Our Crafty Bartender, Jared, has been busy lately. Not only has he been creating some fabulous cocktail recipes for Parched No More, he also has been managing the Iron Bartender competition. For three consecutive Mondays, contestants attempted to make the best cocktail, choosing from a selection of spirits, mixers, and juices. In addition, that evening's secret ingredient had to become part of the recipe. The finished creations were judged on their creativity, taste, and appearance.
This past Monday, the three highest scoring contestants were invited for the Iron Bartender finals. Unfortunately, one of the contestants was unable to attend, and it
Archive for July, 2010
Of Wine and Chocolate
by TJ Davis on July 28th, 2010 | Wine
You love good wine. You love fine chocolate. Is it possible to love them together? You can if the wine is red and the chocolate is a semisweet or dark. Pairing wine and chocolate can be tricky because if the chocolate is too sweet it can bring out the astringency of the wine, especially one with deep tannins, like a Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark chocolates are a better match for most red wines, and with the Cabernet, the darker the better. A Merlot will stand up better to a chocolate with a slightly lower cocoa content, and Zinfandel is an
Fruit Basket
by J Frazzetta on July 26th, 2010 | Beer
Why bother eating your daily dose of fruits, when you can drink them with your already delicious beer? True, there is no nutritional value to a fruit ale, but I am allowed to dream. For those people that want to enjoy something a little more refreshing for the summer, I always recommend a good fruit beer. Here are a few I always turn to in a pinch:
Harpoon – Raspberry UFO- There are several flavors of the UFO but I find this one to be the most refreshing. You don’t even need to add an orange slice for this unfiltered
Harpoon – Raspberry UFO- There are several flavors of the UFO but I find this one to be the most refreshing. You don’t even need to add an orange slice for this unfiltered
Flavors of Maine
by TJ Davis on July 21st, 2010 | Wine
Maine, the northernmost of the contiguous United States, is cold much of the year. Not just cold, but bitter cold at times, and frozen. The winter climate is not especially conducive to growing grapes. Many of the varieties commonly grown and used in wine making throughout the world do not have the proper amount of time during the Maine growing season to adequately ripen before the frosts. There are, however, a few short-season varieties that do quite well there. Fredonia is among the most popular and productive of the short season vines in Maine. Delaware grapes also do well
Laphroaig 10 Year: It’s a Beautiful Thing
by Jason Lightner on July 21st, 2010 | LiquorEver since I began drinking whisky, I've searched for something that truly stands out. I stumbled onto Laphroaig by accident a few years ago and we've been good friends ever since.
Laphroaig is an Islay single malt Scotch whisky produced by the Laphroaig distillery, which is located in Port Ellen and is owned by Fortune Brands. The distillery was founded in 1815 and over the years it has passed from family to family, finally coming to its current owners in 2005.
"Laphroaig 10 year" has won more than twenty awards over the past twelve years. It's no
