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French Country Ale

Published by Matt January 7th, 2007 in beer and reviews. 0 Comments

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We’ve got a great local bar in Ybor City, Tampa, “Barley Hoppers”, that we don’t visit enough. On our first visit, a few years ago, I was impressed with their large selection of quality draft beers; they have around 50 beers on tap at any given time. Plus, they serve one of my favorite brews, Chimay. But once we started exploring the uncharted waters of the bars taps, my wife and I have discovered quite a few very good beers that we may not have experienced otherwise.

St. Amand’s French Country Ale is one those great finds. The beer is a nice bargain at $6.99 for a 750-ml bottle. It pours a nice dark amber with a full head. The aroma is earthy yet sweet-smelling, very malty with a touch of fruit and it has a nice full body. The combination of strong malt and yeast flavors gives a taste not unlike cookie dough and the fruit kicks in mid-sip with peach and cherries being the most distinguishable. The finish has a slight touch of hops. This is not a bitter brew, but a rich and distinctive drink that is very enjoyable. The alcohol level is 5.9% so you may want to share the big bottle with a friend…or not. Either way, you’re getting a Belgian-style beer (it’s actually brewed in France near the Belgium border) at a great price.

Welsh Rarebit - A New Year’s tradition

Published by Matt January 2nd, 2007 in recipes, beer and food. 1 Comment

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Around New Year last year my friend Ryan sent an email to a bunch of our friends that included a recipe for Welsh Rarebit. My wife and I made it on New Year’s day last year and we enjoyed it so much we made it again on New Year’s day 2007 . We plan to make it a tradition! Like many things, the origins of the Welsh Rarebit seem to be hazy and perhaps even a little shady. Apparently, in the 17th and 18th centuries, “Welsh” was used in England as an adjective that meant “inferior.” It was a slur of sorts. “Rarebit” was originally rabbit. So the name implied that the Welsh were not up to the challenge of snaring a rabbit, or couldn’t afford to buy it, and would have to substitute this dish of cheese and toast instead. Whatever it all meant, I’m not sure it matters now. If you love cheese and beer, this dish is right up your alley.

My wife decided to research Welsh Rarebit recipes on the web to see what kind of variations are out there. In the end, being a huge Alton Brown fan, she settled on his recipe that’s posted at foodtv.com. The result was delicious. Guinness beer, mustard, cheese, and Worcestershire combine to make a very rich and savory dish that’s quick and easy to make.
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

2 T unsalted butter
2 T all-purpose flour
1 t Dijon mustard
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 cup porter beer
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 ounces (approximately 1 1/2 cups) shredded Cheddar
2 drops hot sauce
4 slices toasted rye bread

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, being careful not to brown the flour. Whisk in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add beer and whisk to combine. Pour in cream and whisk until well combined and smooth. Gradually add cheese, stirring constantly, until cheese melts and sauce is smooth; this will take 4 to 5 minutes. Add hot sauce. Pour over toast and serve immediately.

Evan Williams Holiday Egg Nog

Published by Matt December 30th, 2006 in bourbon and reviews. 2 Comments

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There really isn’t a better holiday gift amongst co-workers than booze; I will fight to defend that statement until my alcohol-induced rage subsides and the stress of the holidays melts away. But, seriously, you aren’t giving anyone something that they feel obligated to hang on the wall or display in some fashion. And if they don’t drink it, well, then they can just regift it and move on… And no one is the wiser. So when I received a bottle of Evan Williams Holiday Egg Nog, from a fellow employee, I was downright tickled; the Evan Williams is a product of Kentucky’s Heaven Hill distillery and I am originally a Kentucky boy. I took the bottle home to Kentucky for Christmas to share with the family.
I’ve always loved egg nog. And, I’ve always loved bourbon. So Evan Williams pre-mixed egg nog seemed like a great idea to me. With so much to do around the holidays, something quick and easy is a God-send. The bottle claimed that 7 year old bourbon and brandy was used. I poured the drink and topped two with nutmeg and two with whip cream and nutmeg. The drink was rich, creamy and full of vanilla and caramel flavors. It was very sweet, but egg nog is supposed to be dessert-like. The the egg nog is best cold, since the drink’s alcohol burned a little at room temperature.

All in all, the egg nog was excellent and definitely worth the price: free!  But regardless of the price, the Evan Williams Holiday egg nog was an excellent alternative to making your own spiked egg nog. So although my family has multiple “nog” recipes (one with bourbon, one with only brandy), this is a fantastic and easy option for those looking for a holiday pick me up.

Blue Moon Martini

Published by Matt December 28th, 2006 in recipes, vodka and cocktails. 0 Comments

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Earlier this year, we celebrated my brother-in-law’s twenty-first birthday by spending the day in Orlando. My wife and I went with her brother, two sisters, and one of their boyfriends, Fred. Somehow during the course of the day we ended up at the Mall of the Millenia after lunch and while the ladies shopped their little hearts out, us boys found the “Blue Martini” lounge and planted ourselves at the bar. My brother-in-law doesn’t really drink, but Fred and I were determined to have him at least try a couple of cocktails to make the passage to “being official” official. Soon enough, we were rejoined by the ladies and for the second round and my wife ordered the “Blue Moon Martini”.
She liked it so much she copied the ingredients from the martini “menu” and we have since recreated the recipe for this fruity and refreshing cocktail.

Blue Moon Martini

Vodka - 2 parts
Watermelon Pucker - 1 part
Blue Curacao - 1 part
Pineapple juice - splash
Sour mix - splash

Combine all the ingredients with ice. Shake hard and pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with pineapple.

Recommended listening for the Blue Moon Martini…The Cowboy Junkies

I like to say that the Cowboy Junkies are neither cowboys or junkies. They’re a Canadian band mostly consisting of siblings that have blazed their own style of music that blends rock, alternative, country, and folk. The perfect song kicks off the album: “Blue Moon Revisited”.

Rusty Nail

Published by Matt December 21st, 2006 in recipes, scotch and liqueur. 1 Comment

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Here’s a nice, simple highball drink for those who like to keep it quick and simple. And no, despite the name of the cocktail, you won’t feel lockjaw setting in after consumption…of one. The Rusty Nail is a very Scottish drink since its only two ingredients both originated in Scotland: scotch and Drambuie. My favorite single malt Scotch is Glenmorangie (the current bottle in our bar happens to be Glenmorangie’s Port Wood finish). It was slightly distressing to mix this wonderful Scotch with anything but ice. But, for the sake of you, dear reader, I mustered up the courage, muttered a prayer of forgiveness, and began pouring. I was told to pour the scotch first since it’s lighter than the Drambuie and sequencing the lighter liquid before the heavier liquid mixes the drink better. Just about every Rusty Nail recipe has a different ratio of scotch to Drambuie, so you’ll have to experiment to find the right balance for your taste buds. The drink is ultra smooth with the refined scotch being sweetened with Drambuie’s honey toned flavors. This is a nice option for those who don’t care for scotch on the rocks. Not to mention, a nice change of pace from the usual. For this reason, I recommend that every bar stock a few unique liqueurs, like Drambuie, to help mix it up every once in a while.

My Rusty Nail was:

2 oz. of Scoth (Glenmorangie Port Wood finish)

1/2 oz. Drambuie

Pour the scotch into a highball glass filled with ice. Then mix in the Drambuie. (I added a lemon wedge to garnish.) Enjoy!
Recommended listening for the Rusty Nail…Scottish Brit-rock from Travis:

Travis is one of those bands that leaves you wondering why they didn’t make it huge. They occupy rock territory somewhere between Coldplay and Oasis. Harder edged than Coldplay and less attitude and ego than Oasis. Their songs are instantly catchy and emotionally grabbing. Highly recommended.

Young’s Old Nick: Barley wine style ale

Published by Matt December 18th, 2006 in beer and reviews. 1 Comment

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I know, I know…more fire and brimstone! Why do I keep finding great beers with a satanic theme? Is it a morbid curiosity with the dark side? Or, have some brewers decided that too many fantastic beers are brewed in monasteries and want to balance things out? The label has the evil one staring straight at you, surrounded by a ring of burning flames. Scary stuff for a barley wine beer.

The Young’s brewery is located in South London. It’s been going strong since 1581, and happens to be the oldest brewery in Britain. Now on to the mischievous beverage. The beer pours a dark ruby red, brownish color with a tan head. The bouquet is full of caramel, tart fruit, and roasted, sweet malts. Notwithstanding the 7.2% alcohol level, little alcohol aroma was apparent. The flavor was strong with pear and plum accents with a hint of caramel, toffee, and roasted malts. Old Nick finishes with a mild bitterness that’s offset by the sweet malt and caramel that came before the end.

By the time the bottle was empty, I had a devilish grin and a satisfied, warm feeling. Hopefully I finished the beer with my soul still intact and will live to drink another day…

MMX:Festive Cocktails - Naughty or Nice?

Published by Matt December 11th, 2006 in recipes, vodka, cocktails and liqueur. 3 Comments

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mm-10.bmp Here we are again. Another “Mixology Monday” already. This time around the theme is “festive occasion” for obvious reasons and I decided to provide two options: naughty or nice. So depending on which list of Santa’s you’ll think you’ll land, you can still enjoy an appropriately festive cocktail.

First up is the D’Artagnan cocktail. This is the nice one. For all you do-gooders, the D’Artagnan cocktail is a nicely balanced champagne cocktail that incorporates some classic flavor combinations.
The D’Artagnan is:

1 tsp of brandy

1 tsp of cointreau

3 tsp of orange juice

1/2 tsp of simple syrup

Combine these ingredients in a shaker with ice to chill. Then pour into a flute glass and top with champagne. Garnish with an orange or lemon peel.

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Next up is naughty. This is the decadent choice. It doesn’t get much more indulgent than a mint chocolate martini. If you’ve been naughty all year then you’re probably used to treating yourself, so why stop now? Here’s how I did it.

The Mint Chocolate Martini is:

1 1/2 oz. of vanilla vodka

1 1/2 oz of creme de cacao

1/2 oz of creme de menthe

I started by garnishing the rim of a martini glass with peppermint crumbles. Then I swirled chocolate syrup around the inside of the martini glass. The rest is simple. Combine the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into the garnished glass.

That’s it. And if your wondering which list I think I’m going to be on, the answer is neither…I don’t believe in Santa Claus :-)

Drambuie

Published by Matt December 10th, 2006 in recipes and liqueur. 1 Comment

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On a recent trip to visit my grandmother she asked if I was interested in any of the seemingly hundreds of bottles of liquor that my grandfather had stockpiled over the years. It appears that my grandpa preferred collecting alcohol over consuming it. I suppose that’s healthy, but after looking through the cabinets, closets, and cupboards with my wife and grandmother, I starting thinking that this may have evolved into an accidental obsession. We found every kind of liquor under the sun, from bourbons, whiskeys, and scotch to rum, gin, vodka, and cognacs. There were also many, many bottles of specialty liqueurs, most of which I had never seen before. I imagine the oldest bottles were many decades old. When my grandmother noticed my interest of a bottle of Drambuie, she offered it to me.

I was excited to finally give Drambuie a try. It’s not like its hard to find, I just hadn’t gotten to that part of my drinking ‘to do list’ yet. But since the liqueur seemed to randomly fall into my lap, I just assumed it was destiny. Speaking of which, the history of Drambuie is once seemingly rich with destiny. When Bonnie Prince Charlie was fleeing England in 1746, he made his way to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. There he was given sanctuary by a Scottish Captain named Mackinnon. Upon leaving the captains’ estate, the prince gave him the secret recipe for Drambuie. The liqueur consists of aged malt whiskey with honey, herbs, and spices. Like another special recipe (yes, I’m referring to Kentucky Fried Chicken :-) ), it’s the blend of herbs and spices that is closely guarded. The recipe has stayed in the hands of the Mackinnon family who waited until 1910 to start commercially producing the liqueur and until 1980 to actually begin advertising it.

The liqueur is certainly sweet, due to the honey; much sweeter than bourbon. It has a unique feel. It’s mellow and smooth. You can easily pick out the ingredients. It tastes just like whiskey, honey, herbs, and spices should taste blended together. It was actually a little too sweet for me, but when I tried two recipes from the official Drambuie website I began to appreciate how well the liqueur works with other flavors.

Drambuie Press:

1 1/2 parts Drambuie with club soda and a splash of lemon-lime soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.

The Libertine:

This is simple, just muddle 3 or 4 lime wedges in the bottom of an old fashioned glass, fill with ice and pour the Drambuie.

Both drinks turned out nicely. The Press was light and very refreshing. Similar to a Crown and 7 but with more complexity and depth. The Libertine won me back to the liqueur by just adding lime. That extra flavor was enough to offset the the ultra sweetness of the honey and make for a nice warm highball.

Immaculate cocktail

Published by Matt December 5th, 2006 in recipes, cocktails, rum and liqueur. 2 Comments

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Posting a cocktail recipe with the name “the Immaculate” was not intended to coincide with the Christmas season or the fact that we just passed the first Sunday in Advent, it just happened to work out that way. Was it coincidence? Was it Divine intervention? Are there greater things at work behind the scenes? Or is this just another cocktail you should be sure to add to your repertoire? Maybe its all of the above. It is interesting that I couldn’t find any info regarding the “conception” of the cocktail… But regardless of your personal theological beliefs, I think that once you try making one, you will certainly enjoy its brilliant blend of subtle flavors, and perhaps more appropriately, feel more relaxed and thankful at this time of year. Maybe that’s after two immaculates…

The Immaculate is:

2 oz. of light rum

1/2 oz. of amaretto

1 oz. fresh lime juice

1 oz. fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp of sugar syrup

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and savor!

Samuel Smith’s organic beers

Published by Matt December 1st, 2006 in beer and reviews. 0 Comments

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Nowadays, we see ads for organic this and organic that, sold at Wild Oats or Whole Foods or in the growing health food section in your regular, run-of-the mill grocer. The organic label is supposed to give us a sense of comfort about our food. It’s meant to reassure us that the ingredients used are grown free of pesticides, artificial fertilizers, sludge, radioactive waste, etc. It also means that they are processed sans additives and ionizing radiation. I had heard of organic wines before, but hadn’t been cognizant of in companies producing organic beer until I passed by an end cap in my local Sweetbay grocery store and saw Samuel Smith bottles labeled as such. I had tried Samuel Smith’s porter and stout before with some friends in Michigan (you know who you are) and was very impressed with the quality of the beer. So I thought it’d be interesting to try a lager and ale from the same company and the fact that the beer was organic made it even more intriguing. So I grabbed an 18.7 ounce bottle of each.

I prefer ales, so I started there. The Samuel Smith ale didn’t have much in the way of aroma. The flavor was nice and full. The beer was full of competing flavors of malt, grain, sour apples, and even a hint of pineapple. It was a nice blend of tastes, with a slightly hoppy finish to balance things out. I couldn’t honestly attribute any of the good flavors to being organic but the brewery, as expected, is definitely producing a high quality ale.

Next up was the lager. Honestly, I have a slight bias against lagers since many have a tendency to be bland and difficult to distinguish from one another. The aroma was no exception. There wasn’t any to speak of. The taste was fairly bland and boring. Not a bad beer but it certainly didn’t stand out for any reason; and it certainly didn’t warrant paying for a premium beer. Organic or no, I’d stick with the ale. Taste-wise the organic didn’t really didn’t seem to impact the flavor or impart anything that I could identify to the beers. So all in all, I’ll stick with the regular beer until I come across an organic beer that tastes organic (whatever that means) - and is worth the price.
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