Sometimes one slips by

Here's the compelling story of an excellent wine we don't know about,  at least according to Dan Berger.  And yes,  he's someone to trust: secret wine

Smokehouse

What does a smokehouse have to do with beverage? I don't know, yet...
This was a test set-up--the finished smokehouse has a taller foundation and a latch for the firebox to replace the nylon strap. When I get a chance I'll do a more substantial post about the construction of the smokehouse.

Smokehouse action, but don't expect too much

Limoncello Factory

We fired-up the limoncello factory this morning.  Here are some photos.

Wednesday Wine

Elizabeth Spencer Pinot Blanc

I always like finding a crisp, refreshing white wine that is versatile--excellent as an aperitif, with seafood, or a bit of cheese and bread when dinner sounds too heavy. This pinot blanc fills the bill. Good acidity coupled with apple, melon and stonefruit makes for a compelling second sip. They only made 40 barrels. The price is reasonable--$12 wholesale/ $22 retail.

Elizabeth Spencer is distributed by The Henry Wine Group in Northern California

Jamaica-chipotle Infused Tequila

Jamaica-chipotle Infused Tequila

2 liters blanco tequila
2 cups jamaica flowers
2 large dried chipotle peppers
Pour 1 liter tequila into a large jar wide-mouth jar. Add the jamaica flowers and steep 3 hours. Add the chipotle peppers, steep an additional hour, or to taste. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Add the second liter of tequila; bottle.

Notes: 

• This infusion doesn't taste good on its own--you need to make a drink with it.
• Chipotle pepper: our objective is to make an infusion that is flavorful, warm, but not spicy-hot. You might want something different. Make the effort to find dried chipotles, though you can experiment with whatever pepper you prefer. the modest heat, rich flavor and smokiness of the dried chipotle seemed perfect to us.
• Jamaica: freshness matters. Mostly we have used fresh, sticky jamaica from local Mexican markets. Once (only once), we bought jamaica from a trade supplier of herbs and spices. In addition to costing more than double what we pay at the local mercado, the flowers that arrived were dried out. I didn't think it would matter, but both the aroma and the color were significantly diminished, and the resultant infusion was inferior.

Recipe? It's just a guideline, right?

Spending a little time at Lark Creek Blue, I find they've allowed one of the drinks we created, Blood and Flowers, to drift from what it had been.
The drink has been very popular--it's got just the right balance of dangerous exoticism and understandable comfort. We infuse tequila with hibiscus flowers (jamaica) and chipotle peppers, then mix it with blood orange grenadine and fresh lime juice.
What tipped me off to the "drift" was the color of the drink. If there is one thing jamaica does well, it is provide color. The original Blood and Flowers was a stunning shade of magenta, opaque, intense--ready to stain anything you spilled it on. What I saw going out of the bar was pallid and wan--not the gutsy drink we built.
So what went wrong? As I started to ask around, everyone insisted they followed the recipe. And I believe they did, to a point. But recipes are collections of ingredients and methodology--what I came to understand is that the bar staff focused on the ingredients but neglected the methodology. Specifically, they used the right amount of jamaica, but steeped it for less than the 3 hours called for, and that made the drink completely different.
It's that collection of little details that make up the entire recipe, and often you can skimp a little, or adjust, but not all the time.

Blood and Flowers

Blood and Flowers

This drink has been very popular. It is beautiful--vibrant and deeply colored, a little exotic, but not too weird--just a hint of danger. It is also fast to pick up and uses inexpensive ingredients--an all around winner.

Blood and Flowers

1-1/2 ounces jamaica-chiptole infused blanco tequila

1/2 ounces blood orange grenadine

juice of half a lime

Method: 

Fill a highball glass with ice, set aside.

Measure jamaica-chiptole tequila, blood orange grenadine and lime juice into a shaker. 

Shake vigorously, strain into the iced highball glass.

Garnish with a candied orange peel.