Cocktails are in the Cards!

My husband Paul is an idea man. 

Whenever I feel down about my business, he'll toss out twelve different things I could be doing, I won't get around to any of them, and then I'll feel worse. This time was different.

Last week, he asked out of the blue, "how many recipes do you have?" "Between both books?" I added them up in my head. "Fifty two." "What if you had them printed on playing cards?"

He went on to explain that often bartenders use flash cards to memorize drink recipes, so using my paintings and recipes on cards was a natural. While I spent maybe a minute marveling at the fact that I had exactly fifty-two recipes, Paul found an online printer that made custom playing cards. Fifty-four unique cards per deck---one for each recipe plus a front and back cover.  Three days later they were designed and ready to order. Boom!

Trouble was, the two shipping options. Free shipping would get them to me in two weeks, in the middle of Yuletide. They are perfect stocking stuffers, so that's great, but it would be nice to have more opportunities to sell them. Well okay, shipping option number two might get them to me in time for the book release party. For $165. Nope. 

Free shipping it was, with fingers crossed.

Damn, I love a nice surprise. This morning a cheerful Fedex man arrived at the door with a big box of Mixology Cocktail Cards. Ordered October 30th, delivered November 2. And they are beautiful. (I think a shoutout to Printerstudio.com is in order here. )

Sooooo.... get your Mixology deck o' cocktail cards this Friday at the Mizuna release party, or the following weekend at Yuletide! $10 each, and the perfect gift for your cocktail-consuming friends and relatives. Already own the books? Keep them nice and tidy, and keep these handy wipe-clean cards at the bar. I know I will.

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Fleur Asado

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Fleur Asado. Oil on panel, 8" x 8".

The Fleur Asado, a.k.a. Burnt Flower) comes to us from Richard Vander Wende, creator of the Blackbeer'd. A trip to Mexico (which Richard says smells of flowers and burning vegetation) inspired this delicious, smoky, floral drink.

At the time Richard created the recipe, flowering quince bloomed in his back yard. The edible flowers proved perfect for the garnish, holding up well to the blowtorch treatment they endured. The coral-colored flowers with lightly singed edges, contrasted against a mixture of lime juice, mescal and elderflower liqueur, made such a lovely drink that only a close-up portrait would do.

After my struggle with the complicated Pablo's Muse painting, this one practically fell off of my brush. What a joy the Fleur Asado was to paint (and to drink)!

Richard playing with fire.

Pablo's Muse

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Pablo's Muse. Oil on panel, 12" x 12".

At long last, painting for Mixology With a Twist has resumed (insert sigh of relief here). With the book release just a few short months away, deadline-related confidence waned as other projects kept me from my "drinks." At least continuous prop hoarding enabled me to jump in the minute I had a minute!  

First up, Pablo's Muse from Kristy White of Clover, here in Spokane. This simple mezcal-based drink allows the flavors of its few ingredients to shine. Kristy is one of the first bartenders I approached for this book, after watching her juggle craft cocktail orders at a dizzying pace at the ever-busy Bon Bon last fall.

Kristy's concoction is actually colorless. My desire to add color led to a challenging choice of glassware (molded pink depression glass). The paisley wallpaper and galvanized "bar top," inspired by Clover's interior, added another layer to the task. Suffice it to say this one took about three times as long as it should have. But hey, the important thing is this: the drinks are flowing again!