Holiday Spiced Manhattan

With Fall now upon us, it's time to move our cocktails into to the wonderfully spicy tastes and autumnal colors of the season. Here's a tasty twist on the classic Manhattan that you can enjoy all the way through to the New Year.

Ingredients

• 2 cups sweet vermouth
• 1 tsp allspice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• 1 dash sea salt
• 2.5 oz Hennessy cognac
• 3/4 oz vermouth (infused)
• 1 dash angostura bitters
• 1 twist orange
• nutmeg (Sprinkle of fresh)      

        

Directions:

To Infuse the Vermouth: Heat vermouth to just before boiling. Add all dry ingredients. Turn off heat, cover with lid and let steep for several hours. Pour through sifter into empty container.

 

For each Manhattan Cocktail: Pour Hennessy, vermouth and bitters in shaker. Add ice and shake. Pour into martini glass. Add twist of orange and sprinkle or zest nutmeg over the top.

 

 

Recipe and photos from http://www.aspicyperspective.com/

Please Don't Stop The Music - Processional Songs

We've posted several editions of "Please Don't Stop The Music," in the name of toe-tapping reception tunes, but this entry is a little different. One of the most important wedding tunes of all is the one playing your wedding party down the aisle on your big day. Please enjoy this guide to beautiful processional songs.

Classic

Pachelbel's "Canon in D"

Bach's "Air On a G String"

Offenbach's "Barcarolle"

and, of course, Mendelssohn's "Wedding March"

 

Tune in next week for a follow-up on ceremony recessional songs!

Lavender Honey Cream Cocktail

Looking for a soothing, spirited drink for Friday afternoon on the porch with your loved one? Surprise them with this lavender & honey cocktail. This floral drink doesn't scream "club culture." Rather, it's perfect for relaxing after a long week of work. We hope you enjoy it!

 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Square One Botanical Spirit
• 1 oz Organic heavy cream
• 1 oz Organic egg white
• 1 oz Lavender Honey Syrup*

  *Lavender Honey Syrup: Combine .25 cup lavender honey with .25 cup boiling water. Stir gently until the honey is dissolved. Let cool and store in a squeeze bottle

Garnish: Lavender blossoms

 

Glass: Cocktail

 

Instructions:

 

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake gently for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a few lavender blossoms.

 

 

 

Recipe from H. Joseph Ehrmann at http://liquor.com/

Lightening The Load: Making Post-Wedding Responsibilities Easier

It's the day after your wedding at The Center. You and your new spouse could not be happier! You're heading somewhere new together and you've just finished celebrating the upcoming journey with friends and family and...gifts and...drinks...and decor...and your dress...and now you're wondering how you're going to enjoy this blissful time when there is so much left to do!

Fear not! Here are some tips that will minimize your post-wedding tasks and maximize your relax-and-enjoy-each-other time!

1. Gifts - There are two routes you can take here that will save you time later. First, instead of creating a registry, you and your fiance could create a "Help Us With Our Honeymoon" fund via paypal or any other service where your friends and family could contribute to the cost of flights, hotels, meals, etc. No boxes, returns, or replacements here! Second, "hire" on a willing friend/family member as your official Thank You Note & Gift organizer. She/he will be in charge of who gave what and whether they have been shown proper thanks! That way, you're not spending the days after your wedding filling your basement with boxes, or trying to remember whether Aunt Sally or Uncle Bill gave you that toaster.
   
2. Vendors - Hiring vendors for your decor needs ensures that your set-up and tear-down is painless. They visit The Center long before the start of your wedding, set everything up to your liking and leave long after your wedding guests have gone home for the night. Electing to choose vendors instead of DIYing does not mean that you are unable to personalize your wedding; there are thousands of wonderful vendors in Cincinnati who will work with you to get exactly what you want for your wedding day.
   
3. Honeymoon - There are many ways to make your time away with your new spouse worry-free. Plan ahead. If you choose to go abroad, make sure all of your responsibilities at home are taken care of. Let people know that you will be unavailable and designate friends and family as your go-to contacts while you're away. Give your go-to guys and gals specific instructions for situations that might arise. It may seem tedious, but when you're enjoying a peaceful, electronic-free time as a newly married couple, it will be worth all the planning!

Photograph by Darren Wong

Old, New, Borrowed, Blue - Making the Most of This Timeless Tradition

"Something Olde,

Something New,

Something Borrowed,

Something Blue,

A Sixpence in your Shoe."
 

This is the Olde English rhyme that sparked the tradition hundreds of years ago. It has been interpreted thousands of ways over the course of its lifetime and has served as a jumping point for wedding decor and a promise of happiness and good fortune within the bonds of marriage. Here are a few personal ways you can make the most of this ancient blessing.

 

 

 

 

Something Old
For this part of the tradition, read, "Something timeless." The benefit of reading the line this way is that it hones in on the type of "old" item you're really looking for. The purpose of "something old" is to bring a positive token of your past into your new life together. It's a reminder to let the past teach you during your marriage. Take a family heirloom into consideration, especially if it has been in the presence of joy and laughter. For example:

• Does your grandmother have an old serving tray/vase that your family has joined over for years?  Use it as a centerpiece on a side table!
• Do your parents still have their wedding topper? Use it on your cake.
• Cut a swatch of old clothing that is meaningful to you (i.e. - grandmothers dress/shirt you wore on your first date with your fiance) and tuck it/sew it into your wedding dress for good memories and good luck.
• Copy a poem or a letter written by your grandmother or grandfather and print it as the background for your table numbers.
• Take an old car from your ceremony to your reception. You'll arrive in style and take care of the first part of your good luck rhyme!
• Recently, we had a bride offer guests her grandparents' favorite candies as something old. Presenting their favorites is a great way to honor them while bringing happiness to your guests.

 

 

Something New
Take this opportunity to purchase new makeup. You want to look photo-ready on your wedding day, so consider splurging on a new foundation, lipstick, or eye shadow color palette. Afterwards, you'll have new makeup to take with you on your honeymoon!
 

 

 

Something Borrowed
If you are going to borrow something, borrow wisdom. In addition to the words spoken at your ceremony, have a couple in your life whose mutual love and respect you seek to emulate in your own marriage speak a few words to you and your beloved at your ceremony about the reality of sustaining happiness and adoration.
 

 

 

Something Blue
Finding something blue isn't easy, but it's your chance to have some fun! Sure, there are blue things all around you: nail polish, flowers, sashes, jewelry. But if blue isn't in your wedding palette, here are a few ideas that won't clash with your decor:

•  Paint the bottoms of your shoes blue. People will only be able to see it as you walk down the aisle or bust a move on the dance floor.
• Serve a signature cocktail that is blue. This Blue Raspberry Spiked Lemonade is a nice choice!
• Pale blue nail polish looks good with every skin tone and almost every color, which means it will not clash with your gorgeous dress!  

 

A Sixpence In Your Shoe
This part of the tradition is not as widely celebrated as the others, but, it's worth mentioning here! If you want to include it for good fortune, find a coin from the year you and your fiance met each other, and have the groom place it in his shoe before the ceremony.

 

Pedal Power!

Last week, we spoke with one the great minds behind Pedal Wagon, Tom O'brian. He and co-owner, Jack Heekin have been operating pedal-powered tours through Cincinnati for the last two years. They share a birth year with The Center, and we were excited to speak with them about what they've been up to the last couple of years!


1) What is the Pedal Wagon?



Tom: The Pedal Wagon is a 15 person, pedal-powered, rolling party. You can reserve the entire Pedal Wagon, or just part of it. Choose from a variety of routes, on which you will share a memorable experience with friends, while uncovering Cincinnati's rich history, and “best kept secret” local establishments on pub crawls, tours of the city’s historic districts, breweries, and more.

2) What is unique about the bachelorette/bachelor parties you host?

Tom: We host a lot of bachelor/bachelorette parties, but no two parties have been the same. It's always a guaranteed fun time when a future bride/groom is involved! Groups have brought decorations for the Wagon, come in the same outfits, brought unique props, sung songs, and even held dance parties in the middle of the Wagon while cruising down the street.

3) What is your favorite thing about the city of Cincinnati?



Tom: The energy and sense of pride people have for the resurgence of Downtown and OTR. Most of our riders are not from the city, so it is great to see their reactions to everything that is new and improving downtown. You can really feel the positive buzz in the air on a Friday/Saturday nights.

Do you have anything new and exciting in the works?

 



Tom: Yes, we introduced our new "Globetrotter" theme tour this past weekend. This tour makes stops at four different locations, where each has a drink special based around that location's national theme. The tour makes stops at Belgium, America, Russia, and Central America.
 

The guys at Pedal Wagon were nice enough to let the gals of The Center take a stroll around OTR yesterday on the Wagon to experience what a tour is really like. Here's what we thought! 

 

Courtney: "This is a fun idea. What a workout!"

Alana: "I laughed the entire time! Can't wait to take a full tour!"

Haley: "My first job in Cincinnati was on the Pedal Wagon. Never knew it was this much fun to be the pedaler!"

There you have it! A bonafide three thumbs up from the gals at The Center!

 

A special thanks to Stuart for setting up our mini-tour and to Devin for taking us around!

Maker’s Mark Collins

 

Maker's Mark Collins

You've never met a Collins like this before. Swap gin for Maker's Mark bourbon and delight in a fresh new twist on a classic cocktail!

 

  

Ingredients

• 2 oz Maker’s Mark Bourbon
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp Sugar
• Club soda

Garnish: Orange wheel and maraschino cherry

Glass: Collins

Instructions

Add the bourbon, lemon juice and sugar to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake well and strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Top with club soda and garnish with an orange wheel and a maraschino cherry.

 

Note from the blogger: "This recipe sounded particularly tasty, so I got the ingredients together and recreated it myself! (1) Collins glass and (1) ability to tell the difference between a tablespoon and a teaspoon short and this cocktail was still a big hit with the friends who volunteered to try it!

  

 

 Recipe and photo contributed by Maker's Mark at www.liquor.com