Laughing Cocktail http://www.laughingcocktail.com Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:11:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 ICE JAM 2011 http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/12/07/ice-jam-2011/ http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/12/07/ice-jam-2011/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 07:46:25 +0000 Angie Salame http://www.laughingcocktail.com/?p=1679 Derek and the Columbia Room staff hosted Gardner Dunn and Yamazaki for an ice ball/ice diamond carving session. Sharp knives. Chainsaws. ICE.

Ice Ice Baby: Columbia Room Hosts Carving Masterclass

]]> http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/12/07/ice-jam-2011/feed/ 0 2011 Best Cocktails http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/11/02/best-cocktails-of-2011/ http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/11/02/best-cocktails-of-2011/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 05:22:24 +0000 Angie Salame http://www.laughingcocktail.com/?p=1646 Derek’s Sparkling Manhattan makes Tasting Table’s “Best Cocktails of 2011“. Also featured, the Columbia Room’s Back & Forth!

Sparkling Manhattan at Rogue 24


Coumbia Room's Back & Forth

Coumbia Room's Back & Forth

]]> http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/11/02/best-cocktails-of-2011/feed/ 0 COPA Jerez 2011 http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/09/21/copa-jerez-2011/ http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/09/21/copa-jerez-2011/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:10:44 +0000 Angie Salame http://www.laughingcocktail.com/?p=1666 >]]>

Testing pairings. Tough life.

Derek was in Spain for Copa Jerez, an international food and wine pairing competition featuring the great Sherry wines of Jerez, with the Consejo Regulador de la D.D.O Jerez-Xérès-Sherry. There he toured Sherry Bodegas, traveled in Southern Spain and ate his way through Seville and Madrid.

Read his wrap-up on Huffington Post >>

]]> http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/09/21/copa-jerez-2011/feed/ 0 Bloody Marys http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/09/15/bloody-marys/ http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/09/15/bloody-marys/#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 01:00:26 +0000 Angie Salame http://www.laughingcocktail.com/?p=1611 Roland Mesnier, judge & former White House chef, says: some of these Bloodies taste like Carter-era cheese ring.

Derek lead and judged an amateur Bloody Mary competition at Culinaire. Drumroll….the winner was a Tequila-based Spicy Mary.]]> Roland Mesnier, judge & former White House chef, says: some of these Bloodies taste like Carter-era cheese ring.

Derek lead and judged an amateur Bloody Mary competition at Culinaire. Drumroll….the winner was a Tequila-based Spicy Mary.

The contenders


Roland Mesnier, judge & former White House chef, says: some of these Bloodies taste like Carter-era cheese ring.

]]> http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/09/15/bloody-marys/feed/ 0 Tasting Panel Shoot http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/09/14/tasting-panel-shoot/ http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/09/14/tasting-panel-shoot/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 01:04:41 +0000 Angie Salame http://www.laughingcocktail.com/?p=1617 We had a great photo shoot today for an upcoming article on Tasting Panel Magazine that will highlight Derek’s collaboration with RJ Cooper on Rogue 24′s cocktail program.

Greg Powers shooting Derek

]]> http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/09/14/tasting-panel-shoot/feed/ 0 Lush Life Shoot http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/09/13/lush-life-video/ http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/09/13/lush-life-video/#comments Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:20:53 +0000 Angie Salame http://www.laughingcocktail.com/?p=1630 Derek during a video shoot at the Columbia Room about his OCD Dry Martini making process for an upcoming Lush Life Productions project.

Derek explaining beverage temperatures and his beverage thermometer

]]> http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/09/13/lush-life-video/feed/ 0 Harvest in Champagne http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/08/30/champagne-fr/ http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/08/30/champagne-fr/#comments Tue, 30 Aug 2011 07:03:51 +0000 Angie Salame http://www.laughingcocktail.com/?p=1658

Derek harvesting grapes

Derek toured Champagne during harvest with the CIVC (Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne). There he interviewed houses and growers and tasted through a staggering array of great Champanges, culiminating in a Karaoke party in Reims (sorry the pictures from the Karaoke party were lost).

]]> http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/08/30/champagne-fr/feed/ 0 James Beard Dinner http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/08/17/james-beard-dinner/ http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/08/17/james-beard-dinner/#comments Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:39:17 +0000 Angie Salame http://www.laughingcocktail.com/?p=1549 Credit: Revamp.com

James Beard dinner at The Source featuring D.C.’s most talented Chefs and Bartenders (see the bartenders rock out below). Derek’s drink… The Kilrain Fight John L. Sullivan’s Irish Whiskey Cocoa infused Irish Breakfast Tea Lemon Orgeat]]> Credit: Revamp.com

James Beard dinner at The Source featuring D.C.’s most talented Chefs and Bartenders (see the bartenders rock out below).

Derek’s drink…

Kilrain Fight

The Kilrain Fight

John L. Sullivan’s Irish Whiskey

Cocoa infused Irish Breakfast Tea

Lemon

Orgeat

Credit: Revamp.com

Bartenders ROCK: Derek on Bass, Chantal Tseng of the Tabard Inn on drums, Todd Thrasher from PX/Virtue/Restaurant Eve on vocals, and Adam Bernbach from Proof/Estadio on guitar.

Angie, Derek, and Chantal Tseng enjoying Chef Scott Drewno's inspired Chinese food buffet.

]]> http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/08/17/james-beard-dinner/feed/ 0 Rickey Plaque http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/07/19/rickey-plaque-unveiling/ http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/07/19/rickey-plaque-unveiling/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:47:49 +0000 Angie Salame http://www.laughingcocktail.com/?p=1570 On Sunday we celebrated the Rickey being recognized as D.C.’s native cocktail with a party so swanky it was featured in the Washington Post’s Style Section. Our guest of honor Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton unveiled a plaque commemorating the birthplace of the Rickey at the former site of Shoomaker’s now the JW Marriott on Pennsylvania Ave. She went on to mention our accomplishment on the floor of Congress and enter it in the Congressional Record.

Derek talking about our journey and Congresswoman Holmes Norton reaching for her Rickey

The Dream Team: Derek, Angie, and author Garrett Peck (missing: Dana Pellicano and Mark Indre from Marriott)


Derek doing his media thing


The unveiling!

The plaque

For more pictures click here.

]]> http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/07/19/rickey-plaque-unveiling/feed/ 0 Rickey Proclamation http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/07/15/rickey-proclamation/ http://www.laughingcocktail.com/2011/07/15/rickey-proclamation/#comments Fri, 15 Jul 2011 08:18:28 +0000 Angie Salame http://www.laughingcocktail.com/?p=1509 Rickey

We had the press conference today! It’s official: the Rickey is D.C.’s native cocktail as proclaimed by Councilmember Jack Evans after a unanimous vote by the D.C. City Council! Derek said a few words about what a great step this is in establishing Washington D.C.’s identity as a city with traditions and a rich history [...]]]> Rickey

We had the press conference today! It’s official: the Rickey is D.C.’s native cocktail as proclaimed by Councilmember Jack Evans after a unanimous vote by the D.C. City Council! Derek said a few words about what a great step this is in establishing Washington D.C.’s identity as a city with traditions and a rich history outside the seat of government (though Rickeys were well loved by them…the drink gets its name from a lobbyist after all!)

Check out Rachel Maddow making a Rickey and what she had to say about our mission:

Also…here are some pictures!

Derek looking presidential


The resolution!


Councilmember Jack Evans


News crews!

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