Cocktail Infusions: way cheaper than Bottle Service

I have a hard time justifying going out and spending $8 or more on a cocktail. Mainly because I happen to have a husband who is a very creative and discerning mixmeister. If I'm in the mood for a cocktail, I'd rather have one of his most excellent concoctions than drop $20 (or more, in a fancy pants city bar) for the two of us on what is sometimes a disappointment.

I thought having cocktails out was kind of splurgy, and then heard about this thing called Bottle Service. You go to a swanky club and reserve a VIP table, with the requirement that you pay upwards of $300-$500 (plus tax & tip) for one bottle of booze plus mixers (but really, you're paying for your real estate location within the club). That may or may not include a personal bartender (if not, it means you're just pouring unknown quantities of vodka and fruit juice into glasses - yech). Sometimes the tables have a two-bottle minimum. And the patrons don't want to appear cheap (after all, you're the show at these places), so they order nothing less than Gray Goose. Or, (insert spit-take here), Cristal champagne at $1,000 or so per bottle. I kid you not. If you do a Google search it's all there (including articles from 2006/2007 chronicling the excesses). Maybe the craze has died down a bit, now that so many Wall Streeters no longer have access to the company AmEx card.

But I digress. You can make a lovely, exotic cocktail yourself, at home, with our new Tea Forté cocktail infusers. The infusers are pyramid-shaped with a little leaf at the top, just like their wonderful tea infusers. Filled with natural herbs and teas, the infusers come in three flavors: lavender citrus, lemongrass mint, and silkroad chai. You simply pour out whatever spirits you choose over the infuser and let it sit for 5 minutes or so, then add ice and your other ingredients, shake, and serve. We used the lemongrass mint with gin, added a squeeze of lemon and just a tiny bit of triple sec (or simple syrup). Delicious. The infusers come 8 in a box for $12 (one infuser is fine for two people), and they make a great gift. The other day one of our customers bought a few boxes and had us put each in a gift bag with enough room for a nice bottle of something -- a great birthday present (and we're happy to gift bag it for you).

By the way, we often print out and have available at the store Robert's drink recipes, from the sangria we used to serve at First Friday events downtown, to his infamous Pometini, which we serve at our holiday open house/fund raiser.