This was a stumper until I consulted a friend who used to tend bar.
She told me about an alcoholic beverage whose name is spelled
"Hpnotiq" (it's an expensive blue-colored liqueur containing vodka,
cognac, and fruit juices,) and thereafter the information poured
freely!
The cocktail called the "Blue Hpnotiq" has a variant, the less
intoxicating "Blue Fin" (named after the W Hotel's restaurant.) Here
are recipes for both drinks. As you can see, the main difference is
the amount of white cranberry juice, the type of glass (old fashioned
glass for the Blue Fin, martini glass for the Blue Hpnotiq,) and the
presence or absence of gummy fish.
The Blue Fin (per Chef Greg Harrington, of Blue Fin restaurant)
2 ounces Hpnotiq liqueur
1 ounce Absolut Citron vodka
3 ounces white cranberry juice
Garnish: Gummy fish candy
Mixing Instructions:
Add the Absolut Citron, Hpnotiq, and cranberry juice to a shaker
filled with ice. Shake well, and pour into an old-fashioned glass.
Garnish with gummy fish.
New York Metro: Tastes of Summer 2002
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/restaurants/articles/recipes/bluefin.htm
The "Blue Hpnotiq" (also known as "Hpnotiq Cosmo Blu") is made as
follows:
2 ounces Hpnotiq liqueur
1 ounce Absolut Citron vodka
Splash of white cranberry juice
Shake well and pour, ice cold, into a martini glass.
This recipe and several others are available on Hpnotiq's Web site:
http://hpnotiq.com/
These cocktails are variant forms of another New York drink, the White
Cosmopolitan:
White Cosmopolitan
2 ounces citrus vodka
4 ounces white cranberry juice
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce sugar water
Shake ingredients with ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish
with an edible orchid, if desired.
BevNet Beverage Network: White Cosmopolitan
http://www.bevnet.com/news/2002/06-13-2002-oceanspray.asp
Absolut Citron is easy to find; if you're looking for Hpnotiq, it can
be purchased from Union Square Wines and Spirits in New York City.
Gummy fish are sold by many bulk candy stores, and can also be ordered
online, here:
CF Web Store: Gummy Fish
http://www.cfwebstore.com/cfwebstore/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=1&CFID=350789&CFTOKEN=95376310
This is another possible source of Hpnotiq:
Wingard USA, importer of Hpnotiq
http://www.wingardusa.com/
I have transcribed the Lynda Lopez feature in which she visits two NYC
restaurants and chats with the bartenders about this drink. (Some
parts of the audio were a bit muddled, so this may not be a verbatim
transcription.)
Female Anchor: Well, there's a hot new cocktail that's hitting bars
across the country that's causing quite a stir. Lynda Lopez is here.
She's been doing her research.
Lynda Lopez: I have. Can you believe drinks are trendy as well, Jane?
Female Anchor: Of course.
Lopez: Got to stay on top of them. But trendy drinks come and go, like
everything else. You know, the "Cosmo" was made popular by the girls
of "Sex and the City," but that was so last year. So this year the
celebrities are warming up to something much more enticing. It's a
drink called the Blue Hpnotiq. So you've done the Apple Martini,
you've conquered the Cosmopolitan; but what's the blue stuff? Well, it
seems to be the latest drink of choice of celebrities.
Talk Show Host: Imagine, ladies, you're out on, like, a picnic with
your man. You've got a little wine, maybe a little Kristal, whatever
your choice is, and...
Lil' Kim: But now its name is Blue Hyptotize [sic].
Host: All right.
Lopez: Following a tip from Lil' Kim, I head to Times Square to try
out this blue cocktail myself. Well, hotel lounges are the hippest
place to hang out nowadays, and figuring they would know something
about trendy drinks, I decided to come here, to the Blue Fin at the W
Hotel in Times Square. This is Jesse, the Blue Fin bartender. Jesse, I
need to know about the hot drinks.
Jesse, Blue Fin Bartender: The hottest drink I'm making right now, I'm
making the Blue Fin, which has, uh, Hpnotiq, which has vodka, it's got
cognac, and cocktail fruits in it.
Lopez: Have you made one for any celebrities?
Jesse: I have. I made one for Mike Piazza, I made one for Stevie Van
Zandt, who is in "The Sopranos." So what do you think of it?
Lopez: This tastes like a tropical fruit forest.
Lopez: Next I headed to Domicile, an understated restaurant in the
West Village, where they have their own version of Hpnotiq. I wanted
to learn how to make this myself, so I followed along.
Female Bartender: The first thing is Hpnotiq, and in it is Curaçao. A
generous pour. And now, we're going to shake it up. I love this part.
(She shakes the drink in a cocktail shaker.)
Lopez: The perfect drink to share with friends on a warm summer night.
Pour on your strength, that's all I can say. Before you know... I've
always had a little secret desire to be a bartender.
Female Anchor: So this was your application, this was your love letter
to the Bartenders' Association of New York.
Lopez: I had to go check it out.
Male Anchor: And of course you didn't slur your report, by the way.
Not much.
Lopez: (Laughs) They cut that part out.
Female Anchor: This is called a Blue...
Lopez. Hpnotiq. And it tastes wonderful. I know it sounds odd. It
tastes very fruity and fresh.
Female Anchor: And later, after you've had it, do you?...
Lopez: It does tend to hit you, I will say that. It does kind of sneak
up on you a little bit.
WNBC, Lynda Lopez's Wild Week: New Drink Causing a Stir
http://cf.ibsys.com/ny/sh/videoplayer/video.cfm?ID=1559396&owner=ny
Here are addresses and other information about the two restaurants
mentioned by Lynda Lopez:
Next Magazine: Blue Fin
http://www.nextmagazine.net/restaurants/bluefin.shtml
Next Magazine: Domicile
http://www.nextmagazine.net/restaurants/domicile.shtml
I hope this information has been useful. If you need further
clarification, please ask.
Cheers!
pinkfreud |
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