New Start

For those of you who don't know me, and those of you who do I am going to re do my Blog. I have been gone way to long. I love the things I do for the better or worse, and I am willing to share my trials and triumphs with all of you.

The new Blog will not solely be on wine anymore, I have decided to post my life as it happens. I will do my best to keep it up to date.

Enjoy

Caravella Limoncello

This is truly a simple but tasty alcohol. It is made from lemon, sugar, and grain alcohol. It is a light, sweet, and easy to drink . Best served ice cold, and the Italians generally serve it after a meal as a way to help them digest their food. Now their are many ways to have this,but i will name only a few. One is by itself in a small glass, or the other way i will mention i will give you a recipe for.

Limoncello Cosmopolitan

• Combine 3/4 ounce vodka, 1/4 ounce cranberry juice and 1/4 ounce Caravella Limoncello.
• Pour into martini glass and garnish with a lemon wedge.

enjoy!

Chandon Riche

I have a friend of mine who me on to this many years ago,this is a sparkling wine from California. The chandon company is originally from France,when they decided to come over to Napa Valley California. They use and still practice today méthode traditionnelle. Which is the closest thing we can get to the true french method for making champangne. This particular sparkling wine uses pinot meunier, pinot noir, and chardonnaywith a touch of muscat. The flavor is like a soft honey fruit, with a touch a peach behind it. This goes well with a Tex-mex dish, or with some fresh fruit, or you can even make my favorite:

Chandon Nouveau Riche:

Ingredients for 1 cocktail
2 oz cucumber simple syrup (see recipe below)
2 thin cucumber ribbons
1 thin slice of orange
1 thin slice of lime
2 mint leaves
Ice cubes
Chandon Extra-Dry Riche

Instructions for cucumber simple syrup
Cut one whole English cucumber into ¼-inch slices. In a saucepan, combine cucumber, 2 cups of water and two cups of white sugar. Bring to a boil and cook on low heat for 8 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let stand and come to room temperature before refrigerating. Cool in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours or overnight for best results. After proper refrigeration, remove the cucumber with a slotted spoon and use the syrup as desired. Syrup will keep refrigerated for up to one month.

Instructions for cocktail
In a highball glass, combine cucumber simple syrup, cucumber ribbons, orange slice and mint leaves. Squeeze juice from lime slice and discard rind. Fill the glass almost to the rim with ice cubes. Top with Chandon Extra-Dry Riche. Stir and serve.

Suggested glassware: Highball glass

Give it a try it runs about $14-20 depending on where you shop.

Imperia Vodka

This hopefully will become the Grey Goose of the vodka world soon. Imperia vodka is a Russian vodka started in 1894, made by a company called Russian Standard. It is 40% and 80 proof, and is distilled eight times. It is a very smooth vodka, with a smooth grain flavor. This in my opinion is better then Croc, Grey Goose, Skyy, and Belvidere vodka.

Bookers Bourbon

This by far is my most beloved bourbon. This particular bourbon started in 1922 by Booker Noe, when he first started bottling it straight from the barrel. This is an uncut unfiltered bourbon, which is normally bottled at 121 to 127 proof and aged between six and eight years. It has a rich deep-amber color with a big oak, smoky, vanilla flavor to it. It has won a gold medal award several times for bourbon taste testing. It's always made from small batches, so each bottle is numbered. This is a one of a kind, and it will always be my favorite.

Flor de Caña Rum

Ah the good old Rum, as Johnny Depp once put it in Pirates of the Caribbean: "Why is the rum always gone?" This isn't a rum from the Caribbean, however this rum is worth mentioning. Flor de Caña started in 1890 in Chichiglapa, Nicaragua. Flor de Caña uses the finest natural ingredients and a unique slow aged method. It has also been distilled five times.

While most rum's aren't known for being 'slow aged,' this brand uses that unique method which can be found by the age listed on that bottle. This rum comes off zesty, sweet and spicy to the nose. It also has a soft, warm and buttery finish. You can make many drinks with this rum like a Sambatini, a water ship down, or my favorite drink ever... a Grand Mojitio. It typically runs about $15, which in my opinion isn't bad for what you get.

Grand Marnier Liqueur

Grand Mariner liquor is a fun drink to have during the spring/summertime. It was created in 1880 by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle, made with 40% alcohol (or 80 proof). It has distinct orange flavors, and made with a blend of true cognacs. It is considered to be a digestif, hich help you break down our meals after you eat. But as we mostly use it for is to make a top shelf margarita, sadly this is not the only thing that this can be used for. A good old Cosmopolitan, Sidecar,Dirty Harry or even Grand Mimosa just to name a few more. This is a well rounded fun liqueur, which comes in a various of sizes from a mini to a 1.5 liter. But the one i se the most fr this is actually their 375ml. which will run you about $20-24 depending on where you shop.