Hop Scotch for Grown-ups

I will be heading to Seattle in about 10 days, unfortunately it will be too late for what sounds like an event to check out. The Hop Scotch Spring Beer & Scotch Festival looks like a great way to help you forget about the rainiest month of the year.

The Hop Scotch festival is a beer, wine, tequila and scotch festival held April 1^st and 2^nd at Fremont Studios in Seattle. It is not only a fun chance to taste over 80 spirits, but it’s also a benefit for the Seattle International Film Festival. Admission is quite reasonable for the event, which runs from 5:00 pm to midnight on Friday and from 1:00 pm to midnight on Saturday.

General Admission--$25 in advance or $30 at door
Includes commemorative glass and five tasting tokens for beer or wine.

Grand Admission-$30 in advance or $35 at door
Includes commemorative glass and ten tasting tokens for beer or wine.

Scotch Sampler-Additional $10
Includes five .25 ounce tastes of Singleton 12, Oban 14, Lagavulin 16, Johnnie Walker Red and Johnnie Walker Black.

Tequila Sampler-Additional $10
Includes five .25 ounce tastes of Cuervo Tradicional, Cuervo Tradicional Silver, Cuervo Platino Reserva la Familia, Cuervo Reservo de la Familia and Don Julia Anejo

Non-Tasting Admission-$15 in advance or at door
Includes admission and four tickets for water or soda.

You must be 21 to attend this event and there will also be hour long scotch seminars – which include tastings -- with Master of Whisky Breck Taylor.  Four seminars will be on specific scotch brands at a cost of $30 each.  An assortment of food will also be available.

For more information or to buy tickets for Hop Scotch, visit their official website.

Tequila for St. Patrick’s Day? Hornitos Thinks So

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I probably should say this on this sacred day, but not everyone loves Irish Whiskey, but even though your tastes may not fall in that direction, it doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with something festive for the occasion.

Hornitos is reminding us that it’s perfectly alright if you are not necessarily fans of the Irish brews and booze. There is nothing wrong with  going against the grain and choosing a little Latin luck instead.  Or, more accurately, Mexican tequila.  The Hornitos gang has decided to launch their new campaign on one of the luckiest days of the year.

Today through March 19th, “Horns Up!” will launch at the FEEDBACK house and party in Austin, Texas. Guests are imbibing on signature drinks and shots and the iconic tequila brand has decided it’s the  perfect place to reinvent the shot glass. You see, before the tiny little shot glass was introduced, Mexican agave (the plant tequila is made from) farmers drank tequila out of a real bull’s horn at the end of a day’s work.

The Hornitos™ Premium Tequila’s Devil Horn Shot Glass is a modern twist on this ritual.  This new shot glass is coming with its own tradition, the details of which are to come after tonight’s opening party.  In the meantime, bartenders throughout the United States will be serving up the Hornitos Shamrocker today.


Just in case you can’t find one of those establishments – or if you prefer to do your celebrating at home – I thought I’d pass along the recipe…

The Hornitos™ Shamrocker
1 part Hornitos™ Plata Tequila
1 part DeKuyper® Melon Liqueur
1/2 part Triple Sec
Splash of Orange Juice

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and then strain into a Hornitos™ Devil Horn shot glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

Taste of Yountville Piques Palates

Yountville is in the heart of California wine country and this Napa location is also known for its top restaurants and hotels. Next weekend you can experience much of what Yountville has to offer all at one time.
The 18^th Annual Taste of Yountville Piques Palates is a town wide food, wine and art tasting extravaganza will begin on  Thursday, March 17^th with a St. Patrick Day’s menu from corned beef and cabbage to whiskey cake at Hurley’s Restaurant & Bar.  Also that day you can take part in a NapaStyle cooking demonstration and book signing with television personality Michael Chiarello at V Marketplace.  On Friday, check out the new “Art, Sip & Savor” self-guided trolley tour, which will be free to visitors from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.  From the trolley, you can hop on and off at wineries such as Domaine Chandon, Hill Family Estate and Cornerstone Cellars , as well as check out the Yountville Art Walk Sculpture Collection.

On Saturday, walk down Washington Street and enjoy the live entertainment, arts and crafts fair and ribs-and-links barbecue. If you prefer gourmet food, Yountville is home to more Michelin stars than most people see in a state.  Take advantage of special deals at iconic places like Thomas Keller’s Bouchon and French Laundry (where special garden tours will be available; étoile; Bardessono; Pacific Blues and more.

For more information on the food and wine festival, visit the official Yountville website, where you will also find special packages that include accommodations.

Festival Brewing in Atlantic City

The first weekend in April will be a sudsy one in Atlantic City as the 2001 Atlantic City Beer Festival – also known as the “Celebration of Suds” – will take place at that city’s convention center.

The event is taking place for the sixth straight year and will feature more than 75 brewers from around the world, including Brooklyn Brewery, Boulder, Dog Fish Head, Flying Fish, Great Lakes, Left Hand, Magic Hat, Stone and Troegs. There will also be guest speakers, entertainment and food.

You must be 21 to attend the Atlantic City Beer Festival. Tickets are being sold at Ticketmaster for $45 a session with group pricing available. If they are not sold out prior to the event, tickets will also be available at the door for $50. To encourage safety, a designated driver admission is $10.  That will only be sold at the door.

The festival will take place over three sessions – Friday night, Saturday day and Sunday night. Live music will be provided by  Lifespeed Go Go Gadjet, and Burnt Sienna. For more information, visit the official website of the 2011 Atlantic City Beer Festival. Special room rates are also available at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City.