I’m not quite sure where the year went but the holiday
season is upon us once again. I’m not sure if it’s part of the theory of
relativity where the closer you get to the “end’ of your personal movie, the
faster time flies or if I’m simply a natural Grinch who doesn’t like making
merry but I’m also always for spreading cheer as in “Kanpai”, “Okole Maluna”,
“Chin Chin” or “Slainte”. And nothing like a cocktail puts more cheer into the
holidays!
Bubbly Perhaps?
Nothing says celebration like a chilled bottle of
sparkling wine or specifically, Champagne. That naturally produced Pinot Noir,
Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier based wine which retain carbon dioxide via
secondary bottle fermentation says “celebration” whether you’ve just won the
World Series, have just recited your nuptial vows or simply are welcoming the
incoming New Year. And depending how “fat” your holiday wallet is, you can find
a nice bottle of “real” Champagne starting from $25 all the way up to… well,
the sky’s the limit! While most of us may splurge with a $49 bottle of Veuve
Cliquot with that classic orange label, I’m sure Jay Z pops a $300 bottle of
Ace of Spades whenever Beyonce sneezes. And whether you liberate your wallet of
$49 or $300 for a special bottle of bubbly, it ultimately might be worth it if
you’re just with your special someone. But what if your whole posse is in
attendance? Even $25 per bottle can seem costly if you’re popping a case of
bubbly.
That’s where my favorite effervescent Italian bubbly
comes into play. Think Prosecco my friends. Named after both the grape variety
(it’s also known as the Glera grape) and the village of origin, this lighter
bodied sparkling wine usually with a hint of sweetness is very cost effective at
about $11 per bottle on sale. So it’s great on its own as an aperitif before
meals, paired with lighter cuisine and because of its lower cost, great with usual
Champagne based cocktails.
The classic Bellini with peach puree added to sparkling
wine was originally created with Prosecco as the sparkling wine in question.
But there’s no reason why you can’t substitute Prosecco for Champagne for your
Mimosa’s, Kir Royale’s or Aperol Spritz. In fact like Champagne, Prosecco pairs
with virtually any fruit puree, fruit maceration or whole fruit as the acids in
the wine balance the acids in fruit highlighting the natural fruit flavors.
A Kiss from
Provence
1 tbsp gin
1 tbsp lavender syrup
4 ounce Prosecco
Lavender syrup
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
1 & 1⁄2 cups water
2 tbsp dried lavender flowers
1 tbsp Herbes de Provence
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the lavender syrup, bring the water and sugar to a
boil, remove from heat then add the lavender flowers and Herbs de Provence and
steep for 45 minutes. Strain out the herbs then add the lemon juice and refrigerate.
To complete the cocktail, add the lavender syrup and gin to a Champagne flute
then top off with the Prosecco.
Or Higher Octane?
Wine or beer not putting enough cheer into your holidays?
Well, before you simply reach for that predictable Cosmopolitan, Margarita or
Pina Colada, what about creating a cocktail with depth and soul? Like a
Manhattan or Vieux Carre? And not just any Manhattan or Vieux Carre but a
barrel aged version? After liquor sits in toasted oak for a while, it takes on
a complexity that you won’t find in a “fresh” cocktail. And oak barrels aren’t
just available to professional mixologists. Oak Barrels Limited sells five
sizes of oak barrels ranging in sizes from 1 liter all the way up to 20 liter
for budding winemakers. The one drawback to barrel aged cocktails is there is
no such thing as immediate gratification. It will take a minimum of 3 weeks
before your first cocktail is ready but the upside is a libation that makes
your taste buds sing!
One barrel can make about five different libations with
each subsequent cocktail aging about 1 week longer than the previous libation.
I usually create and age about four different libations simply ending with a
barrel aged gin. Because the oak tames the fiery burn of the alcohol and mellows
any rough edges in the liquor, you also can opt for affordable liquor versus
the top shelf variety. And as I’ve told anyone willing to listen, “once you’ve
had barrel aged, you can’t go back…”
Or the Sweet Spot between
Wine and Liquor…
If wine simply doesn’t satisfy and hard liquor puts too
much hair on your chest, what about that happy medium that sits between the
two? Namely liqueur. These also are referred to as aperitif or digestif that
are sipped before the meal to stimulate your appetite or after the meal to
assist in digestion. What most have in common is the infusion or various herbs
and spices such as anise seed which give a pronounced licorice flavor Liqueur
served before meals are usually dry as in Fino and Amontillado Sherries or dry
vermouths. When sipped to assist with digestion, the liqueur is usually a
little bitter as in Campari or Chartreuse and they often are a little sweet
like the classic Italian libation, limoncello. Supposedly Danny DeVito launched
his own label of limoncello after appearing on The View in a not-so-sober state
proclaiming that he knew that “the last seven limoncellos that was going to get
me”. My limoncello takes even longer to produce than barrel aged cocktails but
you can get a head start on next year’s holiday season…
Limoncello
27 ounces Clear Spring 190 proof grain alcohol
24 ounces bottled water
15 lemons, washed then dried using organic if possible
4 cups sugar
5 cups bottled water
Zest the 15 lemons using only the peel without any of the
pith (white membrane) and place in a half gallon glass bottle then add the
grain alcohol and water. Let it sit in a cool dark location for at least 2
weeks up to 6 weeks (the longer again creates a better flavor so I age my
limoncello for 6 weeks).
Right before the first aging period is completed melt the
4 cups of sugar in the 5 cups of water then cool completely. Add the cooled
sugar water mixture to the zest and alcohol and again place it in a cool dark
location and age it for at least 2 weeks up to 6 weeks (I also let this second
aging go on for 6 weeks). Filter out the zest solids and re-bottle in a new
glass bottle. Served chilled or on the rocks after any meal.
So hopefully your holiday season is filled with a little cheer but unlike Mr DeVito, please imbibe responsibly…
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