Saturday, February 21, 2009

Dark & Stormy

I've been bad about posting, I know. I'm sorry. I just haven't felt as though I've made much to say lately.

Last Saturday at The Cove (a great bar on Broad Ave right off of Hollywood) I was turned onto a cocktail that I've never had before; a Dark & Stormy. It is approximately 1 1/2 oz of dark rum (preferably Goslings Black Seal) to 6 oz Ginger Beer with a twist of lime. It has just the right amount of sweetness with a hint of dark molasses & spice from the ginger. I think I had 2 or three that night.

Last night I re-created this recipe at home with Goslings & Reed's Ginger Beer that I bought by the 4-pack at Whole Foods.

Delicious again. I have a feeling this is going to be my cocktail of choice for the hot Memphis summers.

Monday, February 09, 2009

First Big Trip of the Year

I'm going to Seattle for business. Seattle is a city that I've always wanted to visit but just haven't gotten around to. Any recommendations for restaurants, wine bars, wine shops or anything at all?

Monday, February 02, 2009

Colome Torrontes 2007


Sometimes I can just taste the stress & hard life at the edge of the world in a wine. Wine is just more interesting & has more personality when it has to struggle, much like people. I had the pleasure of tasting just such a wine on Friday, Bodega Colome Torrontes 2007 Salta, Argentina $15.99. The vines are biodynamically (no small feat at this altitude) grown between 5000 - 8000 feet above sea level in high desert. At that altitude they are stressed to their limit & have to struggle to produce fruit. That struggle produces grapes that have extra thick skins & juice that is super concentrated producing a wine that is rich but not cloying or heavy. Its aroma gives away its relation to the muscat grape with floral, candied notes of ginger & jasmine. With a silver cloak & gleaming translucency I thought that the palate would be light, brisk & clean but I was wrong. On the palate I found a rich, concentrated & broad wine that lingered with flavors of papaya, guava & a glycerol almost lanolin-like texture. A life of struggle can yield beauty.

Grilled Cheese "Top Chef" style

So, my friend Justin & I are having a grilled cheese contest. I was trying to decide what wine to pour alongside. What do you pair with grilled cheese?