December 31 is the last day to vote for your favorite chef for the prestigious James Beard Award. Nothing like waiting until the last day to put in your nominations!

Please help us ring in the new year with a James Beard Award for Chef Bryan Voltaggio for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic.

To register to vote please go to click HERE

And if you’re in a voting kind of mood you can also vote for the Frederick News Post Top 10 stories of 2009. Vote here

Thank you for participating and Happy New Year from all of us at VOLT

Hilda

Feel good about shopping and dining at your favorite downtown shops and restaurants as downtown businesses
donate a portion of their First Saturday proceeds to their favorite non-profits.

Join us at the bar at VOLT and toast the new year with a glass of bubbly. We will be donating $2 to the Hurwitz Breast Cancer Fund for every glass of rose bubbly bought on Saturday January 2nd.

The Hurwitz Breast Cancer Fund was originally established to ensure that all women diagnosed with breast cancer in Frederick County receive state-of-the-art treatment, by raising funds to help purchase the most advanced technology available.

Click here to view the entire list of downtown shops and their charity of choice.

I’m not sure at what point our little party to watch the last episode of Top Chef turned into a standing room only, by invitation only, vip tickets needed, vips lists, master lists, and “Oh NO!” what are we going to do with that tree in the middle of the yard event.

Up goes the tent

Hey guys - Just got word that the guest list grew by a few hundred people. You think you can extend this tent a bit? Maybe over this little tree over here? Shout out to Dwain from Karly’s Event Rental. I think if it were anyone else they would have kicked me just about now.

TA DA!

And just in case people forgot where they were.

Check out this back bar. How hot is that? Thanks to Julie from Syzygy Events. She worked with our tree trunk in the tent and gave us a back bar to match the tree house motif.

And then, a whole lot of people showed up

How fun was that? A lot of fun. Thank you Frederick for hosting us.

Hilda.

Ginger ale:
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbl spoon fresh grated Ginger on a microplane
Juice of one lemon
250 ml of Sazarac Rye
750 ml filtered 190 degree water

Combine all ingredients in metal bowl and stir. Let sit for 2 hours until cool. Strain through cheescloth placed in a funnel.

Pour half the mix into a 1liter soda siphon, screw top on tight and charge with 2 co2 chargers.

Absinthe foam:
2 gelatin sheets 9×2 3/4 inches
1/2 cup 10x confectioners sugar
4oz Absinthe
2oz emulsified egg whites

Chill an empty ISA cream canister.
In a saucepan take 10oz of filtered water and place over low heat.

Bloom the gelatin sheets in ice and h2o for 5 minutes. Add to hot water. Stir.

Add sugar. Stir.

Cool.
Add absinthe, egg whites. Stir.

Strain through a chinois into metal bowl. Chill.

Pour into ISA canister screw top on and charge twice with no2 chargers.

To construct drink:
Place Ginger soda siphon in a warm water bath for 10 minutes.
Spray 2 1/2 oz of ginger mix in a polished martini glass.
Top with a thin covering of absinthe foam. About 1 1/2 ounce.

Yield: 16 drinks.

Cheers!

Neil C. Dundee