Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Cocktail Showdown Week Three

Cocktail Showdown | February 13th, 2019

Hot buttered rum - photograph by Raul Gomez

After a day of checking the weather updates and keeping an eye on any closing announcements from this week’s entrants, our judges ordered up a ride share service and headed out to the western side of town for two stops in West Fargo. The fact that these establishments are located directly across the street from each other made it seem like such an easy trek between the two but the piles of snow covering every sidewalk corner made the short walk across 9th street east in West Fargo a memorable and laughter filled spectacle. After a few drinks and some great hospitality, we began to feel a nice warm glow and were all glad we took on the adventure of the third week of the Cocktail Showdown.

Blarney Stone is an Irish pub in West Fargo with incredible attention to authentic details both with the decor, and with their drink and food menus. Those looking to get away from the downtown madness that is St. Patrick’s Day weekend would do well to make a stop out to Blarney Stone for some bangers and mash, corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew or other great Irish staples. Their breakfast specials would be a great way to start your weekend celebration if you are heading down to the parade but are almost a necessity for those intended to make it through the day-long event. Their Irish whiskey selection is unmatched and of course, they know how to pour a perfect pint of Guinness.

The Drink: Blarney Stone’s Hot Buttered Rum
Presented by: Maggie Green

Maggie welcomed us to Blarney Stone with a steaming hot cup of their house recipe Hot Buttered Rum with an ounce and a half of Captain Morgan spiced rum in it. The recipe is a fairly standard mixture of brown and white sugar, multiple creams, butter, vanilla, clove, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg and while it may not look fancy on paper, the flavor and feeling that we got from drinking this mug of goodness was certainly something to savor. When I raised the mug to my face, before even taking a sip, I was filled with aromas of perfectly blended winter spices and an immediate warmth that made me think of mittens, boots, and scarves being taken off and exchanged for a cup of Hot Buttered Rum by a cozy fireplace. Sabrina called it “an oatmeal cookie in a cup” and to that, I would have to add “given to you by your Grandma and followed by a hug”. A perfect example of how the right pre-batched beverage on the right night can be so much more than it appears on paper.

Lucky Charm - photograph by Raul Gomez

The shot: Lucky Charm
Created by: Maggie Green

Maggie brought together Bacardi Limon, Sour Apple Pucker, melon liqueur and a squeeze of lime in a shaker with ice. After shaking, the drink was strained into a sugar rimmed shot glass and presented. For a sugar rimmed shot, it was surprisingly well balanced and a great reminder of how just the right amount of freshly squeezed citrus can really tie a drink together. Another fine example of Maggie’s understanding of flavors and how to use commonly available ingredients to create a tasty drink that certainly satisfies their customers over and over again.

Throughout their first year in the rapidly expanding city of West Fargo, Tru Blu Social Club has received a significant amount of praise and all of it is well deserved. Out of town visitors that are staying in a nearby hotel frequently give them excellent ratings for perfectly cooked duck and steaks and their exemplary service is also earning them great marks. The decor is stylish and romantic with lots of rich wood but somehow all the pretense of what could be a very fine dining establishment is removed in a way that makes farmers with mesh caps and families with children feel just as comfortable as a meeting of businessmen in full suits.

Erindring Drink - photograph by Raul Gomez

The drink: Erindring Drink
The creator: David Jørgensen

David created this drink as a nod to the first 20+ years he spent in his home country of Norway and the name roughly translates to “a vague memory that is more of a feeling or sensation than a visual memory.” The vague memory, in this case, refers to his first experiences with the traditional Scandinavian spirit, Akvavit or Aquavit. This cocktail, however, is quite different from those initial experiences of swallowing the bitter, botanically enhanced spirit (he remembers his Mother preferring to chase it with her favorite beer) and presents a very delicate, palatable drink.

Linie Aquavit was added to Tattersall Orange Crema, honey, and a couple dashes of Peychaud’s bitters before being stirred and strained into a coupe glass and garnished with an orange twist. I’ve had numerous Aquavit cocktails over the last few years and most of the time they are mixed with a bit of honey but the balance that David achieved in this drink really kept me coming back to discover not only the individual ingredients that made up the cocktail but helped the caraway and dill in the Aquavit really stand out and shine without overpowering.

Peaches and Cream - photograph by Raul Gomez

The after-dinner drink: Peaches and Cream
The creator: David Jørgensen

As he prepped this drink, he told us of another fond memory of his childhood in Norway that also involved his Mother and in particular, the simple dessert of peaches, sugar, and half and half that she would make for them on certain Saturdays. This immediately grabbed my attention and made me think of my dearly departed mother who would also sometimes treat us to this simple but delicious dessert.David brought together Ciroc peach vodka, St Germain elderflower liqueur, and orange juice before adding to a rocks glass and topping with half and half and then a topping of a special whipped cream that he infused with peach schnapps. If not the story that preceded the presentation, the intense peach and cream flavor really touched at my heart through my taste buds and the way the elderflower would peek out from amongst the peachy flavor really surprised me. 

RECENTLY IN

Cocktail Showdown

Tracker Pixel for Entry Tracker Pixel for Entry Tracker Pixel for Entry TheatreBSMS Tracker Pixel for Entry WurstWest2021 Tracker Pixel for Entry Tracker Pixel for Entry ParamountMar2022

Recently in:

Proposed Bills Could Take Books off Library ShelvesBy Laura Simmonslaurasimmons2025@u.northwestern.edu The passing of ND House Bill 1205 and ND Senate Bill 2360, which would prevent sexually explicit books from being in public…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comHPR chats with a local legendThe following interview was done in February of 2016, just a few months after Mr. Josef Olivieri's 90th birthday. We're sorry to hear of his passing at the age of 97 on…

Tuesday, March 21, 6:30pmZandbroz Variety, FargoAuthor of “Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land” Taylor Broby will discuss the important role libraries play in their communities as sanctuaries of acceptance. He will…

By John Strandjas@hpr1.comOur Opinion: Who on Earth would ever want to move to North Dakota?Let’s talk about the left hand and the right hand. Or, more correctly, let’s focus on the right hand, being as there is no left in ND…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comTwo ForumWhite Nationalist Trumplican Nincoms Have Pooped All Over LibrariansSo it has come to pass that Scott Hennen and Ross Nelson have assaulted librarians in the state, accusing them of…

Well shiver me timbers. After weeks of sampling some of the finest drinks in F-M from more bars than we could shake a belaying pin at, the results of High Plains Reader’s 6th Annual Cocktail Showdown are in! For nine weeks,…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.comWhen thinking of popular sandwiches associated with the Upper Midwest, the sloppy joe immediately comes to mind. But let’s not forget the sandwich with a spicy side – the taco grinder. It’s a…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comphoto by Andy Wilcox Many of Fargo-Moorhead’s talented bands and musicians have been able to gain fans around the country. Some of this, of course, is due to social media making it…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comOn Saturday, March 25, filmmaker Mike Flanagan returns to the Fargo Film Festival, where “Absentia,” his debut feature, made its world premiere in 2011. This time, he will be joined by his…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comIf you’ve ever driven down the Enchanted Highway, the 32-mile ribbon of road connecting Regent to Gladstone in western North Dakota, home to the world’s largest salvaged metal sculptures,…

By Jessica M. Hawkesjmhawkes84@gmail.comIt wasn’t long after the founding of the railroad and river town of New Rockford that entertainment venues started to put down their own roots. Its population bolstered by booms of nearby…

By Jan Syverson  Jan.r.Syverson@gmail.comFor the past 30 years live, stand-up comedy has had a place in the Fargo Moorhead area, Starting with…

By Kris Gruberperriex1@gmail.comSpring is here (mostly), and our area is buzzing with people eager to get back out and about -- many newly vaccinated and feeling a bit safer. Partnering with Jade Events, Fargo Brewing is just…

By John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…

JANUARY 19, 1967– MARCH 8, 2023 Brittney Leigh Goodman, 56, of Fargo, N.D., passed away unexpectedly at her home on March 8, 2023. Brittney was born January 19, 1967, to Ruth Wilson Pollock and Donald Ray Goodman, in Hardinsburg,…

By Ken and Alice Christiansonsubmit@hpr1.com HB 1332 is currently before the North Dakota legislature. The bill proposes to permit social workers to use a discredited treatment method to convert the sexual orientation of gay and…