Merryweather: Oh, no, not pink! Make it blue.

Flora: Merryweather! Make it pink.

Merryweather:  Make it blue.

Flora: Oh, pink!

Today we have the Aurora-tini, and we went with pink.  (partly because we have so many other girls in blue!)

1 ½ oz Three Olives Cherry Vodka

1 ½ oz Bailey’s Irish Cream

½ oz Cream

¼ oz of Grenadine

Shake in a shaker with ice and strain in to glass.

Kate says this one has a creamy, cherry taste to it.

Time to head “under the sea” with the Ariel-tini!  Kate describes this one as “teal and tropical.”

1 ½ oz Malibu Rum

1 oz Blue Curacao

1 oz Dekuyper Island Pucker Sweet & Sour

1/4 oz Pineapple Juice

Shake in a shaker with ice and strain in to glass

I’ll be making this one tomorrow.

Belle’s martini was inspired by her beautiful yellow ball gown.  Kate describes this one as “golden butterscotch.”

1 ½ oz of Three Olives Cake Vodka

½ oz of Dekuyper Buttershots

½ oz of Frangelico

¼ Goldschlager

1 oz Cream

Shake in a shaker with ice and strain in to glass.

I do not have a picture of this one yet, but Kate tells me it turns out creamy white with flecks of gold from the Goldschlager.

Today’s  Beer of the World is our second beer we’ve featured from the Abita Brewing Company out of Abita Springs, Louisiana, and it’s called Andygator.  You can find this beer at the Raglan Road Restaurant and Pub.

From the Abita website:

Andygator, a creature of the swamp, is a unique high-gravity brew made with pale malt, German lager yeast, and German Perle hops. Unlike other high-gravity brews, Andygator is fermented to a dry finish with a slightly sweet flavor and subtle fruit aroma.  Reaching an alcohol strength of 8% by volume, it is a Helles Dopplebock.

You might find it goes well with fried foods.  It pairs well with just about anything made with crawfish.  Some like it with a robust sandwich! Andygator also is a good aperitif and easily pairs with gorgonzola and creamy blue cheeses.  Because of the high alcohol content, be cautious—sip it for the most enjoyment.

Andygator definitely has “bite” with an ABV of 8.0%.  The folks at Beer Advocate have not reviewed this one yet, but 287 readers have and give it an aggregate score of 79, qualifying it for an “Average” rating.    This isn’t my favorite Abita, but it’s an o.k. beer.  I definitely prefer it over “Purple Haze.”

Have you tried the “Andygator” before?  What did you think?

lips red as the rose, hair black as ebony, and skin white as snow

We start off the week of “Princesstinis” with the original Disney princess, Snow White.   This drink draws inspiration from her beautiful features, as well as the apple given to her by the Evil Queen.

Kate’s “Snow White-tini”:

1 oz Smirnoff Apple Vodka

1 oz Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka

½ oz Berentzen Apple Liqueur

1 oz Cream

Shake in a shaker with ice and strain in to glass.  Garnish with a cherry at the bottom of the martini glass.

This week’s Happy Hour drink is from the Yak & Yeti Restaurant and Bar, the beautifully blue Bonsai Blast.

Bartender Kate gave me the following recipe to mix up one at home:

Fill a hurricane glass filled with ice and then add:

1 1/2 oz Skyy Vodka

1/2 oz Deykuper Banana Liqueur

1/2 oz Peachtree Shcnapps

1 oz Blue Curacao

Top with a splash of sweet and sour mix.

Mix & enjoy.

____

Please, try this at home!

It’s one week until the start of the 2012 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend and for fun, I asked Bartender Kate if she’d create some “Princesstinis” in honor of those running the race, and, of course, the princesses themselves.   Starting Monday, we’ll post one drink each day leading up to the half marathon on Sunday.

There will be seven drinks, one for each of the seven princesses pictured above.  I apologize if your favorite princess is left out, but we’re planning to do some more “Disney inspired” drink recipes in the future so you may still see a “Rapunzeltini” someday.

We’ll kick it all off on Monday with the original Disney princess, Snow White!

Today’s Beer of the World comes from Browerij Lindemans (Lindemans Brewery) in Vlezenbeek, Belgium.  It is their Framboise,  and it is served at Raglan Road.

The website for Browerij Lindemans is pretty basic.  A primer on lambic beers can be found here, and they offer serving advice for their beers, such as temp, type of glass, suggested pairings, etc.  This is what they have to say about their Framboise:

Long before hops were common in most beers, various fruits and vegetables were used to season beers. The acidity of Lambic beers blends perfectly with raspberries.

The ABV of this beer is low at 2.50%.   The folks at Beer Advocate and their readers gave it scores of 81 and 89 respectively, and a rating of “good.”     From the comments on BA and the suggestion on the Raglan Road menu, this looks to be a good after dinner/dessert beer.  That’s not the type of beer I’d normally choose, but after reading up on it I’m a little intrigued and think I’ll give it a try in conjunction with the Dunbrody Kiss the next time we dine at Raglan Road as suggested.

Curious to hear from anyone whose tried it, and what you think.

Raglan Road sits right on the corner as you enter what used to be known as Pleasure Island (well the area is still known as that but it’s nothing like the Pleasure Island of old) from either the parking lot or crossing over from Downtown Disney.   It’s more of a Raglan Road complex, consisting of the pub and restaurant, the “quick-service” location known as “Cooke’s of Dublin”, and two outdoor bars, the “Tonsil Tickler Bar” and “The Hole in the Wall.”

The area adjacent to the “Hole in the Wall” also serves as outdoor seating for Cooke’s of Dublin so it can get pretty busy there, but we’ve usually managed to get a table when we’ve wanted one.   It’s a nice little spot to sit and people watch, and they have a happy hour as well.

Inside the restaurant, there are also a couple of bars.  This is the main bar, which sits in about the center of the restaurant and features some nice woodwork and some beautifully tiled pillars.

One of the best things about Raglan Road is their extensive beer menu.  Here’s the link to their full menu, but below is a list of the craft beers available.  As you can see, there’s a pretty good variety:

Guinness Black Lager
Perfect combination of Lager Hops and Roasted Barley.

Abita Purple Haze
American style wheat beer with raspberry puree added for a fruity sweet aroma and taste.

Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale
This cloudy orange seasonal ale is full of pumpkin flavor.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Deep amber colored, full bodied, classic pale ale straight from Chico, California.

Terrapin Hopesecutioner
Hear ye, Hear ye…. All hop heads shall herewith rejoice! Terrapin hath recruited ye old HOPSECUTIONER to execute the exact hop profile for the killer IPA.

Bell’s Two Hearted IPA
India Pale Ale well suited for Hemingway – esque trips to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. American malts and enormous hop additions give this beer a crisp finish and incredible floral hop aroma.

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
One serious stout!!! A bold, premium, full bodied cratf beer from Guinness.

Samuel Adams Imperial Stout
Boston’s take on the stout brewed by 18th century English brewers for the Russian Imperial Court of Catherine II. The special malted barley in this intense and massive brew delivers rich flavors like dark chocolate, coffee and anise.

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
Chocolate malt and real dark chocolate are combined with Young’s award winning rich, full flavored dark beer to craft a satisfying indulgent, but never overly sweet experience.

Stone Levitation
This Californian deep amber ale style has rich & roasty malt flavors, a big hoppy character, citrus overtones (courtesy of the hops and their special brewer’s yeast) and modest alcohol.

Rogue Dead Guy Ale
Dead Guy is a a German – style Maibock from Newport, Oregan. Made with Rogue’s proprietary “Pac Man” ale yeast. It is deep honey in color with a malty aroma, rich hearty flavor.

Arrogant Bastard Ale
Just like the name implies their motto is “This is an aggressive beer. You probably won’t like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth”. Arrogant? No, just straight to the point.

Lindeman’s Framboise
A lambic fruit style brew with a delicate palate of raspberries. This one is definately for the sweet tooth and pairs well with our Chocolate desserts such as the Dunbrody Kiss.

Abita Andygator
A strong Helles Dopplebock with a dry slightly sweet taste that is very easy to drink.

Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale
English style Brown – Ale which features flaked oats in its malt, from Cigar City Brewery in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Jai Alai India Pale Ale
Strong full bodied, American style IPA from Cigar City Brewery in Tampa  Bay Florida.

The Bruery Saison Rue
Unfiltered, bottle – conditioned, Belgan/French – style farmhouse ale.

One favorite of mine off the list is the the Jai Alai, and a few friends really enjoy the Arrogant Bastard.  (Which is one of my most favorite beer names ever.)

Along with the great variety of beer, they also have an excellent selection of Irish and Scotch whiskey, wine, and also several signature drinks:

Bailey’s Shake
Frozen mix of ice Cream, Bailey’s, Coffee Liquor

One For The Road
A blend of Ciroc Vodka & Midori Melon with the juice of oranges & pineapples.

Very Berry Blueberry Martini
Smirnoff Blueberry Vodka, Chambord, Triple Sec & cranberry juice.

White Chocolate Martini
Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka, Bailey’s, Godiva White Chocolate.

Celtic Martini
A blend of Irish Mist, Don Q Limon Rum, Pineapple and a squeeze of citrus & sprite.

Iced Irish
Irelands answer to Starbucks with alcohol added of course. Baileys Caramel Irish Cream, Butterscotch Schnapps, Bushmills & coffee topped off with fresh cream.

Jay’Gail Sangria
A refreshing blend of Magners Cider, Peach Schnapps and Fruit Liqueurs & squeezes.

Aran Island Tea
Sweet Tea Vodka, Rangpur Gin, Myers Platinum Rum, Sour and a splash of Sprite.

My favorite of the ones I have tried so far has been the One for the Road.  It was really delicious.

I have also tried the Very Berry Blueberry Martini and the Celtic Martini, and found both to be a bit unusual in taste, but enjoyable.

While we’re here to talk about the drinks, it’s worth a mention that I’ve yet to have a bad meal at Raglan Road.  The fish and chips are good, and two other favorites have been the Paddy’s Pork and Kevin’s Heavenly Ham.   If you’re a bread pudding fan, I hear that their Bread and Butter Pudding is fantastic.

If you’re looking for food with your cocktails, or entertainment as provided in the evening with an Irish band and Irish dancers, you’ll want to keep the following operating hours in mind:

Lunch Served 11:00am to 3:00pm.
Dinner Served 3:00pm to 11:00pm.
Bar Menu Served 11.00pm till late.
Live Entertainment starts at 6:30pm to midnight, 6 nights a week.

Note that Tables in Wonderland is accepted at the restaurant, inside bars, as well as the Tonsil Tickler Bar all day.  It is also accepted at the Hole in the Wall bar, but not during Happy Hour.

Finally, if you’d like to see more pictures from Raglan Road, see our photo gallery here.  Please note that the Hole in the Wall bar has a separate gallery here.