Okay I don't want to get all Perez Hilton and junk but how is it that the Tipsy Texans were in the paper on two consecutive days this week? If we are somehow famous, I would like someone to please fix the handle on the truck so I don't have to reach out the window to open the door. Yesterday we got a shout-out from social columnist Michael Barnes about the Boy George cocktail we served last Wednesday night at the release party for the new L Style/G Style magazine ( I wrote an article for that rag if you want to view it here.) and today there is a picture of Tipsy himself, chomping down on some chow that was being served at Meaty Monday Madness.

The picture in today's paper identifies Tipsy (on left, with our friend Kevin Smothers, right, and who's that guy in the middle?) but does not indicate that he was there not in a civilian capacity, but in a Tipsy one, serving up some bad-ass cocktails. Actually, I can't remember what all we served but it was awesome.

The Manhattan, chilling in the fridge with the other agar agar (doesn't sound as sexy as Jell-o, does it?) shots

For starters, I showed up to Meaty Monday with a special treat for the host--a cocktail in a miniature boar's head-shaped terrine. Moreover, I made a bitchin Rittenhouse Rye Manhattan, congealed that sh!t with agar agar, and submerged an authentic Luxardo maraska cherry. The theme for this month's event was "Any Baby Can...Be Delicious" so this presentation was particularly hot.

At first I thought I looked kind of bicepy in this conversation with Bella Verdi Farms's Darrell Joseph, then I realized it was just because my arm was moving

The Statesman may have neglected to mention our mixological presence at Meaty Monday Madness but we have the photos--and empty bottles--to prove it.

Time is running out to submit recipes for the second annual Tipsy Texan Drink Local Cocktail Contest. The contest takes place Sunday, December 6, as part of Edible Austin Magazine's Eat Local Week. Last year's contest featured some of the best talent in the state, with Bobby Heugel (Anvil, Houston) taking the gold. Who will take the top prize this year? The contest is open to professionals and amateurs alike, as long as you follow the rules.

Contest Rules are adapted from the United States Bartenders Guild official contest rules, and follow the jump.

The Marlene Dietrich, according to Dale, was created at the Hi Ho Club in Hollywood, circa 1930 (of course it would have been a couple few years later than that due to the pesky little matter of Prohibition). It consists of Canadian whiskey, orange curacao, Angostura bitters and fresh fruit, which is either muddled at the beginning or squeezed at the end. We muddled. Speaking of muddlers, I just read that former VP Hopeful Baby' Daddy Levi Johnston has decided not to show his muddler after all in his upcoming Playgirl photo shoot. What is the point of holding back the muddler in a nudie mag shoot? Is he saving it for something bigger than Playgirl? Does he have video? Attn Levi: There's no time like the present, and there most likely will be no second round for you.

A citrusy whiskey cocktail in which I used a nice fresh Texas orange from the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market

I digress. My point about this cocktail is that it is a light refreshing whiskey drink, and gave us a good excuse to use up some Crown Royal that had been collecting dust every since we realized we shouldn't drink Crown Royal. I imagine the reason why Dale calls for Canadian whiskey in this recipe is that during and at the end of Prohibition, my understanding is that there was a lot of Canadian whiskey on the market because that's what you could get, since it takes 4 yrs minimum to age American whiskey. Something I need to investigate is what happened to old stocks of American whiskey that were already in barrels when Prohibition started. Did it continue to rest through the "noble experiment?" Or did it get sold for medical purposes? If anybody knows please send me an email. And while you're at it, submit a recipe for the Drink Local Cocktail Contest--Deadline Sunday!

This is the most exciting thrift store treasure that I have found recently (Mostly because Tipsy cut me off from thrift shopping, claiming that we had "too much stuff". How much is too much?) It is called the Mixie, and was made by Silex. As far as I can tell, this came with an immersion blender of some kind and was like the mixing carafe. I'm not sure.

What's cool about Mixie is that it has measurements up the side, so it is like a giant jigger or martini pitcher. But it is tall and slim so it functions as a mixing glass. It also has a red rubber stopper, so it can be used as a shaker too.

Don't you think "Mixie" would be a perfect name for a set of dolls for that aspiring little bartender in your family? Complete with a full host of miniature cocktail accoutrements. I would have much rather played with Mixie than f*ing Cabbage Patch Kids.
Imagine:
"Hey Jennie, do you want to come over and play Mixie?"
>"Um, I guess, what Mixies do you have?"
"Dude, check it out, my mom just got me Chain Wallet Mixie for my birthday!"
>"Yeah, whatevs, like, Chain Wallet Mixie is cool, but he's not quite as cool as Tramp Stamp Mixie..."
"Yeah, Tramp Stamp Mixie is pretty rad. So- I was hanging out with Trevor the other day and he has Cater Waiter Mixie!"
>"Ugh, he is such a gaytard!"
"Who, Trevor, or Cater Waiter Mixie?"
>"Hello, both!!"
"I know, riiight!"

Today is the deadline, midnight Central Texas Time. Send in recipes for Drink Local Cocktail Contest or watch some douchebag with a crappy drink rake in all the prizes that could have been yours.

Get to shaking! Complete rules and directions are here.

Yesterday we were leaving Plano for Austin and stopped off at one of our favorite dining establishments, Vincent's Seafood. (Vincent's has been around for over 100 years in Dallas, though now their only location is tucked into a shopping center in Plano.) We had gorged ourselves on burgers a few hours beforehand so were in no condition to sit down for a full-scale Vincent's feast. However, I was alright with this. I love the restaurant and that fine-dining-holdover-from-a-previous-era atmosphere of which I am such a fan. You can have a massive platter of sauteed crab claws for $15. However the true essence of the place, for me anyway, can be summed up in one dish: the coleslaw. I don't know what is up with this coleslaw. I don't count myself one of coleslaw's biggest homeys--I worked at a Deli for years and never ate the stuff. Then I met Vincent's coleslaw, a slaw so sexy that it is worth a side trip in freezing rain to pick up a quart for the ride back to Austin.

Garlicky and delicious

Ok, we picked up two quarts. And a bag of the cheese toasties that are served with the coleslaw and without which it is not as enjoyable. Only one of the quarts made it all the way back to Austin. It was Thanksgiving weekend traffic, and we had a lot of time to take in the scenery on a slow-moving I-35. This morning I decided that I would have coleslaw for breakfast.