Archive for November, 2008

I always prefer my cocktails and martinis to be lighter and fruit-based.  Recently, I have enjoyed the addition of bubbles to my beverages.  The addition of prosecco or champagne makes a drink lighter and seemingly more fun.

Looking at our sister site, Tasty Thoughts, I found the recipe for the New Year’s Eve cocktail that I created last December.  As the holiday season has begun, it seemed a good time to share this sparkling recipe with Parched No More readers.

Fruity, bubbly, and lightly sweet, this drink adds a festival feel to any evening.

Bottle/Tap: Bottle

Better late than never, I always say. At a recent visit to a local beer spot I happened upon their last bottle of Spaten’s Oktoberfest. Yes, I’m well aware that I’ve already reviewed Oktoberfest beers, but this was ‘the ale that got away.  Not anymore. I snatched the bottle and brought it home.

I was fresh out of bratwurst and sauerkraut, so I made do with whatever I got my hands on. Some people have mentioned I should start pairing food with my beer, I’m not sure I could handle that much responsibility. I’ve never been good with setting up blind dates in the first place, and I don’t want to make the situation more awkward for the food or the beer.

The Spaten had a nice pale tan color in the glass. There was no real overpowering aroma and looked like the Otter Creek Oktoberfest. To tell you the truth there wasn’t a real stand out flavor. It wasn’t bitter, but it had a sharp taste. I would have to place it as lighter than the Otter Creek.

This beer tasted like a lager with an identity crisis. I do enjoy a regular Spaten brew when the time is right, you almost could pass the Oktoberfest as the same. I know the Otter Creek was light in flavor, but the Spaten was more watered down in flavor.

I do not want to discredit Spaten, but I wasn’t impressed here. However, I do wish I had this bottle for my initial taste test, it would have added another element to my research. Oh well, you can’t taste’em all, or can I?

My husband is a fan of Sunday football, especially if he can watch the Ravens or Patriots play.  As we live in New England, quite often we don’t get to see the Baltimore game.

This past weekend it seemed that luck was on his side.  First, the Baltimore - New York game was being aired locally.  Second, returning from a trip, he was home by 1:15 and able to see most of the game.  Third, I had created a menu of munchies and a new cocktail for the occasion.

Sadly, the game did not go very well for the Ravens, and as such, our new cocktail was named, Sunday Blues.  With its brilliant blue color, the name was a perfect match.  A bit on the sweet side but light, it was the perfect beverage to sip or cry into.

Sunday Blues

2 oz. passion fruit rum

2 oz. coconut rum

2 oz. vodka

1 oz. blue curacao

4 oz. diet lemon-lime soda

Fill a shaker with ice.  Add both rums, vodka, and curacao.  Cover, and shake well.  Divide evenly among two martini glasses.  Top each with soda, and stir gently.  Garnish with lemon peel.

I don’t eat frozen treats, such as frozen juice bars, very often.  However, I did have my fair share during my childhood.  So, sometimes I taste the flavors of those treats in other food items.

Last winter I created a new martini for a stay at home night.  When I took my first sip, it immediately reminded me of the orange and vanilla frozen treats of my youth.

To give this recipe a try, visit our sister site, Tasty Thoughts.

For a few minutes on Saturday I felt like Charles Bukowski. I was a writer sitting by a racetrack drinking a beer at 12:30, and I hadn’t placed a bet. Actually, I was there for the food not the thoroughbreds. The Andelman brothers, hosts of TV’s Phantom Gourmet, held one of their events at Suffolk Downs bringing good food to the masses.

Sponsored heavily by Budweiser, the vendor list was impressive: Fuddruckers, Firefly’s, Aussom Aussie, Wholly Cannoli, Harrow’s, Wicked Whoopie’s, the Sausage Guy and Sunset Grill, plenty to choose from. The prices were uniform for most vendors; you could purchase a modest portion for $5-$7.

For what it was, it was a good way to introduce people to something they may not eat everyday. For guys that claim to love food, they could have gotten better beer. The Sunset Bar boasts a tap list of over a hundred taps; I imagine it to be like Mecca.

I felt compelled to try Budweiser’s American Ale. I actually was surprised that Bud could create something with flavor. I also can’t believe it took a buy-out for them to do so.

The Andelman brothers themselves were walking around the event and stopped to chat with folks or pose for pictures. That was a nice touch to see them in person.

If you managed to find the secret escalator, you were led upstairs. On the second floor there was a mechanical bull, bouncy boxing, sumo wrestling, twister and a putting green. There was enough entertainment but as lines for everything got longer, waiting felt like a chore.

Overall, it was an interesting experience. Although, I wish I had placed a few bucks on the #2 horse in the first race, I would have had my money back for the food and beer.

Like any good drink, this recipe starts with a story.  This drink is a bit like me.  In high school I was a cheerleader.  I am the sort of woman who screams if she runs into a snake in the backyard.  I like to dress up and wear feminine clothing.  However, those aren’t all of the qualities that define me.

In fact, I take issue with people who make comments, such as, “You were a cheerleader!” with a laugh of disgust.  Because in addition to my sport of choice in high school, there are other pieces to who I am.  I was intelligent enough to attend a well respected college on a full academic scholarship.  I am capable of solving household problems with a drill or hammer.

So, while I may have “pretty, pink” qualities, I also can deliver a punch.  When served this drink, you shouldn’t judge it by its look.  Yes, it is pretty and pink, but with the combination of ingredients, there is a punch that comes with it.

Pretty and Pink with a Punch

1 oz. peach schnapps

2 oz. vodka

1 oz. cranberry juice

1/2 oz. lime juice

1 oz. diet lemon-lime soda

Fill a shaker with ice, and add schnapps, vodka, and cranberry and lime juices.  Shake well.  Pour into a martini glass, and top with soda.

I know, it’s November and chilly, or at least it is in New England.  However, I was reviewing our sister site, Tasty Thoughts, and I found a recipe that my girlfriend and I created a couple summers ago.  Reading it lead me to thinking about how tasty this drink was.  And even though it is chilly here, it seemed to be too good of a recipe to keep from Parched No More readers.

So, whether you save this lemonade-based drink for a hot summer day or decide to try it today, you will need to visit Tasty Thoughts to gather the recipe.  I guarantee you that this recipe’s worth the click!

Bottle/Tap: Bottle

I hit one of my usual beer spots the other day and slapped a mix six together. Lately, I’ve been trying beers from breweries I’m not familiar with, which is why Southampton’s Altbier made it in to the box. After a convincing recommendation I felt I should give it a go.

Altbier is a German style of beer, traditional red ale. Unlike a Killian’s, an Irish red, this German ale was smooth and had some extra bite to make it intriguing. I’m not too big into red ales, but I will make the exception here.

The color of this ale was a pale red and had a slightly bitter aroma. The ale itself had a creamy bitter taste, not too bitter. There was enough bitter to hit the sides of your tongue, and it was really refreshing.

Irish reds are usually very straight forward with flavor and have a deeper red color. This German was complex, and you had to drink a bit before it revealed all the potential.

Did I mention how smooth this beer was? No? Ridiculously smooth. After half the bottle I was beginning to regret that it was my only one. This is one of those gems I seem to have been coming across lately; I’m on a hot streak. Actually, shouldn’t that be a cold streak? No one drinks hot beer.

You really could liken this beer to a lager but much creamier. The fellow that convinced me to buy it warned me that this beer was very drinkable. Southampton Brewery is located in New York, and it sounds like they brew many traditional German beers with a twist. I was very impressed with this beer and would gladly try anything else by Southampton.

I am a seasonal sort of diner.  I like salads and fresh fruits with my meals during warm weather.  As the weather turns chilly, I discard salads in favor of soups, stews, and other warm dishes.  I also vary the ingredients that I use by season.

As fall is in full swing, I have been in a cranberry frame of mind when it comes to meals and drinks.  Last week I enjoyed a delicious turkey sandwich that included cranberry sauce.  I also have been incorporating cranberry juice into my drinks.

Although, I do like the classic combination of cranberry juice and vodka, I thoroughly enjoy creating new beverages.  I mull over ingredients, seeking the flavors that best complement each other.  For this new drink, I wanted the tartness of cranberry to be contrasted with the sweetness of raspberry.  Once shaken and poured, I decided it could be lighter, so I added a float of lemon-lime seltzer.

And with that, I had created a drink that had a subtle hint of fall, containing just enough cranberry to make a drink with raspberry liquor taste like a fall classic.

Martini with a Hint of Fall

2 oz. vodka

2 oz. raspberry liqueur

1 oz. cranberry juice (preferably 100% pure)

1/2 oz. lime juice

1/2 oz. simple syrup

1 oz. lemon-lime seltzer

Fill a martini shaker with ice.  Add vodka, liqueur, both juices, and syrup.  Cover, and shake well.  Pour into martini glass, and add seltzer.

Bottle/Tap: Bottle

I decided to ignite the grill for a ‘last hoorah to warm weather’ last weekend. To ring in the fall weather I cracked open a Woodstock Inn Autumn Ale. Some seasonal brews are a little off the mark at times, this one was right on target.

New England is one of the few areas in the country that can enjoy seasonal beers, since we have seasons, and someone figured out what a fall beer should taste like. When you think fall in New England, some people think leaves. Considering leaves taste awful with hops, the next best thing is apples. This brew combines correct amounts of apples and cinnamon to create something really different.

This ale had a really good red-tan color in the glass and smelled great. The ale itself had the same flavor of apple crisp, if you left the skin on the apple. I was pleasantly surprised.

The label is interesting: I’m reminded of the witches from Macbeth, wearing pumpkins over their heads. After a few ales you may find yourself yelling. “Out damned beer spot!” has a nice ring to it if you ask me.

When I sampled the Gritty’s Halloween Ale last time, I was disappointed. Had the Gritty’s folks done something exciting like this Autumn Ale, I would’ve received a good scare. Woodstock Inn Brewery’s Autumn Ale is a great example of a seasonal or specialty ale you’ll really remember.

Do yourself a favor and try to enjoy these light tan ales while you can. Within a few weeks porters, stouts and other dark lagers will be more commonplace. Nothing against darker beers at all, it just means the weather is getting cold again.