White Gold and "Uptown Funk"

Smoother Than A Fresh Jar Of Skippy
You know you love to look your best... try out that new outfit?.. no matter how funky your combo of flavor, when that temperature starts to rise you've got to get out on the scene. Turn your sexy volume to 11. You've been itching to flaunt it all winter. When you're wearing your favorite dress, shirt or jacket, you put out a vibe that tells others, "I feel confident and I'm here to have a good time!" So put some liquor in that cup! Get on that dance floor! Let your worries drift away. The sunshine, brunch patios and rooftops are emerging... even the limousine sunroof is rolling back. We believe you'll feel the funk once you're out on the dance floor and this song comes on. Dragons won't be retiring, but the girls will definitely be saying "wooo!!" Don't believe me? Just watch!

White Gold
Pouring that pale golden frothy liquid into your coupe for your pre-funk in your pad makes your mouth water. The shimmering glossy finish atop the cocktail reminds you of that foam party you found yourself immersed in last summer in Cabo and you're ready for another season filled with fashion, funk and fantastic outings. This week we decided to do a twist on a classic sour. Instead of whiskey, we chose to use the rich warmth of cognac and the botanic nuance of amaro. The bright red contrast and robust aromatics of Creole bitters atop a pale golden pillow drops the bass on this cocktail and sends it home on the 'A' Train all the way up to Harlem. It's like sporting Chucks and Yves Saint Laurent in the same outfit.

 Ingredients:
1 oz Amaro Nonino
3/4 oz cognac
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz honey syrup*
1 egg white
2 dashes Creole bitters

Method:
Place all ingredients except the bitters into a shaker tin. Give it a long vigorous dry shake.** Place ice in the tin. Give it a short vigorous shake. Strain into a coupe or your favorite cup. Swipe two dashes of Creole bitters on top.

*Honey Syrup: equal parts honey and water. Warm water works best to help the honey dissolve.

**Dry Shake: a common term used in the bartending world to describe a brisk iceless shake. This is usually done when egg white is present to bind all ingredients together and to create a billowing foam.

Uptown Funk
Mark Ronson's composition and arrangement coupled with the vocal stylings of Bruno Mars gives this song the perfect mix of funk and R&B to send it to the top of hit music charts around the globe. In the words of Mr. Ronson, this song is a "full-on combustible groove workout with elastic bass and indomitable spirit." The uptown cocktail scene in New York City is a sight to see as well. With cocktail bars popping up left and right, we're seeing more and more refined ingredients such as fresh squeezed juices and amaro. We feel this weeks cocktail, White Gold, pairs indubiously with "Uptown Funk" and coincides with the rich history and diverse culture of the uptown scene.

Amaro is an Italian herbal liqueur that is commonly drunk as an after-dinner digestif. It usually has a bitter-sweet flavor, sometimes syrupy, and has an alcohol content between 16% and 40%.

Similar liqueurs have traditionally been produced throughout Europe. There are local varieties in Germany (where they are called Kräuterlikör) and in Hungary, the Netherlands, and France. But the term amaro is applied only to Italian products of this kind.

Amaro is typically produced by macerating herbs, roots, flowers, bark, and/or citrus peels in alcohol, either neutral spirits or wine, mixing the filtrate with sugar syrup, and allowing the mixture to age in casks or bottles.

Dozens of varieties are commercially produced, the most commonly available of which are Averna,Ramazzotti, Lucano, and Montenegro.

Many commercial bottlers trace their recipe or production to the 19th century. Recipes often originated in monasteries or pharmacies.

Amaro is typically drunk neat, sometimes with a citrus wedge. It may also be drunk on ice or with tonic water.

Amaro should not be confused with amaretto, another Italian liqueur that is sweet and flavored with almonds or with the pits of drupe fruits such as apricots. Nor should it be confused with amarone, a rich Italian dry red wine from Valpolicella.

Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), professionally known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, voice actor, and choreographer. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age and performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. He graduated from high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career. Mars produced songs for other artists, co-founding the production team The Smeezingtons.
Mars is known for his stage performances and retro showmanship. He is accompanied by his band, The Hooligans, which besides playing a variety of instruments such as electric guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, drums and horns, also serves as dancers and background singers. On stage, Mars is able to sing, dance and play a wild range of musical styles, including R&B, reggae, soul and funk music.

Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is an English musician, DJ, singer, and record producer.

While his debut album Here Comes the Fuzz failed to make an impact on the charts, his second album, Version, reached number two in the UK Album chart, and included three UK top 10 singles.^[2] This success won him a Brit Award for Best British Male Solo Artist in 2008.^[3] His third studio album, Record Collection, was released on 27 September 2010, peaking at number two in the UK.

In 2014, Ronson achieved his first UK and US number one single with "Uptown Funk", which featured vocals from Bruno Mars. In 2015 the song won Ronson the Brit Award for British Single of the Year. His fourth studio album, Uptown Special, was released in January 2015, and became his first UK number one album.

Ronson has also produced multi-platform, Grammy-winning albums for artists such as Amy Winehouse and Adele.

Get out, mix it up with your style, places you go, people you see and of course, the liquor in your cup.  

Cheers! 

Henry & Jehiah