Hey everyone! Cupcakes and Cocktails is back from our European adventures. We're inspired and rejuvenated. What a trip it was too...we took our taste buds from Vienna, Austria to Prague, Czech Rep to Munich, Germany to Berlin, Germany ending in Copenhagen, Denmark.We started our journey in Vienna, Austria. Ottakringer Beer was our drink of choice. It is Viennas oldest domestic beer to date and you can find it pretty much anywhere in the city. Naturally, we enjoyed its deliciously crisp and refreshing taste, indulging ourselves at the Roncalli Circus that was set up infront of Rathaus, Viennas Town Hall. While Katie was checking out a Freud museum, I wandered around the corner looking for an ATM and discovered a Cupcake Shop called Cupcake Manufaktur. Our first cupcake sighting! It was exactly what I expected it to look like...a quaint little shop, Parisian inspired with nicely executed wedding cakes adorning the windows. Unfortunately, it was closed. I could see that on their menu, they offered Sachertorte cupcakes, a very old and very famous Viennese culinary specialty.
Katie and I both agree that Prague was one of the most magical cities that we hav
e ever been to. Absinthe is still popular and as you wander the streets of this very old mid evil city, you shouldn't be surprised if you find yourself stumbling into an Absinthe bar. You can order different types of Absinthe and have it prepared for you in various ways. Some of the bars offer cocktails made with the liquor that have clever names attached to them and others only offer it one way...the traditional way. The shot of liquor is poured into a glass. Balancing over the glass is a spoon with an Absinthe soaked cube of sugar. The bartender lights the cube of sugar on fire letting the caramelized sugar drip into the liquor infusing it with a delicious hint of caramel. It doesn't mask the strength of the Absinthe though. I think no matter how experienced a drinker you are, its gonna be hard to stomach Absinthe. I was able to pick up some Absinthe Chocolate which will be pretty awesome incorporated in a cupcake recipe or even one of our cocktails. In this picture of the Pink Lady cocktail, you can see Absinthe chocolate drizzled over the strawberries as a garnish.Our experience in Germany could almost use its own post on our blog given that our time spent there was focused on Oktoberfest! Lowenbrau and Hofbrau lagers are two of the numerous lagers we drank. And for desert, which, to be honest wasn't as important as the beer, I did manage to try some nougat and brittle, as well as toasted and candied nuts. All very delicious!
Our trip ended in Copenhagen, Denmark. Surprisingly, the last point on during our trip is where I had my first European Cupcake. It was in a bakery called Lagkagehuset. This bakery is basically what Portos is to Southern California. They have an off site bakery that outsources all its goodies to their 12 locations throughout Copenhagen. It takes a baker 10 minutes to walk from one side of this massive space to the other. Pretty impressive! Their danishes were to die for; especially the ones with a glob of pastry cream in the center. So with danishes, bear claws, croissants and sweet rolls down, I couldn't wait to try their cupcakes. I went straight for the double chocolate. It was delicious...ridiculously satisfying. The cake is dense and rich and overloaded with mini chocolate chips. The chips, somehow, were layered between the surface of the cupcake and the icing. The icing was a whipped dark chocolate ganache. I'd literally hop back on a plane and fly the 13 hours back to Copenhagen for one of these babies.
As for drinks, we visited the Carlsberg Brewery, responsible for Copenhagens most famous beer brand. Katies first beer ever!... and one of her all time favorites is Carlsberg. Carlsberg is a delicious lager/pilsner with hints of citrus. The brewery also makes Tuborg and Jacobsen beers. My favorite is the Jacobsen Saaz Blond...light and sweet.
Its surreal to be back home, not spending each day wandering and exploring the streets of a foreign city but at the same time I'm excited to use what I've learned in our menus and to experiment with new products discovered. Here is a pairing inspired by this trip:Green Fairy Creme de Menth cocktail paired with a Citric Absinthe chocolate cupcake.
Any tasters!?
