The Ginger Man Cocktail Naming Contest

WIN a FREE BRUNCH for TWO at The Ginger Man in Greenwich. Here's how..

Back by popular demand, CTbites has found a cocktail in need of a name. Go grab yourself a drink, study the ingredienrs below, and get ready for some branding.

If your Cocktail name is selected, it will be featured on their new menu & you will receive a FREE BRUNCH FOR TWO @ The Ginger Man (complete with cocktails). 

"Your Name Here" Cocktail Recipe: 

1.5 oz St Germain
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz White Cranberry Juice
2 oz Prosecco

Shake the first 3 ingredients over ice and pour into champagne flute., Top the drink off with Prosecco., Garnish with an orange wedge

Post your submission below (include email) , or if you're shy, feel free to send it to us directly. We welcome input from readers. If you see a name you like...post your vote! Cocktail names must be submitted by February 14th.  

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Cocktails Aged Gracefully

Barrel aged cocktails have arrived in Connecticut. And for a song, Saugatuck Grain & Grape in Westport will bring you one step closer to making your very own sixty day-old Manhattan, Negroni or any spirit-driven cocktail that your heart may desire.

In a culture that typically prizes the fresh and made-to-order, aging cocktails may sound sacrilege. So what exactly is a barrel aged cocktail and why mess with a good thing?

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Darien Social is Officially Open for Business

Overlooking Darien's Metro North station, Executive Chef Nick Bilello has reappeared in the kitchen of Darien Social, a modern American "neighborhood bar and restaurant," set to open today. 

Having opened the original Burger Bar & Bistro in South Norwalk in 2006 and worked in the kitchens of Habana and Ocean Drive, Bilello adapted his style and approach to Darien, with a menu that will include “snacks and small plates” such as local oysters, pork belly “BLT sliders” and Swedish meatballs (with foie gravy). An organic beef “social burger” topped with caramelized onion, black pepper truffle mayo, and Shelburne cheddar should also figure prominently on the menu.

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Luxe Modern Wine & Cocktails Opens via WestportNow

Looking for a place to grab a drink and a nosh in Westport? Luxe Modern may be what you're craving. WestportNow.com reports on this weekend's opening:

"A wine bar, Luxe Modern Wine & Cocktails, opens at 190 Main St., across from TD BankNorth, on Saturday, according to owner Robert Reilly of Redding. He said that the café will carry 40 wines that can be purchased by the glass, seven or eight seasonal cocktails, and a selection of 15 cheeses and cured meats. In addition to a bar, tended by the owner’s nephew Will Secchi (photo) of Fairfield, there are indoor tables with plans for outdoor tables next spring, he said. Reilly, a former IT director at Fresh Direct in New York, said the hours this opening weekend are Saturday 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. 

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The Whelk in Westport: A First Look & Taste

Friends and family were treated to a sneak preview of The Whelk, Bill Taibe's latest venture in Westport on Wednesday evening.  Steeped in the sea with unmistakable flashes of leFarm's seasonal luxury, The Whelk is poised to establish Saugatuck as the culinary center of Westport, and perhaps Fairfield County.

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bartaco Launches "CTBites Invites" w/ Tequila & Tacos

Last night, 35 or so lucky CTbites readers participated in the Inaugural "CTBites Invites" event at bartaco in Port Chester, NY. The "Invites," offer CTBites customers unique culinary experiences in the form of special restaurant "happenings" and special product purchasing opportunities. You sign up while the offer lasts, you pay on line and you're in. Simple as that.  At last night's event, those who signed up were treated to a TACOS and TEQUILA and a whole lot more. 

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And The Winner Is....

Old Post Tavern has made their final decision on the winning name for the Cocktail Naming Contest. Thanks to everyone who submitted creative and sometimes downright hilarious names, but only one will make it to the Old Post Tavern menu.

Congratulations to KK for the winning name...drum roll please...Fall Stoliage. This lucky winner will receive a FREE lunch for 2 @ Old Post Tavern in Fairfield as well as a round of Fall Stoliage drinks. 

Stay tuned for our next cocktail contest. Happy Cocktailing from CTbites. 

Cocktail Naming Contest

WIN a FREE Lunch for two @ Old Post Tavern in Fairfield. Here's how...

It's time for another cocktail throw down! Old Post Tavern in Fairfield has decided to trust the fate of their new fall specialty cocktail to the naming skills of our CTbites readers.  If your cocktail name is selected, you will win a FREE LUNCH FOR TWO at Old Post Tavern (cocktails included). 

Here are the ingredients for the cocktail in need of a name:

1.5 oz Stoli vanilla

1 oz Stoli

1.5 oz apple cider

.5 or splash of sour apple pucker

Pinch of cinnamon, Touch of fresh lime

Rim martini glass w/ raw sugar & garnish w/ cinnamon stick and slice of apple

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Barcelona Restaurant's Cocktail & Wine Events Schedule

The Fall/Winter schedule for Barcelona Restaurant Group's wine and cocktail events has been released. You'll find it complete with education on wine pairings, tasting menus, and mixology 101 "Cocktail Classroom" evenings. These unique events allow guests to experience Barcelona more intimately in small groups designed to inform and tantalize. Get up close and personal with one of the many talented Barcelona chefs as well as Gretchen Thomas, Barcelona's Wine and Sprits Director. Check out the line up below: 

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Ginger Beer Taste Test: The Dark & Stormy Winner Is...

I’m a seasonal drinker with few loyalties. Changing temperatures inspire me to rotate my spirits and by the time summer is in full-swing, I’ve traded my martinis and single malts for rum and bourbon-based cocktails. But none have as tight a hold on a season as the Dark ‘n’ Stormy has for summer, with its equal parts spice and nostalgia.

A combination of dark rum, ginger beer and (an optional) wedge of lime served in a high ball, the Dark ‘n’ Stormy packs a gingery bite, conjuring salty ocean breezes, sailing trips and the island nation of Bermuda, all in a single sip. Much of the dark rum we drink hails from small island nations in the Atlantic and Caribbean Oceans, distilled from molasses (a sugar cane by product) and aged in charred American oak bourbon barrels with its dark rum finale reeking of spice and molasses. Paired with ginger beer, this seductive summer drink is the definition of the season and I cling to them until the autumnal equinox pries them out of my increasingly cold, sticky, rum-soaked hands.

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Bon Appetit Cafe & Creperie Opens in Fairfield

I didn’t much pay attention to the new blue awning located next to Billy’s Bakery on Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield until I was asked to cover a new restaurant opening.  An Easton resident, I spend a good bit of my time there and I have always been disappointed by the lack of quality restaurants in that part of town.  Until now.  

I was running late for my lunch with Stephanie and fellow CTBites contributor Sarah Green, parked on the side street next to Billy’s and ran down the blue awning-covered stairs to the back of the building where Bon Appetit Cafe & Creperie had just recently opened. One has no idea what’s in store until one sits down to read the menu.  I was thrilled to learn that the food had been ordered without me. I truly would not have been able to decide on my own!

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Cocktails: The Aviation c/o Barcelona's Gretchen Thomas

Gretchen Thomas is the Wine & Spirits Director for the Barcelona Restaurant Group.

The classic cocktail revitalization is supercharged right now. San Francisco, New Orleans and Manhattan can take credit for getting that ball rolling, and the rest of the US...well we are a little behind as expected, but people are taking notice more and more. Why did the classics ever die out? In my opinion (strong emphasis on opinion), most of the classic drinks are whiskey or gin based, and Americans got sick of those flavors, turned to flavorless spirits, and they have been in fashion until recently. Now, vintage is back!

My new favorite vintage drink is the Aviation.

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Grande Burger Opens in Stamford

Sometimes you just want to go out - no specific plans, no goals for the evening besides just wanting to go hear loud music and blow off steam. It would be nice to have a few drinks, you think, but whatever will do: just get me a beer/cocktail/shot, man. Sometimes you're just in an "eat to live" kind of mood, and anything filling will do. Other times you're more discerning, selective: you could really go for a burger, but generic "burger" arriving wrapped in paper won't cut it. For those times, there's the new Grand Burger in Stamford. 

Yes, the former G/R/A/N/D ultra lounge has been re-imagined as a burger place, and the menu is the result of the discerning eye of Executive Chef Nick Bilello, creator of Burger Bar in SoNo.

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Saugatuck Grain & Grape in Westport

Vintage gated tables lined with tequilas and rums, while bourbons and whiskeys are abundantly shelved nearby. I am especially drawn to Jeff Marrons’ corner display of tequila bottles—both of the consumed and collected variety—gathered on a custom riddling rack table. The presentation makes the space feel personal and homey, as if this could be someone’s personal collection. So, I am not surprised to learn that fiancée and owner Mimi McLaughlin has a background in interior design and fashion retail, evidenced in her attention to the smallest details, down to the charming tags, framed signs and chalk drawings at the entrance.

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Cocktails: Sangria Flora c/o Barcelona's Gretchen Thomas

We are pleased to introduce a new CTbites contributor, Gretchen Thomas, the Wine & Spirits Director for the Barcelona Restaurant Group. She supervises the largest Spanish wine program in the United States, managing 200 labels from 11 countries, and acts as the lead mixologist for The Barcelona Restaurants. 

Summer months bring lots of outdoor cooking opportunities. As an avid BBQ host, I know that the simpler the menu, the easier it is to relax and enjoy the fun. Firing up the grill and throwing on the hotdogs and burgers is always a cinch, but planning the beverages can often be a frustrating element.

An extremely simple and delicious recipe for Sangria Flora crossed my desk a year ago and it has become a necessary staple at all my backyard gatherings, right up there with the yard games and bug spray. It was introduced to me by the founder of St. Germain, an Elderflower liqueur that is prominent at every real cocktail bar in the country. The recipe was created by the company and its simple – St Germain, dry white or rose wine, and chopped fresh fruit.

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