|
| Home RSS Directory F.A.Q Suggest A Feed Try Custom Feed Sonneries Portable |
Latest Flows from this sub-category: random selection from this sub-category: |
 In my continuing quest to sample all the amazing new gins out there, my search recently led me to Whitley Neill. The slogan says it all: "Inspired by Africa. Made in England." Botanicals beyond the typical juniper include cape gooseberries and the the citrus fruit from the African baobab tree. (If you can't quite picture the flavor of the former, think of the taste of a really aggressive, racy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc--it usually has some gooseberry notes.) As for the citrus fruit from the baobab tree--I've never had that before, though just the mention of that tree reminds me of one of my favorite childhood books: Le Petit Prince. To give a brief history: founder Johnny Neill's family's distilling and brewing links go all the way back to 1762 when his ancestor Thomas Greenall formed a company called Greenall Whitley. Neill was born less than half a mile from the Greenall's family distillery in Warrington, England. His father was Director of the distillery and ran the brewery and his Great grandfather was Managing Director. The Greenall family currently distills Bombay Gin and Bombay Sapphire Gin under licence for Bacardi. Two years ago, independently, and after much research and experimentation with botanicals at a separate distillery, Neill launched Whitley Neill London Dry Gin into the on-trade in London. The company donates 5% of their net profits to Tree Aid, a charity which helps some of the poorest people in Africa secure an income from Trees. They also donate $1.00 from every bottle sold at Hyatt hotels to the charity. It's a great backstory, and a great cause, but the proof is in the pudding (i.e. does it make a good G&T?) Neill claims it makes the best one in the market, and I have to agree that it's damn good. The gin has wonderfully refreshing citrus flavors, which mix so well with (my preferred tonic) Fever Tree (whose quinine, incidentally, is sourced from the bark of a rare tree in Africa...) Whitley Neill has racked up a bunch of awards since its launch, including a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Check the website for more info and cool recipes to try. I'm not sure how readily accessible it is in the DC area, but I'll check and repost... Here is the recipe for the Cucumber White Sangria that I enjoyed the other evening, courtesy of Blue Duck Tavern.
***If elderflower syrup is hard to come by, I would recommend using St. Germain Elderflower liqueur if you have it, or just using simple syrup. The floral flavor wasn't overwhelming, so even though it adds a cool note to the drink, it's not the end of the world if you omit it. Cucumber White Sangria Courtesy of Blue Duck Tavern, Washington, DC 5 slices cucumber 3 oz Sauvignon Blanc (St. Supery or another crisp SB) 1 oz Van Gogh Vodka (or another vodka) 1 oz Triple Sec 1/2 oz Lime Juice 2 oz White Cranberry juice 1/2 oz Elderflower syrup Mix all ingredients and pour into large wine glass. Add ice. Last evening, I had a wonderful dinner at Blue Duck Tavern, located inside the Park Hyatt in DC. Yes, the lovely patio was open, but we opted to stay out of the heat, and instead took a table right by the kitchen. (Calling BDT's culinary space an "open kitchen," by the way, is a major understatement. I felt like at any given moment I could have stepped over, grabbed a saute pan and made my own scallops. Not that I could have done a better job than the chefs, mind you.)
The food was sublime--sauteed crispy softshell crabs, sauteed scallops with fennel and anise, Mettwurst (fermented sausage, new on the menu), fries tripled fried in duck fat (they are the antithesis of "frites," and pretty much looked like mini 2x4s. Delish.), homemade cornbread, and the best succotash I have ever had in my life. And to start off the evening, I tried their Cucumber White Sangria. Anyone who knows me or reads this blog knows that I absolutely cannot turn down a cucumber-based drink. Case in point: I've gushed over Gnome's Water at EatBar, and the Gordon's Cup from Bon Appetit, and anything else I can get my hands on that contains the slender, cool veggie. This cocktail was made with Sauvignon Blanc, Van Gogh vodka, Triple Sec and Elderflower Syrup. It was served in a large wine glass, over ice, with several cucumber slices as garnish. Very. very. refreshing. Run to the Tavern and ask for one. Recently I wrote an article for Cheers about the margaritas topped with salt air (instead of rimmed with salt) at Jose Andres' Mexican kitchen Oyamel in Washington, DC (it's not in print yet, but I'll post it when it is). They are visually striking, and unusually delicious.
To celebrate Spain's La Tomatina Festival, his restaurant Jaleo will be offering tomato-inspired drinks, one of which will have that air garnish. (For those of you unfamiliar with La Tomatina, it's a 63 year-old Spanish tradition that takes place the last Wednesday of August in the small town of Buñol. This epic food fight begins when more than 300,000 pounds of ripe tomatoes arrive to the center of the town at the Plaza de Pueblo. Thousands of people then gather each year to participate in this wild batalla as the delicious seasonal treats become missiles leaving everyone and everything splattered with tomato pulp. You may have seen it sometime in the news--super messy, but it looks really, really fun.) Along with some fantastic-sounding tomato-based dishes, Andres will be offering the Dirty Tomatini topped with tomato air; and the Tomato Mimosa with Tomato Granite. These specials will start on July 28, and continue through August 10. For more info, go to Jaleo's website. Today is Belgium's Independence Day. Why not head to DC's Brasserie Beck for the celebration? From 11:30 AM until closing time at 11 PM, Chef/Owner Robert Wiedmaier’s popular 165-seat restaurant is offering up 18 delicious Belgian draft beers, at half price, ranging from $3-$6 each, to toast Belgian Independence Day. It commemorates Belgium’s anniversary of separation from the Netherlands in 1831, and the formal establishment of the kingdom with the crowning of Leopold I of Saxe-Coburg, who agreed to support the constitution drawn up by the National Congress. This one-day only celebration is Beer Specialist Bill Catron’s brainchild and the “knighted” beer expert is offering up the following beers available in the restaurant, bar and outdoor patio.
Beers featured include the following: Delirium Tremens; Gouden Carolus Ambrio; St. Louis Framboise; Gouden Carolus Hopsinjour; Gouden Carolus Tripple; Gouden Carolus Classic D'or; Kasteel Tripple; Kasteel Donker; Blanche des Bruxelles; De Koninck; Hoegaarden; Leffe Brune; Stella Artois; Bavik; Piraat; Kasteel Rouge; Brigand and Gulden Draak. Brasserie Beck exemplifies a traditional, chic image of old Europe’s Belgium train stations. The spacious bar boasts over 126 Belgian Beers and ten different beer taps, making it the most comprehensive Belgian Beer list in the city and the restaurant recently opened its expansive patio that is also friendly to those wishing to enjoy a good cigar. Brasserie Beck is located on 1101 K Street, NW and serves lunch Monday-Friday 11:30 AM to 5 PM, dinner Monday-Thursday 5 PM to 11 PM, and Friday and Saturday, from 5 PM to 11:30 PM; Sunday brunch is offered from 11:30 AM to 8 PM. For reservations call 202.408.1717 and visit http://www.beckdc.com/ So I was watching Jay Leno the other evening, and he did a segment called "Sold or Not Sold," where inventors looked for markets and distributors for their products.
One proposed product was billed as the "Wine Rack." A little web search led me to their website. I'll let the text on the site tell you what the product does: "Turn an A cup in to double Ds AND sport your favorite beverage for yourself and your friends! Better than a boob job and cheaper too! Not to mention the savings on over priced drinks. Take a bottle of wine, a mixed drink or even a fifth of your favorite hard stuff to the movies, concerts, ball games, even PTA meetings. Sporting a rack that will turn heads and serving a beverage that will have guys standing in line for a sip of your secret stash! With a simple blow into the tube it's easy to keep that full look even as you drink from your secret stash." So basically, you fill this gadget with your favorite beverage, strap it on, and enjoy drinking up to more than a bottle of wine, hands free. And as the beverage depletes, just inflate to keep your rack looking perky. Apparently, there is a market for this product, and it sells for $29.95. Interested? Check out the site. Over the past year, wine bars have been popping up all over in DC and the surrounding area. Coincidentally (or not), many of them start with V--Veritas, Vinoteca, and Vinifera--which can make it difficult to keep them straight.
Never fear. Just refer to my primer in Modern Luxury DC which gives the best of the best of DC's wine bars.  Just wanted to send a virtual toast to my husband Mike. We are celebrating eight wonderful years of marriage today... The other night, I stopped by Vegetate, the vegetarian restaurant and bar in DC's Shaw neighborhood, to sample some specialty cocktails that mixologists Jonathan Harris and Mina Shahriary were whipping up specifically for that evening. (Coincidentally, Metrocurean also stopped by, so we sipped and chatted a bit.)
The first drink I tried was one I covered for my recent article in Modern Luxury DC about floral elements in cocktails--it was cool to finally try it in person. The Scotland Yard uses Noilly Prat dry vermouth, Tanqueray gin, whatever fresh herbs happen to be in Vegetate's garden at the time (included that night were lavender, thyme, basil, lemongrass and cilantro), local cucumber and lime. It tasted (not surprisingly) very herby--pretty much like a fresh salad in a glass. Very refreshing. Next up was the Heirloom Tomato Martini, with Square One organic vodka, Noilly Prat dry vermouth and tomato water. I love tomatoes, and do enjoy a Bloody Mary during brunch once in awhile. But the thickness sometimes gets to me. Mina told me she strained the juice for this cocktail, and while it wasn't as thin as water, texturally it was a big improvement over tomato juice. And the drink had a delightful salt and pepper rim. Since the first two drinks I sampled were savory, I ended the evening with a sweeter choice. Sex on the Mountain has Goji berry infused Square One Vodka, Grand Marnier, muddled local peaches, and Regan's orange bitters. Goji berries lend an earthy/woody flavor to the vodka, which is countered by the sweetness of the peaches. Served over ice, it's a great choice to sip on a hot summer evening. To nibble with my libations, I ordered mini grilled cheese sandwiches, made with sourdough bread, chive butter, Vermont cheddar and bitter greens. Drizzled with balsamic vinegar, these little sammies were the best grilled cheese I've ever had. Yum. This past Wednesday was the first in what Jonathan hopes to be a special monthly cocktail party. For more info, check out Vegetate's website. From lavender and candied violets to St. Germaine and Creme de Violette, a current drink trend this summer is floral components in cocktails. Read about it in my article in Modern Luxury DC.
So I finally got around to whipping up that ubiquitous cocktail found all over cafes in Spain, the Calimocho. For those of you unfamiliar with it, the drink is Basque in origin, and it contains equal parts red wine and Coke, served over ice with a lemon slice or wedge. I had been on the fence about this drink, but my curiosity finally won out.
My verdict? Well, I used some leftover wine we had the night before for dinner, and I think it was a bit too dry in style. It seemed to take away the Coke's effervescence, and the the Coke didn't really add anything to the wine's flavor. Since it's ice cold, it's unquestionably refreshing. Next time I'll try a bottle a bit fruitier in nature, maybe a Rioja or a jammy merlot. For more info on the Calimocho, just Google it. You can also look it up by its Basque spelling, Kalimotxo. So last evening, I was browsing through my copy of Dale Degroff's The Craft of the Cocktail, looking for a recipe to inspire me. This book is filled with really helpful information about cocktails and liquors, and a wealth of recipes both classic and contemporary. Unfortunately, we were missing a single ingredient for so many of them.
I have these tasty dark cherries in merlot syrup from Robert Lambert that have been in my fridge for a month or so. They are somewhat tart, with some spice and deep berry flavor from the merlot, and I've just been dying to try them in some liquid creation. I've always enjoyed a good Caipirihna, the cachaca-based drink from Brazil. Unfortunately, I don't have a bottle of it right now in my liquor cabinet. So last night I substituted rum, and it turned out quite nicely. Here is the recipe: (Variation) on the Cherry Caipirinha Make 1 drink * 3 pitted dark cherries * Half of a lime, cut into small wedges * 1.5 teaspoons brown sugar * 2 oz. light rum Fill a cocktail glass with ice. Muddle the cherries, lime and brown sugar in a cocktail shaker. Add the rum and ice from the cocktail glass. Mix well, then pour entire contents back into the cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. The Robert Lambert cherries added a nice complexity to the drink, balanced by the tartness of the lime juice and the sweetness of the brown sugar. And the drink just looked pretty, too. Since cachaca is a bit more "rough" and rustic than rum, I'm thinking next time I could substitute half rum and half vodka to give it more of a bite. Or, of course, I could also just buy a bottle of cachaca... Happy Fourth of July!  While in Phoenix last week for a Convention at the breathtaking mission/art-deco style, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired Arizona Biltmore, I got the chance to stop by one of the free wine tastings offered at the hotel every Friday afternoon from 5-7 PM (other cool activities included in a hotel stay are make-your-own-s'mores around a HUGE firepit, and "Dive-In Movies" where guests relax on floats in the largest of eight pools and watch movies on a screen suspended by palm trees...) One of the two wines being poured was the 2006 Valley of the Moon Pinot Blanc. A close DNA relative to Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc is a lovely alternative to other crisp whites like some CA Sauvignon Blancs, Spanish Albarino and Pinot Gris/Grigio. This wine had honeysuckle aromas, along with some lime on the palate, and a crisp apple finish. If you are serving seafood for the fourth, this would be a winner. Grapes are sourced both from the Russian River Valley and the Southern Sonoma County, and the wine is fermented in stainless steel. 10% of the wine sees a bit of new French oak, which adds a bit of finesse and body, but the wine overall is crisp and refreshing. A bottle retails for about $13. If you (like me) are a fan of Proof restaurant in DC, you'll be excited to know that you can now enjoy their phenomenal wine list and cuisine al fresco, including the excellent service of Sommelier Sebastian Zutant, as the restaurant recently opened its 50-seat patio.
Chef Haidar Karoum has added several dishes to his menu of small and large plates, including a chilled seafood and hearts of palm cocktail, grilled house-made lamb sausage with cucumber, mint, and feta, and a chilled asparagus and nettle soup served with lemon crème fraîche. Wine Director Sebastian Zutant complements these additions by offering a "Rosé of the Day" for $9 a glass, rotating the wines to offer domestic and international selections such as the Lauderbach, a Syrah from California's Russian River Valley, and the Suzanna Balboa, an Argentinian Malbec. Other summer specialties now stocked in the restaurant's unique Enomatic wine serving system include The Black Chook, a Viogner blend from Australia priced at $9, and the Northern Italian Livio Felluga Tocai Friulano for $12. Zutant has also added a few twists to his inventive cocktail list that are sure to beat the heat. Mixed drinks such as the Coquette, a concoction made with Tanqueray Rangpur, Elderflower, grapefruit bitters, and Zutant's house-made Rosé syrup, as well as the Chupa Cabra, made with Machu Pisco, yuzu sour, crème de violet and fresh lime juice are now available for $11 each. I look forward to trying his Coquette cocktail creation, which sounds fun, floral and fabulous. Cafe Atlantico's Jill Zimorski created a cocktail that evokes the aromas and flavors of a Northern Rhone red, but doesn't contain a drop a wine. Read about it here.
This week, I'm staying at the gorgeous Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix for a (non wine-related) convention. Yesterday it was 114 degrees, though I did get in some much-needed pool time. Posts will probably be spotty at best this week, so if I just don't get a chance to create some, I invite you to go back and look at some old posts you may have missed. I'll pick up the blog next week.
Have a great week! Old Town Alexandria has a new place for French wine lovers to rendezvous. Bar Baudelaire, located on the second floor above bastion French restaurant Le Gaulois Cafe, specializes in French wines (by the half glass, glass or bottle) and petits plats.
I stopped by the other night for their opening (as did a lot of other people...my friend and I must have arrived at the wrong time, because guests were three deep at the bar, and we waited FOREVER for a (not so chilled) glass of sparkling wine. The bartender told us there would be a few minutes wait time on the bubbly, as they had to go grab more bottles from downstairs. Had he told me it wasn't going to be that cold, I would have changed my order to something else.) Anyway, the evening got better from there. We were able to snag a table right by the buffet, and luckily the empty trays and dishes were continually replenished throughout the evening. We had some lovely oysters on the half shell, mini quiches, smoked salmon, pate, shrimp cocktail, etc. etc. While it was delish, I would have liked to sample more dishes from the actual small plates menu--mussels, garlic sausage, calamari, and pureed salt cod. I'll have to head back sometime to taste those. The wine list appropriately has a decent selection of French wines, along with some from the U.S., other parts of Europe and Australia. After my tepid glass of sparkling wine, I opted for a Pinot instead. I was pretty surprised to see the bartender pour a glass of Australia's d'Arenberg, but to give them the benefit of the doubt, they were getting slammed and maybe they just ran out of the French stuff. Le Gaulois has a lovely courtyard that is the perfect spot for a summer evening dinner. After dinner, head upstairs for un verre de vin francais. My friend Neil Smith, owner of Ashburn's WineSmith, will be doing in-store tasting this evening, followed by a special event with the winemaker at Vinifera in Reston. Here are the details:
Vision Cellars owner / winemaker Mac McDonald will be in the WineSmith store on Friday, June 20th from 5:00 - 7:00. Mac makes some of the finest Pinot Noirs (and some outstanding white wines, too) in California. Once our in-store tasting is over we’ll be heading over to Vinifera, the wine bar inside the new Westin Hotel in Reston, to continue the evening with Mac. We hope you’ll join us for this event, which will feature a flight of Mac’s wines (different from what we will be tasting in the store earlier that evening), small plates prepared by the chef of Vinifera, and live jazz! The cost will be $25 per person, and glasses of wine will also be available for purchase. Please call the store at (703) 729-2970 to RSVP. It's sure to be a great event!   Recently, I received an email from Lori Ondaro, whose family owns American Roots Winery: Hello, my name is Lori Ondaro and like so many others I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year for the second time. As my family gathered together, it became clear to each of them their need to find a way to join the fight to find a cure. My son, Jeff Murrell and daughter-in-law, Julie Murrell felt that their contribution should come from what they know best - wine. Both in the wine industry, Jeff as Director of Research at StaVin and Julie, Assistant Winemaker at The Hess Collection Winery in Napa, they put themselves to the task of making an exceptional group of wines that would benefit all those fighting and facing breast cancer. With incredible devotion and hard work, they founded American Roots Winery and have just bottled their Red, White and Blue label wines. A donation of 10% of their total sales are being donated to breast cancer organizations. Any attention you could give our effort to raise money for the fight against breast cancer would be greatly appreciated. Additional information has been attached and I also invite you to view their website at http://www.americanrootswinery.com/ to gather more information about their passion to help "fight the fight". I wrote an article for Wine Enthusiast last October about wineries and wine-related companies who donate proceeds towards breast cancer research, so I am more than happy to support Lori and her family's company. Check out their website for more information and purchasing information. My friends over at the Washington Wine Academy have organized a phenomenal Italian Cellar Tour coming up in October. Led by Jay Youmans, Master of Wine and wine educator, the tour promises to be fun and educational, with the gorgeous Italian scenery in the backdrop.
Jay was my instructor for my Intermediate and Advanced Certificate courses for the WSET. He's extremely knowledgeable, but not at all pretentious. This is a wonderful opportunity to accompany Jay on a tour of some of his favorite cellars in Tuscany, Piemonte and Umbria. You will not only be tasting some great wine pulled from the cellars in Italy, but you'll be enjoying private walking tours, having some really great meals, staying at luxury hotels and much more. For more information, check out this site. I recently wrote an article for the premiere edition of iammodern magazine, geared for moms in Fairfax County. It offers suggestions for wines made in Northern Virginia that are good to sip in the warmer weather. Pick up a copy at select Northern Virginia locations, including some doctors' offices, the Reston Conservatory Ballet and Babies R Us, or read the article here.
 Say "sparkling wine," and New Mexico certainly isn't the first place that comes to mind. But Gruet Winery has been making good bubbly since 1989. They now produce 50,000 cases of a total of seven different sparklers--all methode champenoise--which are distributed in 47 states. I popped open a bottle of their Brut the other evening, and it was just lovely. It has some tart fruit on the nose (green apple and lemon/lime), some toastiness and a long, lingering finish. I'm currently working on an article that pairs sparkling wines with casual foods, and to go along with the "when in Rome" mentality, I think this would be great with some southwestern food like enchiladas. Gruet Brut retails for about $14 and is available at many wine stores in the DC area. Last week I spent an evening at The Source's first floor bar and lounge. This DC-outpost of Wolfgang Puck is connected to the recently launched Newseum. The more formal restaurant is upstairs, but the lounge is also a destination in itself--complete with its own great menu of bar munchies.
The drinks menu is broken down into Classics (Negroni, Sidecar, etc.) as well as specialty (more modern libations). I started with the Cucumber Martini, created with Hendricks gin, muddled cucumber and fresh lime juice, and topped with several thin cucumber slices. Although I always describe cucumber-based drinks as refreshing, and I feel it's becoming a bit cliched, this drink certainly was, with just the right kick of gin. Next was the classic Aviation, made with Plymouth gin, Maraschino Liqueur and fresh sour mix, garnished with cherries. It was a tad floral, and a tad fruity, and very well made. The large and well-conceived bar menu has something for everyone. The Kobe beef sliders had great brioche buns, and a sweet-smoky onion marmalade. Spicy tuna tartare was served in a sesame miso cone--definitely finger food. Pork belly dumplings were substantial, yet the dumpling wrappers weren't at all tough as is often the case with dumplings. Four of Puck's signature pizzas appear on the menu: we opted for the pesto marinated shrimp with sun dried tomatoes and rapini. The thin crust was topped with delicious seasoned shrimp. If you can't get a reservation upstairs, don't worry. The restaurant menu is available in the bar. The bar clientele is very diverse--the night I was there, a group of middle-aged politicos sipped martinis, while a bunch of well-dressed ladies sipped Cosmos (if I had to venture a guess, I would have said they had just seen the Sex and the City movie...) If your blooms (like mine) are drooping because of the current heat wave (my thermometer registered 102 in the shade Saturday afternoon...), consider sipping your flowers instead. Check out my article in the July issue of Wine Enthusiast for some wine styles that evokes a garden stroll.
I went to see the Sex and the City movie this week. I've always been a fan of the TV show, especially when I was working in NYC, and I found the film funny and entertaining--like catching up with old friends.
At the end, the girls toast with their signature Cosmopolitans. They ask why they ever stopped drinking them, and then smartly note it was because everyone else started. The drink has become a bit of a cliche, and its pink color has assured its popularity with mainly the female of the species... If you are a fan (or a closet fan), check out Zola's version. It's made with white cranberry juice to appeal to BOTH sexes. Let's face it: if the cocktail is made properly, as Zola's is, the tart blend of cranberry and lime really marries well with the vodka. And if you haven't checked out the SATC movie, the theater will be a cool respite this weekend, as temperatures in the DC area are going to go above 95. Cheers! |
  |
contact |
All rss from this site
Print this article
Webmasters ! Get this feed on your site