Last year a colleague of ours started a fancy shoe company called Helm Handmade. I ordinarily do not set aside much in the way of a budget for shoes, but when Joshua Bingaman called me with this proposition, it was pretty much an offer I couldn't refuse.

JB: David, we're about to have a launch event for our shoe company and we'd like to have you make drinks for the party. How much will it cost?
DA: (Undisclosed sum)
JB: Will you work for trade?
DA: F--- yes I will work for shoes.

And that's how it played out. We worked, we got fitted for shoes, and they were very sexy. The first time I went out in public in my Helm Handmade shoes, I got a compliment the first place I stopped.

A few weeks ago I received the call I'd been waiting for: the launch of the new line of Helm shoes. New shoes = cocktails by me = new shoes. Tonight was the night. I worked and got paid in shoes. It was awesome. I wish more people would make offers like this. The event was at Stag, the men's clothing store on S. Congress. Stag is the type of place that should make every man feel sexy about being a man.

These are the shoes I got tonight. The are called the Dapper Dane. I'm not sure I can pull off this look but we'll give it a shot. I actually got to meet the Dapper Dane himself, who i believe is the gent who took these pictures

The cocktails I did tonight were ones that I'd created for various reasons but had not yet had the opportunity to serve in public (as opposed to my usual formula, which is to beat a drink into the ground until people say, "Harvest Punch, again?", for example). Two cocktails that showcase the spirit and flavors of fall:

Macintosh
2 Luxardo Marasca cherries, plus 1
barspoon of their syrup
¼ c. diced apple
2 oz. Maker's Mark 46
¾ oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 barspoon simple syrup
Dash Bitter Truth Creole Bitters
Apple slice for garnish
In the bottom of a mixing glass, muddle cherries, apples, and syrup. Add remaining ingredients. Shake vigorously with ice to chill. Fine-strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a slice of apple
*This cocktail appears in the current (Fall 2010) issue of Edible Austin magazine

Pear Noel
1.5 oz Tito’s vodka
1.5 oz Mathilde Pear liqueur
.75 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Barspoon St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and shake vigorously with ice to chill. Garnish with a slice of pear
*This cocktail was created for Tito's and ran in the trade publication In The Mix magazine last year. I was trying to do a fall/holiday drink featuring Tito's, but keeping it light and refreshing instead of playing in to some of the holiday drink stereotypes