Photo: Netflix
Television has evolved over the years from adhering to schedules to the freedom to watch anything at anytime virtually anywhere. So if your planning to hunker down with some friends and bust through a series, why not make a whole night out of it?
Each month we meet up to binge through an acclaimed series, whip up some awesome boozy cocktails, and create a delicious meal!
WHO ARE WE?
Parker Boase – writer, mad scientist, party host, and co-founder of Liquid Lab NYC, (New York’s premiere mixology events company, specializing in menu design for Bars and Restaurants, Mixology Classes, and Custom Cocktails)
Gregory Lucas – Cocktail master, 1/2 man 1/2 bear, 1/2 pig, night lifer, & Co-Founder of Liquid Lab NYC (same as above; @LiquidLabNYC)
Chef Sam Caucci – navy vet, evil genius, master of perogis, king of culinary
Each month we will be making delicious custom cocktails inspired by the show we are binging and share the recipe with you to easily make at home. Sam will be showing off his culinary skills with unique but simple recipes also inspired by our show of choice
WHAT ARE WE WATCHING?
Netflix’s GLOW (Season 2) – We were big fans of season one so this binge was a breeze, especially considering the episodes are only 30 minutes long its an easy show to binge through. We welcomed back the “Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling” with some awesome new recipes inspired by the 1980’s.
A little bit about the show…
(We won’t get into too many specifics but MINOR SPOILERS ahead)
GLOW is the story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, a rag tag group of women who basically show up to an audition not really knowing what they were in for. Most of these ladies had absolutely no wrestling or athletic experience. Which is kind of meta considering that many of the actors on GLOW most likely dealt with the same issue in real life.
From the mind of Jenji Kohan (Weeds, Orange is the New Black), and loosely based off the true story of GLOW (see the fascinating Netflix documentary of the same name) the main story revolves around Ruth (Alison Brie) who (in season one) is a struggling classically trained actress who has trouble breaking into Hollywood because everyone finds her boring and “sweet.” Ruth’s desperation is what makes her such a fascinating character and how she drives the show. Along side her is a zany cast of characters who are each assigned a wrestling persona in season one which for the most part play into a racial or societal stereotypes. With Season 2 they turned the camp level up to 11, but also make some intelligent commentary on how playing into those stereotypes can be quite harmful. (See “Welfare Queen’s” side-plot, who is actually a professional wrestler in real life, fun fact for you!)
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Theres also the tension between Ruth and her jilted ex-bff Debbie (Betty Gilpin), who hasn’t really forgiven Ruth for sleeping with her hubby/baby daddy but they are forced to work together playing foils in their wrestling personas: Liberty Belle, who’s as American as apple pie (to a generally obnoxious level), and Zoya, who’s a Soviet stereotype (think of a sexier Yakov Smirnoff)
Debbie hits a metaphorical brick wall this season adjusting to divorced life and has some great scenes to herself dealing with that. The show has strong themes of trust, teamwork, and general girl power moments all over a 1980’s backdrop, with plenty of jokes, tension, and one really weird episode towards the end of the season that plays like a 80’s LSD dream sequence, but I wont spoil that one for you.
With all of that out of the way, Lets get into the fun stuff!
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
When approached with a show revolving around the 1980’s we started to brainstorm on quintessential 1980’s cocktails. To be honest the 1980’s were a pretty bleak time for cocktail culture, everything got really sweet, and cosmic colors, and full of fake concentrated juices. We call these the dark ages.
However we thought it would be fun to play into that style and do our light twist on a classic Mudslide. Our version of the “Classic” is strong and beautiful, just like the ladies of GLOW.
About a “Mudslide” – The Mudslide was invented in the 1950’s in the Cayman Island’s (allegedly) at Wreck Bar but didn’t gain its huge popularity until the 1980s. Its still a staple at wacky tacky bars around the world, so its maintained its place in the cocktail zeitgeist. Full disclosure, it’s a bit of guilty pleasure for us and we’ve had some really amazing twists on them. I still have dreams of the Frozen Irish Coffee at Erin Rose’s in New Orleans.
In inspiration of GLOW we’re calling it…
THE SUPLEX SLIDE
2 Scoops Praline & Cream Flavored Ice Cream
2.0 oz. Bourbon
*We used Buffalo Trace, one of our favorites to mix with
2.0 oz. Kalhua
2.0 oz. Bailey Irish Cream
3 Dashes of Chocolate Bitters (if available)
Garnish: Orange Slices, Mint, Edible Flowers
RECIPE:
Using your most aggressive blender..
Add all ingredients (Bourbon Kalhua, Baileys, Ice Cream, Chocolate Bitters)
Add enough ice to where the ice is about 3 inches higher than the liquid
Blend on High until you achieve a thick but creamy consistency.
Execution is up to you, I recommend either a large stemmed wine glass poured over large ice cubes (as I did in the photo), a Hurricane Glass is also a great choice!
Garnish with 2 slices of Orange and a sprig of mint for aroma and a hit of color, I had some edible flowers on hand but those are optional as they can be a bit hard to find.
WHAT ARE WE EATING?
Again, in deference to GLOW, I wanted to do something delicious (obviously) but with some flair to tie into the boldness of the 1980s. So we bring you…
CHOKESLAM CRISPY CHICKEN SANDWICH WITH NEW WAVE FRIES
I took your average crispy chicken sandwich with an avocado spread and spicy slaw and power bombed it with some funky “New Wave” fries with gravy and cheddar cheese sauce.
*The ingredients list is a bit extensive but the payoff in the end is worth it.
For the crispy chicken sandwich:
2lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
8 Pack of buns
2 Cups of flour
1 Quart of Buttermilk
2Tbs Herbs de Provence
1 Quart Grapeseed oil
Salt to taste
For the avocado spread:
2 Haas Avocado
2 limes
1 Garlic Clove
Olive Oil
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste
For the spicy slaw:
1 Head of Green Cabbage
1 Head of Radicchio
2 Jalapenos
1 Medium Red Onion
Salt Pepper to taste
For French Fries
5lb Bag of Russet potatoes
1 Quart Grapeseed oil
Salt to taste
For the brown gravy:
2 Tbs Unsalted Butter
2 Tbs All-Purpose Flour
1 Quart Beef Stock
2 Thyme Sprig
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Bundle of Green Onions
For the cheddar cheese sauce:
2Tbs Unsalted Butter
2Tbs Flour
2 Cups of Milk
2 Cups Shredded White Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Directions for Avocado Spread
Cut Haas avocados in half and discard the pit, cut avocado into chunks for easy blending. Toss in your garlic clove first into your blender and blend until minced well. Throw in your avocado chunks and juice from two limes and blend.
Sprinkle in a few pinches of salt and pepper, and your pinch of Cayenne. While that is blending, open the top of your blender and slowly incorporates the olive oil until the avocado spread is smooth and reaches your desired consistency. We will be adding a portion of this to the slaw later. Set aside in a bowl and leave in the fridge until you are ready to use.
Directions For Spicy Slaw
Slice the head of cabbage into thin shreds and toss into a bowl. Slice the radicchio into shreds in the same thickness as the cabbage and toss into the cabbage mixture. Slice thin round pieces of the jalapenos and then toss those in with the cabbage mixture. Then, incorporate 2 tablespoons of the avocado spread into the slaw mixture and adjusting the mix with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside in the fridge.
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Directions For Crispy Chicken Sandwich
In a frying pan over medium, pour in enough grapeseed oil so that it reaches about halfway on the sides of the frying pan. Set the range to medium heat so you do not get the oil too hot. Keep an eye on the oil so it does not get too hot. Try using a cooking thermometer to test the temperature.
In a bowl, pour in two cups of all-purpose flour; season the flour with Herbs de Provence. In a separate bowl, pour in the quart of butter milk and season with Herbs de Provence. For the chicken thighs, cut off any fat and tendon and cut the thighs into medium size pieces that would fit onto a hamburger bun.
To coat the chicken thighs, place them into the buttermilk. Take each piece separately and coat in the flour mixture evenly. Press the coating on each piece so that the breading will create delicious crispy bits. Continue this process until all pieces are coated. For frying, test how hot the oil is by taking a piece of the breading and placing it into the hot oil; if the breading crisps up nicely, you are ready to fry the thighs. Place three thighs at a time in the pan and let each side become golden brown. Make sure you only flip the thighs one time to allow even cooking.
Place the thighs on a drying rack or a plate with paper towels to alleviate any excess oil.
Directions For New Wave Fries
Peel and cut potatoes into long even batons and place in a bowl of cold water. This will slow the oxidation process down and take away any excess starch from the potatoes. In a frying pan, coat the pan with enough oil similar to the amount used for the chicken.
Once your oil is ready to go, remove the fries from the water bath and place onto a sheet tray with paper towels drying all water from the potatoes. Toss the fries into the oil and fry until golden brown, when done cooking, place them in a bowl and sprinkle a good amount of salt to coat the fries.
Directions For Gravy
In a small pot, slowly melt two tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is melted, pour in two tablespoons of flour and whisk vigorously to prevent any clumping.
When the butter and flour are mixed, the texture should be similar to a paste. Then, pour your beef stock slowly into the pot. You will whisk this all together until you have a quart of beef stock.
The gravy should thicken within 3-5 minutes. Season the gravy with minced thyme and salt and pepper. Set aside on the stove on low heat.
Directions For Cheddar Cheese Sauce
In a small pot, warm 2 cups of milk. In a separate small pot, slowly melt 2 tablespoons of butter. When butter is melted, pour in your 2 tablespoons of flour and whisk vigorously so the mixture makes a smooth consistency and no clumps form. This is what we call a roux.
Then slowly pour in the warm milk, a single stream will work and whisk to make a smooth sauce. Once all the butter, flour and milk are together, let that cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. After the 2-3 minutes, you can pour in your shredded cheddar cheese and combine it to make a decadent cheese sauce.
Assembly:
On the bottom bun, spoon on the avocado spread with an even amount; place two chicken thighs on top of one another.
Then the slaw goes on top followed by your bun and your spicy chicken sandwich is made!
Place a heaping amount of fries on a plate, pour your gravy and cheese sauce all over your fries and garnish with thinly sliced scallions (green onions) and bam! Your funky fries are ready to go and now you can sit back and binge Season two of GLOW on Netflix. Bon Appetit!
We hope you enjoy your binging experience, and especially hope you enjoy our recipes. Please Binge Responsibly. Stay tuned for more shows, more booze concoctions by @LiquidLabNYC (Check out our Instagram), and more delicious bites from Chef @Samuel_Caucci
