Celebrity Sips - Counting Down the Days...

Maybe you can relate to actress Erinn Hayes if you are currently "with child!"

While visiting the Ferrari Sparkling Wine gifting suite prior to this past weekend's Golden Globes, she jokingly held up this bottle of Ferrari sparkling wine and looks forward to toasting her new baby with a glass of bubbly...

Catch Erinn every Monday night in the hilarious sitcom "Worst Week" ... in which she plays a pregnant lady. Would you call that "type casting?"

ONE Delicious & Healthy Drink

Every once in a while, even the most ardent cocktail lover reaches for a thirst quenching, healthy, nonalcoholic beverage. Water is great but can be a bit, well, dull. Ice tea is fine but kind of blah. Sodas don’t hold much interest to a more refined adult palate. What to do?

Why not pack an 11-ounce single serving of Coconut Water in your gym bag? Or add a carton of Cashew Juice to your lunch? Perhaps, some antioxidant-rich Açai Juice, or a little sip of Coffee Berry will tickle your fancy? Each of these is available to you from ONE beverages, a healthful alternative for the thirsty-yet- environmentally-conscious consumer.

ONE was started in 2005, and has a lot of things going for it. Besides intriguing (and tasty) pre-packaged drinks, ONE supports the Brazil Foundation (committed to preserving the Rain Forest) and Healthy Child Healthy World (dedicated to protecting children from harmful environmental exposures).

Additionally, ONE has an eye toward renewability and conserving fossil fuels by packaging the drinks in paperboard, whose wood fibers (accounting for about 70% of the Tetra Pak carton) come from responsibly managed forests. (Each tree cut down for use is replaced with a new one.) And, of course, they are recyclable.

I was especially excited to try the Coconut Water and Açai Juice as one of the recipes in my new book “Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-To-Be” calls for them. This Preggatini™comes from the section on CelebriBaby Preggatinis®:

Kingston Krush
(© 2008 Natalie Bovis-Nelsen, excerpted from “Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-To-Be,” Globe Pequot Press)

Ska/pop star and designer diva Gwen Stefani and her hunky hubby Gavin Rossdale rock more than the music studio, as proven by their expanding family. With baby Zuma stealing the spotlight, this drink was created in honor of big brother Kingston, one of the coolest little kiddos in the public eye.

3 ounces coconut water (or 2 ounces coconut milk)
2 ounces açaí juice (or pomegranate juice)
1/2 ounce ginger-infused simple syrup
1/4 ounce lime juice
1/2 teaspoon coconut flakes

Pour all liquid ingredients into a mixing glass, shake with ice, then strain into a cocktail glass. Sprinkle with coconut flakes.

*Photo of Kingston: Flynet

Take A Look Around 360 Vodka

The Girls Next Door Did…

Eco-friendly 360 Vodka hit the Playboy Mansion for the “Great American Fantasty” party, last month. The event raised money for the 30th anniversary of the Children of the Night charity, a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing children from the streets. As you can see the girls gave Vic Morrison (360’s VP of Marketing) plenty to fantasize about while Ludacris performed for party-goers.

But 360 vodka is more than flashbulbs and Hollywood snapshots. All of the grains - corn, wheat and milo - used to make the vodka come from northeastern Kansas and southwestern Missouri, within a 95-mile radius of 360’distillery. Although the grains are not organic, McCormick Distilling (the company behind 360) is minimizing its eco-footprint by working with local farmers, minimizing fossil fuel emissions and lowering its energy consumption. By partnering with Renewable Choice Energy, McCormick offsets 100% of the electricity and natural gases used at their Weston, MO facility, where all of their products are made.

Each batch of 360 Vodka is filtered through their proprietary charcoal and Sri Lankan coconut shell filter system and column distilled four times. And, if that is what makes it so smooth and creamy, all the better. It is clean, pleasant, and frankly, delicious. At 80 proof, it is great for mixing or chilling and drinking straight. Added bonus: the bottle is made from 85% recycled glass.

360 New Leaf
(This recipe is essentially a vodka mojito - easy to make and refreshing for a steamy, sexy party.)
4 Lime Wedges Squeezed & Dropped
6 mint leaves torn in half
1 oz. Simple Syrup
2 oz 360 Vodka

Muddle limes, mint and simple syrup. Add vodka, fill with ice, then top with club soda or lemon lime soda.

Celebrity Sips - Ringo Starr

A Long, Tall Drink of Ingratitude

I'm sorry to say that if you're a celebrity... an aging member of the BEATLES, no less, you do not get to ask fans to stop "bothering" you with fan mail. I mean, is that the height of arrogance, or what?

In this article, Ringo Starr announces, via the media, that any fan mail or requests for autographs received after October 20 will be "be tossed [in the trash]" because he is "too busy" to sign stuff.

He can flash the peace sign as much as he likes and repeat "peace and love" a million times over, but he sounds like quite the self-important, upper-class cad as far as I'm concerned.

*Photo from Reuters

Martin Miller’s Gin Rocks the Golden Trailer

What do you get when you hand-pick botanicals in England, blend them with spring water from Iceland and drop the resulting elixir into a red carpet event in downtown Los Angeles?

A smoothly aromatic Gimlet served at an award show at the newly restored Orpheum Theatre, might be one answer.

Coinciding with the first day of World Cocktail Week, the Golden Trailer Awards celebrated digital, design, audio, video, effects and editing experts who put produce the best movie trailers. (Yes, in L.A., every aspect of the film industry is revered, star-studded, drenched with alcohol and dressed up in a sparkling gown.)

This was the 9th year the Golden Trailer was handed out, and this year’s show was hosted by comedian / actor Sinbad. The winners included the trailers for: The Dark Knight, Enchanted, No Country for Old Men and I am Legend.

Of course, I love movies (the film industry is what first brought me to L.A. back in 1993). However, I have to admit that the real reason I donned a dress and grabbed the hubby for this award show was to check out Martin Miller’s Gin, which served tart-n-tasty Gimlets to honor the nominees.

The last time I had a Gimlet in Los Angeles was at Bar Lubitsch, and they made them with vodka. Needless to say, I was relieved to see that some not all of La-La-Land has succumbed to vodka’s sneaky little takeover . This, of course, may have had something to do with Mixologist Jon Santer on hand for the Golden Trailer party, who tends bar at Beretta is Martin Miller’s Brand Specialist, and knows a thing or two about a quality drink. (Oh yeah, did I mention that he is also the President of this little, old chapter of the US Bartender Guild up in San Francisco…)

Chris Slade (drummer of AC DC) is pictured here holding a Martin Miller’s Gimlet in hand at this year’s trailer awards, proving that even classic rock appreciates a classic cocktail.

The Orpheum Theatre first raised its curtain in 1926 when Vaudevillian stunners such as Sally Rand (see film below) took the stage. Later, Golden Era giants like Judy Garland and modern day divas, namely Aretha Franklin, have graced the intricately ornate theatre.

Like most of our landmarks in downtown L.A., the Orpheum fell into a state of despair but was revived once the 213-area code started to be trendy (and profitable) again. In recent years, it even hosted the epitome of exploitation of the illusion that ‘anyone can be a star’ as backdrop to a taping of American Idol.

The new media people filing down the red carpet and into the recently renovated historic theatre with a recently resurged classic cocktail in their bellies is a great metaphor for LA, itself – where everything old becomes new again, only just a little more glamorous than it was before.

Celebrity Sips - "Sarah Marshall"

What better way to heal a broken heart (or celebrate a new hook up) than with bottle after bottle of wine? If you pay attention, you'll notice the cast of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (from the creators of "Knocked Up") does just that with some juicy and delicious Clos du Val.

Their vino of choice even made it onto IMDB, and you can catch some bottles in the background if you watch the trailer. Just watch the trailer, anyway. Its good for a giggle, and definitely makes me want to escape into a dark theater... (I may just smuggle in a bottle of wine, too, for that matter...)

Celebrity Sips – Drink Like The Queen of England

While watching the recent TV special on England’s Royal Family, I made a mental note that the Queen’s favorite cocktail is gin and Dubonnet. This thrilled me to no end because I had recently bought a bottle of Dubonnet.

My mom, who is English, sipped a glass of it nearly every evening while making dinner, while I was growing up. So, when I saw it on the shelf at BevMo, a little shiver of nostalgia got the best of me, and I decided to take some home. Dubonnet is not expensive or one of those ‘trendy’ drinks every bar is slapping on its menu --- which is actually one more reason to like it, in my opinion. But for some reason, I still felt almost a little defensive placing it in my shopping cart.

Created by Joseph Dubonnet, the fortified wine was intended to help the French Foreign Legion drink down their malaria medicine. Like the gin-and-tonic drunk by the English brigade in India, this health aid soon became a popular drink. Like Campari, Dubonnet is more commonly enjoyed in Europe than the States --- again, one more reason to imbibe. (“Trendy” is not always better…)

You can leave your imprint on history by submitting your own Dubonnet cocktail to www.doyoudubonnet.com. After all, if its good enough for Her Majesty, what are you holding out for?

Sneak Preview of Citrus at Social

Hollywood’s Latest “It” Spot, from Bi-Coastal Celebrity Chef Michel Richard

I happen to have personal enthusiasm for this particular restaurant opening. For over a year, I wrote a monthly column called “Cooking With Michel” in a Washington DC publication. I also wrote an article on the gastronome’s corkscrew collection for Capitol File (LA Confidential’s sister magazine in the US capital city). And, Michel and I spent the better part of Spring ’06 taking walks around Washington DC, while he commented on the city’s cultural and culinary landscape, and I trotted along behind him, taking notes and marveling at his unabashedly cheeky sense of humor.

In case you don’t already know, Michel Richard’s decades of cooking aesthetically-pleasing and palate-dazzling cuisine; opening numerous restaurants from coast to coast; and busting out a very successful cookbook toward the end of 2006 called Happy In The Kitchen – not to mention winning the James Beard Award, last year – have secured him a seat as a world-recognized A-Lister. How fitting that he returns to L.A. to team up with the very successful restaurant team from China Grill, and open doors just in time for Award Season.

Chef Richard’s former L.A. outpost, also called Citrus, topped the best restaurant list a decade ago. Since then, he changed coasts and is growing a Franco-American empire which includes high-end eateries in Washington DC, San Francisco, Carmel, Los Angeles, I hear Las Vegas could be in the works – with more to come.

So, when I got a call from his right-hand woman, the effervescent Mel Davis, before the new Citrus even opens its doors to the public, I dropped everything and zoomed over to Sunset Boulevard. Here’s how I’d sum it up, so far:

The Cocktails

Let’s start at the first place I look to evaluate a new “hotspot” … the bar. After running hipster hangouts in San Diego, Citrus Bar Manager Jason Lara has developed some interesting cocktails to whet Angelenos’ appetites.

The Cu Cu Cocktail, featuring cilantro, cucumber and tequila brings an herby nuance to a margarita-style refresher. (You have to like cilantro, of course, which I do.)

The other interesting and pleasing concoction is the Valentino which starts with muddled green grapes and basil blended with Effen Black Cherry vodka. I always enjoy basil in a cocktail and use it often, myself, and I liked the creative spirit that went into this drink, so it scored high points with me.

Citrus’s bar, however, could use a bit more pizzazz. It is less than comfortable to sit at and lacking atmosphere. The bartenders were quite friendly and adept at making drinks but the bar itself has yet to become its own destination. (This might be on the agenda, though, given that the place isn’t even open yet!)

Do take a look at the bar on the direct opposite side of the building, though, in the sultry Social lounge. Its a marvel to behold. Old-school carved wood and mirrors stand beneath eye-drawing film projections, and gorgeous light fixtures throughout. Its not a bad backdrop for this hipster mix-n-mingle scene. I have yet to try their drinks...

The Dining Room

My two favorite elements of Citrus are the vaulted, decorated ceiling and the jade green satin-and-velvet dining room chairs. A base of solid, historic architecture punctuated with luxuriously glamorous frivolities is like a metaphor for Hollywood itself, these days, which is a melting celluloid strip of Old World Glamour and millisecond digital bytes of superfluous-ness. According to Michel and crew, the dining room is not quite finished yet… which becomes pretty obvious once you look around. But, like any new Hollywood arrival… the potential is enthralling…

The Food

Well, being a fan and (almost) aficionado of Michel’s cooking on the East Coast after writing about it regularly and tasting it at every opportunity, it was almost strange to eat delicacies like the creamy nut-crumble Escargot, mousse-like Chicken “Faux Gras” and my fave: Begula Lobster “Caviar” in a setting less formal than suit-and-tie Michel Richard Citronelle. However, the creativity of Monsieur Richard and his “trompe l’oeiul” masterpieces such as the carpaccio Mosiac prove that he has the eye of an artist and the palate of a king, even if the clientele is more of an expensive jeans-and-heels crowd.

To get his new West Coast crew up to speed, Michel brought along Citronelle’s Executive Chef David Deshaies - leaving me to wonder just how the big-wigs inside the District of Columbia Beltway are managing to feed themselves, this week!

The Kick Off

Luckily for us all, the Grammy Awards show will go on this Sunday. So, tonight, I’m heading back to Citrus and Social to take a peek at the star-studded pre-Grammy party which christens Sunset Boulevard’s new darling.

Given that cameras will surely be frowned upon, I snapped a few photos of the VIP private rooms on the second floor of the popular nightclub, and a photo of the ballroom in preparation for tonight’s event. I’m sure it will be unrecognizable by the time the event crew is done… and filled with people whose lives we can only imagine.

After all, isn’t that what the Hollywood Dream is all about?

SAG Chooses "No Country For Old Men" as Best Film of the Year

And, I Choose a French Wine to Celebrate a Spanish Actor!

"Who are you wearing?" is so much less intersting a question than "Who are you drinking?" as far as I'm concerned.

Last night, I put on my oh-so-glamorous cozy, flannel robe and poured a couple of glasses of Chateau La Boutignane 2004 from the Corbieres region of Southern France, and settled in to watch the SAG Awards. (After a long weekend of brithday celebrations, I needed the rest!) A note about the wine... for less than $10 the vintage delivers luscious berries, a juicy nose and went very well with the pate de campagne and multi-grain crackers. Bang for the buck!

I've been a member of the Screen Actors Guild for 18 years. (No, I'm not an aging actress. I got started young, ok? Well, ok, maybe I'm aging a little.) Anyhoo...

In addition to celebrating the film industry's most exciting work, this year also marks SAG's 75th Anniversary, which means that we thespians have been protected by our labor union since 1933!

Last night, SAG members chose No Country For Old Men as the best film of the year, which features some incredible performances from the likes of Woody Harrelson (is he ever bad?), Tommy Lee Jones (powerhouse), Josh Brolin (slated to play George W. Bush, next year) and smoldering Spanish hottie Javier Bardem. (Bardem also got the Best Supporting Actor award).

With the Oscars only a matter of weeks away, I'm already preparing for the big night! Who will YOU be drinking?

Photo courtesy of Huffington Post.

Celebrity Sips - "The RanciPandiTini"

Take one part reality show star, one part celebrity gossip show hostess, add a pinch of bling, a swirl of style, shake it all up, strain into a rocks filled glass-o-love!

When I interviewed Giuliana DePandi, last year, I was struck by her ever so simple “girl next door” vibe. (Pretty cool for someone who has interviewed every major A-lister in Hollywood!) And, the way she gushed when talking about then-boyfriend Bill Rancic (winner of Donald Trump's The Apprentice) ... well, let's just say that it wasn't a surprise when they announced their engagement a few months later. Fast forward a year, and their wedding bells were a-ringing on the island of Capri.

While planning her nuptuals earlier this year, Giuliana asked me about cocktails made with lemoncello, a typically Italian lemon liqueur. After seeing Giuliana mention the recent “gimme gimme word of the day” on E! recently, I couldn't resist creating this cocktail in honor of the blissful couple.

Salutti!

RanciPandiTini
by The Liquid Muse

1 ounce lemoncello
2 ounces Trump vodka
champagne
sugar
rosemary stalk

Rim chilled cocktail glass with sugar, set aside. Shake lemoncello and vodka, with ice. Strain into martini glass, top with champagne and garnish with rosemary stalk.

Photo came from here.

Celebrity Sips - From Rio to Saigon

South American culture has been taking the U.S. by storm for a while, now. Whether Snoop and Farrell are singing about the ‘beautiful’ women in Rio, or celebrities on Dancing With the Stars proudly prance the Argentinian Tango - we love to take in all that’s spicy and Latin!

Cachaca (sugar cane liqueur, the main ingredient in a Caipirinha) is now offered upscale drinking venues across the U.S., and American bartenders are learning to put a little shimmy in their shaking.

I first read about Cabana Cachaca in an article in last month’s Departure Magazine. And, then it started popping up in the hands of celebrities, all over the place - like rapper, Saigon, for example. Maybe its time to put a little spice in your life.

Celebrity Sips

Rebecca Gayheart Gets Cozy at Abode

Red carpets, famous faces, paparazzi hiding in bushes - in LA, attending a restaurant opening is not too different from attending a movie premiere.

Take, for instance, the splashy, flashy opening of Santa Monica's lovely Abode Restaurant and Lounge, in April. The wall-to-wall glamorous crowd included actors, musicians and high-end beach dwellers.

I hear that TV and movie actress, Rebecca Gayheart (pictured here with Abode's owners, Anastasia and Kelly) particularly enjoyed their green tea martini made with tea, St. Germain Elderflower liqueur and topped with edible flowers. (It's one of my westside faves, too!)

Subscribe to The Liquid Muse Cocktail of the Week to get the full recipe - and a drink special just for mentioning The Liquid Muse...!

Celebrity Sips

Toast The Girls Next Door With Me, Tonight!

In honor of my favorite junk-food TV, I'm featuring a cocktail recipe from my very special cocktail book: Playboy's Host & Bar Book, published in 1971. This collection of recipes is compiled by Thomas Mario who became Food and Drink Editor at Playboy Magazine in 1953.

If you've followed The Liquid Muse for a while, you know I was super excited to create drinks for a fete at the Playboy Mansion, swooned over the Playboy Club in Vegas and even covered Larry King's coverage of the happy foursome.

As an avid Girls Next Door viewer, I learned Hef likes to include an element which hints at "the presence of a man" in the magazine's Centerfold pictorals. In other words, somewhere in the photo of the featured Playboy Playmate, there is a baseball cap, or a man's jacket, or something that suggests a man is nearby...

So, building on that concept, tonight at 10:00 pm, when The Girls Next Door airs in LA on E!, I'll be sipping something quite feminine, with a hint of masculine influence...

Champagne Manhattan (from aforementioned book)
1 ounce Canadian whisky
1/4 ounce sweet vermouth
1 dash bitters
3 ounces iced brut champagne
1 brandied cherry

Stir whisky, vermouth and bitters well, with ice. Strain into prechilled champagne glass. Add champagne and brandied cherry.

Cheers, Girls!

*Photo from E! Online pix

Celebrity Sips
Hard-Living Hemingway

In honor of Hemmingway Week, I am re-running a TLM post from last year, and will be including more Hemmingway fun, in the days to come. Happy Birthday Hemmingway (July 21)!
---

As a huge fan of the Bohemian writers of the 1920’s - 30’s. I inhale biographies from that era (particularly of the female writers - sometimes Hemingway's lovers). Their rebellion, curiosity, restlessness, hunger for life, to-hell-with-it attitude and far-less-than-perfect humanity are qualities to which I can relate, as any boozy broad should!

The life and writings of Ernest Hemingway reflect social transitions of that era and are revered for their insight, adventure and candor.

Sipster, Noah Raizman, of New York, an aficionado of “Classic Cocktails,” sent in a wonderful recipe, apparently enjoyed by Ernest Hemingway, during his time in Cuba. I am putting Noah’s drink write up, first. For those interested, my very general coverage of Ernest Hemingway’s career follows…

As per Noah’s letter to The Liquid Muse, “I just made a pitcher of Hemingway Daiquiri's for a few friends, roommates and squatters. A daiquiri is just white rum, simple syrup and lime. At La Florida, a legendary bar in Havana, they added grapefruit to their version of a daiquiri, which they blended and called a La Florida Cocktail.

Locals called the place by its diminutive, La Floridita, so the cocktail eventually became known as a La Floridita. When Hemingway was in Cuba, La Floridita was his local haunt. Hemingway, being Hemingway, didn't like sweet drinks, so he convinced the bartender (he would only allow his drinks to be made by the head bartender, Constante Ribalaigua) to make the cocktail with maraschino liqueur instead of simple syrup. This drink became known as The Hemingway Daiquiri."

The Hemmingway Daquiri
(as per Sipster, Noah Raizman)

3 oz white rum
1.5oz lime
3/4 oz grapefruit juice
1 oz maraschino liqueur
(and I will add a tsp of simple syrup, depending on how sweet the limes are, and always if I blend it)

Pour rum, lime and grapefruit juices, and simple syrup into a shaker with ice. Serve in a preferably chilled glass. Top with maraschino liqueur and garnish with a cherry.

Celebrity Profile:
Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. By the time he graduated from High School, World War I raged in Europe. His desire to enlist was deferred, due to poor vision. When he heard the Red Cross was taking volunteers as ambulance drivers, however, he quickly signed up. He left his job at the local paper and sailed for Europe in May 1918.

In the short time that Hemingway worked for the Kansas City Star he learned some stylistic lessons that would later influence his fiction. The newspaper advocated short sentences, short paragraphs, active verbs, authenticity, compression, clarity and immediacy. Hemingway later said: "Those were the best rules I ever learned for the business of writing. I've never forgotten them."

In 1919, at age 19, Hemingway returned home from Italy, and found Oak Park dull compared to the adventures of war. In 1920, he moved to Chicago and wrote for the Star Weekly. In 1921,he met and married his first wife, Hadley Richardson. By November of the same year Hemingway accepted an offer to work with the Toronto Daily Star, as its European corespondent.

The Hemingways arrived in Paris on December 22, 1921 where the whole of literature was being changed by the likes of Ezra Pound, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein and Ford Maddox Ford. He would not miss his chance to leave his mark, as well.

Their apartment at 74 rue Cardinal Lemoine had no running water. The bathroom was basically a closet with a slop bucket inside. Ironically, they could have afforded much better; with Hemingway's job and Hadley's trust fund their annual income was $3,000, a decent sum in the inflated economies of Europe at the time.

Hemingway rented a room at 39 Rue Descartes where he could do his writing, in peace. While in Paris, he reported extensively on Geneva Conference in April of 1922, The Greco-Turkish War in October, the Luasanne Conference and the post war convention in the Ruhr Valley in early 1923. Along with the political articles, he wrote lifestyle pieces as well, covering fishing, bullfighting, social life in Europe, skiing, bobsledding and more.

Just as Hemingway was beginning to make a name for himself as a reporter and a fledgling fiction writer, and enjoying his place in the literary social circles in Europe, the couple found out that Hadley was pregnant. The Hemingways left Paris in 1923 and moved to Toronto, where he wrote for the Toronto Daily Star. On October 10, 1923, John Hadley Nicanor Hemingway was born. By January of 1924 the young family boarded a ship, and sailed back to Paris.

From 1925 to 1929, Hemingway produced some of the most important works of 20th century fiction, including the landmark short story collection In Our Time (1925) which contained "The Big Two-Hearted River." In 1926 he came out with his first true novel, The Sun Also Rises. Following that, came Men Without Women in 1927, another book of stories including "The Killers," and "In Another Country." In 1929 he published A Farewell to Arms, arguably the finest novel to emerge from World War I. In four short years he went from being an unknown writer to being the most important writer of his generation, and perhaps the 20th century.

He divorced Hadley in 1927 and married Pauline Pfeiffer, an occasional fashion reporter for the likes of Vanity Fair and Vogue, later that year. In 1928, they left Paris for Key West, Florida where they lived for nearly twelve years.

Finding it a wonderful place to work and to play, in Florida he discovered the sport of big game fishing which would become a life-long passion and a source for much of his later writing. Hemingway loved it. "It’s the best place I’ve ever been anytime, anywhere, flowers, tamarind trees, guava trees, coconut palms...Got tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks."

On June 28, 1928, Pauline gave birth to Hemingway’s second child, Patrick. And, in December of that year, Hemingway received a cable reporting his father’s suicide.

Despite the personal turmoil, Hemingway continued to work on A Farewell to Arms, published in 1929. He wouldn’t enjoy that level of critical acclaim again, for nearly a decade.

In 1931 Pauline gave birth to Gregory, the last of Hemingway’s children.

In 1932, his Spanish bullfighting dissertation, Death in the Afternoon, was published. He managed to make an encyclopedic book readable, even by those who had no real interest in the corrida. He inserts observations on Spanish culture, writers, food, people, politics, history, etc. Hemingway wrote, "It is intended as an introduction to the modern Spanish bullfight and attempts to explain that spectacle both emotionally and practically. It was written because there was no book which did this in Spanish or in English."

Before leaving to Spain, to to cover the Spanish Civil War for the North American Newspaper Alliance, in 1937, he met a young writer named Martha Gellhorn in Key West at Sloppy Joe’s bar in Key West. The two conducted a secret affair for almost four years.

Upon returning from Spain, divorcing Pauline and marrying Martha, Hemingway moved to a large house outside Havana, Cuba, which the newly wed couple named Finca Vigia ("Lookout Farm"). Hemingway decorated it with hunting trophies from his African safari. Here, he began work on his Spanish War novel, For Whom The Bell Tolls, in 1939.

In the spring of 1944 Hemingway went to Europe to report on WW2. He headed first to London where he wrote articles about the RAF and about the war’s effects on England. While there, he was injured in a car crash, suffering a serious concussion and a gash to his head which required over 50 stitches. Martha visited him in the hospital, castigating him for being involved in a drunken auto wreck. Her cavalier reaction triggered the beginning of the end of their marriage.

While recovering, Hemingway met Mary Welsh, with whom he openly conducted a courtship in London and then in France, after the allied invasion at Normandy and the subsequent liberation of Paris. For all intents and purposes Hemingway’s third marriage was over and his fourth and final marriage to Mary had begun. Hemingway wrote, "Funny how it should take one war to start a woman in your damn heart and another to finish her. Bad luck."

In 1944, he set up camp in The Ritz Hotel and spent the next week or so drinking, carousing and celebrating his return to the city that meant so much to him as a young man.

Hemingway returned to America in March of 1946 with plans to write a great novel of the war, which never materialized.

In September of 1952 The Old Man and the Sea appeared in Life magazine, selling over 5 million copies in a flash. For the first time since For Whom The Bell Tolls in 1940 Hemingway was atop the literary heap...and making a fortune. Though Hemingway had known great success before, he never had the privilege of receiving any major literary prizes. The Old Man and the Sea changed that, winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1953.
Flush with money from the Old Man and the Sea, he decided to exercise his wanderlust, returning to Europe to catch some bullfights in Spain and then to Africa later in the summer for another safari, with Mary.

In January of 1954, Hemingway and Mary boarded a small Cessna airplane to take a tour of some of east Africa’s beautiful lakes and waterfalls. The pilot hit a telegraph wire and they made a crash landing. Luckily, the group’s injuries were minor.

After a boat ride across Lake Victoria they took another flight in a de Haviland Rapide. Heading toward Uganda, the plane barely got off the ground before crashing and catching fire. Hemingway, using his head as a battering ram, broke through the main door. This accident was not as lucky.

In his biography of Hemingway, Jeffrey Meyer lists the various injuries to the writer. "His skull was fractured, two discs of his spine were cracked, his right arm and shoulder were dislocated, his liver, right kidney and spleen were ruptured, his sphincter muscle was paralyzed by compressed vertebrae on the iliac nerve, his arms, face and head were burned by the flames of the plane, his vision and hearing were impaired..." Though he survived the crashes and lived to read his own premature obituaries, his injuries cut short his life in a slow and painful way.

Despite his ailments, Hemingway and Mary traveled on to Venice one last time and then headed back to Cuba. On October 28, 1954 Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for Literature, but due to his injuries was unable to attend the ceremonies in Sweden.

In 1959, Life magazine contracted with Hemingway to write a short article about the series of mano y mano bullfights between Antonio Ordonez and Louis Miguel Dominguin, two of Spain’s finest matadors. Hemingway spent the summer of 1959 traveling with the bullfighters to gather material for the article.

When he began writing the story however, it quickly grew to some 120,000 words. The magazine published the article as "The Dangerous Summer" in three installments in 1960. This was the last work that Hemingway would see published in his lifetime.

His physical deterioration soon became obvious. Photos show Hemingway looking like a man closer to eighty than one of sixty. His mood swings, exacerbated by his heavy drinking of up to a quart of liquor a day, were also taking a toll on those close to him.

During this time Hemingway worked on his memoirs, which would be published posthumously, in 1964, as A Moveable Feast, which critics praised for its tenderness, beauty and for its rare look at the expatriate lifestyle of Paris in the 1920’s.

In his last year of life, Hemingway registered at the Mayo Clinic where he underwent between 11 to 15 shock treatments. One of the sad side effects of shock therapy is the loss of memory, and for Hemingway it was a catastrophic loss. Without his memory he could no longer write, could no longer recall the facts and images he required to create his art.

Hemingway spent the first half of 1961 fighting his depression and paranoia, seeing enemies at every turn and threatening suicide on several more occasions. On the morning of July 2, 1961 Hemingway rose early, selected a shotgun from a closet in the basement, went upstairs to a spot near the entrance-way of the house and shot himself in the head. It was little more than two weeks until his 62nd birthday.

(much of this biographical information is taken from LostGeneration.com)

Celebrity Sips - Paris Hilton's Liquid Viagra

It has been a while since I've done a dedicated Celebrity Sips, so I found something fun to share with you all. This comes up now because I tasted Tyku at Tales of the Cocktail, and it is reported that Ms. Hilton sipped Tyku and Dom at her birthday bash, a few months ago. (Not sure how I missed that one...)

Apparently, Tyku has aphrodesiac properties, and since we all know that poor little rich girl's sex life has not been documented for a bit (though we're surely waiting with baited breath for "Bad Girls Behind Bars: The Hilton Sexcapades") maybe Paris needed a little birthday boost. After all, 26 in "celebrity years" is like being 74 years old in the real world...

It sounds like the old gal had a ball, despite the fact that guests left early due to her posse of classless clods. As midgets, monkeys and goats trailed around her fete, the heiress grabbed the mic, and crooned "I want you, I need you" to on again, off again boyfriend Stavros Niarchos.

btw - They're off again, this summer. But, who knows. The shipping heir and hospitality heiress could still end up sprouting little heir babies swaddled in orange jumpsuits, someday.

Actually - with that thought in mind, maybe we should keep the Tyku away from her...

*Photo Credit: Lauren Herman / Startrakphoto, borrowed from this article in People Online.

Celebrity Sips

Ivanka Trump, Bringing "Classy" Back...

On my way back to California, from covering the Vodka Cup competition in Finland, I changed planes at JFK in New York. Joie (also an LA resident on the trip) and I were at the United stand, checking in, when a glamorous creature wafted up to the counter, inquiring if there were any seats left in First Class because she had a friend who wanted to join her on the flight to LA. (Of course there were seats - who would say "no" to a Trump?)

Joie and I had both woken up at 4-something, that morning, in Lapland. We had endured a 2-hour busride, a 2-hour flight from a tiny airport near the Arctic Circle to Helsinki, and an 8-hour flight from Helsinki to NY. Speaking for myself, I was exhausted, stinky (wearing the same three pairs of socks for about 4 days, the same 2 pairs of long johns, the same cuddly, warm turtleneck and my now stained-and-filthy pants. I had bags under my eyes, the beginnings of a cough and, of course, my 2-inch roots.

Ivanka, a vision of all that a socialite should be, wore elegant, tight-fitting leather boots, a fabulous emerald green coat, had perfect make-up and hair, and a dazzling whiter-than-nature-can-create smile. To make matters worse, it was impossible to "hate her because she's beautiful" (and wealthy) due to her impeccable manners, friendly attitude and non-Diva demeanor. And, trust me, at that moment, feeling like an absolute toad next to this vision of everything Manhattan and Hollywood, rolled into one (who surely had enjoyed a full night's sleep, to boot) I wanted to hate her.

While so many celebs are spoiled, taudry and wreak of unbearably rotted personalities, Ivanka says "please" and "thank you," and treats people (like the United check-in lady) with respect. She happened to be next to me again, when boarding the plane, and she made jokes with other passengers in line and chatted merrily with the "mystery friend" on the phone, for whom she bought the ticket, asking if he/she would make the flight on time.

If I were a gossip columnist, I may have snapped a pic with my cell or made a point of spying on the poor lass, gathering any juicy detail with which to smear her name in cyberspace. However, I am a cocktail, travel, lifestyle journalist, and luckily such acts of desperation do not fall into my job-description.

What I do wish to share about Ms. Trump, as it relates to cocktails, is that her pops has created their own brand of vodka. I first heard about Trump Vodka last year, and made a vain attempt at getting a sample and more info, in order to blog about it on The Liquid Muse. However, this seems like the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject, and ask if any of you in Sipsterland have tasted it? If so, please comment below. I'd love to hear what you think of it...

And, in the meantime, I'm happy to report my newfound respect for Daddy's Little Girl. I might even start watching The Apprentice again...

Ambassador Mariano Fernandez

And the Chilean Spirit (s)

This summer, Michelle Bachelet made history by becoming the first female President of Chile. (I wonder when the US will join the ranks of the progressive countries around the world with female leadership…)

President Bachelet’s life and political action is the stuff of inspiring novels and films, to be sure. Heroic, determined, modern – downright revolutionary, in my humble opinion – she is by far one of the most admirable women on the planet, today.

With her assumption of the highest position of power in Chile, came the changing of the guard, so to speak. I was lucky enough to meet the newly appointed Chilean Ambassador to the United States, Mariano Fernandez, and his wife, Maria, upon their arrival in Washington DC, this summer, just before I moved back to California. In addition to an impressive political career and several top-tier Ambassadorial appointments (London, Madrid, Rome), His Excellency is a wine connoisseur and bon vivant. His charm and knowledge left me feeling quite lucky to have had the opportunity to be one of the first journalists to interview him at the Embassy, a mere three weeks after settling into his new post.

I am writing an article about Ambassador Fernandez for an upcoming issue of a premiere glossy DC Magazine... However, I have been wanting to share a few tidbits from my first interview with Ambassador Fernandez, regarding Chilean wine and native spirit, Pisco, with the Liquid Muse Community since July! Finally, here it is:

In the world of wine, the Ambassador’s credentials include being Honorary President of the Chilean Sommelier Association and a member of the exclusive, invitation-only International Wine Academy. Ambassador Fernandez sits on many juries and enjoys his involvement as a “wine taster.” He refers to his own cellar (made up of thousands of bottles) as “reasonable” but does not consider himself a “collector” as he intends for his wines to be drunk, rather than merely amassed and abandoned.

While the Ambassador says he does not hold a preference for Chilean wines, per se, he admits that he “loves to inspire interest in Chilean wines in the US.” He notes some of the biggest selling points of Chilean wine are: the good price for the quality, the volume of annual production and the undiscovered jewels produced in his country.

In Chile, the growing conditions are so favorable, while land and labor remain reasonable, that attaining a reasonably priced quality product is relatively easy. To give an idea of pricing, a $10 Chilean vintage will be quite acceptable. Something in the realm of $50 can be quite exceptional. Ambassador Fernandez outlines Chile’s big advantage as, “Our ordinary, simple wines are very drinkable compared to others in well known countries.”

An enthusiast of all types of “vino”, the Ambassador chooses his wine to fit the occasion. He explains, “I love simple wines with a salad, when in a hurry. I enjoy what I call ‘meditation wine’ with a small piece of bread or cheese.” The Ambassador also revels in “very special, impressive wine” though he keeps that indulgence in moderation. Of those revered moments he says, “I love high quality wines but it is impossible to drink those every day. You need the necessary place to drink them, and the time to reflect on them, talk about them, appreciate them.”

Bustling with over 5 million residents, Santiago is surrounded by mountains and boasts a Mediterranean climate – dry, warm in summer, cold in winter, slightly rocky terrain… in other words, ideal wine-growing conditions. Vineyards lie within 100 miles of the capital city, making wine tasting an accessible pastime for local residents and tourists.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990's, Chilean wines exploded onto the international stage. Today, like previously colonized regions (such the US, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, etc.) Chile’s grapes are poised to rival their Old World ancestors. Where did they begin? Chile's wine history runs deep.

According to Ambassador Fernandez, the Conquistadors first brought grape vines to produce wine for mass. By 1557, 10 years after the Spanish came, Chile was producing wine in such amounts that it could be exported to surrounding regions. The Ambassdor highlights that when mining became big business in Chile in the mid-19th Century, wealthy mine owners began to import French Oak barrels, and vines from Bordeaux, enhancing Chile’s wine production. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling are among Chile’s thriving grape varietals.

As a matter of fact, the French Carmenere grape, a medium-bodied grape used in smoky, bold reds, has all but disappeared in France, due to crop disease. Luckily, Carmenere had already been planted in Chile, and became one of its flagship grapes. Interested in trying a Carmenere blend for yourself? The Ambassador suggests Coyam (a word borrowed from the native Mapucha tribe) which blends carmenere grapes with cabernet sauvignon, merlot syrah and mourvedre. At less than $25 per bottle, it is a must-try!

A couple of other suggestions include:

Marques de Casa Concha’s 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, described in May 2006 by Wine Spectator as, “Very solid, with ripe cassis, blackberry and boysenberry fruit offset by vanilla, mineral and cocoa notes.”

Casa La Postole’s 2000 Merlot and 2002 Sauvignon Blanc

On to Pisco!
I have already written about the battle between Chile and Peru regarding Pisco, a clear, strong spirit made from distilled from grapes, on The Liquid Muse, and encourage interested readers to check this post called “Sour Grapes?” for more detailed info. Still, having the Chilean Ambassador before me, however, I could not resist asking his opinion on just who has the right to claim the Pisco Sour as their national drink!

Officially, the Chilean Embassy graciously shares the right to the Pisco Sour with their neighbors. However, Ambassador Fernandez did admit, “I would prefer not to have the argument. Both countries drink it. Pisco is produced in Peru and Chile but we produce 10 times the amount than Peru.” Beneath a layer of seriousness, he adds with a twinkle in his eye, “We won the battle.”

Celebrity Sips

Matthew McConaughey and the 1800® Tequila Tailgate Party

In his February 2006 interview on the Oprah show, Matthew McConaughey declared that 1800® Tequila is his favorite brand of agave and “always kicks off wonderful conversations.” (Rumor has it that he was racing around to find a case of 1800 Añejo - aged - tequila to take with him on a trip to Australia! Additionally, Matt M. requested that 1800® Tequila be served at his own University of Texas Tailgate party, which, btw, buddies Lance A. and Jake G. attended. Screw football! I’d tailgate just to gawk that that crew of hotties!)

Having tasted the incredibly fragrant and buttery Añejo myself, I have to agree with People Magazine’s “2005 Sexiest Man Alive.” Crafted in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, and aged in French and American oak barrels, 1800® Tequila is a true, high-quality sipper.

Given all of the above, is it any surprise that 1800® Tequila was the sponsor of the Hollywood premiere and tailgate-themed after-party of reality-based, football movie We Are Marshall on December 16, 2006? The celeb-studded event was attended by his fellow Marshall stars, including: Matthew Fox, Ian McShane, Anthony Mackie, Kate Mara, Arlen Escarpeta, director McG and producer Basil Iwanyk. Additional celebrities spotted crashing the bash were: Drew Barrymore, Lance Armstrong, Josh Holloway, Harold Perrineau, James Denton and Mark McGrath. (The movie opens, nationwide, this weekend!)

Master mixologist Vincenzo Marianella (of Providence in Los Angeles - touted "One of America's Top 50 Restaurants" by Gourmet Magazine... and one of my favorite Angeleno eateries!) created specialty cocktails to pair with the tailgate themed atmosphere. Why not make like Matt and whip up a couple for your next football party?

The Marshall Margarita
2oz 1800® Silver
1oz Gran Marnier
1oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2oz Simple Syrup
Shake and serve into salt-rimmed glass.

Red’s Cocktail
2oz 1800® Silver
1/2oz Fresh Lime Juice
3oz Ruby Grapefruit Juice
1/2oz Pomegranate Syrup
Shake and serve.

Celebrity Sips –
Michel Richard

To quench the thirst of a Celebrity Chef...

Chef Richard is one of those colorful and lively personalities oft referred to as "a character." He is also one of those creative and talented artistes de cuisine oft referred to as "a genius."

Jovial, cheeky, charming, obnoxious, hilarious and naughty are all words that come to mind when I think of Michel Richard. He is a true gourmand, passionately obsessed with his restaurant and one of the least politically correct people I know in DC. (The latter of which is, of course, half the reason I’m fond of him!)

I started working on a walking project with Michel earlier this year. (Read about a walk we took around Georgetown in the holiday issue of Capitol File Magazine. My article titled “Romancing the Corkscrew With Michel Richard” gives a little insight into his screwball sense of humor, as well as his intrigue with corkscrews, themselves.)

Other suggested Richard Reading is his new cookbook, Happy In The Kitchen. The playful tones and delicious dishes will leave a pleasant taste in your mouth.

Being The Liquid Muse, I also had to, of course, inquire as to his favorite cocktail. I have to admit that I didn’t anticipate his answer. I expected something French, or something uber-sophisticated, maybe even something I had never heard of...

He explained that as a young man, new to America, he was so intrigued by his first sips of a certain cocktail that he created a cake using the same ingredients. How to make Mr. Richard happy in (or out) of the Kitchen? Give this man a Pina Colada!

Here is Citronelle’s tasty version of this cocktail classic, helping you to hang on to a taste of summer, as winter creeps in…

Pineapple Martini
(courtesy of Citronelle)
2 oz. pineapple syrup
1 1/2 oz. coconut water
2 ounces 10 Cane rum
1 1/2 oz. coconut run

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with pineapple cubes.

Photo credits:
Cover of Happy In The Kitchen: Deborah Jones
Photo of Michel Richard and Citronelle's Pineapple Martini: Moshe Zusman

Celebrity Sips - Giuliana DePandi

Don’t Hate Her Because She’s Beautiful

Giuliana DePandi is one of those women who has it all… brains, beauty, charm and a killer career! She hosts E! News, covering all the latest celebrity headlines, interviews A-List hotties (such as Clive Owen, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jude Law and the “that’s hot” girl herself, Paris Hilton), produces documentaries ("Nicole Richie: Her Simple Life") and released her first book in June of this year called 'Think Like a Guy: How to Get a Guy by Thinking Like One.’ She was also voted one of Maxim Magazine's Hot 100 of 2003, and featured in People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful of 2006 issue.

After spending an afternoon with Giuliana recently in Los Angeles (to write the December cover story of Washington’s Finest), I found that she is totally down-to-earth. With every justification to have a ‘tude, she doesn’t. That kind of class is how I define “cool.”

Born in Naples, Italy in 1975, Giuliana was six when her family moved to Washington, DC. It is rumored that, as a youngster, she taught herself English by watching TV, which spurred her love of Entertainment. Later, while working on her Master’s degree in Journalism at American University, DePandi covered happenings at the Pentagon, Supreme Court, State Department, Capitol Hill and White House. Recounting a defining moment in her scholastic career, Giuliana says, “I was interviewing Ted Kennedy and told him that his fans want to know what was his idea of a good time. When I played the tape for the class, my teacher just looked at me and said, ‘You need to go into Entertainment.’”

Depandi’s first Hollywood job was in the mailroom of power agent Mike Ovitz. Today, she makes her living chatting with celebs at glamorous events, for a show aired in 120 countries. Her wardrobe consultant, Jose Camilo makes a full time job out of choosing outfits for the hostess, who can’t wear the same ensemble twice. When asked if she gets to keep the clothes, she jokes, “Well… I try to steal stuff!”

Giuliana shares that her most memorable interview is with longtime crush, George Clooney, during which she was so nervous, that she blurted out “Will you marry me?!” to which he sillily replied “No.” But, DePandi says that turned out to be a good ice-breaker because it got him talking about his views on marriage. She reveals, “Every time I interview him, its still nerve wracking! I remind myself to stay cool. Even my producer, finally said, ‘This fawning over George Clooney has to end!’ But, he was my biggest crush!” Laughing, DePandi confides, “Later, I even replayed the part of the interview where he kissed me on the cheek.”

Her assistant, Matthew Allard, says that he loves working with Giuliana because every day is different. Sometimes they come up with ideas for the show together. Commenting on her high energy and work ethic he sighs, “If there were more hours in the day, she’d have her own radio show, too!”

E! News Executive Producer Peggy Abraham sums up the equation for DePandi’s popularity this way, “She is a combination of enthusiastic, intelligent and pretty – she’s the whole package. Celebrities respect her because she is prepared.” She explains that Giuliana’s “mass appeal” is non-threatening to women so they appreciate her, while she also appeals to men.

Of course, DePandi's Number One male fan is first-season “The Apprentice” winner, Bill Rancic, the first candidate hired on national television by The Trump Organization, and Giuliana's beau since earlier this year. In addition to running a Chicago-based Trump enterprise, Bill also fills in on the TV show to judge new contestants when George (Donald’s usual right-hand man) is away on business. When her honey's name came up during our chat, Giuliana gushed (through a big smile), “He’s so cute!”

And, (inquiring minds want to know) what was it like meeting “The Donald?” Giuliana says he is very warm and admits she was more nervous to meet Mrs. Trump, the stunning European model, Melania. Says DePandi, “Oh my God! I was so scared of Melania. But she is really nice. She told me that she gets all her entertainment news from my show. She’ll know lots of things we talk about on E! News, especially when we mention her!”

With her own fame on the rise, DePandi is a target of “celebrity gossip” to which she declares, “It’s weird! On a recent flight to New York, I was at the ticket counter trying to upgrade. A couple of days later, Gawker.com had a piece about me being at the airport 'freshly-botoxed.'” Considering she doesn’t do botox, Giuliana found it both humorous and flattering. She comments, “I thought, Really? Thank you!”

Having dreamed of a career in journalism since age six, Giuliana’s role models include Katie Couric, Oprah and DC news anchor, Barbara Harrison, who was the first person to inspire her. Giuliana says, “I grew up thinking that she had the greatest life. I saw her once at White Flint Mall, in the middle of the day, and I thought, 'So, that’s what she does during the day!’ She had kids and an amazing job!”

Giuliana continues to dream of following in Ms. Harrison’s footsteps explaining, “My ultimate goal is to be an anchor on local DC news. That’s my dream, to come full circle.” DePandi clarifies, “My family is there.”

And, though that left me mildly baffled (I'd call her current one the dream job...), if delivering hard-news headlines in Washington is her idea of a Hollywood ending, who am I to judge? It is safe to assume that with her many talents, her career options are limitless. The coast she calls home and the aspect of journalism around which she throws up her white picket fence will surely be hers to choose.

Favorite watering holes? In DC, she frequents Cafe Milano. In LA,she likes Cut, Katana and Giorgio’s. Giuliana also loves Koi‘s great food but doesn’t want people to think she’s just there for the scene. She simply must have their crab roll!

Favorite cocktail: "I love a martini, straight up, with an olive."

Photos of Giuliana on the set of E! News, courtesy of Claire Barrett Photography