Browsing Tag

Champagne

Cocktail Recipes, Pop Culture
Say Farewell to Queen Elizabeth II With a Black Velvet

While the concept of monarchy is fraught, it’s always sad when a family must say goodbye to a beloved mother and grandmother. And while I never visited Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II was a familiar figure growing up. Her face was a familiar one on Canadian money, and I remember the gold and silver silhouettes of Queen Elizabeth II on colorful Trinidadian postage stamps on letters from friends living on the Caribbean island. Queen Elizabeth’s favorite cocktail was Dubonnet and gin, a taste she acquired from her mother. Here’s how to mix up the Queen’s cocktail, which sounds like a sweeter, less intense version of a Negroni, which pairs gin and Campari. But what does one drink to say goodbye to a monarch? Celebratory champagne and mourning don’t seem to go together. Yet those sentiments share a glass in the historic champagne cocktail known as the Black Velvet. The Black Velvet,…
September 19, 2022
Pop Culture
Julia Child’s Kitchen, The Smithsonian and Champagne

We love champagne and sparkling wine for its tantalizing bubbles, but is there a good way to save those bubbles if you open a bottle and don’t finish it? Absolutely, according to Julia Child, the woman who brought French cuisine and a taste for champagne to Americans with her cooking show and books. While travelling on the East Coast for Bubbly Bar tastings and book signings, I planned the trip so I’d have an extra day in Washington DC. I wanted to make sure to get to visit Julia Child’s kitchen at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. As soon as I walked into the kitchen exhibit, the first thing I heard was Child’s distinctive voice… talking about champagne! A video monitor was set up to play a series of videos on topics including her favorite kitchen gadgets. In this segment, Child pulls a gold champagne stopper off a…
August 15, 2022
Bubbly Events
Make a Pink Pepperberry Fizz, Then Join Us for National Rosé Day

Most fun holidays only happen once a year. But how lucky are we to get two days to celebrate all the styles of beautiful pink wines? National Rosé Day is always on the second Saturday in June, and that falls on June 13 this year. It’s a good makeup, in case you missed Rosé Day on February 7. I’m so thrilled to be partnering with Champagne Blaine of The Fizz is Female and Rita Jammet of Champagne La Caravelle for a Zoom chat at 9 am Pacific/12 Eastern on Saturday June 13. Rita will tell the story of her fabulous champagne brand that she and her husband created. Then I’ll share a recipe for a simple cocktail using La Caravelle Rosé, and a fun breakfast/weekend brunch food pairing that always works. Rosé is one of the best styles of wine for food pairing, so you won’t be disappointed. Here’s the…
June 12, 2020
Restaurants
Here’s What You’re Missing at CDP, the Sexy Bar by Commis

When I first heard about the expansion plans for the Michelin-starred restaurant Commis, my reaction was mixed. Sure, it would be cool to have a chic bar by chef James Syhabout right next door to my place in Oakland. But it also meant saying goodbye to my favorite designer second-hand store, since they lost their lease to make room. But after just a few visits to CDP, I’m very happy with the swap. If you haven’t made it over to Piedmont Avenue to try CDP (short for chef de partie) yet, you’re missing out on an exquisite cocktail and dining experience where every detail has been considered carefully. considered. The first thing to catch my eye in the space designed by Gensler was a wardrobe fronted by coppery chain curtain — what an unexpected and sexy way to store coats. A gleaming Carrara marble waterfall bar is the focal point of…
March 26, 2018
Bubbly Events, Champagne
#TopItOff with Louis Roederer Champagne & the Tablehopper

A few days before the end of 2013, I had a preview of New Year’s fun to come at a sparkling party with my friend the Tablehopper Marcia Gagliardi and Louis Roederer Champagne. Dubbed Top It Off, the party offered a chance to experience the exclusive, members only event space at The Cavalier in SoMa and to enjoy the most agreeable Louis Roederer Brut Premier. Cavalier is tucked away off Jesse Street on the backside of the Hotel Zetta; smart red awnings announce that you’ve arrived. It offers a San Francisco interpretation of a slightly posh London pub, with fish and chips, sticky pudding and Pimm’s Cups. In the style of many famous London establishments like Quo Vadis in Soho, the Cavalier has a clubby private space with a bar they call Marianne’s. The room is dimply lit with tiny flickering tiny white votive…
January 8, 2014