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/
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.
Looking for a balanced dessert wine to complement a holiday meal finale? Consider the award-winning Essensia, an intriguing, sweet dessert wine from Quady Winery, in MaderaCalifornia. Quady Winery specializes in dessert wines from muscat varieties. Essensia and another dessert wine Electra are made from the Orange Muscat and can easily accompany or replace a dessert and are best if served chilled.
A seasonal twist featuring the Fine Rums of Martinique from Rhum Clément
1.5 oz. of Rhum Clément Première Canne
.5 oz. of Rhum Clément Créole Shrubb
1 oz. of Cranberry juice
Purée of half of a golden pear
Powdered cinnamon
Method: In mixing glass filled with ice, stir Rhum Clément Première Canne and Rhum Clément Créole Shrubb with cranberry juice and allow to sit for 30 seconds. Rim the cocktail glass with the powdered cinnamon and pour the purée of the pear in the bottom of the glass. Slowly pour the cocktail over the back of a spoon onto the purée of the pear.
What exactly is Bourbon? Bourbon is a uniquely American whiskey made primarily from corn. In 1964, the U.S. Congress recognized Bourbon as America’s Native Spirit. This was about 200 years after the first bourbon went into a barrel. The distillation of Bourbon is tightly regulated and what you see on the label must be exactly what you get from the bottle.
Here are two holiday recipes from Jim Beam, which has been distilling bourbon since about 1795. These feature their newer bourbon, Red Stag, a four year old bourbon infused with natural black cherry flavors. These recipes will also work with traditional Bourbon.
Here is a festive version of the sweet modern martini:
TAZA CHOCOLATE MARTINI 1 ½ oz Vanilla Vodka 1 oz *Taza To Go Liquid Chocolate 2 oz Cream Liquor Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass swirled with Taza To Go liquid chocolate. Garnish with dark chocolate shavings.
*Taza To Go, by way of Spain, is a ready to serve thick and creamy liquid chocolate
This seems like a warm choice for this time of year: Spiced Mulled Cider
2 cups apple cider 1 cinnamon stick 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon Tabasco® brand green pepper sauce ¼ cup Captain Morgan rum Apple slices for garnish
Heat apple cider, cinnamon stick, honey, and Tabasco sauce in 1-quart saucepan over high heat, to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add rum.
Pour into glasses. Serve warm; garnish with apple slices.
