Have a Blue Christmas.

La Fonda Alamo Heights, 6402 N. New Braunfels Ave., is getting into a happy holiday mood by toasting the spirits of Texas. From now through Dec. 23, the bar is offering 12 cocktails of Christmas, each using a Texas-made liquor.

“One of our goals when we purchased the restaurant in March was to upgrade the bar,” says owner Hans White. “A big part of that plan included increasing the number of local vendors we carry. We now boast more than 40 Texas-owned spirits.”

Each of the following cocktails is available as the special of the day, starting with the Peppermint Patty today and carrying on through the Candy Cane on Dec. 23.

• The Peppermint Patty combines the smoky taste of Waco’s Balcones Rumble Whiskey with the cool taste of crème de menthe and a dash of lemon juice. It is served shaken and strained over ice.
• A Snowdrift is made with San Antonio’s own Cinco  Vodka, Cointreau, crème de cacao, heavy cream, and garnished with white chocolate flakes.
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  Merry Christmas

  The La Fonda Alamo Heights Premium Margarita features Texas’ own Pura Vida Tequila, Controy and the restaurant’s proprietary margarita mix.

• The Hot Toddy is made with Garrison Brothers Bourbon from the Texas Hill Country. The bar adds local honey from Bo’s Backyard Honey and fresh lemon juice.
• Hide the Pickle plays off the traditional German holiday game. This is a dirty martini variation made with Dripping Springs Vodka and fresh pickle juice.
• The Holiday on Ice features Ranger Creek Bourbon served simply over ice.
• The Three Kings features a trio of Agave De Cortes Mezcal. It begins with the sweet and salty flavors of the Silver Mezcal, followed by the spicy finish of the Reposado con Gusano, and ending with the smoky vanilla taste of the Añejo.
• Merry Christmas features Treaty Oaks’ Waterloo Gin with cranberry juice, lemon juice, club soda and a fresh cranberry garnish.
• The Hot Buttered Rum features Railean Distillery’s American Rum from the Gulf Coast with butter, brown sugar, spices and vanilla.
• The Blue Christmas is more than a tribute to Elvis. It’s a match of Dulce Vida tequila with a splash of pineapple juice, and blue curaçao.
• The Candy Cane combines Deep Eddy Vodka with peppermint schnapps, white crème de cacao, grenadine and half-and-half. It’s garnished with, you guessed it, a candy cane.

What's on tap for San Antonio Beer Week?

Editor’s note: Instead of a Beer of the Week, we offer news of San Antonio Beer Week, which begins Saturday.

The second annual San Antonio Beer Week gets under way Saturday with plenty of chances for beer lovers to try some new brews as well as an array of tasty pairings with food.

Brewers from Blue Star, the Faust and Freetail will be serving up an SA IPA in honor of the event.

Saturday is also the date that Luke, 125 E. Houston St., is hosting its monthly beer dinner. All of the beers will be from Texas breweries, including Ranger Creek, Real Ale, Alamo, 512, Independence, Franconia and No Label.

Steven McHugh’s menu includes first of the season heirloom tomatoes, crabmeat, basil and balsamic vinegar will be followed by BBQ Texas quail and smoked tasso spoonbread. Pork belly and fried pickles with summer succotash will be served before blackberry buckle and root “beer” float.

Grab icy brew or two during San Antonio Beer Week.

The dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $65 a person. For reservations, call (210) 227-5853 or email jsolomon@chefjohnbesh.com.

Ranger Creek’s Rob Landerman is partnering with Cruzan Catering at Bake, Boil and Brew, 1508 Guadalupe St., for a beer dinner at 7 p.m. May 19. The dinner will benefit Open The Taps, a grassroots, non-profit consumer advocacy group for craft beer enthusiasts.

The courses include La Bestia Aimable with sausage ravioli with basil pesto and Pecorino Romano;  Strawberry Milk Stout with Seared Salmon with Strawberry glaze;  SA IPA with Cranberry Goat Cheese Salad with an IPA-Orange Vinaigrette;  Lucky Ol’ Sun with Jalapeño Citrus Chicken with a pineapple salsa;  OPA with Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin Roulade;  and Mesquite Smoked Porter with Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake.  Extras include Ranger Creek .36 Texas Bourbon and Special .36 Bourbon Gelato from Brindles with Bourbon Truffle.

Cost is  $50. Click here for reservations.

Other Beer Week events include the Independence Brewing Brewluminati seventh anniversary and the tapping of their latest Brouwers Dubbel on May 17 and a Sierra Nevada party on May 18, both at the Friendly Spot Ice House, 943  S. Alamo St.

For more information on San Antonio Beer Week, click here.

Rob Gourley of San Antonio makes a Philly Smash with rye, lime, Averna, simple syrup, berries and mezcal at the Esquire Tavern.

By the time the last drop of vodka had been poured, the last cube of ice chipped and the last mint garnish bruised, the inaugural San Antonio Cocktail Conference could be classified a success.

Adrian Sarabia of San Antonio uses Ranger Creek White in his White and Red.

The four-day event, which included everything from what could affectionately be dubbed “booze cruises” along the river to Sunday brunch, attracted hundreds. Several of the seminars, on topic ranging from ice to making cocktails at home, sold out, all offering the promise of a great future for the event.

The best news of all was the event, planned as a fundraiser for the San Antonio charity HeartGift, raised enough money to pay for the costs associated with the heart surgeries of two children from countries where the proper treatment is either unavailable or inaccessible. The surgical fees are donated by the doctors, but there are costs associated with flying the children in and taking care for them during their recuperation.

Houston Eaves of Austin makes a 3-Piece Suit with Fernet, Campari and Punt e Mes.

Saturday brought a cocktail competition in which more than 30 contestants had to prepare an original cocktail that was judged on taste, presentation and execution. The grand prize winner was John Lermayer from the Florida Room in Miami, followed by Jake Corney of Bohanan’s, which is where the contest was held, and Charles Shelton of Austin.

Lermayer named his winning cocktail Have a Heart and promised HeartGift executive director Cathy Siegel that he would be donating some of his winnings to the charity.

Saturday evening brought a crowd of cocktail lovers to the Esquire Tavern. Along the longest bar in Texas, mixologists whipped up specialty drinks that featured drinks such as Texas spirits, including Ranger Creek White and Tito’s Vodka as well as absinthe, mezcal, the Italian vermouth Punt e Mes, and digestifs such as Averna and Campari. Spray cans of bitters were also used by several to finish off their cocktails.

Wonderful flavors, all, and a great reason to raise a toast to a successful launch of the San Antonio Cocktail Conference.

Sugar and Smoke to open in Fredericksburg

Rebecca Rather

The Pastry Queen, Rebecca Rather, is planning a new restaurant. Her original place, Rather Sweet, has been closed for renovations and will reopen in January as Sugar and Smoke.

She will be teaming up with award-winning Wagyu brisket and steak chef Nicole Davenport on the venture.  “Our mission at Sugar & Smoke is to create dishes sourcing fresh, locally grown products that represent the best Texas flavors and styles!” the website says.

Nicole Davenport

Breakfast foods will include quiche, French toast and omelets, while lunch will bring a half-smoked chicken, pork-stuffed loin and pecan-smoked brisket.

The dessert list will include  pocket-sized key lime pies, tuxedo cake, Italian cream cake, hot chocolate cake, red velvet cupcakes, Big Haired Lemon Tarts, Garrison Bourbon apple pies and tiramisú.

Sugar & Smoke will also serve all of your favorite Beer and Wines as well as a selection of grab and go lunches including wraps, chicken salad, chips, and drinks.

The bakery/cafe will be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday with a Sunday Brunch each week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information visit www.sugarandsmoke.com.

New items at Auden’s Kitchen

In time for fall: Tomato Chipotle Goat Cheese Soup at Auden's Kitchen.

Auden’s Kitchen, 700 E. Sonterra Blvd., has introduced a new menu for the fall and winter seasons.

Tamarind-glazed quail with an Asian sesame slaw, mussels steamed with a local brew and served with fries, garlicky white bean dip with flat bread, and tomato chipotle goat cheese soup are among the small plates on the menu. Large plates include pan-seared salmon with feta polenta cake, Texas antelope and quail, and a seasonal ravioli.

Happy hour is from 3 to 7 p.m. daily with a new bar/patio menu. Snacks start at $4, while house cocktails are $5 and select wines and beers are $4.

For more information call (210) 494-0070 or click here.

Celebrate a new Texas bourbon

.36 Texas Bourbon Whiskey

Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling, 4834 Whirlwind Drive, is celebrating the release of .36 Texas Bourbon Whiskey with a launch party from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26, just after Thanksgiving.

The event will featuring food from Lüke, 125 E. Houston St., including cochon du lait jambalaya, house-made sausages, Ranger Creek OPA-fried chicken, traditional Southern sides and bourbon pecan pie.

You can meet the distiller and have your bottle signed.

The cost is $60 a person, plus tax and gratuity. To make your prepaid reservation, call 210-227-LUKE or email jsoloman@chefjohnbesh.com.

Dady, Rather part of Pyles’ Celebrity Chef Dinner

Jason Dady

Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills chef Jason Dady and Rebecca Rather are among the six chefs who’ll be part of the lineup for the 12th annual Stephan Pyles Celebrity Chef Dinner & Live Wine Auction, which is set for Dec. 4 at Pyles’ flagship restaurant in Dallas.

The event, presented under the auspices of the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas, raises money for the Stephan Pyles Culinary Scholarship.

Pyles will be cooking as well as Renee Morgan from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin, who was the 2011 scholarship winner, David Garrido of Garrido’s in Austin and Nick Badovinus of Neighborhood Services Bar & Grill in Dallas. this is the second time Dady has participated in the event.

A Champagne reception kicks off the evening at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m. Seating is limited and reservations are required. The price is $150 a person (tax and gratuity included). Reservations can be made by calling the Foundation at (512) 327-7555 or by visiting www.winefoodfoundation.org.

According to a press release about the dinner, “The Stephan Pyles Culinary Scholarship is based upon an “Iron-Chef”-style cook-off each spring. Numerous students apply from across the state, and the top three applicants are selected for the challenge; the students must create a three-course menu utilizing a predetermined list of Texas ingredients.”

County Line class canceled

The County Line, 10101 I-10 W., has canceled its November cooking class. The class, which was set for this Friday, was too close to Thanksgiving for so many of the regulars, pitmaster Garrett Stephens said.

We’ll announce the next class as soon as it is scheduled.