Archive for the ‘Liquor, Beer & Wine’ Category
Double Eagle Grande 44 oz Margarita
Your heard it right….a 44 oz Margarita!! Zowie! If you’re going to have a couple of drinks, a couple of margaritas, it makes financial sense to order one of the Double Eagle Grandes! Plus, to comply with New Mexico Liquor Laws, the concoction is actually equal to two cocktails alcohol-wise.
Win Ritter, Assistant General Manager and Beverage Guru, felt the call to a giant margarita several months ago. “I wanted to give our Margarita Menu some pizzazz, some omph, some weight. So, that got me to thinking about big, big glasses. I had seen them on the east and west coasts and there are rumors a couple of places in El Paso has them. But, this will be a first for Las Cruces!!” Win said. And his search for the perfect vessel, the perfect prsentations….the perfect glass began! Catalogs, the internet, contacts in the industry were all checked for just the right glass. “It took a long time to track down the right glass but I didn’t get discouraged. I knew it was out there.” said Win. And finally, in a warehouse in Albuquerque, there it was. Win knew this was the perfect glass and made the buy!
Of course, there was the experimentation phase. Testing the recipes for such a large drink….for quality control purposes, of course!! Hard work but someone had to do it.
So, now Win had the glass and had the recipe, now the training phase began. Teaching the bartenders who to make a giant drink. It went surprisingly smoothly and the bartenders picked up on the combinations very quickly.
That meant picking a date to introduce the drink. Labor Day was approaching so the choice seemed obvious.
Friday, September 3 was chosen for the auspicious date. The giant glasses were brought to the bar and immediately caused comments and interest. One lady said,”Whatever you are serving in that, I want one!” Our first order!! It was so easy!! With excitment, we crowded the bar and the bartender began the process. Matt quickly produced a wonderful looking mixture in the giant glass and presented it with pride to the lady. She squealed with delight and seemed excited herself!! She picked up the glass and sipped. She smiled and said,”Wonderful!” She went to place the glass back on the bar, dropped it, it bounced, the 43 oz of Margarita sloshed over the rim, the glass tipped and rolled, bounced on the beer cooler, then flew in a lovely arc to the concrete floor where it shattered into several thousand pieces. Talk about letting the air out of the balloon.
Of course, we smiled through gritted teeth. The lady was very apologetic. We spoke through gritted teeth – “No problem. No problem. No frickin problem.” OK we said the last one to ourselves.
After that first encounter, though, things went much smoother and no one else has shattered a glass yet….come on in and try one. Two is the limit!
Enjoy
Wine Corks – How They Work
Wine Corks
Natural cork, with its superior sealing properties, replaced wooden stoppers and waxed rags in wine bottles over 400 years ago. Although some wine makers are turning to synthetic stoppers and screwcaps for safety and cost concerns, natural cork is still the choice for most. Lightweight and near-impermeable to liquids and gases, cork is also easy to compress into bottle necks where it expands to form a tight seal, keeping valuable wine inside and damaging oxygen outside.
Cork comes from the thick outer bark of the cork oak tree which grows in Portugal and parts of Spain. Over 50% of the world’s oak comes from Portugal and about 26% comes from Spain. The cork oak tree must be at least 25 years old before initial harvesting can begin. Removing the bark doesn’t damage the tree; more bark grows to replace it. Re-harvesting can occur about every 12 years.
The bark is harvested with a specially designed axe with a broad blade. Large rectangular sections are sliced down to the tree’s cambium layer of the trunck and larger branches. The sections are then gently pulled away to avoid damage to the tree’s inner layers. The slabs are then boiled in water for an hour or more. Boiling flattens the slabs and expands the cork cells by as much as 20% into a more pliable honey-comb structure. The rough outer section of the bark is stripped away and the slabs rest and mature for about three weeks.
The resulting cork planks are then sliced into long, thin sections. Sharp circular cutters punch out round cork shapes. These stoppers are then graded by quality. The best have tight grains, small pores and no cracks. These are then washed and disinfected with a mild hydrogen peroxide solution. Corks are then branded or printed with logos before being shipped to wineries.
Now, you know!
The Truth About Sulfites and Headaches
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The Truth about Sulfites and Headaches: Another Wine Myth Bites the Dust |
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I don’t know the author. It came in an email but sounds interesting. Especially the last line….JWH It’s like hearing you say the aliens are reading your mind with laser beams (everyone knows they use microwaves, silly). What you’re getting is called RWH. Really. It has a medical name—“Red Wine Headache”—and it’s a “syndrome,” too. RWH was first sited in 1981 by Dr. Herbert Kaufman, MD, in the British medical journal Lancet. But back to the sulfites. Fresh fruit and vegetables, bacon, salad bars, bottled juices, prescription drugs, nut and snack mixes, pizza, soft drinks, frozen orange juice, raisins, dried pasta, sausage, dried fruit, eggs, bread and beer all contain sulfites—loads of them. Do you get a headache from everything in this list? Didn’t think so. It’s not sulfites. Here’s why you sound like such an uninformed whiner when you talk about your headache and sulfites: According to the FDA, there are 500,000 people living in the US who, if they ingested a glass of that tasty little red wine that gave you a twinge, would die. These people have a sulfite allergy. You do not, so you get to shut up. The people who are affected are steroid-dependent asthmatics. Does this describe you? If so—do not drink wine. (Note to steroid-dependent asthmatics: bet you already knew this, and are therefore not even reading my wine column). Scientists, wine chemists, professors, researchers, everyday people, nutritionists, government agencies, doctors and natural health practitioners all agree that RWH’s are a real (in fact, common) occurrence, but sulfites are not to blame. Unfortunately, the government requires that wine with an infinitesimal amount of sulfites carry a warning label. (We’re talking 10 parts per million—a small wine pour in a swimming pool.) This has led to widespread consumer misunderstanding—and lots of unjustified whining. Here’s the deal: ALL wines contain sulfites, because sulfites are a natural by-product of the fermentation of yeast. It’s just that some wines have less than 10 parts per million, and can be officially labeled “no sulfites,” even though that’s not strictly 100% true. Hmm… don’t you think that saying a wine has no sulfites when it actually does contain them might be more dangerous to potential allergics than not having a warning at all? But I digress. And another thing: most white wines have way more sulfites than red wines. They are needed to help preserve the whites, because the additional sugar in white wine could re-ferment in the bottle. Reds have more tannins, which are a natural preservative. Oddly enough, I know you anti-sulfite types seem to stick with the whites without a problem. So—de facto, no sulfite problems! I’ve caught you now, in flagrante delicto. So what’s behind your headache? Tannins. This bitter tasting component of grape skins and seeds, as well as oak barrels, is best understood as a primary cause of RWH’s. Tannin headaches would generally occur in people susceptible to migraines, and who also have problems with soy, tea and walnuts—all of which have loads of tannins. Dr. Kaufman put his finger on it way back it ’81. His research proposed that the headaches were tied to prostaglandin, a hormone-like substance produced by the body which regulates, among other things, the constriction and dilation of blood vessels, and blood pressure. It appeared to the doctor and his team that tannins caused the body to create high levels of prostaglandin in headache sufferers. Similarly, the Harvard Health Letter described the role of tannins and bodily-produced chemicals in studies where subjects displayed elevated levels of serotonin in their blood after drinking red wine. Serotonin can trigger migraines because of its ability to constrict blood vessels. More recent research has indicated that this tannin-headache connection may occur even in folks who are not pre-disposed to migraines. Later studies (Kaufman, et al, 1991) have shown that aspirin and ibuprofen, or a combination, taken in advance of red wine drinking can be effective in preventing the headaches because of their abilities to inhibit the synthesis of both serotonin and prostaglandin. Acetaminophen was not as effective. What about those European wines that “don’t have sulfites” you ask? Those didn’t give you headaches, you say, when all of your life American wines did. We have already covered the fact that “sulfite-free” wine is a marketing ruse. But there may yet be some science behind your headache-free passion for European wines. You see, old world wines may have a lot less tannin than their new world counterparts. This is because so much new world wine is so damned over-extracted (just like we like it!). Many new world producers leave the grapes on the vine until they are so tannin-ripe that they need to have alcohol removed before bottling. They are full of ripe flavor and dark as the dickens, but they’re also loaded with tannins, and therefore play havoc on the headache-sensitive. Many of you have reported that “the cheap stuff” seems to really trigger RWHs. Allow me to suggest that this may be the result of “tea-bagging” (see my last column), or adding highly tannic oak compounds directly to finished wine in a tank. This is illegal in most of Europe, mainly because it makes decent winemaking too darned easy and inexpensive. Hey, you draw your own conclusions. Here are my suggestions for how to avoid RWH: Take a combination of one aspirin and one ibuprofen before imbibing. If you have to choose, take the aspirin, unless you have stomach issues. If you’re a bigger person, or the dose is not working, try increasing in half-pill increments. Avoid unnaturally-made wines. This doesn’t mean you have to break the bank. Usually smaller producers using natural growing and winemaking techniques will also be reasonably priced. It’s not simply “avoid cheap wine,” as some say. Drink wines with less tannin or NO tannin. Pinot noir is a great example, although many producers try to beef theirs up artificially with other grapes like Syrah, and using unnatural or heavy-duty techniques. Stick with lighter-colored wines, as a rule of thumb. And remember, white wine with no oak = no problems. |
Know Your Tequila
Know Your Tequila
Agave – a member of the lily family, is the plant from which tequila is made. Tequila is made from the blue agave plant, which takes from 10 to 12 years to mature. There are 136 varieties of agave and only one – the blue agave – can be used to make tequila.
Tequila - distilled spirit made with at least 51% blue agave. From only three states in Mexico. Production centers around Jalisco, Mexico. Lowland tequilas are deeper and mellower than highlands, which are
Blanco – also know as silver, clear, very spicy, tequila that is bottled immediately after distillation
Reposado – Tequila that is “rested” for a minimum of one month and usually up to 6 months in oak casks before bottling, takes on the flavor of the barrel – some are new oak, some are used to age bourbon, some are used tequila barrels. All these factors affect the taste characteristics
Anejo – Tequila that has been aged a minimum of one year and up to five years in oak casks holding no more than 600 gallons. Longer ageing give a darker, richer color
Maguey – a member of the same lily family as agave; used to make mezcal.
Mezcal – a spirit made with maguey plants related to the blue agave. Mezcal is not Tequila. Mezcal refers to any spirit made with some type of agave plant. Tequila must be made with at least 51 % blue agave. Only certain brands of Mezcal are sold with worms in the bottle. An artist named Jacobo Lozano Paez started a small bottling plant buying mezcal from a family in Oaxaca. He noticed that, in his opinion, batches made with agave heavily infested with agave worms tasted much different. It gave him the idea to market his mezcal with a worm in the bottle. Consumers began to accept the worm as proof of alcohol content. Like Tequila, Mezcals come in different types:
Blanco – bottled immediately after distillation
Madurado – similar to reposado tequila
Con Gusano – “with the worm”
Anjeo - aged in oak for at least 6 months, usually 1 to 4 years
Minero – triple distilled, often considered “the best”
Mixto - Tequila that is less than 51 % blue agave. Other sugars, usually cane, are fermented and mixed in with the agave
Pina - the heart of the agave plant. The spiky leaves of the mature plant are cut off and the pina is either steamed or baked, then crushed to release the juice. The juice or pulque is fermented and distilled
Know Your Amaretto
Know Your Amaretto
Amaretto is NOT made from Almonds! It’s a pure distilled alcohol spirit infused with apricot pits, burnt sugar and other fruits. Sometimes, almond flavoring, vanilla, cloves and other spices and herbs are added. Said to have been made originally in 1525 by an artist’s model in tribute to the artist’s talent.
The artist was Berndarino Luini. The place was Saronno, Italy. Thus, the first brand was Amaretto Di Saronno. Leonardo de Vinci and his student, Luini, were commissioned to paint frescos in the Saronno church. Luini was painting an area which included the Madonna. He found a model in a local widowed innkeeper who apparently liked the attention. In appreciation for his work (as an artist and as a lover, according to the story), she steeped brandy and apricot pits and produced the first amaretto. Not to be confused with Amaro, which is a type of Italian cordials made primarily from herbs. Luini was touched by the effort of the lovely widow and boasted about the flavored brandy. It soon became popular in Rome.
Disaranno Originale claims the story is true and that they have followed the original recipe since 1525. They deny almonds or nuts of any kind are involved. “Apricot kernel oil”, burnt sugar and seventeen other herbs and fruits in precise measures are infused into ‘absolute alcohol’. A number of other companies produce almond flavored liqueurs.
Know Your Cordials/Liqueurs
Cordial/Liqueur -a strongly flavored highly sweet liquor usually drunk in small quantities after dinner as a digestif.
A cordials flavor can come from many sources: fruits, herbs & leaves, flowers, nuts, seeds and beans, roots and barks. Cordials must contain at least 2.5% sugar but usually contain far more. Honey, maple and corn syrups are also used as sweeteners. Cordial and Liqueur as words are interchangeable.
The base alcohol varies: neutral grain spirits are common. Many liqueurs, however, are made from a specific spirit, such as, Scotch in Drambuie, Cognac in Grand Marnier or Irish Whiskey in Bailey=s. Others are distilled from the primary ingredients themselves.
Cordial comes from Latin: cor which means heart. Cordials were originally made by alchemist or monks as a health remedy or elixir to soothe weary travelers. Liqueur comes from the Latin: liquefacere, meaning to melt or dissolve (which is how most cordials are made!).
Cordials are produced by cold or hot methods. Cold methods include infusion, maceration and percolation. Distillers use infusion and maceration for fruits which might be damaged by heat. During infusions, crushed fruits are soaked in water for as long as a year. The liquid is strained, sweetened and added to alcohol. In maceration, the crushed fruit is soaked directly in alcohol. After the liquid is strained off, the remaining fruit is distilled and the distillate is recombined with the infused liquid. Liqueurs commonly made this way include: triple sec, cassis, cointreau; Grand Marnier. Percolation is often used for flavorings such as herbs and leaves. Ingredients are placed in a basket or strainer and the alcohol is pumped up over them. This process, similar to brewing coffee without heat, may go on for months until all flavor is extracted. Ingredients may be distilled afterward. Drambuie, Irish Mist, Chartreuse are made this way.
Hot methods include distillation in water and distillation in alcohol. Water distillation is used for delicate herbs and flowers. Once distilled, the flavored water is added to an alcohol base. Ingredients such as seeds, nuts, bark or orange peel are more often distilled in alcohol. They are first soaked in alcohol, the distilled with additional spirits.
Even More Fun Things To Do With Vodka
Even More Fun Things To Do With Vodka
1. To remove an adhesive bandage, saturate with vodka. It will dissolve the adhesive.
2. Clean caulking around tub and shower by using a spray bottle of vodka. It kills mold and mildew.
3. Spritz your eyeglasses with vodka and use a clean cloth to wipe dry.
4. Prolong the life of razors by putting the razor in a cup of vodka after shaving. It will kill germs and prevent oxidation (rust) from the blade reacting with the air.
5. Spray vodka on wine stains and blot till dry.
6. Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to the face as an astringent to kill germs and tighten pores.
7. Add a jigger of vodka to a 12 ounce bottle of shampoo to help leave the scalp clean.
8. Use a spray bottle of vodka to kill ants and wasps.
9. Put ½ cup vodka and 1/2 cup water in a zip lock bag then freeze for a slushy cold pack for aches, pains and bruises.
10. Fill a clean empty mayonnaise jar with freshly picked lavender flowers, fill with vodka and seal tightly. Set in the sun for three days and then strain. The resulting tincture will help when rubbed on bruises, aches and pains!!
11. To relieve a fever, wet a washcloth with vodka and rub over forehead, chest and arms
12. To cure foot odor, wash feet with vodka
13. Vodka will disinfect and alleviate pain for a jellyfish sting.
14. Pour vodka over the affected area when you come into contact with poison ivy.
15. Swish a shot of vodka over and around hurting tooth. Allow the vodka to dull the ache and pain.
What is a Cordial?
What is a cordial?
Cordial/Liqueur -a strongly flavored highly sweet liquor usually drunk in small quantities after dinner as a digestif.
A cordial=s flavor can come from many sources: fruits, herbs & leaves, flowers, nuts, seeds and beans, roots and barks. Cordials must contain at least 2.5% sugar but usually contain far more. Honey, maple and corn syrups are also used as sweeteners. Cordial and Liqueur as words are interchangeable.
The base alcohol varies: neutral grain spirits are common. Many liqueurs, however, are made from a specific spirit, such as, Scotch in Drambuie, Cognac in Grand Marnier or Irish Whiskey in Bailey=s. Others are distilled from the primary ingredients themselves.
Cordial comes from Latin: cor which means heart. Cordials were originally made by alchemist or monks as a health remedy or elixir to soothe weary travelers. Liqueur comes from the Latin: liquefacere, meaning to melt or dissolve (which is how most cordials are made!).
Cordials are produced by cold or hot methods. Cold methods include infusion, maceration and percolation. Distillers use infusion and maceration for fruits which might be damaged by heat. During infusions, crushed fruits are soaked in water for as long as a year. The liquid is strained, sweetened and added to alcohol. In maceration, the crushed fruit is soaked directly in alcohol. After the liquid is strained off, the remaining fruit is distilled and the distillate is recombined with the infused liquid. Liqueurs commonly made this way include: triple sec, cassis, cointreau; Grand Marnier. Percolation is often used for flavorings such as herbs and leaves. Ingredients are placed in a basket or strainer and the alcohol is pumped up over them. This process, similar to brewing coffee without heat, may go on for months until all flavor is extracted. Ingredients may be distilled afterward. Drambuie, Irish Mist, Chartreuse are made this way.
Hot methods include distillation in water and distillation in alcohol. Water distillation is used for delicate herbs and flowers. Once distilled, the flavored water is added to an alcohol base. Ingredients such as seeds, nuts, bark or orange peel are more often distilled in alcohol. They are first soaked in alcohol, the distilled with additional spirits.
What is Vermouth
What is Vermouth?
Vermouth is a fortified wine drunk as an aperitif in Europe and avoided in martinis in the United States. Originated in the 1700’s in the kingdom of Savoy (Southern France and Northwest Italy), winemakers added herbs and spices to improve the flavor of the area’s wines. The first branded vermouth was a spicy red made by Carpano in Turin, Italy in 1786; 14 years later, in the Mediterranean town of Marsellian, Joseph Noilly introduced the first French dry vermouth.
They remain today the two principle styles: white, dry French style and red, sweet Italian style.
Today, most vermouth is made from white wine flavored with herbs and spices and fortified with neutral spirits. Dozens of herbs and spices may be used creating layers of flavors.
Vermouth is more famous for not being used than for anything else. In the United States, martinis, especially vodka martinis, are made with straight vodka and a swirl of the vermouth bottle close to the martini glass giving just the right amount of vermouth to the drink…that is, none. In the 1930’s and earlier, martinis were equal parts gin and dry vermouth. Each decade saw less and less use of vermouth so that by the 1990’s and 2000’s, if vermouth was actually added to the drink at all, it came as an atomized spray like an expensive perfume. It was wafted over the glass and whatever minute essense landed on the glass was the right amount.
In 2008 and 2009, bartenders and drink mixmaster starting increasing the amount of vermouth used in Martinis. Still, it was just a splash because o f the complex flavors involved.
Quady Winery in California under the Vya label produces excellent vermouths.
Noilly Prat in France still produces vermouth aged outdoors in oak one year.
Carpano still produces a bittersweet vermouth but most Italian red is produced by the giant Martini and Rossi or by another Turin based company, Cinzano.
Red – served over ice with orange slice
Red – used in Manhattan-bourbon,sweet vermouth; Negroni- gin, sweet vermouth, campari
Duplex-equal dry and sweet vermouth, lemon squeeze
Dry – 1930’s Gin Martini – equal gin and dry vermouth, dash of bitters
Vermouth Cassis – dry vermouth, splash of cassis, club soda
Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies
Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies
1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup or brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila
Sample the Cuervo to check quality. Take a large bowl,
check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality,
pour one level cup and drink.
Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter
in a large fluffy bowl.
Add one peastoon of sugar. Beat again. At thispoint
it’s best to make sure the Cuervo is still ok, try another
cup just in case.
Turn off the mixerer thingy.
Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the
cup of dried fruit. Pick the frigging fruit off the floor.
Mix on the turner.
If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaters just pry
it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the Cuervo to
check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who
geeves a sheet. Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the
lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table.
Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you
can find.
Greash the oven.
Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall
over.
Don’t forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish
the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the
wishdasher.
Cherry Mistmas !