Category: Drink

I blame Forged In Fire.

Granted, I’ve always had a weakness for television competition shows where people make things and are nice to each other — The Great British Bake-Off obviously, and its ceramic counterpart, The Great Pottery Throw-Down. And it goes without saying that I’m a fan of Making It, Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman’s crafting show.

OK, yes. Also, the glass-blowing one.

And the science fiction makeup one.

And — I think you get the idea.

Anyway Forged In Fire is sort of like Chopped for metal-smiths. Brawny men with hammers are given a ridiculous piece of metal — a box of random tools from a flea market, a cement mixer, half a bicycle — and a few hours to forge it into a knife, a sword, or maybe a ninja assassination weapon. The judges then put the weapons through insane challenges like hacking through a castle drawbridge, or elk antlers, or ballistic gel dummies, and everyone hopes they don’t shatter. It’s crazy.

A little like inventing new cocktails each week.

After I wrote a few weeks ago that I was out of bourbon, several very generous people have given me bottles of bourbon.

(I would like to take this opportunity to announce that I also do not have an apartment above a used book shop, around the corner from a Manhattan jazz club.) (As long as I’m wishing, Minnie Driver would be the bartender.)

Given my new wealth of bourbon, it made sense to find a recipe to use it in. I found a bourbon-based punch that I like the sound of, but it has two significant drawbacks: (1) It’s called a Tomahawk Punch, which seems problematic; and (2) I’m something of a connoisseur of bad decisions, and the idea of making a gallon of this stuff brings on a familiar and dangerously comfortable feeling.

This needs to be reconfigured, much like the engine block from a ’72 Matador that I’m supposed to turn into a set of X-Acto knives.

The original recipe calls for a fairly pricey ancho chile liqueur — which I’ve replaced with Fresno-infused rum — and sparkling cider, which I think would be a little more sweet than I’m looking for, so I’ve replaced it with an aggressively bubbly club soda.

Suburban Anvil

• 2 ounces bourbon — Right now, I like Wiggly Bridge, a solidly dependable label. I’ve been a fan of their gin, and their bourbon has not let me down.
• ¾ ounce Fresno-infused rum — see below
• 1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 ounce honey syrup
• 1½ ounce Topo Chico mineral water
• Fresh grated nutmeg and cinnamon, for garnish

Shake bourbon, rum, lime juice and syrup over ice.

Pour mixture, with ice, into a Collins glass.

Top with mineral water and stir gently.

Garnish with a pinch each of fresh-grated nutmeg and cinnamon.

This punch is definitely bourbon-forward, but it is the lime juice that takes the starring role. This starts out tasting fruity, but the spices — the nutmeg especially — take things in an unexpected direction. The bubbles keep it light, and you are left with a hint of heat from the Fresno rum.

You can’t reliably count on porch weather quite yet, but if we have a sunny afternoon this week, you could do worse than knocking off work early and wrapping yourself around a couple of these.

Fresno-infused rum

I’ve gone on about this before, at length, but lacking a dependable supply of spicy, flavorful jalapeños, your best bet for a pepper to infuse into alcohol is bright red Fresno chiles.

Roughly chop three-four Fresno chiles and add them to a quart-sized jar.

Top the jar off, to an inch or two from the top, with a lower-shelf white or silver rum. The flavor of the Fresnos will blow out any delicate tasting notes from a more expensive rum.

Seal the jar and shake it. Store someplace cool and dark, shaking twice per day. Taste after four days, then every day thereafter, until it suits your taste. Strain and bottle.

Honey syrup

Bring equal amounts (by volume) of honey and water to a boil. Boil for 10 or 15 seconds to make sure that the honey is completely dissolved.

Cool and bottle. This will keep for about a month in your refrigerator.

Featured photo: Suburban Anvil. Photo by John Fladd.

You can’t overstate the perfection of this pairing

After a quick glance at the beer menu at Cornerstone Artisanal Pizza & Craft Beer in Ogunquit, Maine, a couple weeks back, I ordered the Forklift Unicorn IPA by Stoneface Brewing Co.

The bartender-slash-server said “It’s good,” and while that might not have sounded like an overwhelmingly ringing endorsement, I can tell you that based on the complete interaction, it was, in fact, the equivalent of a five-star Yelp review.

With good reason, too. The New England IPA was delightfully juicy and hazy with big hop flavors, pronounced tropical fruit and citrus notes, but with what seemed like zero bitterness. Plus, it lacked the heft of many of today’s IPAs, which was great because I was about to eat a lot of pizza.

The beer was secondary on this particular occasion, however. My wife and I had somehow found a way to take a weekend away and Friday night was my night to pick dinner. After a traffic-filled drive, we were famished and craving more carbs and cheese than our bodies could actually handle. (Is there anything that gets you craving pizza and a beer like a frustrating car ride?)

As I said, the beer delivered on the server’s promise, and so did the pizza. We went with a barbecued pulled pork pizza and a sausage, pepper and mushroom pizza.

Sipping on a delicious beer and biting into a savory, cheesy, meaty satisfying slice of pizza may not be the height of luxury, but let me know if you can think of a better combination. There’s just something about it. I swear it’s good for your soul, if not for your gut. I’m craving it right now and it’s 10 a.m.

My grandmother is 90-something years old and she still will not eat pizza without having a beer. She gets it.

Now, the type of beer matters. You want to put a bit of thought into the pizza you’re eating when selecting a brew. A coffee porter probably wouldn’t have been a great pairing with the pizzas we chose that night. Something drier, like an Irish stout, probably would have been just fine with the earthiness of the mushrooms.

IPAs stand up to just about anything but they’re so intensely flavored themselves, they can overpower your palate while you’re eating, which is why I tend to stay away from big double IPAs when I’m eating. They just offer too much flavor and too much heft for my palate.

Pilsners, like the Alexandr by Schilling Beer Co. in Littleton or the Beer Hall Lager by 603 Brewery in Londonderry, are perfect for pairing up with pizza, as lighter, crisper brews provide a perfect counterpoint to the combination of chewy dough and rich cheese.

Sours — and I would suggest sticking with lighter varieties, like a Berliner weisse — also pack a tart counterpoint that can be very nice with a slice of pizza. That said, sours vary quite a bit, so again, you just need to think about flavor combinations when you’re ordering.

My wife enjoyed the Dichotomie Saison Inspired Cider by Austin Street Brewery and the beer’s fruity, funky flavor worked really well with the pulled pork pizza, which included a topping of crunchy, sweet coleslaw.

Saisons can be spicy, which makes them an interesting choice for pairing up with pizzas that have a little spice as well — think banana peppers and pepperoni.

I finished up my Forklift Unicorn and ordered an Irish red ale by Geaghan Brothers Pub & Craft Brewery out of Bangor, Maine, and I found the light body and flavorful malt a nice pairing with both of our pizzas.

The core message here: Be like my grandmother and don’t eat pizza without beer.

What’s in My Fridge
Guinness Draught Stout by Guinness & Co. (Dublin, Ireland) It was Saint Patrick’s Day last week after all, and of course Guinness is a fitting choice. There’s nothing quite like watching a Guinness cascade in the glass as you prepare to enjoy a meal of corned beef and cabbage. Dry and drinkable, Guinness is a perfect change of pace. Cheers.

Featured photo: Forklift Unicorn IPA by Stoneface Brewing Company. Courtesy photo.

A look at the wines of Louis Jadot

Louis Jadot is one of Bourgogne’s (Burgundy) most important wine producers and négociants (merchants who buy grapes, juice, and wine to blend and produce under their label). Most Burgundian estates are small and premier and grand cru holdings can be tiny, so négociants play an important role in the distribution of their wine. Louis Jadot has a portfolio that covers everything from inexpensive Bourgogne and Beaujolais to several grand cru wines. The grapes grown in Burgundy are principally chardonnay and pinot noir.

Louis Jadot has become a force within the wine industry in the Burgundian region and beyond. So wide is the array of wines produced by Louis Jadot that there is a standout vineyard or site in every vintage. New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets alone carry 12 distinctively different pinot noirs, eight different chardonnays and three different gamays.

Our first wine, a 2019 Maison Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuissé (originally priced at $25.99, and on sale at $22.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets), is produced in the Mâconnais region of Burgundy. It has a light straw color and aromas of apples and honey. To the mouth there are nuts, along with some citrus. This win is partially barrel-fermented with six months of aging in French oak, which imparts complexity. This wine is ideal for pairing with roasted salmon, shellfish, or creamy cheeses. For those who shy away from chardonnay, this is a wine to try, as it comes from vines planted in clay-limestone soils. It is incredibly different from a typical chardonnay.

Our second wine, a 2019 Maison Louis Jadot Marsannay Blanc (originally priced at $33.99, and on sale at $31.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets), is produced in the Côte de Nuits region of Burgundy, the farthest northern extent of Burgundy. Created in 1987, Marsannay la Côte is the most recent AOC to the Côte de Nuits. It is straw in color, with just a touch of orange that comes from a slightly pigmented chardonnay grape. To the nose there are aromas of pears and almond; to the mouth there is a slight minerality with orange pith and a citrus bouquet that opens in the glass, akin to a good Chablis, another wine derived from the chardonnay grape. This wine can be paired to foods beyond shellfish and soft cheeses to include pasta dishes with a fresh, light tomato sauce, or a charcuterie platter.

Our third wine, a 2019 Maison Louis Jadot Bourgogne Pinot Noir (originally priced at $20.99, and on sale at $14.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets), is a blend of pinot noir coming from Jadot’s relationships with wine growers from vineyards across the Côte d’Or and Côte Chalonnaise, surrounding Beaune, the wine capital of the Burgundy wine region. This is an exceptionally elegant pinot with complex aromas of plums. Raspberries and cherries carry through to the tongue, joined by a slight earthiness of mushrooms, along with mineral notes and a balanced acidity. Paired with chicken, pork, or grilled fish, this wine is an excellent bargain, not to be missed!

Try a bottle of Louis Jadot. There is so much to choose from! You will welcome the new experience.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

We’ve reached the point where the nights are still cold but the days are warm — not Las Vegas warm, but warm enough for people like us, who have been looking at our own breath since Thanksgiving. In other words: maple sugaring season.

So let’s make something mapley. A quick internet search will turn up any number of cocktails that use maple syrup, but we’re smart.

Most of the time.

OK, some of the time.

Anyway, we can almost certainly come up with something delicious on our own, last week’s pasta experiment notwithstanding.

My first step in working up a recipe around a particular ingredient is The Flavor Bible, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.

This isn’t a cookbook as such. It’s a reference work that discusses which ingredients go well together. Karen Page has interviewed a large number of chefs and picked their brains for which flavors go well with which other ones, and annotated their suggestions so that the reader can tell which flavor combinations are classics, and which ones are outliers with one or two passionate chef-advocates.

In our particular case, let’s look up “maple syrup.”

OK, this is interesting — Jerusalem artichokes. That’s worth remembering for another time, but I don’t think any of us have the patience right now to figure out a Jerusalem artichoke cocktail.

Moving on.

Oh. Bananas. This seems to be a popular combination with chefs. And, as it turns out, I just made a bottle of banana-infused rum. Let’s make a little checkmark in pencil next to that. What else? **mumbling** “Buttermilk, figs, mascarpone, winter squash ….” Oh, hey — chiles. And, as it turns out, I’ve got a bottle of Fresno pepper-infused rum downstairs, too.

So it looks like we’re going with a rum drink.

I don’t know about you, but I think I’d like to go with something fairly simple and straightforward this time, something that will let the maple shine through but give it another flavor to play off.

Something like a daiquiri.

Daiquiris, margaritas, gimlets — these all use a similar set of recipes — a base alcohol (in this case rum), something sweet (the maple syrup) and lime juice. The Flavor Bible doesn’t list limes in maple’s complementary flavors, but at least one chef suggests lemons, which would give us the same acidity as the lime juice. I say we go for it.

So, let’s make two different versions of our Maple Daiquiri, one with the Fresno rum and one with banana rum.

Verdict: The Maple/Chili Daiquiri is sweet and spicy. The lemon juice was a good call; it adds the acidity we were looking for, without elbowing its way to the front of your palate and distracting from the maple. It might be just a little too spicy, though. The maple syrup definitely adds sweetness, but its specific flavor gets a little lost.

The Maple/Banana Daiquiri comes across as a bit sweeter, but the maple definitely shines through. The banana is the first flavor that hits you, but you are left with a mapley feeling that makes you 8 percent less likely to scream in traffic.

Wait a second. I wonder …

** Pours about ¼ of the chili daiquiri into the banana daiquiri glass, then swirls it around pretentiously.**

Yup. This:

March Maple Daiquiri

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces banana rum – see below
• ½ ounce Fresno rum – see also below
• ¾ ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• ½ ounce amber maple syrup

Combine ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake.

Strain into a martini glass.

Infused rums

Banana rum – Muddle one very ripe banana (the type you might use for banana bread) in the bottom of a large jar. Add two cups of white rum. Put the top on the jar, then shake well. Store in a cool, dark place for seven days, shaking once or twice per day. Strain, filter, and bottle.

Fresno rum – Roughly chop four fresh Fresno chilies and add them to the same type of large jar. Top the jar off with the same type of white rum. Store and shake, as above. Taste after four days, then every day thereafter, until it is spicy and flavorful enough for your taste. Strain and bottle.

Featured photo: Maple Daiquiri. Photo by John Fladd.

These are worth tracking down

I’ve said this before but walking into your local beer store is downright overwhelming these days. How are you supposed to make a decision?

Even when I know exactly what I want to buy as I walk in, I inevitably get sidetracked. Just going to pick up a six-pack of this or that, but really, who knows what I’ll walk out of there with and how long it will take me to make a decision? I certainly don’t. I don’t have a clue how it’s all going to unfold.

Sometimes it’s helpful to just have someone tell you what to do because thinking is hard. Your life is hard enough and your mind deserves a few minutes without needing to make critical decisions.

I just don’t want you to be that poor, lost soul in your beer store, floundering around from aisle to aisle, shelf to shelf like a rudderless boat. You’ll probably be saying “excuse me” one million times and maybe bumping into others as you start to sweat from your inability to make a decision. No one wants that. It’s depressing to see, honestly.

You deserve a break from thinking, so here are three New Hampshire beers I think you should drink:

Coffee Porter by Northwoods Brewing Co. (Northwood)

I’m falling in love with this brewery; let me start there. The Coffee Porter is silky and smooth and sweet and rich and decadent — it’s just a wonderful beer drinking experience for those of us who appreciate the coupling of beer and coffee. It’s not just a coffee beer, though, as there are pronounced chocolate flavors as well. It comes in at just 4.7 percent ABV, which is tremendous news, as I hereby give permission to have more than one. Random, but Northwoods also has a beer called Magnetic Sense, which is a dry Irish stout, and I guess what I’m saying is, maybe have one of those on St. Patrick’s Day.

Citrillia by Great Rhythm Brewing Co. (Portsmouth)

This double dry-hopped double IPA is a quintessential example of this style: hazy, hoppy and delicious with big tropical fruit flavor — think grapefruit and mango, and maybe a touch of lime. At 8 percent this packs a bit of a punch, but this is what your taste buds want so you should give it to them. Plus, there is just something about a super hoppy brew that brightens up what can, well, kind of be a bit of a dreary month. This doesn’t disappoint at all as the flavor just explodes in your mouth.

Erastus by Schilling Beer Co. (Littleton)

I saw a recent piece in the Boston Globe calling Schilling’s brew Alexandr, a Czech-style Pilsner, the best beer in New Hampshire (while also lauding its pizza). Tough to disagree because the brew is tremendous (and so is the pizza). But, if you’re going all the way to Schilling, you would be a fool not to give Erastus a try. This Belgian tripel is just packed with fruity, spicy flavor. It just seems to hit you with layers upon layers of flavor and complexity and just begs for another sip. Situate yourself alongside the Ammonoosuc River, order up some pizza and dive into this brew. I literally have goosebumps as I write this.

What’s in My Fridge
Peroni Nastro Azzurro by Peroni Brewery (Vigevano, Italy)
Honestly, I’ve probably had this before but I have no recollection of having it previously. It’s light, crisp, bright and refreshing — pretty much exactly what you want when you are craving something lighter. The brew has some delightful citrus and spice notes as well that make it interesting. There are so many IPAs and so many big, rich stouts, it’s definitely worthwhile to be able to turn to some quality lighter brews. Cheers!

Featured photo: Coffee Porter by Northwoods Brewing Co.

A mix of grapes can produce one interesting bottle

We are all familiar with wines classified by the grapes used to make them — merlot, cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese — and wines named by their place of origin — Rhine, Bordeaux — but what does a label that reads “red blend” mean?

As its name implies, it is a wine produced from the blending of two or more varietals of grapes. The blending of grapes is steeped in the history and tradition of European winemaking, dating to at least the 17th century with the origin of modern wines as we know them today. Bordeaux wines are classic blended wines, the reds consisting of combinations of merlot or cabernet sauvignon, along with cabernet franc and petit verdot added in smaller quantities, and the whites generally consisting of sauvignon blanc, to which semillon is added to temper the citric, and more specifically grapefruit, notes of the sauvignon blanc. These blends date to the 18th century.

The concept and development of single varietal wines in America in the second half of the 20th century migrated to Europe, South Africa and Australia. To the extreme, some vintners have produced single vineyard varietals to showcase the strengths they feel those particular vineyards have. This is all a matter of opinion, and all these wine-making styles are welcome to the table. In a good wine, the blending of varietals is intended not to cover the deficiencies of the “lead varietal” but to add to the complexity of the whole. The blending of varietals is both a science and an art. The vintner must know the strengths of the grapes before him, but the vintner must also be able to know when to blend — at the fermentation of the grapes, or after they have become wine. The vintner must also have a deft touch to know just how much of which varietal to add to create not only a drinkable wine but a memorable wine.

Our first blended wine is the 2017 Domaine du Grand Montmirail Gigondas ‘Le Coteau de Mon Rêve’ (at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, originally priced at $59.99, reduced to $25.99) is a blend that comes from the Rhone River Valley of Southern France. With a dark red color and nose of cherry and plum, this wine comes to the tongue with a full mouth feel of blackberry, plum and cherry, with notes of chocolate and a bit of leather. It is composed of 75 percent grenache, 20 percent syrah and 5 percent mourvèdre.

Denis Cheron acquired the Domaine du Grand Montmirail in the 1960s. The estate vineyards are 59 acres, set on terraces, planted in 50-year-old grenache vines, along with 20-year-old syrah and mourvèdre vines. This is a sophisticated, plush wine to be enjoyed with beef, lamb or game, now, or it can be cellared over the coming decade.

Our second blended wine is the 2016 Darcie Kent Vineyards Firepit Red (available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, originally priced at $40.99, reduced to $19.99), a blend that comes from Livermore, just east of the San Francisco Bay. To the nose we sense raspberry, blackberry and cherry flavors that carry to the tongue with additional notes of oak and spices. Gentle tannins persist to a long finish of cassis and nutmeg. The oak nuances come from 24 months in new and used French oak barrels.

This is a blend of malbec, zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petite sirah and merlot. The proportions may vary from year to year. The zinfandel gives the wine its spiciness; the petite sirah its concentration of tannins. In fact, many makers of zinfandel add petite sirah to quiet the pepper in the zinfandel. It should be noted that the petite sirah grape has nothing in common with the syrah grape of our first wine!

So the blending of grapes and of the wine from those grapes opens new opportunities, new flavors, and other characteristics to be explored and savored. Try a blended wine with your next purchase. You will welcome the experience.

Featured photo: Gunner’s Daughter by Mast Landing Brewing Company. Courtesy photo.