Travel, Wine, and Dine

Cocktails for a Cause: Cognac Classic Crawl Boston

September 27, 2019 in cocktail, Cocktails by traveleatlove | No comments

Earlier this week I got to attend a media preview of the upcoming Cognac Classic Crawl, coming to Boston from October 1 – October 31. The crawl shines a spotlight on Cognac and cocktails featuring the spirit. For $30, participants get five cocktails from five Boston favorites – Drink, Silvertone, Yvonne’s, Eastern Standard, and The Hawthorne. Proceeds from ticket sales go to Haley House.

Ready to get your Cognac Crawl tickets and to support Haley House? Click here!

Led by Ezra Star, certified Cognac Educator and general manager/bartender of Drink, the media crawl was a lot of fun and showed just how versatile Cognac is as a cocktail ingredient.

The Champs-Élysées Cocktail at Drink was perfect for the beautiful, sunny early fall day of the crawl, and it was not at all what I would think of when Cognac comes to mind. The mix of Cognac VSOP, lemon juice, Yellow Chartreuse, and simple syrup was bright, tart, and super drinkable. It paired perfectly with Drink’s amazing fries; this was perhaps the perfect meal!

Our second stop brought us to Silvertone, where Oscar whipped up the Cavendish Nana with Cognac VSOP, orange curaçao, lemon juice, aquafaba, Maraschino liqueur, and Chuncho bitters. Everyone loved the presentation of this drink in cute little cans. It makes me want to save old cans to serve drinks in! This drink had a nice bitterness to it that was balanced by the sour lemon and rich Cognac. This was definitely a more strongly flavored drink, but as a fan of flavor, I loved it!

Our third stop was Yvonne’s, a must-visit for its beautiful decor and lux supper club ambiance. We were running a bit behind, and since I wanted to be home for baby’s bedtime I had to jump off the crawl at this point. . . which means I have to wait to try the rest of the cocktails on the crawl when it begins in October!

You can get the full details on the Cognac Classic Crawl Cocktails that I missed here. Thanks to my friend Megan for getting these photos!

The Cognac Classic Crawl is the perfect way to experience Boston and some of our best bars this fall while giving back to our community in a very important way.

Learn more about the Cognac Classic Crawl Boston here.

Tags: Boston, cocktails

Barn Fest at Forbes House Museum

September 25, 2019 in events by traveleatlove | No comments

A beautiful late summer day, the sprawling yard and barn of an historic mansion, cold local beer, tacos, and live music make for one fun, family-friendly Friday night!

Last week the Forbes House Museum in Milton opened its barn for their annual Barnfest, and it was so fun to spend the evening on their lovely property. I have always had an affinity for this mansion and Governor Hutchinson Field across the street. The massive old trees, the views of the sea and Boston, and the wide open space. . . there’s just something special about this area. After visiting the mansion at Christmas time (a must do!), we became members and had been looking forward for another opportunity to visit.

Music by Sam Luke Chase made for a fun and festive backdrop as Barrel House Z, a Weymouth-based brewery and taproom, poured their really yummy beers and our favorite Dorchester taco spot, El Barrio, served up tacos and nachos. Their food is always so good; El Barrio is one of our go-to food delivery choices!

I tried both the Pilsner and Cold Water Crisp Peach Pale Ale, which were both perfect for the hot summer night!

The property was decorated beautifully; twinkly lights were perfect for a barn party, and the simplicity of the decorations allowed the beauty of the mansion and barn to shine.

Being out in nature is our favorite! This tree, with its huge grayish roots, reminded me of an elephant!

The Forbes House Mansion knows how to put on a really lovely event, and we were spoiled with the weather. Here’s to hoping they add more barn events to their schedule next summer!

About the Forbes House Mansion

The Forbes House Museum is located atop Milton Hill, overlooking Boston’s skyline, the Neponset River marshes, and Boston Harbor in the distance. In the early 1600s, the Neponset Tribe settled at this site along the Neponset River, overlooking the Great Blue Hills. In the late 1700s, the last royal governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson (1711–1780), owned a 95-acre estate on Milton Hill and spent his leisure hours planting trees and cultivating his gardens.

Our China trade collection includes 19th-century export porcelain, paintings, furniture, and other unique items brought back from China by Captain Robert Bennet Forbes and his family. You can see examples of Canton blue-and-white china and three pairs of Chinese Foo Dogs. On view are portraits of the powerful Chinese foreign trade official, Houqua, and Thomas Tunno Forbes, the Captain’s older brother who perished in the waters of China in 1829. See peacock feathers, bronze Chinese cranes, and sculptures of Buddha and the goddess of mercy, Guan Yin.

VisitVisit the website to learn about future events and to learn more about the mansion.

Our Cape Cod Vacation – What We Ate

August 30, 2019 in Cocktails, Food, Travel by traveleatlove | No comments

Well hello there! How has your summer been? Ours has been full of typical summer-y things, boating, beaches, pool time, and gardening, and I hate that the end is in sight. I am hoping with the arrival of fall I will get back to blogging more frequently. . .and running and networking and pitching new clients and all the other things I used to do. . .but I also have a wild toddler who doesn’t sleep. We’ll see what happens next!

I know that I will be looking back at summer memories all winter long to get me through those cold dark days, and our week in Truro on Cape Cod will be one of the highlights. While I have been going to Truro/Provincetown every summer for years, this was the first time we went for a full week. Vacation with a toddler is tiring, but we had plenty of delicious meals, refreshing cocktails, and good times with friends.

Strangers & Saints

Strangers & Saints is a Provincetown must-visit for their people-watching patio, stellar cocktails, and bar bites, like their incredible clam dip. Our son saw his first drag show there last summer and loved it. Strangers & Saints will always be one of our first and frequent stops when we visit Provincetown.

Pepe’s Wharf

Because we were renting a cottage, we ended up eating a lot of our meals at home, but we had one nice dinner out during the week at beautiful Pepe’s Wharf in Provincetown. Oysters, the most fluffy, flaky, lobster-y lobster pie, the perfect g and t, gorgeous views. . . what more could you want from a summer dinner?

Yes, that’s a lemon Myles is eating. #MotheroftheYear

He did eat lobster pie, bits of fish, some fries and veggies from other plates too.

Truro Vineyards

We liked Truro Vineyards so much, especially their cocktail truck serving their South Hollow Spirits, that we went twice. Their lawn is gorgeous, and the Blackfish food truck serves up some delicious burgers and dogs, in addition to lobster rolls and other items.

Far Land

I have passed Far Land in Provincetown countless times and finally went in on this trip. Their sandwiches and baked goods are great, and I just love those chairs and that porch.

The Weatherdeck, Harwich

We loved this simple, very kid-friendly stop on our way back to Boston. It was casual, had a huge menu, cheap wine, and a buttered lobster roll. It just needed to lose the lettuce!

As I mentioned earlier, we ate many other meals at home. . . lots of cheese and chips and snacks, but on this particular night we had buttery lobster, clams, and tomatoes. Does it get any better than lobster outside with water on both sides?