Thank God SEC play is here. Another week of non-conference powder puffs coming to Baton Rouge and I would have lost my mind. Thankfully, we only have to put up with that for one more weekend. There is always something about the first conference game at home that puts a certain electricity through the various tailgates around campus. Also, a metric-frick-ton more people are around campus. So it makes everything that much louder and fun.
I wish I could say everything turned out great like it did last weekend, but I'd be a lying fool. My cocktail selection sucked. Granted, that was probably due to my crappy technique in building the cocktail, and due to not being able to find all of the ingredients. I did not know it was that difficult to find Maraschino liqueur, so sue me.
On the plus side, the flank steak turned out perfect.
It wasn't overcooked, it had good seasoning, and it was an all-around hit with my fellow tailgaters. The only annoying thing about it was the stupid bottle of cane syrup. The brand that I bought had a ridiculously cheap cap, so naturally the bottle tipped over and spilled everywhere, causing me to be late for tailgating because I was cleaning up a disgusting syrup mess on my friends floor and table. Screw cane syrup, but LONG LIVE FLANK STEAK!
STARTER BEER OF THE CENTURY OF THE WEEK
Last week's beer - Parish Brewing Envie
I really, really enjoyed last week's beer. I like pale ales just fine, but I'm usually not overly fond of them. Envie, though, I really like that beer. It is extremely refreshing. The balance between sweetness and hoppiness is very good and it has all of the floral notes of the hops with just a slight hint of bitterness on the finish, which is actually pretty refreshing. Highly recommended if you can get your hands on it.
This week's beer - Abita Fall Fest
Even though it won't feel like fall, I can at least pretend it is fall with my beer. Abita describes Fall Fest as an Octoberfest-style lager. I call it a good amber ale that happens to be seasonal. It's a lot like your typical Abita Amber except it has a slightly different finish, a different sweetness, and a higher ABV (5.4%) than Amber (4.5%). It's tasty and you can drink a few with almost no ill effects.
COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK
It's SEC time, so BOURBON, BOURBON, BOURBON, BOURBON, BOURBON! BOURBON, BOURBON, BOURBON, BOURBON, BOURBON! BOURBON, BOURBON, BOURBON, BOURBON, BOURBON! BOURBON! BOURBON! BATMAN! I MEAN BOURBON!
Time for an Old Fashioned. No, not like South Park you genius. Recipe from The Art of Manilness.
Put 1 sugar cube in glass
Add 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters
Add 1 Splash of Soda Water
Muddle (smash) until sugar is dissolved
Fill glass with ice cubes
Add whiskey to the top of the glass, stir
Garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherry
Few bourbons I like: Makers Mark, Pure Kentucky, Woodford Reserve. But drink what you like. Or what's cheap, nobody's judging. I know I don't when tailgating.
FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD
I got Abita Beer cookbook a while back and found a recipe that I think can be adapted to the grill.
Abita Amber Fall Fest Jerk Chicken
Ingredients:
1 chopped onion
1 garlic clove
1 piece ginger root, peeled and chopped
1 bunch green onions chopped
1 bunch thyme
2 habanero peppers
3 teaspoons Tony Chachere’s
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bottle Abita Fall Fest beer
The recipes says to use 2 fryer chickens, but I see no reason why chicken breasts, thighs, or any other combination of chicken meat wouldn't work.
Anyways, combine the onion, garlic, ginger, green onions, thyme, habaneros, Tony's, salt and cayenne in a food processor and puree until smooth.
Marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours in the fridge. It says to bake all this, but I see no reason why this won't work on a grill. Slap that chicken on the grill and cook it until it's, you know, cooked or something.
MUSIC TIME FOR EVERYONE
Really, it's Auburn. Something crazy always happens when we play these guys. So, this requires some equally insane music. Or at least music with some sort of crazy background. I haven't listened to the Aquabats in a while, but they always struck that chord between absolutely insane and a lot of fun, which is a pretty apt description of the LSU/Auburn series. But, Auburn is the Powdered Milk Man to the LSU Aquabats awesomeness, so THEY MUST DIE (on the football field, not literally, jeez guys).
That does it for me. Let us know what your tailgating plans are for this weekend!