Category Archives: Drink

Irish Red

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I realize that St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone. But since the Irish Reds are some of my favorite beers, I figured I should write about and photograph them while they are still fresh and available. To give props to some of our hometown brewing talent, I decided to do both a local ale and a lager. The ale, Custom Brewcrafters St. Patrick’s Irish Ale. The lager, Dundee’s Irish Red Lager.

My esteemed group of tasters all agreed that the CB ale is stronger and hoppier, but still very drinkable. It has a slightly sweeter smell and taste, with a hint of caramel. The Dundee lager is malty and mellow, not strangely, just as the label states. It has a slightly roasted, nutty, smokey aroma and taste.

Both get my thumbs up, it just depends on your mood. Cheers!

Custom Brewcrafters St. Patrick's Irish Ale.

Ah, the color and bubbles of St. Patrick.

The perfect pour!

Too good to shoot full! (and a very cool label!)

the Ravioli Shop

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I’d heard great things, but had never been to the Ravioli Shop. So off I went to see what I could find for Heather and I to have for dinner. I decided on the spinach ravioli with tomato red pepper sauce. It was a tough call not to get the lobster ravioli. My, that sounds decadent…but we’ll save that for another post! With the addition of the rosemary sea salt focaccia bread I found on display there (all the breads I sampled were excellent!), I headed home to prep. The ravioli came 30 per box, and looked really cool in a sheet. After separating and setting up my leaning tower of ravioli, they cooked up just as directed; 7 minutes, a touch al dente. Some ravioli can be quite thick and heavy, but these were extremely light, fresh and delicious. With the addition of a little shaved parmigiano reggiano, some fresh basil and a nice bottle of chianti, this meal was superb!

The spinach ravioli.

The leaning tower of ravioli!

The spinach ravioli ready, with the anticipation killing me.....

Rosemary and sea salt focaccia bread....Mmmmmmm.

The 2008 Terre Del Palazzo Chianti was a good match.

The Ravioli Shop...go there!

Team Edward vs. Team Jacob

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Hi! It’s Heather. I usually work behind the scenes around here (editing, assisting, baking, etc.), but Rich decided to turn this post over to me. I think the title explains why. Anyways, I’ve never blogged before, so here it goes!

Ok, so Rich brought home some blood oranges, and wanted to create a drink with them, but wasn’t sure what direction to go in. I got to thinking… blood oranges… vampires… Twilight! Seemed like a natural progression to me…

While playing around with different combinations, we actually came up with two drinks we liked. Naturally, I dubbed them the Team Edward and the Team Jacob.

Team Edward: Shake 1 oz. Absolut Los Angeles and 1 oz. fresh squeezed blood orange juice with crushed ice. Strain into a champagne flute and top with chilled Chateau Frank Celebre Rosé. Garnish with a blood orange twist. Light, sweet, and sparkly, just like Edward!

Team Jacob: Combine equal parts Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso vodka, Godiva Chocolate liquer, and fresh squeezed blood orange juice in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake and serve in a martini glass. Garnish with a blood orange half-slice. Dark, sweet, and silky. Yeah, that’s Jacob!

Try them both, and let me know which team you vote for!

The blood orange. Perfect for vampires and werewolves alike.

Team Edward...light and sparkling. Team Jacob...dark and unpredictable.

Absolut Los Angeles, Chateau Frank Celebre Rosé, and blood orange juice.

Chateau Frank Celebre Rosé was a perfect sparkling fit, to keep the sweetness right.

Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso vodka, Godiva Chocolate liquer, and blood orange juice.

Chili Chocolate

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Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but this is one of my favorite types of chocolate. You have to try it. It’s not hot, but does certainly have a touch of chili spice to it, after a quick initial hint of dark chocolate bitterness (only 49% cocoa), and a sweet, silky melt as it lingers in your mouth.

Now enter the Graham’s “Six Grapes” Reserve Port! It’s a non-vintage young wine, but it’s a tremendous value. The aroma of cherries, spice and chocolate are wonderful as the glass approaches. Port is generally strong, as is the Graham, but is fantastically mellow with the mix of the chocolate. The flavors are extremely harmonious, and perfect for relaxing by the fire. Enjoy!

Graham’s “Six Grapes” Reserve Port and chili chocolate.

Holy Flavor Explosion

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Buckwheat honey? Who knew it would be such a good pairing for scallops? It’s fun to mix a lot of flavors that play well together! So, to start out this experiment, we tested the aroma of 4 different sweets to determine which one to drizzle over the scallops – clover honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, and buckwheat honey. We knew we wanted to use thyme with our scallops, so we tried each of the sweet scents along with the scent of that herb, to see which combination would be best. Any would have worked, but the buckwheat honey stood out as a great match; it was dark and rich, and had a bold, intense, almost spicy flavor.

We pan seared scallops in olive oil with thyme, and seasoned with pepper and a touch of salt. We then served them over mashed sweet potatoes. This by itself is a great pairing, but when you sprinkle a little more thyme over them, and drizzle with the honey, it gets even better!

This paired extremely well with the 2007 Hayman & Hill Russian River Valley chardonnay we picked up.  I say that despite the fact that I was originally looking for a buttery chardonnay. The wine was smooth, light on the oak, and with a bit of citrus. If I may say, it was all fabulous!

Buckwheat honey scallops on mashed sweet potatoes!

2007 Hayman & Hill Russian River Valley chardonnay.

Honey,maple syrup, brown sugar.

Pure buckwheat honey!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

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This is just a quick reminder to enjoy everything Irish today (in moderation). I decided to skip the green beer and offer this up instead. Try a nip of your favorite Irish whiskey with a bit of Kerrygold Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey (they blend it right into the cheese!)  A great mix of robust flavors that surprisingly brings about a smooth finish. Enjoy!

The blended whiskey I had would not be my suggestion, given the characteristic burn I felt as I was sipping. (Is that Drunken Lullabies by Flogging Molly I hear in the background?) I suggest you go for a nice single malt. Let me know what your favorite is, so I can try this again!

Kerrygold Irish Whiskey Aged Cheddar, a little crusty bread, and shot of your favorite Irish Whiskey.

X.O.

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Yes, I believe it stands for hugs and kisses. And…..while you probably all deserve hugs and kisses, I think the below pairing might be a good alternative. In fact, presenting this to someone might get you the prior.

Beemster X.O. is an extra aged Dutch cheese. There are hints of butterscotch and nuts to the flavor. Pair it with Spanish carmelized pecans. WOW… I promise you will like this combination!

Since the nuts are from Spain, I suggest serving with a Spanish red. A deeper bodied wine is ok since the cheese has a nice, rich flavor. We chose a Bodegas Ondarre Rioja Reserva 2004. With a blend of 75% tempranillo, 15% mazuelo, and 10% garnacha, this wine was an excellent choice. We actually picked up a touch of vanilla in everything when we tasted all 3 together.

It was so spectacular that we polished of the container of nuts and decided to call the “snack” our dinner!

Beemster X.O. & caramelized pecans.

Bodegas Ondarre Rioja Reserva 2004. Wine Spectator rating 91 points. #58, top 100 of 2010.

Meyer Lemon Ginger Martini

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New York City has such a vivid nightlife that, on one of our trips there, we weren’t surprised to run across an exciting liqueur that was new to us: Domaine De Canton, we were told, after quizzing the bartender. We bought a bottle of this ginger liqueur upon our return home, and then had to come up with something to do with it! After a little mad-scientist-like experimentation, we came up with the Meyer Lemon Ginger Martini.

Rim a martini glass with brown sugar. Place 2 slices of fresh ginger in a shaker and muddle with 1 1/2 ounces Bluecoat American Dry Gin. While any gin may do, the Bluecoat has a nice blend of citrus and juniper. Add crushed ice, 1 ounce Domaine De Canton Ginger Liqueur , 1 ounce fresh squeezed meyer lemon juice, 2 ounces lemon seltzer, and 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar. Shake  and strain into your glass. Garnish with a meyer lemon slice.

Spicy, a touch tangy and a little sweet all in one. Cheers!

The meyer lemon ginger martini!

The splendid ingredients.

the NOLA Margarita

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NOLA. New Orleans, Louisiana. A place storied in history, but Heather & I had never been… until August of last year. We were just there for a long weekend, but got a great glimpse into its fabulous culinary and liquid culture. One place stood out above all… The Green Goddess. During both of our visits to this fabulous little restaurant (yes, it was so good the first night, we went back!), we got to sit at the bar and witness Scotty’s incredible craftsmanship as he made drinks for his guests. He passed along one of his secret ingredients: Steen’s Cane Syrup, the cooked down juice from ripened sugar cane. A dark brown, sticky, sweet, molasses-like goo… yum!

We decided to introduce the cane syrup into one of our favorite drinks, the margarita (which had played a small role in our third date, a Cinco De Mayo party). With the addition of cloves, it’s a wonderful new experience!

Start by letting the cloves marinate in your tequila overnight, one clove per ounce. I suggest 1800 Reposado for its nice, deep mellow character at a fantastic price. The clove-infused tequila will keep for a while, so it’s o.k. to be generous in the amount you make.

Over crushed ice in a rocks glass, pour 1 1/2 ounces of clove-infused tequila (strain out the cloves), 1 1/4 ounces triple sec, 1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice, 1/2 ounce simple syrup, and 1/2 ounce Steen’s Cane Syrup. Stir thoroughly as the cane syrup is quite thick. Salt the rim as desired…..Heather’s with, mine without. Garnish with lime and orange wedges, sit back and enjoy!

1800 Reposado tequila, with cloves.

Fresh limes are a key ingredient.

The NOLA margarita!

Heather enjoying her NOLA margarita.

the Cherry Tootsie Pop

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“Can you please make me a dessert drink with a little caffeine?” Heather asked me. “Sure!”  I said… but hmmm, I thought… what am I going to do now? Thus the discovery of a drink that tastes just like a Cherry Tootsie Pop.

The below ratio works out well when splitting one can of Coke Zero. And… it has to be Coke Zero. It doesn’t work nearly as well with any other cola.

Put crushed ice into a tulip-shaped glass. Add 2 ounces light rum, 6 ounces Coke Zero, and  1/2 ounce creme de cacao, then stir. Pour in 1 ounce grenadine and drop in a maraschino cherry. You should have a nice red glow at the bottom. Garnish with another cherry or two, and enjoy!

The Cherry Tootsie Pop, featuring Coke Zero.