The Corkdork - Wine and Food Musing

Tawny Port on a hot Day

Time to stop treating Tawny Port only like some kind of precious dessert wine! I know it sounds like heresy, but Port is good cold. When I met with the folks from Symington Family Estates at the Vin Portugal tasting a while ago, they told me that in Portugal, cooled aged Tawny Ports are consumed with snacks on a hot day during cocktail time.

My first reaction was that it seemed like a waste of good Port, but now I'm convinced. Sometimes cocktail hour demands something that doesn't pack the alcohol wallop of a tall G&T and Graham's 20 year old Tawny Porto is just the trick. It's even good with a nice chunk of salty aged Wisconsin cheddar, akin to cheese and a little dried fruit or guava paste accompaniment. After sampling the exciting Tawny Ports they sent me below, I looked for one that acid and bright fruits for the experiment. The Graham's 20 fit the bill: it tastes very fresh and bright with flavors of dates, fruitcake (my Grandmother's delicious one!), and crème brulée. With its lime-peel citrus nose, it seemed to be the right choice to chill down and try on a hot day, and I was pleasantly pleased. Give it a try. 

Tawny Port Current Release Roundup

1994 Smith-Woodhouse Colheita (vintage aged tawny, pronounced "Co-LATE-uh") Lots of vanilla caramel on the nose. This is full of character, very youthful with great acidity. Keep this for the long run. I'm a huge fan of vintage Tawny and I've had Colheita Ports from the 1940s and 1950s, and some vintages taste young and bright even after extensive aging. This and lots of other Colheita Ports can be found at the Spanish Table in Berkeley. In fact, the selection at the Spanish Table is so good you can often find affordable Colheitas from the 60s and 70s.

A rare treat --a vertical of aged Tawny Porto from Dow's. I opened all these at once and really lived with these wines for a week or so, getting my friends to try each one, and seeing what they liked. Tawnies can live for a couple weeks with a quick spray of argon gas wine preservative, and for several weeks in the 'fridge. The older wines, like the 30 and 40 year are special treats, and quite pricey, so I would let them get back to at least cellar temperature before enjoying them if you've put them in the refrigerator.

 

Dow 10-year Tawny: Lots of fruit, sweet and raisiny. There is a nice tartness to offset the stickiness, but this affordable Tawny is for those who prefer it more forwardly sweet.  A nice touch of banana on the finish.

Dow 20-year Tawny: What hit me straight off was the aroma of egg-washed warm brioches and apple charlotte. The addition of the older wines makes this start to hint at the richness of a good vintage port. Very round and full. Less of the stickiness of the 10 year.

Dow 30-year Tawny: This one took an hour or so to open up and expose its beauty. Still has plenty of fruitcake/dried fruits but it is layered with freshness and a beautiful acidic backbone. All in all, especially considering the price, this is the wine I keep coming back to. I just love it. Recommended.

Dow 40-year Tawny: Clearly this is the pinnacle of the Port blender's art. The 40-year is very spicy with a fabulous butterscotch color. Very aromatic right away and most surprisingly, this is the biggest in terms of aromas and flavors, yet the body is still quite light. I suspect that more of a particularly great year is kept back to blend into the 40 year. At nearly $170 this one is for a splurge and I would suggest that even though they do keep well, open this at a good sized party of 8 or more so you and your friends can savor this one when it's in its pristine shape.  Highly recommended.

 

The Sweet In & Out Hendrick's Martini

Tonight, I wanted a nice bone-dry Hendrick's martini and was out of white vermouth! I've known about "perfect" martinis for years --1/2 sweet and 1/2 dry vermouth, but I decided to try a variation of my normal 'in-and-out Martini" by using sweet vermouth to coat the ice instead. It is a really wonderful combination and the cucumber garnish brings out the magic of the cuke infusion of Hendrick's.

Hendrick's Sweet In & Out

Fill a cocktail shaker with as much ice as will fit in your old-fashioned glass. Toss in a big splash of red vermouth (I used Martini and Rossi) and stir vigorously to coat the ice. Dump out the sweet vermouth and add 2-1/2 oz. of Hendrick's Gin. Stir with your bar spoon and pour into an old-fashioned. Garnish with a wedge of cucumber or two. (a word to the wise...if you want to serve this over ice, eat the cucumber pretty quickly as it turns very icy quickly!) Yum!

From Russia with Buzz: Zyr Vodka

Another superb vodka came to my attention, this one of a more modern wheat/rye composition. Zyr (pronounced Zēr) is super-clean and has a long-lingering smoothness on the tongue.  This has a lot more heft to it than other vodkas I've tasted recently, perhaps because it is distilled five times before the proof adjustment with water. The character of a grain-based vodka also is very different than one made from potatoes, I'm discovering. There is also a touch of sweetness on the palate that would make for a very fine cocktail. Recommended.

This reminded me a lot of the vodkas I remember drinking in Poland, where I had an amazing journey in the Solidarity-heavy days before Lech Walesa was elected President of the Republic of Poland.

You're best treating this with a light touch, namely an excellent martini. Here's my take on it.

Fool-Proof In-n-Out Martini
for making one drink

Prep a martini glass by filling it with ice while you prepare the cocktail. In a shaker, put in a handful of ice. Without needing to measure, put a nice big splash of white vermouth (I like Noilly Prat) and coat the ice nicely using a bar spoon. Then, drain out the vermouth into the sink, and add 2 oz of ZYR vodka (or your favorite gin, if you prefer), and STIR for 30 seconds or so with your spoon. Toss out the ice in the glass and strain the cocktail into the glass. Garnish with a good stuffed olive, or tiny sliver of lemon peel. Serves one.

Cocktail Roundup

We had an old fashioned cocktail party last night for our neighbors and I thought I would share the cocktail and nibbles of the evening. Ultra-premium spirits and flavorings are the key to an excellent cocktail.

Corner Creek Manhattan

2 parts Corner Creek Reserve Bourbon Whiskey
1 part Martini & Rossi Red Vermouth
3 shakes Ang0st0ura bitters per drink
1/4 tsp. Stirrings Grenadine per drink

Served up. Fill martini glass with ice while you prepare the drink. In a shaker, place all with generous amount of ice. Stir several times, no need to shake. Toss ice in the glass and strain into glass. Garnish with a good cherry and a small twist of lemon.

Pink Floyd (Adapted From Food & Wine Magazine)

2 parts Gin (I use No. 209 a local gin made in San Francisco)
1 part Orange Liqueur (I use Prunier Liqueur d'Orange)
1 part fresh lime juice
1 part cranberry juice
1/2 part Pimms
1/4 part simple syrup

Prepare glass as above. Shake all ingredients with generous ice. Toss ice in glass and strain into martini glass. Garnish with twist of lemon.

Blackberry Mojito (adapted from the Huckleberry Mojito at Foreign Cinema)
1 part blackberry syrup (see below)
2 parts rum (I use Appleton's V/X)
1/2 part simple syrup
1/2 part lime juice
Club Soda
Fresh Mint Leaves

Muddle 10 mint leaves with simple syrup per drink in a highball. Add ice. Then rum, lime juice, and blackberry syrup. Stir well and top with generous splash of club soda. Serve with a straw to avoid getting a mouthful of mint leaves.

Iron Butterfly (Original Corkdork Cocktail)

3 parts. Christiana Vodka
1 part. Pama Pomegranate Liqueur
1/2 part. Grand Marnier or Prunier d'Orange
3 good shakes Fee Brothers Orange Bitters per drink
1/2 part freshly squeezed lime juice

Fill a martini glass with ice while you prepare the drink.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add all the ingredients. Toss out the ice in the glass. Shake the drink well and strain into the martini glass. Garnish with a tiny lime slice, or a twist of lime or orange.

Continue for nibbles

New Corkdork Cocktail: The Iron Butterfly

Recently, I was sent an sample bottle of Christiana Vodka. Normally, I don't drink vodka much, but I tried this one the proper way --neat, not too cold and did an A/B Comparison to a vodka I've always thought to be pretty good.

The Christiana was a revelation. This is the cleanest vodka I have ever tasted, perhaps because it's made with organic potatoes and Norwegian spring water. Recommended. The other  "premium" vodka tasted  completely petro-chemical in comparison.

The story is that in 1602 Norway's King Christian IV commissioned an ultra-premium vodka and few hundred years later, it has been re-created. Whatever the backstory, the end product is really delicious. The bottle design is also very sleek and beautiful.

I was inspired to make up a new cocktail using Christiana and it's pretty fine. The Pama makes it a good choice for the Holiday season. Inspired in some way by my favorite cocktail from Food & Wine, the Pink Floyd, I'm calling this one:

The Iron Butterfly

1-1/2 oz. Christiana Vodka
1/2 oz. Pama Pomegranate Liqueur
1/4 oz. Grand Marnier
3 good shakes Fee Brothers Orange Bitters
1/4 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

Fill a martini glass with ice while you prepare the drink.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add all the ingredients. Toss out the ice in the glass. Shake the drink well and strain into the martini glass. Garnish with a tiny lime slice, or a twist of lime or orange.

Makes one drink.

Jigger Happy: Fantastic New French Gin

I know. I'm supposed to be the wine guy, but occasionally, I do get samples of extraordinary spirits too, and as I once was bartender at a fancy-pants French restaurant, I've been known to make some carefully prepared cocktails.

Most gins are essentially flavored neutral spirits with varying intensities of juniper flavorings. G-Vine gin is something very different indeed.

What makes this gin so special is the flavor of grape flowers and other botanicals, but no juniper domination. It is both floral and spicy, and unlike any gin I've tasted. There is a hint of nutmeg in there too, but the grape flower flavor is an enigma. You know it's different, but don't know what it is. I had it naked, quickly shaken with ice and poured into a martini glass --no vermouth.

The delicacy of this is almost killed by getting it too cold, but after 5 minutes after the ice treatment, the fragrances start to lift from the glass and it's very enjoyable.

One caveat: New Yorkers can find it at  Sherry-Lehmann, but right now the distribution is limited, so it can be tough to find, including out in California. I have my eyes peeled, as I only got a 50 ml sample.

Gin & Tonic, and a Shine? Intrigued?

New Yorkers!  Hendrick's is doing a free event where you can sip a free G&T made with Hendrick's, of course, and get your shoes shined. Sounds pretty fun. I would wear two or three pairs of shoes if I were you. Alas, I am out on the West Coast, so I'll just take your comments whence you've returned with shiny shoes and a shine on.

Pete’s Tavern
129 East 18th Street (Corner of Irving Place)
New York, NY 10003
7PM – 9PM
Thursday November 1, 2007

Desert Juniper Gin

Desert Juniper Gin
Bend Distillery
Bend, OR

My dear neighbors just brought this back from their recent trip to Sun River, Oregon. (I'll take care of their cat, Winnie, anytime!)  This artisan gin is made in Oregon with more wild juniper and less filler aromatics than most big brand gins. This one is 82 Proof as opposed to the 95 Proof Cascade Mountain Gin that the Bend distillery also makes. This is a gin to serve in a way that showcases the intense flavors, not masks it with mixers.

It has a really clean, strong juniper flavor, which I love. It also is more herbal than lemony, which I also prefer. It has no heady almond-extract aromas as some do (Bombay Sapphire) and has a lovely golden tequila-like hue.

This is extremely flavorful and perfect on its own for a standard in-and-out Martini. What's that? Can you get one at In-n-Out burger? (no). In a former life, I was a bartender and I think this is the perfect way to make a standard Martini that is very dry and shows off your best Gins.

In and Out Martini
First thing is to get your glasses cold by putting filling them with ice as you work on the cocktails. Next, fill a shaker with ice, and put a generous helping of Vermouth. (I prefer Boissiere, but Cinzano or Martini and Rossi will do. Artisan vermouths are too much for a good Martini. The fresh herbal quality of Boissiere is perfect). Next, give the ice and vermouth a good shake to coat the ice. Then pour out all the vermouth from the shaker. Add the appropriate amount of gin for your cocktails, give a few shakes, and strain into your Martini glasses after dumping out the chilling ice. Twist of Olive is up to you. A really fine gin needs an olive or two, no twist. Save your twists for Tanquerey or No.10 martinis as they already have a lemony nose to them.

Blood Orange Sour

It's blood orange season and yes, you could slice them up with some nice endive in a poofy little dressing, but I'd rather drink 'em. I made this up a few years back and I look forward to Blood Orange season every year so I can whip up a batch of these treats. I found some perfect small, juicy bloods at the Berkeley Bowl that were only about 3" around. If you have large ones, You can use just one. This recipe makes two cocktails.

Blood Orange Sour

Juice of 2 small Blood Oranges or 1 large one - the darker the better
Juice of 1/2 a regular orange
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lime
3 oz. of Jim Beam Bourbon
2 tsp. superfine sugar or big splash of simple syrup

Shake all in a cocktail shaker. Serve neat or with the ice. Add a nice slice of Blood Orange as a garnish.
No cherry required.

Starlight Cocktail

OK...one of the reasons I made this blog to begin with was to use it as a repository of facts and recipes that I don't want to lose. This is one of them. After having this drink at the Starlight Room inside Harry Denton's in SF, I came home and recreated this wonderful drink. It's a must for Campari drinkers when you get tired of Negronis.

Starlight Cocktail
2 oz. Campari
1 oz. Triple Sec
1. oz. Brandy
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp. superfine sugar

Shake together and pour along with ice into Highball. Garnish with orange slice