Sparkling, Festive and Affordable

When you think of any celebration, you might hear the sounds of  Champagne corks popping. While others may point out what are the most expensive champagnes, (a nice superlative if you just want to read about bubbly hyperboles), we would like to turn your attention to more affordable (and just as enjoyable) sparkling wines.

Barefoot Bubbly, the recipient of a myriad of awards for sparkling wine for under $20, offers five sparkling wines to suit a broad range of preferences listed below, from driest to a sweeter taste profile:

Barefoot Bubbly Brut Cuvée - your classic champagne; crisp with hints of green apple

Barefoot Bubbly Extra Dry - aromas of ripe yellow apples complementing the creamy texture

Barefoot Bubbly Pinot Grigio Champagne - flavors of citrus and yellow apple

Barefoot Bubbly Rosé Cuvée - aromas of peach and strawberry

Barefoot Bubbly Moscato Spumante - sweet with flavors of mandarin orange

But the best part is that all these Barefoot Bubbly choices are affordably priced at $10 a bottle - so you can have a variety on hand for any celebration or just for the fun of it.

Remember to always serve and drink responsibly 

http://www.barefootwine.com/

Autumnal Cocktails

Caramel Apple

Sleepy Hollow

Two Cool-Season Cocktails from Kanon Organic Vodka

Sleepy Hollow: 

2 oz Kanon Organic Vodka

1 oz White Crème de Cacao

½ oz Half and Half

½ oz Dark Crème de Cacao

Pumpkin Spice Cocoa Powder (see recipe below)

simple syrup

In a plate with a diameter larger than a martini glass pour in enough simple syrup to coat the rim and dip the rim of the glass into the syrup.  Wipe the excess off the outside of the glass with a damp cloth.  Allow the syrup to drip down into the glass.  Put the cocoa powder mixture in a deep dish and coat the rim of the glass with the powder.  Add more powder to the center of the glass and rotate the glass so that all the syrup drippings get coated as well.  Dump out the excess cocoa powder mixture and set the glass aside.

 Add the Kanon Organic Vodka, half and half, and white crème de cacao to a mixing glass, add a few ice cubes and shake.  Strain the mixture into the martini glass allowing the cocoa powder to draw in from the sides along the surface of the cocktail.  Slowly drizzle in the dark crème de cacao so there is a layer on the bottom of the glass. 

Pumpkin Spice Cocoa Powder:  Add 1 tsp of dried pumpkin spice mix to ¼ cup of cocoa powder.

Caramel Apple: 

2 oz Kanon Organic Vodka

½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice

¾ oz Berentzen Apple Liqueur

¾ oz Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)

Cinnamon Sugar (see recipe below)

Put the caramel syrup in a plate with a diameter larger than the martini glass.  Lightly dip the rim of the glass in the simple syrup.  Wipe off any excess from the outside of the glass with a damp cloth.  Hold the glass upside down to allow any excess to drip off.  Then dip the rim into the cinnamon sugar (for a crystalline effect allow it to sit over night…it will look like rock candy).  Add all the other ingredients to a mixing glass add in a few ice cubes and shake vigorously.  Strain into the cinnamon sugar rimmed martini glass and garnish with an apple slice and cinnamon stick.

Cinnamon Sugar:  Add ½ tsp ground cinnamon to a ½ cup of granulated sugar.

Caramel Syrup:  Place 2 cups sugar in a heavy bottom saucepan; add enough water to make it look like wet sand.  Heat on medium heat until the mixture turns a medium amber color.  Remove from heat and add 2 cups of room temperature water and stir until all the sugar is dissolved.  Allow it to cool completely to room temperature.  Slice a green apple and soak the slices in the caramel syrup for at least one hour.

Enjoy and always drink and serve responsibly. 

 http://www.kanonvodka.com/

Four For Dinner, or Lunch, or Supper, or Brunch, or...

Here are two delightful, uncomplicated wines to have with any meal any time you feel like it. California-based The Naked Grape launched this Fall with four easy-to-enjoy wines: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Pinot Noir is a medium-bodied, rich red with flavors of black cherry and blueberry. The Ponot Grigio is a crisp white wine with the aromas of pear, lemon and honey while the Chardonnay is a smooth white wine with aromas of pineapple and peach. The lush Cabernet Sauvignon is full-bodied with the fragrance of plush blackberries.

 These are wines that need no rules and since they are priced at around $9.00 a bottle, neither do you. Enjoy!

www.theNakedGrapeWine.com

Remember--always drink and serve responsibly.

Redwood Creek Malbec

Redwood Creek's Malbec is a delightful red wine perfect for the approaching cooler weather. This medium-bodied wine is bursting with the lush flavors of black cherry, blueberry and dark blackberry fruit, with hints of brown spice and maple after notes. Malbec is a California wine with historic roots in Argentina and can stand up to chowing down by the campfire or dining at a well-appointed table. And at about $6.99-$12.99 for a 750-ml or 1.5-liter bottle, the price is nice and smooth as well.

http://www.redwoodcreek.com/

Apothical

    

Here is a rich, luxurious wine that will  reward your senses with a velvety mouthfeel and smooth finish. Apothic Red 2008 California's Winemaker's Blend is a mix of spicy Zinfandel with smooth Merlot and lush, dark Syrah. There were lighter yields as a result of well below normal winter rainfall and an extended April frost that reduced quantities in many regions of California. But these conditions  were followed by an ideally mild summer and fall meaning the lighter yields and small berries resulted in exceptionally high quality of grapes of complex, concentrated flavors and aromas. Wine lover's will just enjoy the inspired taste of a truly delicious and thoughtful wine. 

 $14 for a 750-ml bottle

http://www.apothic.com/wine.html

Rum Line

When you think of carefree summer drinks, rum comes to mind. Made in Barbados at the legendary R. L. Seale Distillery, Tommy Bahama Rum’s two delightfully distinct flavors, Tommy Bahama White Sand and Tommy Bahama Golden Sun, are both made with the finest blackstrap molasses and the cleanest, clearest water naturally filtered through coral stone. Tommy Bahama Rums are fermented using specially selected yeast imported from the wine-growing regions of South Africa.

Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum is aged a minimum of two years in American white oak barrels. A clear, light-bodied rum, White Sand has a smooth entry and clean finish with hints of tangy, tropical fruit. Tommy Bahama Golden Sun Rum is a blend of rums aged up to ten years in American white oak barrels. A full-bodied, amber rum, Golden Sun has an elegant, fruity nose and a taste nuanced with hints of coffee, roasted nuts, and sweet pralines. Tommy Bahama Rums have no added sugar or artificial blenders.

http://www.sidneyfrank.com/tommy-bahama

Here are a few recipes to get you started:

Corn n’ Oil (Authentic Drink of Barbados and favorite of Master Distiller Richard Seale’s Father)

2 parts Tommy Bahama Golden Sun Rum

2 parts Velvet Falernum

Dash of bitters

Shake and pour all ingredients over crushed

ice into a rocks glass.



Golden Tea

2½ parts Tommy Bahama Golden Sun Rum

1 part St-Germain elderflower liqueur

Sweet tea

In a tall cocktail glass filled with ice combine

rum and elderflower liqueur. Top with sweet tea

and garnish with a lemon wedge.


As always, please drink and serve responsibly.

A Sweet Choice

      If you are looking for an inexpensive but flavorful sweeter white wine to serve with desserts or fruit, you might consider Moscato from Barefoot Wine.

Barefoot’s winemaker Jennifer Wall describes this Moscato as delightfully sweet,  with lush, fruity aroma, full of the flavors of juicy peach and ripe apricots with citrusy hints of lemon and orange that wraps things up with a bright, crisp finish. An easy-sipping wine that is a bit sweeter than their Riesling. That sums it up nicely.

 With a retail price of about $7, you can afford to sweeten things up a bit. Please remember to drink and serve responsibly.

http://www.barefootwine.com/

Handy Wine Buying Guide

Good Better Best by Carolyn Evans Hammond is a handy guide to popular wines. The book is light enough to take with you when wine shopping and includes sparkling wines, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, blends, dessert wines, and many other categories.The references are quick and to the point and will help the novice and more seasoned wine shopper.  The book focuses on bottles priced up to $15.00.

Published by Alpha, a division of Penguin Group. Price: $12.95

A Honey of a Liqueur

Looking for a different liqueur? Bärenjäger, distilled by Schwarze and Schlichte in Westphalia, Germany, has the delicious taste you'd expect from fine honey. It was developed in Eastern Prussia in the late 15th century and is made exclusively from pure, natural ingredients.

This liqueur owes its delicious taste exclusively to a generous measure of Yucatan honey, with no added flavors or aromas. And because it is not fixed on a specific spirit flavor, Bärenjäger is a very versatile liqueur, which provides an excellent base for interesting cocktails and long drinks. It is delectable on its own or drizzled on desserts or in coffee, tea or hot or cold milk. Something a little lighter tasting for the warmer season.

As always, drink and serve responsibly.

http://www.barenjagerhoney.com/home.aspx

Delicate Cherry Plumtini

A little history before the toast--In an effort to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan, 98 years ago, Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo  gifted the United States with 3,000 Japanese Cherry Trees to the city of Washington. 

 Cherry trees were originally planted in Japan for their beauty to adorn the grounds of the nobility of Kyoto as early as 794.  Flower viewing was a social practice the Japanese emulated from China where the imperial households, poets, singers and other aristocrats would gather and celebrate under blossoms.  

  

Gekkeikan Sake Company, Ltd., based in Kyoto, Japan, is the world’s most popular sake brand and was founded in 1637 by the Okura family. With nearly 400 years and 14 generations of sake brewing experience, Gekkeikan, one of the oldest-family operated businesses in the world and one of the most respected names in sake, has proudly been the official sake of Japan’s Imperial Household for almost a century.  Their delightful offerings include 14 sakes and plum wines, including Gekkeikan Traditional, the world’s most popular Junami, Horin, the award-winning Junmai Daiginjo and the acclaimed Zipang Sparking Sake. Have your sake the traditional way or try something new.

Celebrate the Cherry Blossom Festival, which starts on March 27^th , and Spring in general, with this cocktail  from Gekkeikan:

Cherry Blossom Tini (by Allen Katz)

2 ¼ parts Gekkeikan Sake

¾ part Cointreau®

¾ part cranberry juice

¼ part fresh lime juice

2 dashes orange bitters

 http://www.gekkeikan-sake.com/

As always, drink and serve responsibly.

Turning into Spring

    

The winemaker at Turning Leaf, Nicole Hitchcock, has some ideas for pairing wines with Spring repasts.

 
     A light wine such as  Turning Leaf’s 2008 Pinot Grigio  goes  nicely with lamb, poultry [and vegetarian] dishes. Pino Grigio  is refreshing, with aromas of ripe apples and lingering hints of pear. Enjoy with any light fare-from seared scallops with a lemon-butter drizzle to an open-faced, roast chicken breast sandwich topped with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

    Their 2008 Merlot is a natural with dishes like pasta or ham or just about anything else. This Merlot has a fruity and spicy flavor-- luscious and medium-bodied, with the scents and aromas of blackberry jam and black plums-and just a hint of chocolate.

    Both are equally at home on the dining table or toted along on a picnic. At only $8 a bottle, you can choose a veritable basket of Turning Leaf wines and you won’t break your budget. Enjoy! And, as always, drink and serve responsibly.

http://www.turningleaf.com

From Ireland, with Love

 
Two things that might be appropriate in the month of St. Patrick’s Day—Michael Collins and Irish Whiskey. Put them together and you have Michael Collins Irish Whiskey.
Michael Collins, a heroic figure in Irish history, signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, which made Ireland an independent country for the first time in over 700 years. Michael Collins was a visionary who realized that Ireland was poised for greatness. He understood the importance of retaining culture and heritage but knew that as an independent country, Ireland could flourish.


Nearly a century after his death,  Ireland has become the prosperous, economically successful country that Michael Collins envisioned. As a tribute to his efforts, Michael Collins Irish Whiskeys celebrate a new age in Ireland and in Irish Whiskey.

The blended whiskeys are aged for a minimum of four to more than twelve years in small bourbon seasoned casks to ensure a rich, smooth taste-- clean and full, delicately balanced between honey sweet and citrus flavors, with a fresh oak finish.

The Single Malt, matured in specially selected oak casks for a minimum of eight to over twelve years, is well-rounded and complex with a rich maltiness. The long finish has a hint of chocolate and a wonderfully settled smoky flavor from the peat that lingers on the palate.

Have a toast to St. Patrick and to Ireland. And as always, drink and serve responsibly.
http://www.michaelcollinswhiskey.com

A Smooth Drink to Make Your Day

Chivas Regal 25 recently hosted a VIP reception and served signature drinks, such as “The Outlaw,” in honor of Clint Eastwood’s (pictured with Morgan Freeman) western movie roots. Guests had the opportunity to partake of Chivas Regal 25 – an ultra luxurious Scotch that is only available in limited release and features hints of rich chocolate, orange, and fondant creaminess, and a smooth, long finish.

How to make “The Outlaw”—

4 blackberries

2 oz Chivas Regal

3/4  oz lemon juice

3/4  oz simple syrup

3/4  oz cranberry juice

Muddle Blackberries in a pint glass. Add all spirits and mixers. Shake and strain over fresh ice in an old fashioned glass or large rocks glass.

As always, drink and serve drinks responsibly and with good sense. 

Redwood Creek: Robust and Delightful

                       




If you are looking for an easy-priced wine to enjoy without a lot of fuss and ceremony, consider Redwood Creek Wines. This California Winery makes a point of saying their wines are rich and flavorful and more at home on a mountain top than a table top. But that doesn’t mean the taste isn’t delightful and pleasing. Choose from a velvety Merlot, a crisp Pinot Grigio, a citrusy Sauvignon Blanc or a medium bodied Chardonnay and rich Cabernet Sauvignon. Or perhaps a refreshing and lovely White Zinfandel to hurry Spring into the garden.

We tried the Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc and found both to be very pleasing and comfortable with a variety of foods. On the table outside as well as in.
                                           http://www.redwoodcreek.com/

Quarter Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Here is a fine way to enjoy Laphroaig, the singular single-malt Scotch Whiskey distilled on the Scottich isle of Islay. Laphroaig (La-froyg) Quarter Cask was inspired by the small casks often used for Scotch Whiskey in the 19th century and frequently moved across the Glens by packhorse.
As the industry grew, the small casks fell into disuse – bigger and more cost effective barrels became the norm, for maturation and transportation.
But there is a critical relationship between the barrels and the maturing spirit-- the small cask size allows up to 30% more contact with the wood compared to some of the larger sizes used today, so the maturation process is intensified.

The folks at Laphroaig decided to recreate some of the Quarter Casks and the flavors they produce and then transferred some still maturing Laphroaig from their larger style barrels into the Quarter Casks.

The additional oak influence creates a soft sweetness and velvety feel when first tasted, then the intense peatiness so unique to Laphroaig, comes bursting through. The finish is very long and alternates between the sweetness and the peat. The award winning family of Laphroaig Whiskies includes the rich, pungent 10 Year Old to the smooth and exceptionally rare 40 Year Old.

All of the Laphroaig fine spirits  have  200 years of loving care distilled into their very essence. Enjoy and savor them with care--slowly and responsibly.

http://www.laphroaig.com/qc/index.htm

http://www.laphroaig.com/

Wine or Chocolate? Wine AND Chocolate!

Valentine’s Day often brings about a small dilemma—present your beloved with a gift of delicious chocolates or a bottle or two of delectable wine?   Nicole Hitchcock, Turning Leaf Winemaker has a suggestion—why not couple the  chocolates with wine? Here are some of her pairing suggestions to give chocolate a new significant other.

Dark Chocolate, paired with Turning Leaf’s 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
  o  The richest of all the reds, this wine boasts notes of vanilla and brown that perfectly complement   the bitterness in darker chocolates.

Milk Chocolate, paired with Turning Leaf’s 2008 Merlot
   o  The fruitier character in this Merlot brings out the natural, bright flavors in classic milk chocolate.

White Chocolate, paired with Turning Leaf’s 2008 Chardonnay
   o  A twist on the common red wine & chocolate pairing, the acidity level in drier whites, such as Chardonnay, cuts through the sweetness of white chocolate making for a more balanced bite.

Sounds interesting and this is an idea we have been seeing more frequently—pairing chocolates with wine or fine spirits. It certainly is a way to please multiple zones of your beloved’s (and your) palate.
  
                                                http://www.turningleaf.com/

Ardently Ardmore

In a fine single malt scotch whiskey, the Color is what you notice first. Even from across the room you can see the burnished gold of the Ardmore Traditional Cask Scotch gleaming in the cut crystal glass. Next to consider is the Nose. The aroma is full-bodied and smooth with underlying complexity of the Highland peated malt—earth but not overpowering. The taste fulfills the promise of the other senses. Full-rich flavors fill the mouth with a  creamy peat tang and a kiss of the softness of vanilla….full, succulent and long. The Traditional Cask Scotch from the Highlands of Scotland is lovingly created by the Ardmore Distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. Ardmore has  been distilling the finest highland malt whisky since 1898.

Visit their site for a journey back in time and into a present that respects the proven methods of the past. “We insist that all Ardmore expressions use the aromatic smoke from natural, highland peat fires to dry our barley. We are now the only Highland distillery that insists on fully peating our standard malt and we will never change. The fermentation vessels we use are crafted from Oregon pine. It is true that they are more labour intensive but they impart a flavour that stainless steel vessels (now widely used) can never give.”

“Our traditional methods also extend to maturation. Traditional cask is double fermented first in the usual oak casks but then a second time in much smaller hand crafted “Quarter Casks” they were common a hundred years ago but have been largely ignored due to their high cost of construction. This intense secondary maturation gives the deeper smother flavour our whisky is renowned for.”
http://www.ardmorewhisky.com/en/index.aspx
  
Ardmore has won many Gold medals, including one double gold medal, three gold medals, one silver medal and a best-in-class (at the prestigious IWSC).
And Ardmore is giving back. They sponsor the RSPB (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) efforts to reintroduce the East Coast Sea Eagle, helping to finance a project that will release 15 wild, Norwegian Sea Eagles back into a natural habitat which they inhabited until persecuted to extinction in the 1800’s. The White-Tailed Sea Eagle is Europe’s largest bird of prey.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/projects/eastscotlandeagles/index.asp

These singular single malt Scotch Whiskys have a taste that is  complex and multi-layered. Enjoy the warmth and flavor, but do so conscientiously. Always drink, and serve drinks, responsibly.