For the past several years, XL and now Michael Barnes at his Austin360 Out & About blog posts the Fortunate 500 lists of Austin's social movers and shakers. There are several categories, one of which is food. Every year, I ogle the fancy people who have been recognized, and of course I recognize many of them from the industry I work in. There are a lot of repeat attenders--chefs like Robert Rhoades, Jeff Blank and Alma Alcocer-Thomas; food movement gurus like Larry Butler and Carol Ann Sayle and Suzanne Santos; restaurant owners such as Peggy and Ron Weiss. But I have never seen professional booze hounds honored, until this year. And the honor goes to none other than your Tipsy Texans, David Alan (Tex) and Joe Eifler (Tipsy).

Tex shakes it up at Z'Tejas
Photo by Ricardo Brazziell for the Statesman

This list is an interesting one, and a very Austiny one, because it is not just the glossy society types who make the list, though many do and rightly so. One of the criteria for this list is frequency of appearance--how many times have these people been seen on the scene this year? Based on that criterion alone, Tipsy and I did our time last year. We set up cocktail bars at many dozens of events, including every major food & beverage event I can think of. We were at Dolce Vita, Food For Thought, Texas Wine and Song Festival, and Farm to Plate. Throw in a couple of Dai Due Supper Club events and fundraisers, and a few guerilla appearances at events we weren't official sponsors of, like the Hill Country Wine & Food Festival and Maker Faire. We did numerous "guest appearances" at bars and parties across town. And we did every event that Marla Camp of Edible Austin could con me in to, which is a lot--no wonder she and hubby Jeff made the top of the Food list, that woman was everywhere this past year.

Tipsy with his giant shaker at Z'Tejas, where we did the weekly Art of the Cocktail event from November through April

We poured drinks everywhere from private residences and ranches, to landmarks such as the Charles Moore House and Laguna Gloria, to the Music Hall to City Hall. We literally traveled across the state--from Houston to Fredericksburg to Marfa--shaking drinks that we designed for Rebecca Rather's upcoming book, Pastry Queen Parties.

Rebecca pouring my pitcher of margaritas at Cibolo Creek Ranch photo shoot outside Marfa

Writings by and about us appeared in Edible Austin, L Style/G Style, the Austin American-Statesman, CondeNasteTraveler.com, Rare Magazine, and numerous local blogs and Web sites. We have either judged, competed in, won, or hosted so many cocktail contests we've lost count. We have hosted talented mixologists "on tour" in Austin. Our catering business has grown and I have taken on the job of Bar Manager at Annie's on Congress, where I have finally been able to put some of my ideas to the test at a regular venue. We have been so busy that our own blog has suffered, which is a bittersweet reality. I am thankful to Michael Barnes and all those folks who contributed to the Fortunate 500 project. I am thankful to all the people who have joined us for a drink or two this year. It has been fun this morning to reflect on the past year and all of the fun we had. In a business as crazy as this one, it is great to know you have so many friends. In case we're too busy to write, go "Out & About" in Austin and I'm sure you'll find us, shaking drinks somewhere in grand fashion.

Last week I had the pleasure of being a guest on the Tasty Touring interview segment with Jodi Bart, who is a regular guest of Bryan Beck and Andy Langer on their Late Show on KGSR. We celebrated an early happy hour (8:30 am) while I made cocktails on the air and we discussed the state of the cocktail in contemporary society. I sampled new cocktails from the forthcoming cocktail menu at Annie's, and had the opportunity to bloviate about cocktails as I am wont to do. Kate X Messer from the Chronicle was in attendance and we had a fun time.

I suppose now is as good a time as any to correct an injustice that has been perpetrated against me. Whereas I am usually the one pirating photos and repurposing them without permission, I am right now the victim of such an usurpation. Jodi Bart (above with Applause sign) published this glorious photograph on her Web site, for the whole world to see, without giving artistic credit where it was due: to me. Jodi, I'm going to let you off easy this time and blame it on the cocktails I forced you to swill at such an early hour, but next time--BIG TROUBLE.

For those of you who missed the interview, I noticed that Jodi posted the links on her Tasty Touring Web site. You can click here to download the files. Thanks to Jodi and the Late Show crew for having me on!

AUSTIN. Late Wednesday night at Annie's Cafe & Bar on Congress Ave., a WunderBar execution took place at the hands of Bar Manager David Alan. Sami, Scott, and Bill took part in the execution. When confronted about the incident, Alan seemed completely remorseless. Investigators found that Alan is a well-known advocate for Gun Control, and had even been known to print the controversial "Texans for Gun Control" T-shirts. Though Alan is a vocal opponent of the soda gun, this is the first known incident in which he took matters into his own hands.

Alan seemed completely compassionless about his execution of the soda gun, and held the lifeless WunderBar as if it were a hunting or fishing trophy in this photograph taken by one of the witnesses.

"Slow and steady, one at a time," said Alan. "The only way for Gun Control to really take hold is one step at a time." The soda gun at Annie's was pronounced dead at approximately 11:52 pm. It has been replaced with an iSi Soda Siphon.

The Old Austin at Annie's. Photograph by Mike Sutter for the Statesman

The cover story of the Austin 360 insert in the Statesman today features "7 ways to drink at 7 fresh places." One of the fresh places to drink is the bar that I manage at Annie's on Congress, and the drink is the Old Austin. I did not develop this drink but I have been doing everything in my power to promote it. This article certainly can't hurt.

The cocktail was developed by Bill Norris of FINO, and it's good--so good that after Bill put the cocktail on the menu at Annie's (where he was a consultant), he confessed that he wished he'd reserved it for his own menu. A variation on the Old Fashioned, it consists of Wild Turkey Rye, Pecan Syrup (easily made at home), Fee Bros Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters (order online at Kegworks.com or substitute Angostura), and the zests of lemon and orange. A personal fantasy of mine is to make an Old Austin syrup that you can just add whiskey and citrus zest to, as I feel like this drink should become ubiquitous in Austin--our official cocktail.

The Old Austin
1 orange for zesting and peeling
1 lemon for zesting and peeling
Half an ounce of pecan syrup (made by simmering roasted, unsalted pecan halves in simple syrup for 15 minutes, then removing the pecans)
2 oz. Wild Turkey rye whiskey
2-3 dashes Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters or angostura bitters
Cracked ice
Over an Old Fashioned glass, use a vegetable peeler to cut a wide, thin section of zest from the orange and lemon, being careful not to include the white pith underneath. Express the oils of the zest into the glass by squeezing lightly, then drop the sections of zest into the glass. Add pecan syrup, bitters and rye whiskey. Add ice and stir to combine.

A note about the other fresh places mentioned in the piece today: Go to the Eastside Showroom! The Framboise Flip is making my mouth water just thinking about it, and Adam, the bartender behind it, is one of the best in town.

Last week we catered a party for our friend Dorsey Barger, owner of Eastside Cafe, in honor of her partner Susan's birthday. The food was catered by the incomparable Dai Due, and the venue is one of my favorites in town--Zilker Clubhouse, and fortunately for all of us, the weather cooperated (I don't think the 'house has AC). The Zilker Clubhouse sits on a property just on the other side of Mo-Pac from Zilker park, and has one of the most spectacular views of downtown. This party started on the early side, and it was nice being able to relax with a cocktail while commuters toiled in traffic below (okay, I was working, but others were able to relax thusly).

The view of downtown from my Cucumber Margarita

For the party we decided to do three cocktails, all using fresh seasonal produce and local ingredients where possible. Two of the recipes are included here due to the numerous requests we received from partygoers. Both are simple to prepare, and are batched for large groups. You can multiply or divide the recipes as needed. Both drinks are meant to be shaken with ice and strained onto fresh ice for service. As with any recipe that you multiply, be sure to taste as you go along to make sure the flavor balance has remained in place, and tweak accordingly.

Tito's Muskmelon Punch (because muskmelon sounds so much sexier than cantaloupe!)
2 cups Tito's Vodkda
1 1/2 cup fresh-pressed cantaloupe juice*
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup raw sugar syrup**
Dry+ Lemongrass soda (available at Central Market or Whole Foods)
Shake cocktail and strain into a glass with ice; top with an ounce or so of Dry Lemongrass Soda, and garnish with sprig of mint

*Use a centrifugal juicer if you have one. Or if, like me, you don't, cut up into cubes and blend with small amount of water, then strain through a chinois or other fine strainer.
**Equal parts raw sugar and water, brought to a simmer and stirred to dissolve. Raw sugar simple syrup is much more flavorful than that made with refined sugar

+Dry Sodas come in a variety of interesting flavors (Juniper, Rhubarb, etc) and are great making cocktails because they add flavor without adding too much sweetness

Cucumber Margarita
2 cups 100% Agave Tequila
1 cup Paula's Texas Orange
3/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup mint syrup*
1/2 cup fresh cucumber water**
Shake and strain into a glass with ice; garnish with a cucumber wheel.

*Make raw sugar syrup as above, remove from heat and add a couple fistfuls of fresh mint; allow to sit 8-10 minutes and strain.

**Make this by blending peeled, seeded cucumbers in a blender with as little water as needed to liquify. Strain through a chinois or other fine strainer.

Today on Addie Broyles's What's in your Fridge Friday blog, she profiled two of our favorite local foodies, Todd Duplechain (TRIO at the Four Seasons) and Jessica Maher (Spoon & Co, Dishalicious). You can imagine my delight when I saw a growler of Co-Op Coffee cold brew in the fridge. For those of you who didn't know the TT/CC connection, Co-Op is the caffeinated AM persona of the Tipsy Texans. We sell coffee at the Sunset Valley Farmer's Marketm and do coffee catering for special events, meetings, parties, etc. Besides the fabulous micro-lot coffees roasted by our friend and partner Travis Kizer, our specialty is Cold-Brewed "Toddy Process" coffee, which we sell in Half Gallon Refillable Growlers! (Or if you are not inclined to purchase the glass growler, you can get your coffee in a recyclable plastic jug).

Todd's fridge, my Toddy. I straight up stole this picture from Addie's blog. Thanks, Addie!

If you have not ever pondered the beauty of cold-brew, please do so now. (and by "do so", I mean come to the farmer's market tomorrow morning and buy a bottle!) Consider the benefits:
Cold-brew is 60+% less acidic than hot-brew
Cold-brew lasts for several weeks in the fridge
Cold-brew is so much richer and sexier tasting than hot-brew that has been chilled
Cold-brew, stored in the fridge, is ready to go. No fumbling with the coffee pot early in the morning, just stumble down the hall and hook up the i.v. drip. You'll be instantly satisfied

Last week saw a local media double header for the Tipsy Texans--a superlative review by Wes Marshall in the Austin Chronicle on Thursday, followed Friday by an Informed Drinker profile by Tolly Mosely on the Austinist.com . The write-ups are actually about Annie's, where only one of us works, but I consider this a triumph for what we do, what we stand for--there would be no way for me to do what I do without Tipsy's support.

From top to bottom, two original cocktails from the forthcoming fall menu: the Treaty Oak Cocktail and the Green Hour; and a classic Pimm's Cup. Photo by John Anderson for the Austin Chronicle.

Wes Marshall profiled the bar at Annie's, and had no shortage of praise. Although he does not mention me by name, I was the "server" in question who made and brought him the Manhattan and conversed with him about the qualities of rye whiskey. In addition to the cocktail program he gave high marks to the bar food menu and wine list. Marshall wraps up his review by complementing our "obsessive-compulsive devotion to outstanding cocktails."