Cocktails and Mad Men - maybe I am missing out

Being in the marketing field, my friends and colleagues are aghast that I don't watch Mad Men on AMC. I don't watch much TV, but I'm inspired to give it a go - especially with this suggested list of cocktails to go with the show, courtesy of Food and Wine:

http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/tasting-room/2009/08/13/A-Mad-Men-Viewing-Party

Does your bartender hate you? Maybe . . .

Neat article from Derek Brown to remind us about being better bar patrons.

http://food.theatlantic.com/mixmaster/why-bartenders-hate-you.php

The Moscow Mule - another Ginger Drink Delight

I've loved ginger beer since I was in college and enjoyed it for the first time at a place called Eats. Eats opened the same year I moved to Atlanta, and became an instant weekly stop for Emory students who coveted their cheap prices on pasta, jerk chicken and other comfort fare.

Their jerk chicken was sinus-clearingly spicy, but became a real experience when paired with their super-charged imported ginger beer which sent flames up the afore-mentioned sinuses. Since I was relatively good kid, the Jerk Chicken+Ginger Beer combo was my idea of the ultimate rush at the age of 18.

When I have TV and cocktail night on Friday's, I am not looking for a rush. I do enjoy a tasty beverage though. I discovered a cocktail recipe for something called the Moscow Mule in Bon Appetit magazine (who knew they did cocktails). It's basically Ginger Beer, Vodka and lime. Simple, straight forward and an appropriate rush for this spice-hound. I enjoyed a couple of these while catching up on Knight Rider the other night.

Check it out on Bon Apetit.

Person Over Board

Last year, when I was at this little hotel beach bar in Hope Town, a picturesque little harbor town in The Abacos, I enjoyed a delightfully sinful cocktail with just three little ingredients. As I sipped two of them down (a little too quickly), I thought, “surely I can remember this recipe and make this when I get home.” My memory of that day goes into a fog beyond that notion so I remembered neither the name of the drink nor what was in it. Luckily, I found myself at the very same bar (at least I remembered where it was) and knew the drink as soon as I saw it on the painted drink menu board on the wall.

The P.O.B. (Person Over Board) is an aptly (and politically correct) named mixture of Southern Comfort, Myers's Rum and just enough pineapple juice to keep you from coughing up the first two ingredients. This time I only had one, but as it followed two cocktails at another beach bar 30 minutes earlier, this drink was promptly followed by a 3 hour nap as I could safely set myself down without fear of falling over-board myself. I don’t recommend this cocktail near water or work associates you don’t want to know better.

The Big Ginger

This one is dangerous. My friend Alex turned me on to this today
during happy hour at a local Irish mega pun called, ironically, The
Local. It is 2 oz of Jameson topped of with Ginger ale, lemon and
lime. Don't loose your pants.

Atrea "The Choir" Rhone Blend

This wine is beautiful and well balanced.I love white Rhone Valley wines.
This is from Mendocino California but, it's good!

Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio

	I don't remember who have this to me, but I enjoyed it. Light grapefruit and a little green on the nose and a smooth finish. Held up to bring resealed for a few days to boot.

When Sangria goes crazy

I recently had a little party celebrating my 33rd birthday - I called it "The Power of 3" as all my major events have stupid names. The vague reference to the TV show Charmed was lost on most folks.

The menu was Mexican themed (loosely) and was originally to feature three drinks - one of which was a Mexian version of Sangria called "Agua Loca". It goes down smooth - too smooth as many of my guests discovered as they stood up to walk home (most all of them lived in the neighborhood, so I was not enabling reckless activity.

It's a ballsy punch of rum, vodka, wine and enough fruits and juices to fool you into thinking you're drinking something healthy. Here's a link to the recipe.

Mark Bittman provides a Rosetta Stone to sours

I love Mark Bittman's "minimalist" approach to food and drink. Here he's providing some guidelines to making many of my favorites - definitely a reference resource I'll come back to often.

http://www.nytimes.com/export_html/common/new_article_post.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2008%2F06%2F25%2Fdining%2F25mini.html%3Fex%3D1372132800%26en%3D23a472e09a6f22a7%26ei%3D5124%26partner%3Dpermalink%26exprod%3Dpermalink&title=Add%20a%20Splash%20of%20Ad-Lib&summary=Master%20the%20pattern%20for%20sour%20drinks%20and%20you%20can%20mix%20hundreds%20of%20cocktails%20at%20home%20without%20a%20book%20or%20recipe.&section=The%20Minimalist&pubdate=June%2025%2C%202008&byline=By%20MARK%20BITTMAN

Chateau Gabaron bordeaux blanc

	Bought this because it was $11 and the name was similar to my middle name. Its tart, grassy and a bit sour. I won't be repeating but I will save the bottle.

The Veritable Caipiroska

Just got back from Mexico where I was doing some damage to the pool-side bar tab drinking Caipiroskas. I never see them on offer here in the states, but it's like a hard lime-ade made with vodka, muddled lime and sugar.

I made this one at home with Stoli Blueberi, lime, sugar and a splash of sprite. It's bascially a Caipirinha with with the vodka in place of Cachaça so it ends up being less complex but thoroughly refreshing.

14 Hands 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

14 Hands 2005 Cabernet from Washington state. Light fruit blackberry and smooth tannins. Very good.
-DM

Bite and Chew: Mango Batida - Cachaça your fruit, folks.

Bite and Chew: Mango Batida - Cachaça your fruit, folks.

J.J. Müller 2005 Liebfraumilch

I can't pronounce it, but I sure can slurp it. Label says it pairs well with spicy foods so I tried it last week with a Spicy Penne with Shrimp and Mint recipe. I usually take about 4 days to finish a bottle of wine. I put this one down in 2.

Flavors of Pear, Apple, a touch of citrus and round butterscotch notes. Off-dry.

Charles Shaw Nouveau Valdiguie

Another slurpable varietal of 3-Buck-Chuck that is positioned as a cheap and easy alternative to the Beaujolais Nouveau. I agree with the review at Box Wines on the flavor and found this to be good swill to swallow with dinner the last couple of days. Simple, fruit-forward and pleasant, but nothing ground-shattering. But what do you expect for $3 - it's better than most of the other Chucks I've choked down. Note to self to try a Gamay Noir as it's probably the same thing.

Limoncello blu martini

1 oz of limoncello
1 oz blueberri Stoli
1/2 oz cointreau

Shake over ice and serve with a twist and squeeze of lemon and a splash of Sprite.

Great apertif for a classic Italian meal. Knocks your sox off to boot!

-DM

History of Breweries in Minnesota - great MPR story

I heard a fascinating story about Minnesota's Beer history on Minnesota Public Radio - they have photos on their site and a recording of the broadcast segment.

Joel Gott 2005 Zinfandel

Yum yum! Chocolate, fruity smooth and rich. Sublimy jammy and sip worthy.
-DM

Wine shopping journal - 12/15/07 - Hennepin Lake Liquors

I should have skipped Surdyk's and gone straight to Hennepin-Lake to do my holiday wine shopping. They had more of the items on my "wines to try - best bargains" list that I culled from my Food and Wine 2007 Wine Guide (it's a year old and starting to go out of date), and generally better prices. Having to use cash or check is a pain as is navigating those narrow aisles, but the deals were great. Here's what I bought:

Boony Doon Vin Gris de Gigare - Rose 2006 - $12.95
Carmen Camenere Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005 - $13.95
Dry Creek Vinyard Sonoma County Fume Blanc 2006 - $10.99
Argyle Willamette Valley "Extended Tirage" Sparkling Wine 1996 - $32.95 (in very limited supply and this is an incredible price - sorry I only bought 2 bottles)
E. Guigal White Cotes du Rhone 2005 - $10.95

Still trying to find the following:

Vinum Cellars White Elephant 2004 (California)
Oops Camenere Rose 2006 (Chile)
EQ Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (Chile)
Boony Doon Vinyard Le Cigare Blanc 2004 (mimics a much more expensive Chateauneuf du Pape)
Sea Smoke Pinot Noir (California)
EDGE Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (California)
Frederic Mabileau Les Ruoilleres 2004 - St. Nicolas de Bourgueil (Loire Valley)

Punta Final Malbec - not so "green"

I'm on a mission to better understand Malbec. Went to Toast Wine Bar in the Minneapolis warehouse district and tasted a delicious, smooth and complex Malbec from a label called Punta Final (Medoza Provence, Argentina). The server/barkeep told us that she generally doesn't like South American wines as they tend to be "green and vegetal" whereas this one was different and among her favorites It was delicious with my polenta with Parmesan cheese and roasted mushrooms. Even better with a slice of pizza with pesto, olives and cheese.

There is a divergence of opinion on this wine depending on the year but it will be on my list when I return.