recipes. Make sure you try her Sazerac and Ramos Fizz, and certainly try this recipe that she created for us: the ‘Crescent City Green Dawn.’ Made with 1.5 ounces of Leblon, a half ounce of La Fée Absynthe (which she says is one of the smoothest), and half a lime muddled with 6 square cubes of sugar (and a splash of water). She serves this drink shaken in a rocks glass with crushed ice, and it’s out of this world!

I don’t know about you, but the news doesn’t seem to be too positive lately. Whether it’s the economy, war, natural catastrophes, scandals, oil prices, or just the
international ‘getting along’ thing, the headlines can really get you down. The internet
and 24 hour cable news doesn’t seem to help the situation very much.

One thing is for sure: nobody seems to manage economic crises and scandals better than
the Brazilians. Throughout history, Brazilians have managed through with a smile and
laughter, keeping a positive attitude and muddling their way through. Now, growing 5%
per year, Brazilians really have something to smile about.

In these times of duress, it’s important to balance the bad with the good, and take a
page from the Brazilians and create some good of our own. Let’s take a time-out. Let’s
give ourselves a break. Let’s put down the Blackberry, turn off the computer, and put
away the cell phone. Let’s get together with friends, put on some nice music, and enjoy
a Caipirinha. Vamos desligar – juntos!

The dreaded holidays (and the weight gain that inevitably accompanies them) are nearly upon us! Christmas, for instance, is just around the corner—and it seems that little miniature candy canes are lurking around every bend, tempting you. They’re everywhere—at the drycleaners, behind the receptionist’s desk in your office, in the lobby of your building—you just can’t escape them! If you’re going to survive this holiday season and still be able to fit into your favorite pair of skinny jeans, you’re going to have to ditch the sugar rush and indulge in a Pomegranate Frost.

The Pomegranate Frost Caipirinha
1 oz. Leblon Cachaça
1 oz. Pomegranate
4 drops Rosewater
A splash of Champagne

Pour the Leblon, pomegranate juice and rosewater into a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne.

Leanne Shear and Tracey Toomey met behind the bar many years ago, and amidst the craziness of the “scene” in Manhattan and the Hamptons, managed to co-author the novel The Perfect Manhattan, released by Random House in 2005. These days, instead of slinging drinks to pay the bills, they’re writing and business partners: their second book, Cocktail Therapy, was released by Simon and Schuster’s Spotlight Entertainment division in August. Branded as bar psychologists and experts in human behavior—not to mention mixologists—they also freelance for several magazines and newspapers including Glamour, Life & Style, Runner’s World, Item, the Huffington Post, and Hamptons.

In the past year, Leblon, a luxury cachaça from Brazil, has created a trend that is surprising even the most cynical of journalists: cachaça-based cocktail and food pairings in fine dining establishments around the country.

Starting with the Bouley Test Kitchen in New York and including top restaurants in the Hamptons, Washington D.C., Houston, Boston, San Francisco and Phoenix, Leblon Cachaça and innovative cocktails created with this super-premium entry from Brazil have been the muse for many of the nation’s leading chefs. From Duck Breast with Farro and Lucques Olives to Prime Ribeye Steak with Lime Chimichurri and Charred Asparagus , menu items are finding delicious new accompaniments in Leblon cocktails.

Patty Unterman, who writes for the San Francisco Examiner, attended a pairing at Jardiniere in San Francisco and wrote the following, “At Jardiniere the other night, I ate a four-course meal accompanied by different cachaça cocktails. While I don’t recommend this under any circumstances, I did discover a divine cachaça aperitif that went perfectly with Jardiniere’s scallop and cherry tomato ceviche.” At Tabaq Bistro in Washington, D.C., Executive Chef Daniel Labbone and mixologist Omer Buyukbayrak created a spectacular menu featuring indigenous Brazilian dishes and new Leblon cocktail creations that stretched the definition of caipirinha. A Brazilian Julep (Leblon cachaça, Southern Comfort, lime juice, simple syrup, mint leave torn) was paired with a Brazilian Moqueca a Baiana, a seafood stew of red snapper, onions, garlic, tomato, cilantro, chili pepper, and a blend of palm oil and coconut milk. Art Smith, chef for Oprah Winfrey and new owner/operator of Table in Chicago worked with Leblon and Bar Chef Albert Trummer to create a great evening of foods and cocktails, pairing a Bar Chef Caipirinha with Summer Lobster Gazpacho with Avocado Cake and Cachaça Crema.

Other dinners have included Della Femina in the Hamptons, Polo’s Signature in Houston, Sibling Rivalry in Boston and Elements in Phoenix.

Click here to view the Menus*

Acrobat Reader Required

Shaken or Stirred? Superfine, Regular, or Brown Sugar – or Simple Syrup? Club Soda?
These are the ethical dilemmas that a Caipirinha creator will
encounter. All are very good questions indeed. Let’s try and tackle
them… Shaken or Stirred: stir if you want to be a
traditionalist – and have the patience to properly mix the ingredients
(at least 20 to 30 seconds); shake if you want to quickly get the
ingredients melting and melding fast (i.e. you ADD types). Type of Sugar:
Similar situation: superfine for traditionalists; simple syrup for the
greatest probability of dissolve; brown sugar for a twist (a lot of the
‘bar chefs’ dig this), and sugar only if you have to. And Splenda
works great for any of you carb-counting freaks like me. Club soda:
not if you want to claim 100% “that’s not how it’s done in Brazil;”
however, like the Mojito, it brings some aromatics, some mouthfeel, and
if you like that sensory effect, go for it!

Tyler has been making these Caipirinhas in the back kitchen these past couple weeks, and finally we convinced him that they were ready for the world. He just scribbled down two recipes which will knock your socks off – better than his hand-writing!

Tyler’s First Caipirinha That He Made For Us:

Muddle two Tangerine segments with one tablespoon of Honey. Add ice, 1.5 ounces Guava Juice (Goiabada!), 1 ounce of Heavy Cream, and 2.5 ounces of LEBLON. add a splash of Cointreau (use the good stuff – no triple sec!). Shake well. Strain. And serve in a chilled Martini glass.

Tyler’s Second Caipirinha Caipirinha That He Made For Us:

Muddle three strawberries with 1.5 ounces of Sugar. Add ice, 0.5 ounces of Coconut Cream, 1 ounce of Heavy Cream, and 2.5 ounces of LEBLON. add a splash of Grand Marnier (Grandma!). Shake well. Strain and serve up in a chilled Martini Glass.

Slice & Sweeten. Smash & Squeeze. Shake & Stir. Sip & Smile.

Some recipes taste great to the naked eye…

drop two tears in the glass
stir with bitters
2.5 oz of leblon
twist of lemon

drink slowly while thinking of snow in the mountains

Wow, what a great party last night! we threw a great gig at the Penthouse of the Pelican Hotel in South Beach, Miami. what a blast! great music spinning from DJ Marcelo (check out his two songs to download in the music section). and we had the pleasure of tasting five amazing cocktail creations from five of the top bar chef hotspots in Miami. Thank you everyone for coming.

Kevin and I were recently on a trip from Miami to Key West, and visited an amazing Churrascaria: Braza Lena in Islamorada, Florida. Our friend Lisa was just there, and said that they are now serving Leblon, with a new menu which includes their Classic Caipirinha and Fresh Fruit Caipirinhas (including strawberry and mango, and the caipi-cola). Michelle knows! And, Dane the Bartender came out with two special Caipirinhas, and has provided the recipes to those folks who can’t make it to Florida and the Keys this weekend…

Cachaça Colada

1 3/4 oz Leblon Cachaça
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Pina Colada mix
Fresh muddled limes and a splash of simple syrup

Chambord Caipirinha

1 3/4 oz Leblon Cachaça
1/2 oz Chambord
Fresh muddled limes and sugar
Splash simple syrup

Both served on the rocks

The Year of the Caipirinha has arrived, and now is the time to make your New Year’s Resolution with a fabulous Leblon Caipirinha toast. To help you with this endeavor, we have a great Pineapple Caipirinha Infusion recipe that we have added as our Caipirinha of the Month for January.