Vin de Jerz

Exploring Sherry

Recently, I opened the door into my ongoing exploration of rum in its many manifestations. Well, rum is easy compared to sherry, which has even more nuances and varieties. So this will likely be a topic that comes up again in Cocktail Corner, as I continue to experiment and learn more. For now, I’ll focus on some basics—and two particular varieties that are at opposites ends of the spectrum, and which serve as luscious components in mixology.

A few basics first:

Sherries are fortified wines (generally 15-20% ABV) made from a variety of grapes. They are greatly prized in Spain, which is also the world’s most celebrated producer of sherries.
There are many varieties, ranging from very dry to intensely sweet. Both the grapes and the manufacturing process determine the taste and texture.
If you’re served a sherry and don’t know what it is, the color and the viscosity will help. Fino sherry—one of the driest—is nearly clear and has a thin consistency; Pedro Ximénez, a sweet after-dinner sherry, is dark claret in color, and has a velvety, almost syrup-like weight.

Sherries are mostly served on their own, as aperitifs and digestifs, in a very small stemmed glasses. They should be on the cool side but not chilled.

Though the taste range is wide, all sherries share a highly distinctive, nutty flavor—once sampled, never forgotten. Rare sherries are the stuff of connoisseurship, with some bottles (often half-bottles, particularly for sweet and rare varieties) costing a small fortune.

Because of its distinctive taste, sherry notes are prized in other kinds of alcohol—bourbons and scotches, for example, are sometimes aged in sherry casks. I’m especially fond of Spanish Brandies de Jerez, where the nutty sherry notes are especially striking.

As you might imagine, sherries are an especially effective complement in cocktails where they are paired with a sherry-infused hard liquor like Brandy de Jerez.

When using sherry as a mixer, an easy way to start is to think of it as a vermouth substitute. Fino sherry, with its sharp and dry punchiness, can lend an intriguingly piquant taste when swapped in for dry vermouth in a Martini or similar; for Manhattans or other brown liquor cocktails, a sweet sherry, swapped in for red vermouth, can add a whole new flavor profile.

Here are two cocktails—one using Fino, the other with Pedro Ximénez—that I’ve made recently and really liked.

First up, an elegant cocktail that builds on a classic martini but offers a quite different, sweeter spin. This is not my own recipe, but rather something that’s become a contemporary classic, for good reason:

London Calling

1 1/2 oz London gin (I used Plymouth)

1/2 oz Barbadillo Fino sherry

1/3 oz lemon juice

1/4 oz simple syrup

Orange bitters

Shake over ice, serve in a cocktail coupe.

This next one is my recipe—a dark, rather sweet cocktail that’s especially good as a nightcap. It feels quite sinfully rich, hence the name, which is another literary/theatrical hommage:

DF’s Cardinal Pirelli
1 oz Cardinal Mendoza Brandy de Jerez

1 1/2 oz Candido Pedro Jimenez sherry

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup (a flavored syrup—lemon or fig—works especially well here)

Shake over ice, serve in a cocktail coupe with a slice of candied lemon peel.

Happy experimenting with these and other sherry cocktails! Till next time: Bottom’s up.

A Trip to the Hudson Valley

Hello, VDJ readers! If you’re still out there, you probably know I’ve been absent for the last month or so. Blame omicron, blame professional constraints, blame seasonal depression—or some fabulous mix of all three. But now I’m back, although with a slightly modified schedule. When I launched this website in the fall, I planned to update four times a week, but that has simply proven unsustainable. From here on out, my goal is to have at least one new wine-world post every week. In addition, cocktail columnist David Fox will still contribute his weekly missive most Sundays. (Look for his next column on February 20!)

Last weekend, I needed a little escape, so I headed up to Hudson, New York. My first stop was at Swoon Kitchenbar on Warren Street. I’d heard fabulous things about their food, but the news was their excellent wine list. I selected a bottle of Domaine Michelot Meursault, a classic white Burgundy from the 2009 vintage. When it arrived, I was astonished by how fresh it tasted and smelled. The color was bright golden, with little sign of oxidation despite almost a decade-and-a-half of age. The nose was rich with wildflower and lemon candy. On the palate, it had medium-plus acidity and a dominant note of honeysuckle. This was a winner.

The Hudson Valley also has great wine shops. I always try to stop into Kingston Wine, in the nearby town, whenever I’m in the area. It’s one of the best purveyors of natural wine on the East Coast, and I can often find producers there that are hard to come by elsewhere. One label that I initially discovered through them was Ruth Lewandowski Wines, a small operation that began in Utah but has since moved to Northern California. Their wines are experimental, but they often remind me of classic California styles. That was especially true of the MontepulciaNONO that I picked up there.

*Ruth Lewandowski’s awesome pizza wine.*

A non-vintage wine made from grapes from the Fox Hill vineyard in Mendocino, this wine was initially made only for one pizzeria in Salt Lake City. Some of it ended up in bottles, and I’m glad for that. It’s lightly tannic and chillable, and as the name suggests, it goes great with a slice or two of ‘za! When I got home, I ordered a few pies from Pizza Crime, a new shop in Haddonfield that I’d had my eye on for a while.

The dominant flavors of the wine were cherry, red licorice, fruit leather and currant. There was also a hint of smoke that paired nicely with the evening’s pizza special, which featured Italian sausage and roasted jalapenos. But it also didn’t overwhelm the white pie with prosciutto and Stracciatella that I also selected.

*Yummy dinner from Pizza Crime in Haddonfield.*

Pizza Crime makes pies in the Neapolitan style, which I love, but the MontepulciaNONO would be just as great with a large cheese from your local slice joint. And if you’re eating good pizza and drinking good wine, what more do you need?

David’s Cocktail Corner: A Primer on Rum

Rum has been a rather late discovery for me. My parents never stocked it in their home bar, which relied heavily on bourbon and vodka for their preferred cocktails (Manhattan for her, Martini for him). And my early samplings weren’t very positive, largely because I had no idea what to do with it. Also, I think I was likely intimidated by all the variations – different colors, origins, flavorings, and even proof levels.

*David’s current lineup of rums. (Photo by David Fox)*

But a decade or so ago, I had a transformative experience: a Jungle Bird cocktail at New York’s Lantern’s Keep bar. The experience—and the drink—were utterly enchanting. Bartender Theo Lieberman updated his version by using blackstrap rum, which I immediately acquired. From there, I was hooked.

Since then, I’ve worked my way through a fair number of rums. I’m currently playing around with four different kinds, and I’ll share these below: I’m no expert, but we can explore this stuff together!

A couple of things to keep in mind first. For me, rum is rarely pleasing on its own. For one thing, it’s frequently over-proofed. Maybe this is a legacy of Prohibition, when it was probably the most common bootleg hooch, which may also account for rum’s somewhat insalubrious and low-shelf reputation. I’ve had rum on the rocks with the tiniest bit of water, but even an excellent “sipping” rum—Ron Zacapo XO, for example—would rarely be my choice over scotch or bourbon.

But—unleash rum in a cocktail, and it can be magical. In many drinks, rum can be swapped in for another brown liquor—especially taking the place of cognac or bourbon, as in a Sour or a Sidecar—and you have a whole new drink! I also often blend different rums within a cocktail, so if the recipe calls let’s say two ounces of the spirit, I might use one ounce of a light color and mix it with something denser. The options are limitless!

Anyway, here are some favorite bottles currently on my bar:

Mount Gay Eclipse. This is my mainstay: an inexpensive golden rum, which has warmth and lovely rum flavor without some of the denseness and idiosyncratic notes of darker regional variants. I use it most often (as you can probably see from the level here.)
Papa’s Pilar Dark Rum. My single favorite rum, this is distilled in Key West, Florida, and has an almost dessert-like creaminess and rich flavor profile. When I’m in the right mood, I’ll use this on its own—but more often, I combine it with Mount Gay Eclipse to give a bit of extra lusciousness without too much weight.
Boukman Rhum. Distilled in Haiti, this is representative of the wide range of rum (or “rhum,” as it’s spelled here) styles. This would likely be used as a dark rum, but it’s full of interesting spices and has more of a kick than Papa’s Pilar. I’m especially loving it in the “Lisbon a la Limonade” found here (click on the third square on the top row). NOTE: especially for Boukman’s, lots of bartenders recommend combining small quantities of it with wine-based Amari, vermouths, and sherries. I’ve paired it a lot with Cardamaro and Madeiras and love the results!
Cruzan Blackstrap Molasses Rum. My discovery in the Jungle Bird. The heavy flavoring makes it something to use mostly as an accent rather than a central spirit, but it’s absolutely delicious!
Batavia Arrack. Another specialty bottle, with a highly distinctive taste profile (“funky” and “grassy” are two terms I’ve seen used for it). It’s a core ingredient in most milk punch recipes—but well balanced in a cocktail, it can be marvelous. Try the delightful (if somewhat fussy) Head in the Clouds.

You’ll notice that I haven’t included a white rum, even though it’s probably the most commonly used. Honestly, for me it’s usually thin and uninteresting. I replace it in virtually every cocktail recipe with a golden rum, which has more subtlety and warmth.

I’ll end with a very simple recipe I’ve come up with I love—I’m using Boukman’s here, but really you could use virtually any rum, especially a darker one. Honoring my theater roots, I’ve called it the “Rummy Mitchens.” If you know the reference, I raise my glass to you!

*A self-devised cocktail: the Rummy Mitchens. (Photo by David Fox)*

DF’s Rummy Mitchens

1 ½ oz Boukman’s Rhum

1 oz Cardamaro

1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

.25 oz simple syrup

Shake with ice and serve in a coupe. A rinse of absinthe or Pernod adds some complexity.

Help! My Wine Is Corked!

Even a great life is full of disappointments. One that’s bound to happen every so often to a wine lover is the discovery of a flawed bottle. It happened to me most recently over the Christmas holiday.

It was a bottle I’d been saving, from a producer that I love. And I want to stress that even wine made under the best of circumstances by the most talented vintners can go south. It’s a natural part of working with a volatile living product.

I knew something was wrong as soon as I got the cork out of the bottle. Before I could even pour a glass, I smelled something slightly sour, like distilled vinegar. The wine in question—which I won’t name, since I don’t want to unduly bias anyone who might buy a bottle in the future—is one that I’ve been drinking for years. I know how it should smell. This wasn’t it.

Still, I couldn’t be sure until it was in the glass. I poured a sample. The smell was even stronger now. A foul aroma is likely the first clue that you’re dealing with an imperfect product. But even if you’re relatively sure, it helps to taste the wine as well.

This article from Eater goes into the scientific reasons why a bottle of wine can turn. From a consumer perspective, it makes sense to be disappointed. You’ve paid your money expecting a certain experience, and in turn you’ve been greeted by an unpleasant sensation.

One of the reasons a sample of wine is presented to the customer at a restaurant is to survey its quality. It is not necessarily to determine whether the patron likes the wine, as many believe. And whether you’re at a restaurant or in a retail situation, you should feel empowered to speak up if you’ve received a corked bottle.

When I’ve bought wine directly from a producer and gotten a flawed product, I’ll usually send an email to let them know. I make it clear that I’m not looking for anything in return—some have offered me a credit or to send a replacement bottle—but rather acting from a place of quality control. Likewise, in the rare instance where I’ve encountered a corked wine at a restaurant, I’ve felt no hesitation in sending it back. Nor should you.

If you drink enough wine, you are bound to encounter a corked bottle every now and then. It might be the end of the road for one particular wine, but it’s not the end of the world.

David’s Cocktail Corner: The Magic ‘Hour’

Greetings, and Happy New Year!

Perhaps like me, you’re working on resolutions. I’m here to talk about one of mine: “Observe the Cocktail Hour.”

You were expecting maybe “Exercise More” or “Cut Back on Sweets”? Well, first, consider the context here (Vin de Jerz, that is). Also, I long ago decided my New Year’s resolutions should be pleasurable rather than arduous. (Incidentally, since then I’ve had a remarkably good track record of succeeding at nearly all of them.)

For me, the Cocktail Hour is one of the great pleasures of the day. Of course, the drinks themselves matter, and for good measure I’ll throw one in at the end of this column. The focus here, though, is the experience itself: an hour or so that defines the transition from day to evening, and with it a sense of relaxation and enjoyment.

Perhaps when you consider the Cocktail Hour, your first thought is going out, and of course that defines one kind of experience that I love. It can be a fancy cocktail lounge, where the clientele dresses up… or a dive bar, which provides a more laid-back brand of pleasure. I greatly enjoy both, but I do have a few ground rules.

First and foremost, I avoid Happy Hour, which is always too noisy and crowded—for me, this experience should be relaxing. I’m also very anti-television in a bar—I want to focus on conversation and imbibing, and I don’t want any distractions. I do love background music, if it too sustains that sense of intimacy and mood. Depending on whether I’m alone or with other people—I’m likely to sit at the bar, because I like to watch both the mixologist working their craft and the people around me.

But when I think about Observing the Cocktail Hour generally, more often for me that will be at home. Still, I try to mark it with many of same qualities.

Ideally, it will begin sometime around 6pm—after the workday is over and I’ve had a few minutes to unwind. Creating a cocktail for me is a major first step—coming up with what I want, locating the ingredients, and actually putting it all together. If I’m doing this alone, I’ll put on some music in the background: usually classic jazz vocals by Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Short, and others. And I’ll savor the whole process—the sound of ice in a metal cocktail shaker affects me the way ocean waves and fireplace crackling does for others. It’s sonic contentment.

When it comes to serving and drinking (and of course, in this case I’m doing both) I also try to make it special. How a cocktail looks is very important to me. Over the years, I’ve acquired a lot of lovely antique glassware, and I put it into service. By the way, in my experience it’s often easy to find old glasses and barware at thrift stores and yard sales. I’ve bought some amazing things for next to nothing. Also, I use tiny cloth napkins. They can be bought in packs for very little money through Amazon and other sources, and they make a big difference in terms of upping the presentation.

Finally, drink in hand, I’ll head for my living room, turn up the music again, and sit and enjoy it. By the way, it always helps me feel in the mood when I’m a bit dressed up. If I’m coming from work—particularly if I’m teaching—that’s generally a given, but I’ve been known to put on nice clothes just for Cocktail Hour. Really!

Of course, the Great Quarantine of 2020 made this (and everything else) more difficult—but it also made it even more necessary! In the months when leaving the house—or even entertaining inside—wasn’t really an option, Zoom cocktail hours took over. Many days included a time when Vin de Jerz-Meister Cameron Kelsall and I would “meet” for drinks—he usually with wine, me with a cocktail—and try to find a moment of pleasure and normalcy in a very strange world. It was a bit of a lifeline for me.
Looking back at it now, I can also see that in a curious way, those conversations were a bit of preview and a distillation (sorry) of this blog!

In July 2021, when we finally felt comfortable enough to venture into New York for a day trip, we also celebrated with our first in-person drink in over a year: at Bemelmans Bar in the Carlyle Hotel, one of my happy places.

*Cameron Kelsall (left) and David Fox (right) at Bemelmans Bar.*

I wish you and yours such happy experiences at home or elsewhere—and I look forward to being in touch through this blog. Meanwhile, as promised, here’s a Facebook posting from me of a cocktail I made a few days ago and repeated on New Year’s Eve. To all – Best wishes for a happy, healthy 2022—and bottom’s up!

*David Fox offers an elegant spin on the classic Manhattan cocktail.*

Get to Know Fiddlehead Cellars

The holidays are about indulging in your favorite wines. As I mentioned previously, this doesn’t necessarily have to be the most expensive or prestigious bottle in your collection—it just has to be something you love to drink. For me, when I’m looking for my special-occasion cuvée, I find myself coming back to Fiddlehead Cellars, which makes some of the best Pinot Noir in the United States.

*A perfect Christmas wine: 728 Pinot Noir from Fiddlehead Cellars. (Photo by Cameron Kelsall)*

Fiddlehead is the passion project of Kathy Joseph, a Chicago native who studied biology in college. Rather than becoming a doctor, she moved to California and took a master’s degree in enology from the famed wine program at U.C. Davis. After working in Napa and Sonoma for years, she set her sights on making great Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, deciding the more temperate climates of Santa Barbara wine country were suited to her goals. She founded her winery in 1989 and has been making exciting juice ever since.

Her signature cuvée, 728 Pinot Noir, is named for the mile marker of her estate vineyard, Fiddlestix, in the Santa Rita Hills AVA. Joseph also makes a single-vineyard Oregon Pinot Noir, Oldsville, and several limited-edition and barrel-selection wines. She sources her Sauvignon Blanc fruit from the Happy Canyon Vineyard in Santa Barbara, and she also makes a Rosé of Pinot Noir and a Blancs de Noir sparkling wine.

One thing I admire about Joseph is her decision to release her wines only when she feels they’ve reached perfect maturity. The currently available vintages of the 728 Pinot Noir are 2013 and 2014, with the 2015 vintage available only to members of her wine club. This is unusual, considering that most California Pinot producers have already released their 2019 bottlings—or even their 2020s! Not everyone is equipped to age wine at home, so it makes sense to keep bottles in the winery’s cellar if extended aging is the key. Joseph’s wines feature bold fruit and intricate tannic structure, so they often benefit from extra time in the bottle.

*A longtime producer of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, Fiddlehead Cellars recently added Grüner Veltliner to its portfolio.* *(Photo by Cameron Kelsall)*

On Christmas Day, I enjoyed the 2013 vintage of 728, which retails on the Fiddlehead website for $44. This is a bold, New World expression of Pinot, with red fruits, Coca Cola, forest floor and grilled meat on the nose. The taste is big and rich, with just the right balance of acid and ripe fruit flavor. I love pairing this wine with everything from grilled salmon to roasted chicken to prime rib. At my Christmas table, it suited turkey quite well (remember that come Thanksgiving). Drink now if you have some bottles of this.

In recent years, Joseph has added Grüner Veltliner to her profile. She is not the only California producer to cultivate this Austrian varietal, but it is still comparatively rare. I tried her 2015 vintage over Christmas for the first time as well. The nose and palate were full of tropical fruits, peach, banana and candied ginger. The wine lacked some of the trademark acidity I associate with the varietal, and it almost resembled Chardonnay in its use of malolactic fermentation. Still, the rounded flavors make it a highly desirable pairing with cheese or a lemony chicken dish.

Have you tried any Fiddlehead wines in the past? What do you think?

Milk Punch for Christmas!

Greetings of the season, my friends!

Continuing my theme of holiday entertaining, I’m offering here another theme and variations. The theme—or more accurately, the core ingredient around which all else is built—is milk punch.

*Rockey’s Milk Punch takes the work out of these cocktails. (Photo by David Fox)*

For those unfamiliar this grandly traditional—yet now often overlooked—concoction, well: milk punch goes back at least a couple of centuries. The recommended ingredients bring together (on the booze side) ruby port, along with rum or cognac (or sometimes bourbon). Cooked with them are lemon, some spices… and of course, clarified milk. The “clarified” part here is key—the finished milk punch should be clear, though it retains some of milk’s characteristic flavor and a touch of the creamy consistency, too. (Note: this is not to be confused with the Southern bourbon milk punch, which essentially is similar to egg nog and doesn’t involve clarifying the milk.)

If this sounds like a complicated and time-consuming process… well, it is, sort of. Or at least, it does require several steps, including straining the mixture. There’s a good recipe by Alton Brown for the Food Network, if you want to try it out.

Or you can take the lazy way, as I did, for which you’ll also need a little bit of luck. Bartender Eamon Rockey has created and marketed an excellent pre-made milk punch that really captures the essential qualities. If you can find it (that’s where the luck comes in—at the moment, demand seems to exceed supply, though in the last couple of months, I have tracked down two precious bottles in South Jersey), these holiday drinks will taste like they took forever—but they could hardly be easier to make.

So let’s assume that, one way or another, you have a bottle of milk punch to work with. You should also have some candied orange and/or lemon peel on-hand: it’s a lovely garnish, but more than that, it actually complements the flavor and adds to the, ahem, Christmas Spirits. (By the way, if you have the patience to make your own candied peel, it’s usually far better than anything you’ll get in a market. I keep some on hand for lots of drinks, not only these.)

The rest is easy, and the possibilities are vast. For each of these cocktails, I’ve used fundamentally the same formula: two parts milk punch to one part of a highly flavored, sweet-ish liqueur that runs in the 20% ABV category. As the milk punch itself is an even lower ABV—around 12%—these cocktails are pleasingly low proof, while long on flavor—so you needn’t feel guilty about having a couple.

That said, I strongly recommend you keep each cocktail to three ounces. That’s in part due to the sweetness—this is an after-dinner drink for sure—but also because the presentation is part of the charm. As you’ll see below, I’ve tried to present these in several different, whimsical ways. Each really looks a bit like a miniature (to suggest a sense of scale in the photos, I’ve left the measuring jigger in most of the pictures).

The selection of liqueurs that I’ve used include fruit and floral flavors, as well as coffee. For me, they all work well—and I’m sure that any number of other flavors will, too. So use your imagination!

Anyway, here are four you might start with:

The Winter Garden

This one might be my favorite of the group—and is also the most unexpected. Crème Violette offers a fragrantly floral complement that contrasts with the cream and citrus flavors of the milk punch in a delightful way. For this one, you’ll see that I serve it straight up as a traditional cocktail. The name nods both the season and to a celebrated Broadway theater.

2 oz milk punch

1 oz Crème Violette or Crème Yvette

1 strip of candied orange peel

Stir in a mixing glass over ice; strain and serve in a coupe, garnished with the orange peel.

*Winter Garden Cocktail. (Photo by David Fox)*

Boozy CranMas Punch

The tartness of cranberry is famously well-paired with orange, and it certainly works superbly here.

For this one, you’ll see that I serve it in a small juice glass with tiny ice cubes. By the way, I also did a version with rhubarb—a similarly tart/sweet liqueur—which was equally tasty.

2 oz milk punch

1 oz Leopold Bros. New England Cranberry Liqueur

1 strip of candied orange peel

Stir in a mixing glass over ice; strain and serve in a juice glass with ice, garnished with the orange peel.

*Boozy CranMas Punch. (Photo by David Fox)*

Noël d’Abricot

Giffard Apricot Liqueur gives this drank a sweeter and warmer complementary flavor. If you’re trying this out for the first time, this one might be the most universal crowd-pleaser. I was fortunate to have found among some antique tableware a few tiny (3 oz) antique punch glasses. They certainly make for a charming presentation.

2 oz milk punch

1 oz Giffard Abricot de Rousillon

1 strip of candied orange peel

Stir in a mixing glass over ice; strain and serve in a glass, garnished with the orange peel.

Staying Up for Santa

For something completely different, try pairing milk punch with coffee liqueur. I don’t have to tell you that those two flavors are naturals together, but here, the hint of citrus is equally present. It looks especially appealing served in an espresso cup and garnished this time with lemon peel (as the Italians would with a real espresso!)

2 oz milk punch

1 oz Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur

1 strip of candied orange lemon

Stir in a mixing glass over ice; strain and serve in an espresso cup, garnished with the lemon peel.

*Waiting Up for Santa. (Photo by David Fox)*

Happy holidays to all! Bottoms up!

David’s Cocktail Corner: Say Yes to Rhubarb!

For me, the holidays are a time of luxurious indulgence—and that includes flavors. In both food and drink I seek out ingredients and tastes that are sweet, spicy, distinctively special. It’s even better if they’re a bit surprising or off-the-beaten-track; that makes the results all the more special.

*Giffard’s Rhubarb Liqueur dominates a series of drinks this week. (Photo by David Fox)*

For cocktails, rhubarb is one of my great discoveries this year. I’ve had it before in foods, of course. But often in recipes its own marvelous taste is subservient to another—as with the classic strawberry rhubarb pie, where the more familiar former flavor dominates.

Horticulturally speaking, rhubarb—a stalk—is a vegetable. But its uses in cooking are often more like those of fruit, as in the aforementioned pie. That odd double-identity—fruity yet also vegetal—is one of the glories of rhubarb, which to me feels ideally poised between the two. There is certainly a sweetness to it, probably along the lines of (but less so than) several more commonly used vegetables, including tomatoes and corn. But rhubarb’s tartness is often its signature, as in that pie, where it’s used to give more tang and profile to the blander, sweeter strawberries.

I’m here to tell you that rhubarb is even better on its own, where its unique and high identifiable flavor comes into better focus. Once tasted, it’s never forgotten. For me, the taste intriguingly evokes simultaneously the height of summer (crisp, biting, farmy) and the chilly glamour of winter (rich, complex, elegant).

But don’t take my word for it—try it yourselves. One way to do that is to cook the stalks into a syrup, which is absolutely delicious and equally good in foods (try it on pancakes!) and drinks. It’s a bit tricky to work with, though. The plant is very fibrous.

Happily, there’s an easier way to sample rhubarb’s complementary specialness—thanks to the good people at Giffard.

Since 1885, this French company has made a specialty of interesting fruit/spice/vegetable liqueurs. Since most of them are around 20% alcohol, they are ideal as secondary liquor cocktail ingredients, supporting the harder stuff. Giffard’s banana, pink grapefruit, and apricot are longtime favorites of mine, and I often substitute one or more of them for the orange liqueur recommended for many drinks.

That’s precisely what I’m doing here with three rhubarb cocktails that I’m loving right now. They are essentially slight variations on a classic theme—the sour—but the rhubarb gives them a new life.

*The Rhu-Bou Cocktail. (Photo by David Fox)*

DF’s Rhu-Bou Cocktail

1 oz Bulleit bourbon

1 oz Giffard Rhubarb

1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

½ oz egg white (optional)

Angostura bitters (optional)

Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker and ice; strain and serve in a coupe. If adding the egg white, I recommend dry shaking (without ice) first, and then adding the ice and other ingredients. Shake a few drops of the bitters in the drink after pouring and serve!

For me, this is an ideal rhubarb Christmas drink—warming and fragrant. But if you want something crisper and brighter, here’s another option:

DF’s Gi-Rhu Cocktail

1 oz Plymouth gin

1 oz Giffard Rhubarb

1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

½ oz egg white (optional)

Peychaud’s bitters (optional)

As above: mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker and ice; strain and serve in a coupe. If adding the egg white, I recommend dry shaking (without ice) first, and then adding the ice and other ingredients. Shake a few drops of the bitters in the drink after pouring and serve!

*The Mez-Rhu Cocktail. (Photo by David Fox)*

Finally, an oddball mix of elements that is at once smoky, citrusy, and tart:

DF’s Mez-Rhu Cocktail

2 oz Giffard Rhubarb

1 oz Jovan Mezcal

1 ½ oz fresh squeezed lime juice

As above: mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker and ice; strain and serve in a coupe. Note that I don’t recommend bitters or egg white in this version, and I’ve changed the proportions. Unless balanced delicately, the mezcal will dominate too much. For me, this has the right combination of sweet, tart, and smoky. It’s my favorite variation.

Before closing, a few notes:

Though egg white is a classic topper for a sour cocktail and makes for a beautiful presentation and a silky texture, I have mixed feelings about it here. A subtle and complex play of flavors here I think actually is better without it. If you do want try the egg white, I’m more partial to it in the bourbon version.

I encourage you to experiment with the bitters. I find Angostura complements and adds depth to the bourbon, and the licorice bite of Peychaud’s complements the gin and lime. But try your own combinations to see what you like. (And the cocktails are delicious without as well.)

Budget-Friendly Christmas Wines: Red Wine Edition

You can easily rack up a big tab when shopping for red wines to enjoy during the holidays—but you don’t have to. As much as I love Burgundy and Barolo, I recognize there are multiple options available at friendlier prices. I recently took a trip to Moore Brothers Wine Company in Pennsauken and left with three excellent choices, all under $20, that will find a place in my Christmas rotation.

*A selection of red wines that can be found easily for under $20. (Photo by Cameron Kelsall)*

I’m a Pinot Noir fanatic. Burgundy is obviously the benchmark, but the United States has been making delicious Pinots for decades. Oregon is the birthplace of American Pinot, and some of their top cuvées can now fetch prices that approach the big names of France. That’s one of the reasons I was thrilled to discover Benoni Pinot Noir, an incredible value at $17 a bottle (currently sold out). The 2019 vintage has the ripeness I associate with West Coast Pinots, along with classic Burgundian aromas and flavors like mushroom, cloves and cherries. This would be absolutely wonderful with roasted chicken, salmon or beef Wellington.

The rest of my family is crazy for Cabernet. I can appreciate a good bottle, but I also find it somewhat bland—and I’m usually not looking to shell out the big bucks for a culty Napa producer. Argentinian wines tend to overdeliver, especially from a quality-to-price perspective, and that’s the case with the 2019 Patagonia Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Selection Fabre Montmayou ($16). The nose is rich with plum, chocolate and toasted wood. The wine is full-bodied and quite expressive young—pair it with roast beef or even turkey. I imagine it will also continue to develop for 10 years or more. At this price, buy some for now and more for later. I know it’s what I’ll bring to dinner with my Cab Crew.

And let’s be honest: Sometimes we buy a bottle of wine based on the label alone. That was the case when I first tried Côtes Catalanes L’effet Papillon Rouge M&S Gallet. The beautiful butterfly caught my eye, and at $14, it was worth the gamble. This wine is a blend of Grenache and Syrah, two of the backbone grapes of Rhône wines. You’ll find them in everything from everyday table wines to pricy Châteauneuf-du-Pape. What I like about Rhône blends is that they’re rarely fussy, whether they cost $10 or $100. They make for good, straightforward drinking that complements a variety of food and pleases a variety of palettes. This wine is juicy and approachable, with vibrant fruit and plush tannins. If I was to serve lamb on Christmas, as many do, this would be on the table. M&S Gallet also make excellent white and rosé blends, all within the same affordable price range.

Of course, there are always going to be a few top-shelf bottles pressed into service every holiday. Come back next Wednesday and I’ll let you know what I will be drinking from that category.

David’s Cocktail Corner: New Liberties Sour Cherry

It’s the holiday season, and I’m doing my best to shop local. When it comes to booze, though, that’s not always so easy here.

Pennsylvanians will know instantly that I’m talking about our infamous State Stores, which provide our sole legitimate retail source of hard liquor for purchase. Though these stores are greatly improved in the last few years—more plentiful, with longer hours and far better selection—it’s still a far cry from what’s available in neighboring New Jersey. When I journey across the Ben Franklin Bridge to the lush resources of Pennsauken and beyond, I picture myself as Dorothy Gale when she first beholds the distant wonder of Emerald City.

*David’s variation on the classic Blood & Sand cocktail includes the locally made New Liberties Sour Cherry. (Photo by David Fox)*

An additional complication is that Philadelphia itself hasn’t exactly been known as a producer of great liquors—but that too is changing. My current go-to vodka is Stateside, made here, and I know Dad’s Hat rye has many fans; I’ve yet to try it, but soon I will.

Lately, I’ve been enamored with some very lovely liqueurs made by New Liberties, a boutique local distillery. Each is around 30%, so considerably higher than a fortified wine and also stronger in alcohol than some other similar products. New Liberties Crème de Violette, for example, is stronger than other brands, but I also think a truer representation of the real floral flavor. Their Blackberry Bramble is deliciously lush as an after-dinner drink on its own—I’ll soon play with it in cocktails.

I’ll also continue to experiment with their version of Picon, which surely will merit a column of its own, since that’s a topic of considerable complexity. I’ll just say here that New Liberties’ version is exceptionally bitter. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but you should probably taste it and decide for yourselves. (By the way, the Reading Terminal Market now has a shop for local liquors that is very generous with tastings.)

What I’m focusing on today is New Liberties’ Sour Cherry. I sampled it first and liked it a lot. It’s a good representation of the actual fruit flavor—far more like cherries than the candified taste that’s often present in liqueurs. It’s also pleasingly tart rather than sweet—as is true for most NL’s I’ve tried.

This in particular led me to try it in a Blood & Sand, a 1920s classic cocktail that calls for equal parts blended scotch, sweet vermouth, orange juice and Cherry Heering.

The B & S is an original and audacious drink, but frankly I’ve struggled with it—I always want to love it for its history (named after the Valentino movie) and its distinctiveness. But the syrupy-orange element generally kills it for me.

*The Henry Street is inspired by the classic Manhattan and the flavors of Jewish delicatessens. (Photo by David Fox)*

A lot of that syrupy sweetness comes from the Cherry Heering, and my hope here was it would be cut down by substituting Sour Cherry. And indeed, the result is a drier and, to my taste, more refined cocktail. It’s still for me a once-in-a-while drink rather than a favorite, but I’ll keep it in the rotation.

Blood & Sand

1 oz Dewar’s White Label scotch

1 oz Carpano Antica vermouth

1 oz orange juice (fresh squeezed preferred)

1 oz New Liberties Sour Cherry

Shake all ingredients together with ice and serve straight up in a coupe glass, which you’ll have prepared by expressing a swath of orange peel. Garnish the cocktail with the peel.

I was even happier with a far simpler cocktail I made—essentially a splurgy Manhattan variation that uses Sour Cherry instead of sweet vermouth. I love the result and decided to name it in honor of both the original source drink, and the way the Sour Cherry evokes a very Jewish deli palate to me. I’m calling it the Henry Street. Here’s how I mixed it:

DF’S Henry Street

2 oz Bulliet bourbon

1 oz New Liberties Sour Cherry

Angostura, orange, and chocolate bitters (go crazy here – it’s a strong flavor and can take it!)

Stir over ice and pour into a rocks glass with one big ice cube. (Yes, it’s boozy enough that you’ll want to have some dilution. This drink actually gets better as it goes along. By the way, you can also do it with the Blackberry Bramble and it’s equally tasty. I mixed mine with some cardamom bitters, and it was wonderfully spicy.