mxmo_xix_logoFirst off, this was a lot of fun and I appreciate everyone who participated and gave their support. It seems like most people had a very good time, injured themselves in the process, or were simply baffled by having such a Summer-ish theme when it’s Winter where they’re at (sorry to those of you down-under) or it’s early-onset Fall season (I miss it up there in the Northwest). However, wher I roam it’s a balmy 90° all week and it may be in the 80s through October, so, I still got some Summer-sippin’ left to do and selfishly mined your brains for fantastic concepts. And, fantastic they were; from the realm of Molecular Mixology to champagne-opening advice to simple (and always delicious) classics like the Champagne Cocktail and the French 75 you all came at me with many wonderful ideas, techniques, and experiences to share. I think I’m the better for it, and after reading these, I believe you will be too. Salut, shall we?

chip and andy’s bahia honda
Chip and Andy visit a small Florida key island and get trapped in tiny shops, trapped by annoying relatives, and develop a drink that makes all those annoyances sublimely slip away.
anita’s fashionably lillet
Anita, at Married with Dinner, takes an old fashioned, and after a disappointing earlier encounter with Lillet, brings the two together and settles on a cross-continental affair.
dominik’s mol’ fraisini
Dominik, a first-timer for MxMo challenges us to practice some molecular mixology and take a twist on the classic Bellini to arrive at a very tantalizing strawberry puree, foam, and champagne concoction.
phil’s bridgetown bramble fizz
Phil, with exquisite photos of tequila marion berries, takes Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s July MxMo entry and creates a fizzy variation on it in honor of his hometown. Though my money’s on him just needing an excuse to use those berries…wow.
rick’s new orleans fizz
Rick summons the spirit of Charles Baker, and aches for the New Orleans, in his post on the New Orleans Fizz No. 1. He also brings up some good points about our neverending quest for lost ingredients…and convinces me that I do, indeed, need a manservant.
blair’s bird of paradise fizz
Blair consults Trader Vic, thankfully gives a run-down of fizz terminology and construction, and segues beautifully from Rick’s post by serving up a Bird of Paradise Fizz, allowing us to smoothly, and quietly, rid ourselves of our…whips and jingles was it?.
joe’s non-mojito
Surly, irreverent, and likely accidently participating, Drinkin’ Joe tries, and despises, the Mojito he made. Little did he know his comment on the MxMo preview and his having made a fizzy drink would ironically and auspiciously land him here.
doug’s practical moscow mule
Doug tries to convince me that booze is somehow just as expensive as my past champagne habit (sSSHHHhhhhh, the wife reads this, dude!) and then pretends I still don’t rob houses in his fine articulation on the history of and how to simulate the classic Moscow Mule without using ginger beer. Though I think he could be convinced to use actual real lime juice given that he garnishes it with a lime wedge…there’s always hope.
jamie’s apricon blow
Jamie illuminates the family of fizzes, collins(es?), and blows and makes a pretty darn rim-shot worthy joke re: bitters along the way. He also provides the recipe for Amer Picon so you can explore this cocktail at your pleasure. Jamie’s creations are always worth a closer look.
chuck’s tchoupitoulas street fizz
Chuck is determined not to miss this month’s MxMo and races frantically to research a drink with which he can tinker. He finds an old Tchoupitoulas Street Guzzle and refines it for easier access and better harmony; looks mighty fine. And we’re glad you dropped the ‘Guzzle’.
anna’s poire and prosecco
Anna, from morsels and musings, sheepishly puts forth her Poire & Prosecco which looks to make for an ideal brunch cocktail. She shares my love of the bubbles and I know I’ll be giving this on a try.
seamus’s east & west indian fizz
Seamus goes decidedly bitter and spicy and with the use of Indian and Carribean ingredients comes up with a creative name for a Fizz using many various ingredients and provides me a chance to put my homemade pimento dram to work once it’s settled downa bit.
marleigh’s sparkly sangria
Marleigh tackles an area that Joana and I love to trek on a lazy Sunday with old movies playing, sangria. Marleigh takes an approach with orange and peach flavors that I think will marry very nicely with her secret ingredient – cinnamon syrup.
jay’s champagne cocktails
Jay, sorely needing to add fizzy libations into his repetoire, goes back to the basics and explores the classic Champagne Cocktail and the Kir Royale and I completely agree with his assessment on both, though I’m a heathen and muddle my sugar cube in my champagne cocktails.
jacques’ mojito
Jacques is also a first-time MxMo participant and in the spirit of nonchalant, contrarian, and nihilistic tendencies expounds on the Mojito and manages to cover the bases from libertarianism, cuban exports, and the irony of anarchists classifying themselves as a subculture… ok, maybe that’s me. If you have to go with one of the two Mojitos shared this MxMO, go with Jacques’, though the revolution may start without you.
michael’s red hook fizz
Michael wins my ‘Dude!, Thanks!’ award for supplying a recipe that allows me to use my Sazerac Rye and Carpano Antica I purchased just last week. He explores the Red Hook Fizz using a less exclusive Rye and substituting the Punt e Mes. I’ll be trying both versions in short order.
jimmy’s picon punch
Jimmy whips up a basic punch using Torani Amer that sounds divine. However, once you’ve visited Jamie’s Apricon Blow and made your Amer Picon (go on, get started now, you!) then you can give this a shot as well.
keith’s union
Keith, at moving at the speed of life, provides one of the more personal and well-crafted posts of this MxMo giving the back story and reasons the Union cocktail came be and why it’s name has such significance to him. Touching, and tasty. And, Keith, since you saw fit to break your camera, I’ve decided to share your smarmy mug with the world yet one more time. This is why we can’t have nice things, Keith…
darcy’s silver fizz
At The Art of Drink, Darcy takes one of my standard drinks, the Gin Fizz, and schools us on the family of fizzes and what’s entailed in making any fizz a ’silver’ version. Darcy has also pulled out his old 5.25 disks of ‘Print Shop’ and whipped up some borders on his photos. Actually, they’re quite nice; I kid, I kid.
prince of cup’s ramos gin fizz
The Prince declares the French 75 the Champion of Champagne Cocktails, and while I would reluctantly agree (and my wife would eagerly agree…to several), the theme is more magnanimous than that, and with that, the Prince explores his personal history of the Ramos Gin Fizz. And I assure you, my kids will be served some Fozzie Bears in short order.
craig’s colonel beach plantation punch
As always, the good Dr. serves up fine artwork, which you must click and see and, in this case, also provides a fine addition to our round-up with its tiki-style. Fizz drinks tend towards being gin-based and it’s nice to see an entry that encourages a broad range of ingredients but also an excuse to use Falernum. And, it doesn’t take much convincing.
cynthia’s boilermaker
Cynthia, of My Brilliant Mistakes, creates another by taking the Fizz theme to its natural terminating point: mess. Discovering the Boilermaker, its pitfalls, and why it’s sometimes better in concept than in execution (see: Irish Car Bomb) Cynthia nevertheless is a trooper and takes one for the team drinking a tasty mess of whiskey and beer.
paul’s morning glory fizz
Paul, of – oh hell, you know where Paul’s from – becomes a bit befuddled by the Summerish theme seeing as how the warmth of Summer has well seeped into rain and cloud in the Northwest (which i miss terribly sometimes) but manages to buck up and finds the Morning Glory able to lift the lowering veil of Fall one last time. Thanks for having me host, Paul.
erik’s eGullet roundup
Erik Ellestad of the wonderful and in-depth Spirits & Cocktails eGullet forum was generous enough to invite the eGullet posters to participate and between them we have the:
robert’s ER champagne smash
Before you get worked up, Robert’s fine. But, in what has to be the post-of-choice for this MxMo and a general warning to everyone, Robert describes his harrowing brush with a table of ladies, a caged champagne cork, and more than one ER. This man’s a professional, ladies and gentleman, do not mess with the Fizz; you take your eye off of it for one minute, and it can be a harsh mistress. Read his tale of woe, take comfort in his fine recovery, and take caution.
steve’s basil bubbly
Steve, another first time entry into the MxMo mix brings us another unusual blend of flavors, bourbon and champagne. With a little orange juice thrown in and the sweetness of the bourbon to boot, this might be worth a turn or two around the track as well.
gabriel’s point and a half cooler
A late entry, Gabriel pretends to be funny and blames his hapless and asinine behavior on a number of factors, the least of which is not his being a “Triple Aquarius”. He also shamelessly self-promoting, too clever by half half the time less than he suspects, and thinks substituting a single ingredient in a drink with a similar ingredient, a new cocktail makes..dsafnldsagvn . hey, you bastard!, who’s writing this?!
gwen’s pansy-ass sake
Gwen was one of the first people to have their post up, and determined as I was, I put it into the wrong folder and left her out long after I’d read the post and loved the concept. My apologies, Gwen. Gwen gives us a new, and very Summery, take on sake using pansy syrup in what sounds like a delightful if *ahem* very lady-friendly drink. Looks and sounds wonderful.

So, that’s the round-up for MxMo XIX and, once again, my deep thanks to Paul for asking me to host and my thanks to all of you that participated. For those of you that didn’t, your box of Franzia ‘Crisp White’ wine is in the mail C.O.D. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did and I very much look forward to Jay’s MxMo: XX – Gin. I do love me some gin, folks.

Cheers!

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