127 Days of Food and Beverage, In Pictures

For the past 127 life-altering days, the main goal around here has simply been to keep everyone’s physical and mental health as strong as it can be. As any of you can attest to daily it isn’t easy to deal with, but hopefully we can all find some pockets of time to be able to sit back and appreciate what we have. During these times of quarantine/lockdown/social distancing, I have always been able to count on Friday Pizza & Movie Night, takeout dinners to support a local restaurant once per week, and the Sunday Cocktail & Appetizers right here at home. Of course, there is the occasional Thursday Happy Hour on our deck with oversized chess, checkers, and “four-in-a-row,” or even the Tuesday night where I decide, “screw it…I’m getting a beer.”

Seeing as I haven’t shared anything with you all in a while, I figured now is as good a time as any to do so. I have taken some of my favorite moments of food and beverage experiences over the last 3+ months to help you get caught up. Think of it as a “Best Of” mini-guide to help you the next time you are looking to cook something up or pick up something new at your local liquor mart.

Drink from the fire hose, and feel free to share what you have tried since March…I’d love to hear about it! In the meantime, hang in there and be good to one another.

Local Oysters with Bacon Butter

I normally go for raw oysters, but the technique of using a bed of hot rock salt was amazing.

Garlic Scape Pizza with Proscuitto

You need to try a garlic scape.

Misty Cove Sauvignon Blanc

It’s like drinking passionfruit lemonade. No other wine I ever had went down easier.

Bodegas Garzon Cabernet Franc Reserva

Ever try a wine from Uruguay? This is a great place to start. Loaded with berries and spices.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

One of my favorite pastimes is taking a carcass and cooking it over wood and charcoal for several hours.

Chicken Shawarma

A new adventure for me, using marinated boneless skinless chicken thighs held together with red onions and metal skewers led to a tasty meal in a pita.

Strawberry Beer Coolers

Not a bad little beer cocktail!

Cabernet Franc Vine

These are doing much better than our Gruner Veltliner vines. More than anything, I’m just thrilled they are alive

Wines of Dry Creek Vineyard

Had a fun virtual tasting, learning the winery’s story and philosophy. I contend their Chenin Blanc is one of the best values on the market for any wine.

Pink French 75

Gin, sparkling rosé, simple syrup, and a squeeze of lemon

Grilled Vegetable Bounty

Pick up as many veggies as your arms can carry and grill the lot of them.

Brisket pizza

Because that’s what you make out of the leftovers from…

Smoked Beef Brisket

Not bad for an Italian boy from Brooklyn.

Oven-Fried Eggplant Pizza

Crispy, salty goodness.

Maple Bacon Donuts

Greatest Wife In The World calls, I haul.

Michel Schlumberger Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Did a virtual tasting for an old friend, featuring this wine. A really well-made Pinot Noir that deserves your attention.

French and Italian Rosé

Campuget is from southern France, while the Planeta is from Sicily. Priced about the same and they may look similar, but the flavors are totally different. This is why you taste wine side-by-side.

Sancerre

This is the Greatest Wine In The World, didn’t you know?

"Wine Diamonds"

Sometimes in an unfiltered white wine, you may see these harmless calcium deposits at the bottom of the glass. Especially in a wine like…

Domaine a Deux Touraine Sauvignon

A zesty, yet full-bodied Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley that has incredible creamy-citrusy finish.

Château Charrier Bordeaux

Everyday red Bordeaux wines have been so good lately. 2018 is shaping up to be a really good vintage.

Burgundian Grape Varieties

Did a virtual tasting where we discussed the ins and outs of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Pacific Pinot is a fantastic way to get to know the grape for less than $20, while the Louis Jadot wines are a great way to get introduced to individual villages and communes within Burgundy.

Celery Gimlet

I dare you to find a better way to awaken the appetite. Muddled celery, lime, and simple syrup shaken with good quality gin.

Staying Home: Less News, More Booze

Two weeks of quarantine has simultaneously gone by really fast, yet somehow slowly. The boys started their online learning sessions for school, while the adults in the house still have work to accomplish. When there is downtime, I know it is too easy to scroll through the news feed on my phone and get annoyed or angry or anxious about where things are headed with a pandemic. Instead, why not take the opportunity to take a deeper dive into something you already enjoy? Like booze!

You can nerd out through study and research, read fascinating accounts of wine and history, or learn how to make a cocktail. There is enough out there to keep you engaged for as long as we need to stay holed up at home. Here are some of my favorites that pair perfectly with your favorite beverage of choice.

Note: links to book titles send you to Amazon’s web site as a point of reference, but note that with the pandemic impact you are likely not getting these books in two days through Prime. Consider alternative sources or e-book versions if you can.

Wine & War, Don & Petie Kladstrup: The setting is France during World War II and the Nazis are in full force. Through the turmoil, you get to learn about how German wine merchants conducted business with France, the fate of legendary French vineyards, and how French wine producers coped with being prisoners of war. A wildly entertaining read that offers plenty of perspective.

An outstanding take on the Aviation. You don’t have to buy Creme de Violette AND you get to have Lavender Liqueur on hand for any unaged spirit-based cocktail.

The World Atlas of Wine (8th Edition), Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson: If you want to nerd out with a desk reference of colorful maps that discusses a full range of worldwide wine regions, this is the book for you. There’s even a section that covers all of the basics of wine production, storage, service, and how to taste wine. Give yourself a crash course in wine from the comfort of home.

How To Cocktail, America’s Test Kitchen: Over the years, I have become a fan of America’s Test Kitchen on PBS when it comes to learning more about cooking. The folks there try many ways of preparing a dish, whether changing proportions of ingredients or method of cooking. Well, that experimental mentality was applied to making cocktails, even providing opportunities for you to make your own liqueurs, sugar and salt rims, or snacks to enjoy for a cocktail party (to have inside with family or virtually). I have made the lavender liqueur from the book, and let me tell you…it’s easy to do and makes a great addition to an Aviation.

Booze & Vinyl, Andre Darlington and Tenaya Darlington: If you have some old records laying around, dust them off and have your own listening party, complete with beverage pairings! Booze & Vinyl is a fun book that discusses timeless albums and cocktails to go with the mood. Everything from Johnny Cash to The Clash, Frank Sinatra to Madonna are covered with interesting stories about the artists and the music. The authors also penned TCM Movie Night Menus, another book I recommend if you gravitate more towards being a foodie.

Fresh or Frozen: How Do You Like Your Margarita?

Last year, I gave you a combination of a Tequila mini-guide along with a full-on discussion of the classic cocktail, the Margarita. Today, I am running it back in a different way, because damn...it's hot outside in the northeast.

A "fresh" margarita on the rocks or shaken and strained is just so good; it's a favorite around these parts at any time of the year, but feels great in beating the heat. The salt-rimmed glass helps you get that valuable sodium chloride back into your system after sweating at the beach or doing yardwork all day. Fresh lime juice makes your feel like you reawakened your system. And of course, the distinctly-flavored agave-based spirit of Tequila pulls everything together.

But when the summer sun is scorching us and the humidity is downright oppressive, we need to take things to another level and embrace the frozen margarita. It's easy enough; you are just throwing all ingredients in a blender and turning it on. You also don't have to worry about going top-shelf for your Tequila (though I won't tell you NOT to) as the potential complexity of it is going to fall by the wayside with whatever fruit you are tossing into the blender likely overriding it. You simply want a tasty ice-cold beverage.

With a salt and green sugar-rimmed glass, you can't beat this on a hot August afternoon.

Additionally, the frozen margarita is no time for the aged Tequilas. Anything labeled "Reposado" or "Anejo" can make a fine fresh margarita and those layered flavors derived from barrel aging will show themselves better when only having to compete with lime juice and Cointreau/triple sec. You will lose a significant portion of those underneath the ice and fruit.

The Greatest Wife In The World and I have long enjoyed Milagro Blanco Tequila's versatility for both styles of margarita. It already has a salty/limey flavor profile that works so well in a margarita. But of course, use whatever your favorite brand is.

If you want a template for an outstanding frozen margarita, look no further than Martha Stewart, whose frozen peach margarita is top-notch. We made a little switch, though; we had no frozen peaches on-hand and substituted mangoes. Also, without a classic triple sec available in the bar and Cointreau running low (and not cheap, either), I offer up a use for Agavero Orange, which I mentioned when we built your bar essentials.

So where's your allegiance at this time of year...fresh or frozen? Feel free to comment below on your favorite margaritas, whether you make them, head to a to a bar, or whatever. No matter what, I hope you are enjoying these dog days of summer with a fine cold drink in-hand.