It smells like hot chocolate. I mean, it’s hot, and it’s chocolately. Hot chocolate, right? Noooo, chocolate tea. This stuff has been around forever, but it still has me totally confused. I had always assumed if someone wants watery, dirty-looking hot chocolate they’ll just use half a packet of powdered stuff; But no, there is a more tannic alternative.
Chocolate tea is usually made from a mix of ground, black tea, usually Ceylon, and various additives. Sometimes one of those additives is chocolate or ground cocoa beans, but a lot more often the source of that chocolocity is chemicals, chemicals, chemicals. When you’re reading the description, pay close attention to where the commas appear. You have to hand it to a PR department who can word something as slyly ambiguous as ‘This black tea is blended with Bavarian chocolate and raspberry flavors’.
As anyone who’s tried the new 99% cocoa bar from Lindt knows, cocoa flavor without some sort of sugary uplift can be an sharp, metallic thing. So some chocolate teas use natural sweeteners like liquorice root or cinnamon oil, and some simply include the instructions “Add sugar”. Connoisseurs of loose chocolate tea suggest using it as the starting point for blends instead of naked; and manufacturers are way ahead of them in terms of turning out mixes with coconut, rose, mint, caramel, and whatever else chemical happens to be lying around on the mixing floor that day.
Still not convinced to just break out the Swiss Miss? Then give these a try. They’re actually pretty good if you’re on a diet:
Stash as any number of chocolate teas, from macadamia flavored to caramel.
Adagio makes a pure version good for mixing. Reviews say don’t let it steep too long
Canada Creek is what you want if there’s a connoisseur you’re trying to impress
SpecialTeas also seems to know what they’re doing, and they may very well have the most organic versions of the bunch. Or then again, it may not. Chocolate teas are shifty things.
Incidentally, this in no way discounts the pure awesomeness of Chocolate that has tea in it. Try the Dark Chocolate and Earl Grey Version from Neuhaus over in Union Station.

Last night, several of your esteemed DCFUD writers met at Murphy’s in Woodley Park for a pint or three and good ole’ fashioned pub grub. (mini-review – the Murphyburger rocks, the seafood bisque is dandy, and the meat pie was fine; avoid the overly spicy and greasy shellfish soup. Avoid musicians baffled by feedback coming through the sound system).
We were approached by a marketing rep from Sam Adams who asked if we’d like to sample a few of their future beers. We said “Yes!” faster than Jennifer Lopez accepts a marriage proposal. The rep poured us samples of the classic Boston Lager and their Light to get us started. A wise move, as none of us were drinking a Sam Adams’ product beforehand, and the small samples would get us prepared for the brands’ general taste. She then poured us Type A and Type B – two potential beers that they’d release next year. “A” was a Honey Porter, and “B” was a Smoke Ale.
“A” was delicious, with ZAF summing it up that “(we) could get along nicely.” It’s a nice, smooth beer, not terribly heavy, and the honey notes add a softer touch. Amazingly, it doesn’t taste sweet, but a little less acidic than the standard Sam’s.
“B, “ however, was an alcoholic travesty. Comments from the table ranged from “it tastes like smoked ham” to “it tastes like smoked gouda” to “it tastes like they added that Liquid Smoke stuff.” As a rule, beer should not be described as tasting like a barbecue sauce. The best we could say is that it would make an excellent marinade for the Thanksgiving turkey.
In the interests of full disclosure, The FPBBC used to work for Harpoon Brewery in Boston, and has always been partial to his former employer. The Sam Adams’ rep said that a survey found that over 72% of Bostonians preferred Sam Adams over Harpoon as “the” Boston beer. The FPBBC calmly pointed out that Leno has higher ratings than Letterman, proving that popularity has no bearing on taste.
Murphy’s
2609 24th Street NW
Washington DC 20008
202-462-7171

When the news of wine’s health benefits first came out, alkies the world over grabbed their closest critic, pointed them at the research, and said, “See?”. But if you still aren’t enthused at the idea of shooting your daily dose, try taking your medicine the old fashioned way: In a martini glass.
Pomegranate! It’s seedy and fashionable! It comes in a crazy shaped bottle! I mean, even without the health claims, who wouldn’t want a liquid that stains everything it touches? Try this medical wonder:
Pomegranate Martini:
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
2 oz. white tequila
1 oz. Cointreau liquor
Squeeze of lemon
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glasses. Pomegranate seeds as garnish, or use a bit of lemon.
Health benefits:Vitamin C, antioxidants, and a rich source of folic acid and vitamins A and E. Pomegranate helps with heart disease, cancer, skin cancer, osteoarthritis, and, technically, unborn babies tho I guess you should distill out that pesky ‘alcohol’ part first.
Green Tea Over the years, green tea’s been purported to do everything from curing cancer to slimming your ass. It will also do your laundry and make your kids move out of the house. Slurp this, for health reasons only of course.
Green tea martini:
1 ounce strong green tea, chilled
2 ounces citron vodka
1 teaspoon Cointreau
1 teaspoon simple syrup
Orange twist
Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Health benefits: This prevention list includes heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease , infection, and impaired immune function.
Carrots Your mom promised you it would help you see in the dark, and she was never wrong, ever, about anything. Drink to her health while propping up yours
Carrot Martini:
2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce vermouth
1 1/2 ounce carrot juice
1 1/2 ounce orange juice
Dash of Tabasco sauce
Shake with ice and strain into a cold martini glass. Garnish with a celery stick
Health Benefits: We got antioxidant compounds and vitamin A to guard against cancer, emphysema, blood sugar regulation, and, yes, to promote good vision. And Heart Disease. Incidentally, the tobacco sauce will spike your metabolism, help with arthritis, high blood pressure, depression, migraines, flu, ulcers, muscle pains and um, herpes. It’s practically your duty to drink this stuff.

Fellow DCFUD scribe Jason and I went to Dr. Dremo’s in Arlington last night for a pint (or three) of beer. Dremo’s has a few self-brewed beers, including their tasty James Brown, Redneck and Centennial Pale Ales, plus a decent selection of microbrews and imports. Usually, their taste is spot-on – Rogue Dead Guy Ale on draft, for instance, is one of the better beers to come from the Pacific Northwest, and Smuttynose Porter is always a good time.
But, just like every Chris Farley has his Rob Schneider, and every Empire Strikes Back has its Phantom Menace, Abita’s Purple Haze is like that dumb kid in college who brought down the bell curve. It’s full of raspberries – that fruit can kill a beer, as Oxford’s Rasperry Wheat comes to mind – and this New Orleans’ brewer uses way too much. It tastes like a torte without the cream cheese. Of Abita’s roster of fine brews, this is their weakest.
I worked for Harpoon Brewery of Boston during the `90s microbrew boom, and got to taste-test the competition. Sounds like a post-college dream job, but for every quality Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, New Belgium’s Fat Tire Amber or Boulder Brewing Company product I enjoyed, I had about 10 lousy, overwrought, overbrewed, overhopped beers from hell. It seemed every craft brewery in North America wanted to out-do each other with exotic flavors, especially with their seasonal brews. I still get the cold sweats thinking of Pumpkin Ale, Cinnamon & Nutmeg beers, Strawberry and Creme lambics. Sam Adams and Rogue both made Hazelnut beers, which sounded a lot better than they tasted. Frederick Brewing Company made an almost undrinkable hemp beer. My rule of thumb became – “If you can make a pie or hippie shoes from the ingredients, I won’t drink the beer.”
So, it was with a healthy bit of trepidation that I approached Dremo’s Chocolate Donut beer. Beer’s not exactly health food as it is, and adding an ungodly amount of sugar just seems unwise. But Dremo’s home brews are usually quite tasty, and while I don’t suggest dunking this Chocolate Donut into a cold glass of milk, it’s a good, sweet beverage. You can definitely taste the rich, almost fudge-like chocolate. It smells like chocolate donut, and is thicker than many porters and some stouts. This would be a fantastic dessert beer.
Consider Chocolate Donut the port of beer.
Dr. Dremo’s
2001 Clarendon Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201
703-528-4660
drdremo@msn.com

When fishing for drinkers last week with Ray’s Article on new Voyant liqueur, we accidentally reeled in Robert Back, it’s creator. He was kind enough to favor us with a few words on the creative process of getting you trashed:
Robert Says:
Thanks for the write up on Voyant.
I formulated Voyant to be different – I spent 15 years doing flavor development for the alcohol industry and my flavors are in some large brands currently in the market – I hate to admit it, but I am responsible for quite a bit of the flavored Vodkas & Rums out there.
I got upset that the alcohol industry was merely putting out flavor extensions. That and the fact that my wife is a huge Chai drinker compelled me to try and formulate a Chai liqueur. Voyant is the result of over a year of trial and error. The thought process was to use the real spices and tea and to use the highest quality alcohol so that you do not get the annoying alcohol burn you get with most liqueurs.
I happen to be partial to aged rum and the lovely people at the same company that makes Cruzan gave me a rum that was second to none. Now that I had the rum, spices and tea, I worked on the cream base as this was an essential part of the product. Most (OK – ALL) cream liqueurs are so thick that you need to drink them with a fork & knife. I made Voyant light so that it could be enjoyed all year round.
You were right about making desserts with Voyant. At the Sensi restaurant in the Bellagio in Vegas, they are making Chai Ice Cream with it and you can put it over ice cream, brownies or use it to make Tiramisu or Bread Pudding.
Thanks Robert!

The next couple of days are going to bring to mind several burning questions, not the least of which is “why in the hell did the Founding Fathers build the Nation’s Capital on a swamp?,” and, for the purposes of this post, is “how can I beat the heat and drink myself into denying either my existence or the 98% humidity?” As a former bartender, I get asked these questions, kind of like an alcohol-fueled Barry and Ira, the two ice cream guys in City Slickers. While the booze is important, the mixer may be more so.
1) When it’s scorching, nothing does the trick quite like a good sour mix or fresh-squeezed limes. Most sour mixes are made up of limes, some lemon and an ungodly amount of sugar. However, that dose of vitamin C can really recharge your batteries on a crazy hot day. The margaritas at Lauriol Plaza, Oyamel and the Banana Cafe’ are all winners, though Oyamel is closed on Mondays. Now I know how The Boomtown Rats felt, if not Brenda Ann Spencer.
2) Fizzy drinks cut through dry mouth like emo kids listening to Death Cab for Cutie. Drinks made with tonic or soda waters, or ginger ale can keep you sane. Tonic water contains quinine, a potion that helps treat malaria and leg cramps – who knew gin and tonic could classify as medicine? Excuse me while I go self-medicate…
Some bartenders freely swap ginger ale and Sprite, and that’s one of my pet peeves, along with people who wear sports gear unrelated to the teams or the sport they’re watching. You know what I’m talking about – the dude who wears a Portland Trailblazers NBA jersey at a Washington Nationals/New York Mets basketball game. Gawd I hate that. Along that line, ginger ale is slightly spicy, and should be used to contrast overly sweet alcohols or mixers. Sprite can smooth over strong, sharp drinks with its citrus base. A well-stocked bar will contain both beverages, and the wise mixologist knows the difference. A Jack-and Ginger would taste like refried hell with Sprite, though a splash of Sprite in a margarita made with a sharp tequila like Sauza Hornitos can make it more tolerable for those who like lighter drinks.

3) Ice cream is good; fruit is better. Some people swear by ice cream drinks when the heat’s on, and a good frozen mudslide can be a fine idea, but who wants to walk the streets with too much dairy in their gullets? I learned the lesson of Ron Burgundy well when he said on that fateful sweaty San Diego day, “Milk was a bad choice.”
I prefer lighter, fruit-based frozen drinks on days like today. A Banana Nutbread is an awesome drink but is heavier than Beltway traffic. I’d suggest an old standby – the pina colada – and a tolerance of the Rupert Holmes’ song.
(For the record – I had no idea that guy had a greatest hits collection, and if I had to guess, it would have come out on cassette single. I figured he did that one song, realized he’d have to play it EVERY SINGLE DAY OF HIS LIFE and just ended it all Budd Dwyer style. Nah, he’s a famous writer, playwright and seems to have weird taste in eyewear. Learn something every day…)
There’s nothing wrong with adding crushed ice to an old favorite. A frozen Cuba Libre – a.k.a. rum and coke – is awesome, as is a frozen Cape Cod, Fuzzy Navel and Long Island Ice Tea. A frozen Mai Tai is like drinking an adult Slurpee but without that weird spoon-straw thing.
4) Malternative – the term used by the industry to identify drinks like Cider Jack or Bacardi Silver, these beverages, besides having more sugar in them than the Nintendo 64 kid, can really cool you down on a hot day. A Mike’s Hard Lemonade usually doesn’t suck, and to make them a little more palatable and colorful, pour a shot of a colored liquor like Chambord, Midori or Key Largo Schnapps. Watch the whole beverage change color and provide a bit more kick!
5) Combine them all and make the ultimate summer drink – The Frozen Tom Collins. Sour mix, a good gin like Beefeaters or Gordons, a splash of tonic and fresh lime juice – prevent malaria AND scurvy, get refreshed. I make mine served over crushed ice, and then float a layer of Grenadine, blue curacao or Midori for fun. Using a little umbrella is up to you.
What do you folks like to drink on a hot day? I’ll be glad to do some research.