Posts filed under 'Libations'
Looking for a lovely summer wine? Give Portuguese Vinho Verde a try. Translated as "Green Wine" because it is drunk young and never aged, Vinho Verde is slighly effervescent, acidic, citrusy and food-friendly. Flavorista Julie buys this particular bottle by the case and enjoys sipping it over ice.
Vinho Verde tends to be very budget-friendly as well. Trader Joes sells a bottle for $3.49. Several Vinho Verdes are sold for less than ten bucks. Click here for a review of Vinho Verdes from Bon Appetit. I have used Vinho Verde in sangria recipes with great success. Check out this cool wine cocktail recipe; with mangoes, limes, blackberries and an interesting hint of cayenne pepper, it sounds delish.
For an earlier post on Portugese cuisine, including recipe ideas, click here.
July 30th, 2009
Nothing screams summer like lemonade and iced tea. When you mix equal parts of the two together, you’ve got yourself an "Arnold Palmer" or a "Half and Half.". Famed golfer, Arnold Palmer often enjoyed this sip and is thus credited with the creation.
Of course, you could make homemade lemonade but if you haven’t the time or the lemons, store-bought will certainly suffice. Tasty brands include: Odwalla, Simply Lemonade and Newman’s Own. Fresh brewed iced tea is a must for two reasons. First, it tastes much better than the powdered or store-bought varieties of tea. Second, it allows you to control caffeine and sugar.
At Casa Mayone, we brew decaf black tea and mix it with whatever lemonade happens to be in the house. I do not sweeten the tea, so the only sugar comes from the lemonade and no one has caught onto this yet!
June 21st, 2009
We have passed over the Memorial Day threshold which means it is time to put away the porters and stouts until fall. Gritty’s seasonal summer beer is an extra special golden ale, light in color, but still full bodied.
Perfect for picnics, cookouts or happy hour on the deck. Cheers!
June 4th, 2009
Lollie is just a little bit crazy for Shirley Temples, but I am not too crazy about grocery store grenadine, which is little more than pretty, red, sugar water flavored with something that may or may not have once been a pomegranate.
After much trial and error, Lollie and I have come up with a homemade grenadine of which we both approve. It may seem like a lot of sugar, but Rose’s grenadine is little more than high fructose corn syrup. We took advantage of the microwave because preparing the syrup on the stove top cooked out too many flavors of the pomegranate juice. In the end, we did choose to use 4 drops of red food coloring; we did this because Lollie wanted a more vibrant color when the grenadine was diluted in her ginger ale.
For lots of great info on pomegranate juice, including recipes, check out POM Wonderful’s website.
Lollie’s Homemade Grenadine
3 cups sugar
12 oz. pomegranate juice, divided
1/4 tsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
pinch salt
red food coloring (optional)
Add sugar and 8 oz. of pomegranate juice to a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 2 minute. Stir well. Continue to heat and stir and 45 second intervals until all sugar is dissolved. The mixture will be quite hot. With my microwave, the grenadine takes a total of 4 minutes, 15 seconds.
Add remaining 4 oz. pomegranate juice, lemon juice, salt and if using the food coloring. Stir well and carefully transfer grenadine to a storage jar or bottle. Let grenadine cool to room temperature. Skim away and discard any foam. Grenadine should keep for at least a month in the fridge.
Shirley Temple
ice
8 oz. ginger ale
generous splash of grenadine, about 1 -2 tsp.
orange slices and maraschino cherries
straws and drink umbrellas
Fill a glass 3/4′s full with ice. Add ginger ale and grenadine. Stir or shake. Garnish with an orange slice, a cherry and a straw. Drink umbrellas optional, but always appreciated.
April 21st, 2009
Quick, get some before it’s gone! Originally launched only in kegs as a seasonal spring beer, Celtic Ale was so popular that it’s now bottled. It is a medium-bodied Irish red ale with a malty, smooth flavor.
I discovered Harpoon back in my Beantown days. They used to have big parties at the brewery: Fun, super, big beer fun! Ahhhh, "those were the days my friend."
March 27th, 2009
On Friday night, flavorista Julie brought a fun bottle of wine for dinner. I laughed out loud when I saw the label: Mommy’s Time Out Pinot Grigio. Very reasonably priced at $10/bottle, this Italian wine is light and simple, a perfect aperatif wine. Now you know what to bring to the next "Girls Night In."
March 3rd, 2009
Fellow blogger, Kirsten Amann, aka the Undercover Blonde is quite pasisonate about cocktails. She is a founding member of the Boston chapter of LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails), In a recent video post, she demonstrated how to prepare an authentic Pink Lady cocktail. I know what I will be drinking on Valentine’s day.
I’d hoped to post the video, but alas technology was not in my favor, so please click here or here to see Kirsten’s Pink Lady video. Do click on the link because the video is short and informative. I learned two new things that will be featured in future flavorista posts. Please stay tuned for Applejack Brandy and homemade grenadine.
February 12th, 2009
It’s been several years since I’ve been to the Fancy Food Show. I have memories of past shows abounding with gourmet mustard, salsa, flavored popcorn and lots of redundancy amongst international delicacies like cheeses and specialty meats. This year was different. The show seemed to have fewer exhibitors. I was able to walk most of the show easily in 1 day. Top trends observed: Premium tea, nuts, chocolates with interesting spices (thyme, chilies and even dark milk chocolate). Here are some of my top picks:
Yakami Orchard
This was by far one of the most interesting products for me.Sudachi is to lime what yuzu is to lemon. The fragrance on this citrus of Japanese origin was really amazing. I also got to taste real ponzu with no soy sauce added. It will be a few months before these items are available to the home flavorista, but professional chefs will delight in the offerings from Yakami Orchard.
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Dufflet - Chocolate Crackles were a marvel. Created by Toronto’s "Queen of Cake", Dufflet Rosenberg, I was thrilled by this beautiful interpretation of bark. Crisp, crackly and perfectly sweetened. These are now my favorite indulgent treat.
The last four items of note on my list are beverages: Two herbal/aroma waters, a non-alcoholic sparkler and a hibiscus beverage.
Ayala - I have walked by this water a few times in the store as I am just "over" the water category. But Ayala is the antithesis of vitamin water as it is nothing but a pleasantly flavored water with no sugars – just beautiful extracts. I am glad I stopped to try it. I was surprised by how well formulated it was. The flavors were intriguing if not too esoteric, Lemongrass Vanilla, Jasmine Vanilla, Cloves and Cardamom. I don’t how much I would buy it but it was really creative and well crafted.
Ganic Water – Another spring water enhanced with aromas and herbal extract – Ganic is from Germany and very gourmet. With an impressive line of 15 flavors (!) Ganic was one of my favorites – specifically the American Jasmine.
Bionade - A new sparkling beverage with rally unique flavors like Lychee, Herbs, Ginger Orange and Elderberry. Very refreshing without being too complex or too sweet.
Ooba - Normally I would pass on even trying anything with hisbiscus but I was thirsty and somewhat curious. Hibiscus is really high in tannins and antioxidants, but I don’t like the way it tastes. The folks at Ooba have found of way of making an hibiscus extract – using the whole flower, that actually tastes good. While they make some pretty hefty health claims, the flavor is the real reason to try this very unique drink.
January 21st, 2009
On a recent jaunt to the Bay Area, my flavorista friend, Terry, introduced me to the lovely Dona Savitsky who has 3 beautiful dining establishments in the East Bay. I made it to 2 and I am still savouring the best Mai Tai I’ve ever had at her newest estblishment, Flora in Oakland.
The secret ingredient is homemade orgeat syrup. This exlir is made from almonds, rose or orange water and sugar. At my mid-age, I can’t believe I am just learning about this wonderful syrup. Future possibilties abound. A recipe is available at artofdrink.com.
The next day I ran over to Berkekely to try her fish tacos and Mexican hot chocolate at Tacubaya. The food here was delicious, hand-crafted and made with tlc – tender loving care. I met Donna for a brief moment before I experiened her talent as a restuaranteur. She had great training with Reed Hearon who became famous in San Francisco for Cafe Marimba, Restaurant Lulu, The Stinking Rose and Rose Pistola – all wonderfully creative establishments. He is also a great cookbook author. I can’t wait to go back and thank her for her contribution to this Flavorista post.
December 28th, 2008
With holiday cheer abounding, I thought I would mention a value sparkler that stands up well alone or adorned with creme de cassis for kir royales. Zardetto Prosecco is relatively easy to find. I have seen it priced as low as $10/bottle. It is dry, but citrusy, light-bodied and refreshing.
So in a virtual toast, we raise our glasses to you, our wonderful readers: Cheers! May your holidays be full of flavor and delight.
December 24th, 2008
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