Dolce Vita was a raging success tonight with a sell-out crowd showing up for the 20th anniversary event. As far as crowds go, the Tipsy Texans entertained a sizable line of party-goers in the Scotch & Cigar Lounge, which was a $20 upgrade to the regular ticket--a steal, in my opinion, because that means you get to drink high-proof hooch instead of just wine.

We originally planned to do the Debonair Cocktail but there appeared to be a shortage of scotch, so we switched gears after the first hour and focused our attention on the case of Paula's Texas Lemon that they'd given us to work with. Tipsy came up with a refreshing Port punch.

I didn't get a glamour shot of the Debonair but Jennie Chen managed to catch me drinking one

Paula's Porto Punch
2 oz Paula's Texas Lemon
3/4 oz Port
3/4 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime
Angostura bitters
Shake all in a cocktail shaker and strain into a bitters-rinsed glass

We were also fortunate to have a guest barista at our table, none other than Dan Streetman of Cuvee Coffee. He brought his La Marzocco espresso machine and did some great coffees. We debuted a new coffee cocktail that I have been working on, a brown butter-infused Macchiato with Strega and absinthe:

The Brown Witch

The Brown Witch
1/2 oz Brown Butter
4 oz Whole Milk
1 oz Espresso
1/2 oz Strega
Barspoon (scant) St. George absinthe
Pour spirits into a demitasse. Steam the brown butter and milk, pour artfully into demitasse. Serve.