Four to Score
If asked to come up with a one-word description of February, many people would probably say “Brrr!” Yes, it’s usually the coldest month of the year, but that just means the temperature has nowhere to go but up. February is also the month we celebrate Valentine’s Day, when we share our warmest sentiments with loved ones. Undoubtedly, many Morris Countyans will choose to do that over a romantic dinner, which often includes a libation designed to warm the heart as well as the stomach. If so, here are a few suggestions you might want to try.
Bensi of Denville
“Candy is often a popular Valentine’s Day
gift,” says Robert Da Silva, owner and
manager of Bensi of Denville. “That’s why we
offer a drink called Snickers ($9). It’s
made with Fra Angelico, Bailey’s Irish
Cream, Kahlua, Vanilla Vodka and cream,
served in a martini glass rimmed with
chocolate and nuts, and is about as sweet
and smooth a drink as you’ll find anywhere.”
Frangelico is a hazelnut liqueur produced in
Northern Italy. Toasted wild hazelnuts,
found only in Northern Italy, combined with
cocoa, vanilla berries and a host of other
natural flavors make up its complex recipe.
Aging in oak casks adds character and
maturity to the final golden liqueur.
Baileys Irish Cream is made with Irish
whiskey, chocolate and milk from happy,
grass-fed Irish cows. Coffee-flavored Kahlua,
made in Mexico from coffee beans, cacao
beans and vanilla, is the second-largest
single liqueur brand in the world.
Bensi of Denville, 3056 Route 10, Denville,
(973) 989-1023, bensirestaurants.com
Hot Rods Real Pit BBQ
“If your idea of romance is sipping a cold
drink on a warm sandy beach somewhere south
of the border, our Cadillac Margarita
($8.50) is the drink for you,” says Alex
Schoen, bartender at Hot Rods Real Pit BBQ
in Wharton. “It’s made with an extra shot of
Jose Cuervo Tequila, Hot Rods signature
margarita mix, which we make ourselves, and
Grand Gala Liqueur. Served in a margarita
glass with a salted rim, garnished with a
slice of lime, you can almost feel the warm
sun on your back as you drink it.”
Gran Gala Triple Orange Liqueur, imported
from the House of Stock in Trieste, Italy,
is made according to the time-honored
principles established by Lionello Stock in
1884. It derives its sophisticated flavor
and smooth taste from the master distiller’s
blending of Italian VSOP brandy with the
sun-kissed oranges from Sicily.
Hot Rods Real Pit BBQ, 19 N. Main St.,
Wharton, (973) 361-5050, hotrodsbbq.com
Old Mill Tavern
“What could possibly be a better way to
celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a drink
called The Kissable ($4.95)?” asks John
Menes, bar manager at the Old Mill Tavern in
Chester. “Made with Stolichnaya Orange
Vodka, Crème de Cacao and milk, it tastes
like a Creamsicle on a stick but is served
in a martini glass garnished with a slice of
orange.”
Stolichnaya introduced the first flavored
vodkas to the world in 1971 with Pertovka,
the pepper-flavored vodka. In 1973, at the
height of the Cold War, an exchange deal was
struck between PepsiCo and the Soviet
government. Stolichnaya was exported to the
United States in exchange for Pepsi being
exported to the USSR. In 1986, Stolichnaya
introduced the first citrus flavored vodka
to the United States.
Crème de Cacao is a sweet chocolate liqueur
flavored primarily by the cocoa bean and the
vanilla orchid. It is normally made as a
clear light syrup, but is also available in
a dark caramel-colored syrup, known as Dark
Crème de Cacao.
Old Mill Tavern, 55 Route 24, Chester, (908)
879-5027
Maggie Moore’s
“Women especially love our Neville Special
($6.50) made with DeKuyper Peach Schnappes,
Razzmatazz, Triple Sec, house vodka, sour
mix and cranberry juice, shaken and served
on the rocks in a hurricane glass,” say
Neville and Vera Gibson, owners of Maggie
Moore’s in Lincoln Park.
DeKuyper Peach Schnapps is a strong, dry
spirit produced using the distilled juice of
the finest fresh peaches. Razzmatazz, also
by DeKuyper, is produced from fresh
raspberry juice. Triple Sec is made from
distilled extracts of oranges and curacao
fruit, delicately blended to preserve the
orange flavor.
Maggie Moore’s, 7 Midwood Road, Lincoln
Park, (973) 305-9559
