The World of Cocktails - Trends that we hope last a little longer

When temperatures start to rise, what better way could there be to enjoy summer than with a cool drink, colourfully garnished for visual appeal and with plenty of ice. So once you’ve found a place in your favourite bar, you can settle down for the hard part. Shaken or stirred? The famous question from the James Bond films was yesterday. Today, our barkeeper Hans Höfer reveals the hottest cocktail trends of the summer season and those we hope will be trending for a little while longer:

Barkeeper Hans Höfer

For the Adventurous: Fresh Herbs and Spices

What has long been commonplace in the kitchen can now be found in cocktail mixers: fresh herbs and spices in fruity cocktails. Adventurous barkeepers are reaching for basil, ginger, thyme and sage to create a trend that not only tastes good, but is healthy as well. The reason is that herbs contain many valuable substances like minerals, trace elements and chlorophyll. 

For the Hard-Bitten: Booze Infusions

If you’re the sort of person who only uses a teabag when you have a cold, then you’ve obviously never heard of the latest trend: Booze infusions. Take a common or garden teabag and let it steep in vodka or gin. Topped with lime juice, ginger ale or cucumber, there’s no better way to cool down on hot summer days. 

For Real Royals: Sparkling Wine Cocktails

Cocktails with sparkling wine or champagne are once again at the top of the summer hit list. And as well as the famous Kir Royal, there are plenty of new flavours to be enjoyed. Purée some fresh berries and then top up the mixture with champagne. And if you like, you can also add a dash of spirits to the fruity drink. 

For Hotheads: Lemonade Cocktails

Admittedly, lemonade cocktails are not really cocktails. But if we follow the definition that a cocktail is a mixed drink made of two or more ingredients, then lemonade cocktails certainly deserve a place on our list! As real all-rounders they offer refreshment on hot summer days and also provide the body with liquids. How about a homemade elderberry or lime and ginger lemonade? Simple recipes that you can try out at home can be found on chefkoch.de.
 

Cocktail Happy Hour @ U-ONE Bar 
Every day between 10.00 p.m. and 11.00 p.m. you can enjoy all cocktails for just EUR 5.10!

Extended Due to Popular Demand: Vegan Barbecue at the ARCOTEL Kaiserwasser!

On 7 June 2014 we launched this year’s BBQ season with a vegan barbecue evening. In response to popular demand, we have now scheduled an additional three dates for all friends of vegan cuisine: From July to September our executive chef Johann Schwarz will again be heating up the grill on the first Saturday of every month.

A variety of vegan hors d’oeuvres will be served before things get hot around the char grill. With everything from marinated seitan steak, Asian vegetable and tofu skewers, and veggie burgers vegan guests too will now be spoiled for choice. The barbecue is rounded off by a large selection of summer salads and fresh side dishes, while the view of the Alte Donau from the terrace invites diners to enjoy their meal under the summer skies.

Vegan Barbecue
5 July, 2 August, 6 September 2014 | from 6.00 p.m.
EUR 38.00 p.p. incl. All-U-Can-Eat Buffet
Parking in our underground car park subject to availability

Reservation
T +43 1 224 24-866
E restaurantuno@arcotelhotels.com
www.restaurantuno.at

We look forward to seeing you at the ARCOTEL Kaiserwasser!

MYSTERY SURROUNDS A MURDER IN VIENNA’S HISTORIC CITY CENTRE

As a child I loved brainteasers. I simply couldn’t get enough of puzzles, playing hide-and-seek in the garden or going on treasure hunts. And that hasn’t changed much since I became an adult. So I was all the more thrilled when I received an invitation to the Vienna City Hunt for my birthday. A dangerous decision, as it would turn out …

Together with two friends, I set off to the historic centre of Vienna on a Friday afternoon. It was pouring with rain, but that didn’t spoil our mood. We were too excited about the prospect of tracking down our suspect. Arriving at the operations centre of the local police headquarters – a typical Viennese coffee house near St. Stephen’s cathedral – we got to know our team of investigators and were given the file about the cold-blooded murder.

Once we had the details of the operation and had been given an emergency phone number in case we should run into any problems, we went straight back onto the streets and took up the trail through the centre of Vienna. But tracking down the perpetrator was no easy matter! The more witnesses we found, the more confused their statementsappeared to be. But although the investigation became increasingly difficult, we eventually managed to put the facts together correctly and identify a perpetrator.

Back at the operations centre, we reviewed the hunt with the other teams and treated ourselves to a cup of steaming coffee as we were soaked through.
We can definitely recommend it. A tricky challenge for young and old, and one where you have to demonstrate your logical thinking skills.
 

http://www.cityhunt.at/
An article by Claudia H.:

ARCOTEL Wimberger is Celebrating 20 Years "Colourful as Life"

The "Wimberger" has always been at the heart of the action. And that hasn't changed since 1870. Because whenever people gather to celebrate life, the hotel has a long tradition of joining in the party. In 1874 the Viennese hotelier Karl Wimberger became a pioneer in the field of Viennese event culture, when during the carnival season he recommended the "luxurious, comfortable and newly furnished function rooms" on the first floor of his new hotel "for small parties, balls, weddings and club evenings".

But competition was fierce. At the same time, the Sophien-Säle, the Künstlerhaus, the Blumen-Säle and last but not least, Schwender's Colosseum were already regularly hosting the legendary "Monstre-Masked Ball" that dominated the festivities in the imperial capital alongside more aristocratic balls. Nevertheless just a few years later, one of the leading Viennese folk singers, Carl "Shall we drink another bottle of wine" Lorens, described the popular carnival revels with the following words:
"At Gschwandtner and Stalehner / We get to know each other, / At Wimberger the party goes on / Always light-hearted and gay."


Over the years the hotel thus became the venue for an unusual mix of political and cultural gatherings, masked balls and military music concerts. So it can definitely be said that the Hotel Wimberger has a tradition of grand festivities and reconciling differences.
And that didn't change much after ARCOTEL Hotels took over and revamped the hotel. Or do you know any other hotel in Vienna where hungry visitors to an Anna Netrebko concert would run into participants from the Tattoo Convention Vienna at the Restaurant WIMBERGERs wia z'Haus and then spend the rest of the evening dancing together to rock music until the early hours?

On 30 April 2014 we again proved that the ARCOTEL Wimberger can still celebrate legendary festivities in style. To mark the occasion of our 20th anniversary we invited some 100 guests to an evening full of magic. While magician ChristianChristian whisked guests away into a world of illusion, executive chef Peter Lerner conjured up a delicious 4-course meal. Guests danced until the early hours to rock and soul classics performed by the Betty Blue band and whiled away time reminiscing as they took a walk down memory lane.


Photos of our anniversary celebration  

A Culinary Puzzle …

Every year when wild garlic comes into season again you know that it won’t be long until another culinary favourite is back on the table again.
It can be green or white, thick or thin, long or short. You can boil it, grill it, steam it, mash it or fry it.
Have you guessed which seasonal vegetable we are talking about?
We’ll give you one more clue: For those of you who are counting calories, it is THE vegetable par excellence.
You’ve probably guessed by now. The vegetable behind all these facts is asparagus!
There are countless ways of serving asparagus apart from in the well-known fashion with potatoes and sauce hollandaise. If you fancy trying something different, you can use asparagus to make risotto, serve it as soup, make a sauce out of it or use it as an ingredient in a refreshing salad.
If you would prefer someone else to do the cooking for you, then dining out at our WIMBERGERs wia z'Haus restaurant is doubly rewarding at the moment. Our current menu not only includes the universally popular asparagus, we’re also offering fresh strawberries creatively prepared by our kitchen brigade to bring out their full flavour.

Follow this link to get to our seasonal menu

BBQ Tips and Techniques from an Expert

Award-winning chef Johann Schwarz shares his secrets
 
It’s finally that time of the year again: Spring has come and is enticing us to come outside with balmy temperatures and fresh spring air. The first rays of sun also herald the beginning of the barbecue season, for whether you fancy fish or meat, food never tastes better than when it’s fresh off the grill.  

Award-winning chef Johann Schwarz offers some valuable tips and techniques to guarantee that your BBQ is a resounding success:

·        Fresh herbs are indispensable for a barbecue! Rosemary and oregano go well with beef and lamb, while marjoram and thyme go really well with pork. Poultry is best spiced up with sage. But don’t forget: the best way to get that perfect flavour is to leave the meat to marinate for a couple of hours.

·        Personally, I swear by a good old fashioned charcoal grill. The charcoal grill gives the meat its characteristic smoky flavour and creates that convivial barbecue atmosphere.

·         But be careful! It is essential that you get the charcoal to the right temperature! At the correct temperature of approx. 200°C the meat will become tender and lose less juice.

·        Everyone who has ever barbecued is familiar with the problem: Stomachs rumble but the charcoal simply won’t get hot. The solution is a chimney starter. This practical device will shorten the time you have to wait before you can start grilling and at the same time ensures that the charcoal is lit evenly.

·        And finally, guys, you’re much better off enjoying your beer straight away instead of pouring it over the meat. For a start, this dramatically reduces the temperature of the barbecue and secondly it churns up the embers and releases harmful particles that then stick to the food.

Our executive chef recommends …

Have you invited friends for a meal but don’t know what to cook for them? Have relatives said they are coming to see you on Sunday and you want to offer them a fantastic meal as well as the pleasure of your company?
If so, we’ve got the perfect solution!

Creamy veal goulash with gnocchi 
Serves 4 

Ingredients:
1 kg veal (shoulder cut)
200g onions 
2 tsp paprika powder (sweet) 
1 tbsp. tomato paste  
250 ml whipped cream  
20 g maizena
125 ml white wine  
Salt, pepper, 1 bay leaf 
1/16 litre oil (to brown)

Gnocchi Dough:
300 g flour (sponge flour) 
3 eggs  
150-200 ml milk (depending on the consistency of the dough) 
Salt, pepper, nutmeg 


Preparation:

Cut the meat into bite-size cubes and dice the onions. Heat the oil in a pan and then lightly brown the onions. Stir in the tomato paste, add the paprika powder and deglaze with wine. Add water. Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper and leave to simmer for approx. 15 minutes. Add the meat, stew until tender over a low heat for approx. 90 minutes. Remove the meat from pan when tender. Add a little cold water to the maizena and stir to a smooth paste; add to the sauce. Put the meat back into the pan and briefly heat again. Season with salt and pepper. 

To make the gnocchi dough, mix the eggs with the flour and milk, adding a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg to season.
Bring salt water to the boil and press the dough through a sieve. Boil until the gnocchi float to the surface. Quench with cold water so that they do not form clumps. Melt butter in a pan and toss the gnocchi in it. 
Serve and enjoy!

The ARCOTEL Wimberger Vienna team wishes you BON APPÉTIT!