How to host a multi-cultural Labor Day barbecue

by Katie Hammel on

Labor Day is a quintessential American holiday. It’s a day to honor the workers, spend time with friends and family, and traditionally, to enjoy one last blow-out backyard barbecue before the cold weather sets in. Burgers, beers, and the all-American apple pie may be the staples, but since America is such a melting pot, why not honor that with a more international array of food and drink? Whether your ancestors arrived in America hundreds of years ago, or just within the last decade, showcase your heritage and the cultures of your closest friends by serving up some traditional cuisines from around the world. It doesn’t have to be a big hassle, you can make it as simple or complex as you like. Here are a few ideas for an international-themed Labor Day barbecue.

Host an International Happy Hour
Spicing up your drink offerings is the easiest way to add more international variety to your party. Nearly every country brews its own beer and, aside from the obvious Dos Equis from Mexico and Heineken from The Netherlands, it’s easy to find Pilsner Urquell (Czech Republic), Quilmes (Argentina) and even Tsingtao (China) beer at most local stores. Wine is an easy option too. We all know the major players like Italy and France, but Hungary, Chile, South Africa, Croatia, and many other countries also produce wine. If you plan on serving liquor, set up a signature drinks station. Allow guests to mix their own Brazilian Caipirinhas, Peruvian Pisco Sours, or Italian Spritzs.

Dress Up Your Burgers and Hot Dogs
If you wouldn’t dare not serve burgers at your barbecue, you can still fancy them up with some toppings that reflect international cuisines. Add guacamole or cotija cheese to Mexican burgers, Brie cheese and fried shallots for French flair, or Feta cheese and spinach on Greek lamb burgers. You can also swap hot dogs for meats from various regions – go with spicy Spanish chorizo, German bratwurst with sauerkraut or Turkish doner in pita with yogurt sauce. Kebabs also work well. Try pork glazed with Chinese hoisin, or chicken in an Indian tikka masala sauce, skewered with appropriate veggies. Apply the same rules to your side dishes. Share the workload with friends by asking them to bring dishes that represent their heritage to serve on the side.

Don’t Forget Dessert
Dessert is another area where it’s easy to get creative while still offering a delicious end to the meal. It’s also okay to “cheat” a bit here, and buy some of the ingredients pre-made from the grocery store. Bake (or buy) some Greek baklava, serve French crepes topped with ice cream, Italian tiramisu, or Mexican tres leches cake.

Obviously, these are just a few of the options available. Check websites like All Recipes, consult with family or friends, or make your favorite handed-down-through-generations recipe. And if you have a great recipe you’re willing to share, please post it in the comments.

Hotel guests in New Zealand wake up with drunk Aussie in their bed

by Katie Hammel on

In more naked news, a couple vacationing in a New Zealand resort town woke up to find an uninvited guest in their room. A 29-year old Australian had wandered in, climbed into their bed, and fallen asleep.

The Aussie had been out drinking with a woman and gone back with her to her hotel room. At some point in the night, he got out of bed – naked – and began wandering the halls until he found an unlocked room. When the couple woke up and discovered the unintentional threesome, the woman ran to the bathroom to hide while her husband called the hotel concierge.

By the time the police got involved, the hotel had given the man a robe and escorted him to the lobby. Since he couldn’t remember which room he’d originally been in and didn’t know the name of the woman he’d been with, the police kindly offered him a ride home. The couple who’d been disturbed opted not to press charges, and no doubt learned a valuable lesson about always locking their hotel room door.

[via Herald Sun]

Retro cocktails and old-school ambiance at speakeasies around the U.S.

by Katie Hammel on

One of my favorite bars in Chicago, the Violet Hour, can be a bit difficult for first-timers to find. There’s no sign, no address, no windows, and upon first glance, no bar there at all. But if you look more closely at the boarded up storefront, you’ll see there is a door. And once inside it, you’ll be transported to another world – one where cell phones are not allowed, where plush curtains absorb the sound of patrons engaged in quiet conversation and candles provide the only light, where it’s “sitting room only” and capacity is strictly controlled, and where inventive cocktails are expertly handcrafted using ingredients like egg whites, rosewater, and homemade bitters.

The Violet Hour is a speakeasy style lounge. The old-timey uniforms of the staff and the novelty of the mystery location provide a gimmick that gets people in the door (once they find it anyway), but what keeps them coming back are the quality cocktails, quiet, relaxed atmosphere and extremely talented staff. Costing $12 each and taking around 10 minutes to make, the cocktails aren’t for those looking for a quick buzz. But for intimate evenings with friends, a romantic date, or just a darn good drink, the Violet Hour is worth searching for.

Along with the Violet Hour, Budget Travel also recommends several other speakeasy lounges around the United States. From Los Angeles to New York and Cleveland to New Orleans, these hip haunts serve up retro cocktails in glamorous throwback settings. You can “party like it’s 1929”, without that pesky Prohibition law.

SkyBar at the Mondrian Hotel

by Mike Barish on

As part of Hotel Month here at Gadling, I’m excited to write about SkyBar at the Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles. Why am I so excited? Because I don’t really stay at hotels that often. I’m more of an apartment renter when I travel. But on a recent trip to Los Angeles, I spent a night at the Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood and enjoyed its best feature: SkyBar. I may not be a hotel guy, but I am a bar guy.

Located next to the magnificent pool (see above) and with an amazing view of the city below, SkyBar is an impressive space. Pillows and couches make patrons comfortable while they sip mojitos and enjoy the scene. It’s definitely an LA vibe, as people dress to impress and crowds gather late into the evening to check each other out, take business and be seen. But the combination of the illuminated pool, city views and beautiful people creates an experience that tickles all of your senses.

How enticing is the scene at SkyBar? I had a meeting scheduled the day I was staying at the Mondrian. I offered to make my way to my colleague’s office but she insisted that we meet over drinks at SkyBar. He response to my email: “I assure you that SkyBar has a lot more to offer than my office!” And she was right.

In the afternoon, you can casually enjoy a drink and good conversation in the cozy space. And as the sun sets and the crowds flock, everything gets sexier.

If you have a chance, grab a room at the Mondrian while you’re at it. The sleek, modern decor meshes well with the vibe at SkyBar. And you won’t have to worry about how you’re getting home after all those drinks.

Overall, SkyBar is impressive while not being overly pretentious. If you’re in LA and need a place to impress some clients, a date or just hang out with friends, SkyBar should be high on your list.

Drinking in Utah no longer for members only

by Tom Johansmeyer on
Four decades after making it difficult to get a drink, Utah realizes that buying liquor involves spending, too. Last week, the state decided to allow liquor to be sold to anyone with a valid form of ID. For the past 40 years, getting a drink has involved becoming a member of a private club – which required an application and a fee.

The cost of tradition, it seems, is $7 billion – the amount Utah pulls in from tourism every year. Officials figure they can add to that number by selling wine with dinner, among other liquors and situations.

You know what … it just might work.

I know a lot of people by liquor in New York, and I vaguely remember seeing people in Boston, Washington and Chicago spending cash on booze, too. It happens from coast to coast, as of July 1, 2009 without exception.

The private club rules that are now assigned to history were not particularly severe, but it’s not hard to see how they could become a pain in the ass. Annual membership fees started at $12, and you needed a separate membership for each bar. Tourists could buy temporary memberships, starting at $4 for three weeks, but they could only bring up to seven guests into a bar with them.

Hotels built the membership fees into their room rates, so they could drink at the hotel bars without fear of misstep. Bars that served only beer didn’t require memberships.

Yeah, you need needed a chart to keep the various rules straight. Now, it’s pretty easy. Belly up to the bar and order yourself a shot!