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