Happy Monday: The Tasting Room (Chevy Chase, MD/DC Border)

Happy Monday!! Ridiculous how much time has passed since my last Happy Monday (*happy hour spot of the week) post has passed.  It has been hectic as you can see from the looks of things (*;-)  New site, new look, new aspirations.  That is what the second half of 2010 stands for in the world of JKGF.  Lucky for me, I live in the perfect city to achieve these goals.  The District scene is constantly changing, evolving into the city to be and be seen, in the second decade of the millenium.  The city does, however, manage to maintain some of the key characteristics that make it the nations capitol.  This week’s happy hour highlight comes from a part of the city not often appreciated for more than just a shopping destination.  Now it has more than just a little fashion pizazz but it will tickle your fancy with some of the areas top wine:  The Tasting Room.

Why is it our new favorite?  Hmm…let me count the ways:  1. The wine card puts a cap on that overspending… (*You have the option of putting money on a card to obtain wine through the dispensers or you can pay by the glass) 2. The wine dispensers makes sipping some of your best wines easier than gushing out the flat Sprite @ your local Burger King…and 3. The prices overshadow the amount you just spent in Bloomingdale’s.  You ask why? I ask why not?!   A wine shop that sells wine by the bottle but also offers up an outside and inside decor sure to please your senses especially after tasting one of the premiere Boxwood Winery selections.  I thought about telling you the specials of The Tasting Room, but honestly everyday/all day is the special with prices set as low as $4.  Cheers!

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Etiquette Tuesday: One More Sip

This one will be quick and dirty. After a long holiday weekend, I figure you still need sometime to recover and return to “the real world”. With that being said, this Etiquette Tuesday will be short. Just a lesson in wine: white wine (*typically served with fish) can be drank until the very last sip, when drinking red wine (*typically served with red meat, duck, etc.) you should leave a small sip in the bottom of the glass. Red wine tends to leave a bit of sediment @ the bottom of the glass. I’m sure this is something you already know but it did cross my mind this morning when thinking about how awkward I felt the other night when I swallowed everything in my glass (*’til the last drop…) and looked around the table to see this was not the consensus. Improvement! That is what the second half of this summer means to me…consistently improving…down to the last drop.

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Happy Monday: Againn for Moonshine (DC)

I thought moonshine was prohibited?! Well Againn evidently wants to make it legal with the introduction of its summer cocktails: Homemade Moonshine Iced Tea and Prohibitions Punches. Created by beverage director, Caterina Abbruzzetti and Mixologist JP Caceres, Againn’s Moonshine Iced Tea blends moonshine from a local distillery with fresh herbs and spices like Black Berry Leaf, Organic Lemongrass, Organic Rosehips and Organic Barks. Names like “Easy Day”, “Happy Tummy” and “Hibiscus High” makes me want to break the rules and try the old school teas. For $10 a pop, you can get your fix too. Prohibition punches round out the list with the “Bootleggers” (*Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Cassis, Old Tom Gin and Muddled Majoram) and “Moonshine” (*Lemon Juice, Falernum, Gin, Raspberry Puree and Club Soda with Muddled Sage) for $11.

Whether your team is winning or your bets are going down the drain, drinks are in order this week. Old school sounds good right about now…especially since our earnings are slowly dwindling down the drain with every shot…suppose you can guess where we put our money…I digress and am now headed to get some Moonshine…Cheers!
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Drinks on Me: Cuba Libre (Alcoholic)

Cuba Libre

2 oz. light rum
Juice of 1 medium fresh lime
6 oz. cola

Add the rum and juice of the lime into a cocktail shaker over ice; shake well and strain into a Collins glass; top with cola and give a slight stir. Serve with a lime wedge on the rim of the glass.

*Johnna’s tip: We are curious. Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar is coming to the District this Spring and we are curious about everything: whether the mojitos will make the cut or not?? will there be free salsa lessons?? and of course, will we like the food??? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see…for now, we’ll practice our dance moves…

*Johnna’s tip, tip: FYI Cuba Libre is “Free Cuba” in Spanish.
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Drinks on Me: Swirl Margarita (Alcoholic)

Swirl Margaritas

96 oz. Frozen Margarita Mix
25 oz. Tequila
1 oz. Sangria (one ounce per serving)

Pour margarita mix and tequila into margarita mix, stir, and freeze overnight. Scoop frozen mix into glass, pour 1 oz. of sangria on top and stir once to create swirl effect. Serve.

*Johnna’s tip: Our first trip to Surfside introduced us to some of the most flavorful fast food on this side of Wisconsin Avenue. We also had some pretty good margaritas that left us with a bit of a hangover the day after but eh, such is life, right?! We were inspired to thumb through our list of recipes that could remake the version @ Surfside and came across this recipe. Enjoy with some fresh fish tacos and queso dip, Cheers!
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Drinks on Me: Kumquat Mojito (Alcoholic)

Kumquat Mojito

2 kumquats (halved)
6 mint leaves
5 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. orange juice
2 tsp. simple syrup
1 1/2 oz. light rum
Club soda
Lime wedges

In a tall glass, muddle the kumquats, mint, lemon juice, orange juice and simple syrup. Fill with ice. Add the rum and a little soda. Pour into a cocktail shaker, shake well and strain back into the glass. Squeeze the lime wedges in the drink and drop in the glass; top with a splash of soda. Serve.

*Johnna’s tip: Wednesday night we had a few too many of these…and oh, what an awesome night. We attended Ping Pong Dim Sum’s Chinese New Year celebration which featured samples of the restaurants food, cocktails and a traditional Dragon (Lion) dance. Between the Lion dance and the cocktails, we really can’t choose who was the star of the show. After trying the Kumquat Mojito @ Ping Pong, we decided it was time to reenact this recipe at home. Kumquat is similar to the orange but smaller and has an oval shape. After a few of these and too many crispy prawn balls (*we love these things…), when it was time for the Lion dance we were bold enough to elbow our way to the front of the crowd and snag some footage to share with you. Check out the performance below. Enjoy!

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Drinks on Me: Kumquat Mojito (Alcoholic)

Kumquat Mojito

2 kumquats (halved)
6 mint leaves
5 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. orange juice
2 tsp. simple syrup
1 1/2 oz. light rum
Club soda
Lime wedges

In a tall glass, muddle the kumquats, mint, lemon juice, orange juice and simple syrup. Fill with ice. Add the rum and a little soda. Pour into a cocktail shaker, shake well and strain back into the glass. Squeeze the lime wedges in the drink and drop in the glass; top with a splash of soda. Serve.

*Johnna’s tip: Wednesday night we had a few too many of these…and oh, what an awesome night. We attended Ping Pong Dim Sum’s Chinese New Year celebration which featured samples of the restaurants food, cocktails and a traditional Dragon (Lion) dance. Between the Lion dance and the cocktails, we really can’t choose who was the star of the show. After trying the Kumquat Mojito @ Ping Pong, we decided it was time to reenact this recipe at home. Kumquat is similar to the orange but smaller and has an oval shape. After a few of these and too many crispy prawn balls (*we love these things…), when it was time for the Lion dance we were bold enough to elbow our way to the front of the crowd and snag some footage to share with you. Check out the performance below. Enjoy!

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Drinks on Me: Kumquat Mojito (Alcoholic)

Kumquat Mojito

2 kumquats (halved)
6 mint leaves
5 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. orange juice
2 tsp. simple syrup
1 1/2 oz. light rum
Club soda
Lime wedges

In a tall glass, muddle the kumquats, mint, lemon juice, orange juice and simple syrup. Fill with ice. Add the rum and a little soda. Pour into a cocktail shaker, shake well and strain back into the glass. Squeeze the lime wedges in the drink and drop in the glass; top with a splash of soda. Serve.

*Johnna’s tip: Wednesday night we had a few too many of these…and oh, what an awesome night. We attended Ping Pong Dim Sum’s Chinese New Year celebration which featured samples of the restaurants food, cocktails and a traditional Dragon (Lion) dance. Between the Lion dance and the cocktails, we really can’t choose who was the star of the show. After trying the Kumquat Mojito @ Ping Pong, we decided it was time to reenact this recipe at home. Kumquat is similar to the orange but smaller and has an oval shape. After a few of these and too many crispy prawn balls (*we love these things…), when it was time for the Lion dance we were bold enough to elbow our way to the front of the crowd and snag some footage to share with you. Check out the performance below. Enjoy!

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Drinks on Me: The Ladies Drink (Alcoholic)

The Ladies Drink

2 parts chilled champagne
1 part Chambord

Combine the two ingredients and pour into a champagne flute. Serve.

*Johnna’s tip: “Champagne and Chambord, please.” One of our friends orders this combo every time she goes out. It is officially her drink and she’s such a lady…even after a few of these. Cute, Sweet and Best with a garnish of Raspberries.
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Drinks on Me: Moulin Rouge (Alcoholic)

Moulin Rouge

2 oz. sloe gin
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
1 dash bitters
Crushed Ice

Add all ingredients to a tall glass filled halfway with ice; stir and strain into a cocktail serving glass.

*Johnna’s tip: Rogue (*which reminds us of “rouge” for some reason…) was on the brain after getting the word about Rogue States opening soon in Dupont. Word on the street is that Rogue States will be the new gourmet burger spot that will stay open into the wee hours of the night (*11 am-5 am, daily). Can we say we are excited?! Finally, Washingtonians have another late night option besides The Diner and Five Guys (*Not that we are against these places…).

Picture source

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