HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — Chef Patrick Evans-Hylton joins Coast Live to share a fun and delicious springtime cocktail, along with a new pop-up lunch spot in Norfolk and an exciting giveaway contest!
You can win an autographed copy of my “Virginia Distilled: Four Centuries of Drinking in the Old Dominion” by Chef Patrick Evans Hylton and four tasting tickets at Chesapeake Bay Distillery, located in the ViBe Creative District in Virginia Beach. Winners must be 21 Years of age or older. Enter to win at WTKR.com/contests!
Here's what Chef Patrick had to say about today's selections on his Virginia Eats and Drinks blog:
CHEERS TO SPRING! CELEBRATE WITH OUR SPRING SPRITZ-TINI
It’s spring, and lighter, more delicate tastes are flavoring our eats and drinks.
We take a classic cocktail that fits that bill - the Aperol Spritz - and take it to another level; a level that also supports local.
Our Spring Spritz-tini is a delicious offering of Aperol, sparkling wine, and vodka. We like to use Virginia Beach-based Spirit of the Blue Ridge vodka from our friends at Chesapeake Bay Distillery.
First crafted in 1919, Aperol is a vibrant orange-hued, Italian bitter crafted from rhubarb and other ingredients.
Here’s how to make our cocktail: In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 1-1/2 ounces Aperol and 1 ounce vodka and shake well. Strain into a martini glass and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a thin slice of orange on the glass edge and with edible flowers floating on top.
A note on edible flowers: many flowers that have not been sprayed with pesticides or otherwise chemically treated are edible. To be on the safe side, use flowers that are specifically marked as grown for culinary uses. Check with local florists and specialty food stores for edible flowers, or purchase online. Use flowers from your garden if you sure they are safe.
Vodka comes from Chesapeake Bay Distillery, www.ChesapeakeBayDistillery.com
BON APPETIT; LET’S DO LUNCH! PUBLIC HOUSE POP-UP A REASON TO NOSH AT NOONTIME
From now until the middle of June, noted Chef Joe Pavey is serving up good eats and drinks at his Pour Souls Provisions lunch pop-up.
The pop-up runs Tuesday through Saturday at The Public House in Norfolk’s Ghent, a favorite of ours.
We recently visited and enjoyed a number of eats and drinks with friends, including the Say What? Appetizer. Here Pavey creates a creamy, delicious mac-and-cheese crafted with rich pimento cheese and encases large cubes of it in panko bread crumbs. The snacks are then fried golden, brown, and delicious and served with goddess ranch dressing.
The exterior is crisp, and the fork breaks in nicely revealing the decadent mac-and-pimento cheese interior. It’s a great study in the dichotomy of both tastes and textures. Of note: the serving is large, and great to share with others.
We also enjoyed the Paper Balloon, a beautiful cocktail of Old Overholt Rye, Aperol, vermouth blanco, lemon juice, strawberry preserves, and prosecco.
The drink is very balanced, and has a wonderful flavor that is not too boozy nor too sweet. Served in a coupe glass, it's a fun indulgence at lunch.
We’re happy to share several dishes from Chef Pavey during today’s segment.
A full list of lunch eats and drinks can be found on our blog at VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com
More, PublicHouseEats.com
EAT, DRINK + DO: WIN A BOOK AND SPIRITS TASTING
Celebrate the spirit of Virginia - or maybe that should be the spiritS of Virginia, with this special giveaway from VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com
Enter for a chance to win an autographed copy of my “Virginia Distilled: Four Centuries of Drinking in the Old Dominion” book. This is a $23.99 value.
Through well-documented research, interviews with key stakeholders and plenty of cocktail recipes for the reader to shake and stir at home, the book showcases the rich history of four hundred years of drinking in the Commonwealth. Raise a glass to Virginia, birthplace of American spirits, and its long history of distilling and imbibing.
And raise a glass while enjoying premium Virginia distilled spirits with four tasting tickets at Chesapeake Bay Distillery, located in the ViBe Creative District in Virginia Beach. This is a $64 value.
Established in 2005, Chesapeake Bay Distillery offers a wide variety of spirits, from a number of vodkas, rums, liqueurs, and more.
Contest details are on the WTKR and Virginia Eats + Drinks website.
Enter the contest at WTKR.com/contests
FOR MORE VIRGINIA EATS + DRINKS
Get all the information from today’s Virginia Eats + Drinks on Coast Live segment plus more: giveaways, recipes, tips, and tricks on our Facebook group.
Join today, www.facebook.com/groups/VirginiaEatsAndDrinks
