My Half Full Glass - Christmas Edition

Wine free shipping when you buy a case or more.

I'm sharing a special edition of My Half Full Glass this week. There was a fair bit of drinking at my house over the Christmas holiday. But I didn't do the majority of it. I know that is what some of you were thinking. 

By the time the day after Christmas came we had entertained at least forty people, and they all enjoyed something different. When I overheard guests talking up something from the bar I made a point to take a taste it and find out what the buzz was all about.

The Whiskey Bar

I put together a whiskey bar for the first day of our holiday open house. It was a smash hit! I selected several Bourbons, two Scotches, a Canadian, an Irish and a Rye whiskey as base liquors. Next to those bottles I placed sweet vermouth, simple syrup, Drambuie, ginger ale, bitter and garnish.

Above the bar I listed the recipes for popular whiskey cocktails, specifically the Manhattan, Sazerac, Old Fashioned, Rob Roy and Rusty Nail. As guests arrived I let them know to serve themselves. I had expected it to be a fun way to make the bar work during a busy party, and I was right. Other than refilling the ice I never had to make the drinks or help guests navigate the bar. I wholeheartedly suggest this trick for your next party. I repeated the same format with gin the next day, but with a smaller crowd I didn't see as much activity. The only regret is that I didn't take any pictures of either bar. I guess you had to be there!

Two Orange/Vanilla Meads Walk Into a Bar

The opportunity to try the recently released Moonlight Meadery Summer Love side by side with my own version (a new attempt using the recipe that Moonlight also riffed on) came during our Christmas celebrations. I didn't taste them blind so the feedback can be assumed to contain some bias. To be fair I don't care which one people like more, both are a source of pride for me and when someone smiles drinking one of them, I win!

The overwhelming feedback focused on two key differences between these meads. The first is that the Moonlight version is a bit spicier and that bite came across as a sharp edge to some. Having used Tupelo honey, and not Orange Blossom as I did, an element of spiciness is to be expected.

The second difference, and the one that got the most attention, is that my version was perceived to be creamier and smoother. I again recognize this difference, but in this case don't know why and furthermore how I might reproduce it in another iteration. Food for thought.

Everyone who tried both meads found the experience interesting. For my friends who have been with me along this nearly ten year journey the existence of a commercial product that I had influence on is not a surprise, although it feels like a long time coming for my most faithful fans.

Not Bud Light Lime

One of the Ancient Fire Top 10 Moments of 2012 was riffing on Bud Light Lime after finding refuge with one on the Kid Rock Cruise. This beer has officially exceeded any expectations I would ever have for homebrew. With just enough of a sour kick, this beer brings so much to tickle the palate. 

The base beer is a very simple wheat ale, and is ridiculously easy to make. I make can two of them in just over 3 hours. This is a great summer beer and will likely pop up on the late spring brewing schedule for just that season of enjoyment. Keep an eye for summer party invites, especially if I mention the lime ale.

Strawberry Riesling Wine

My niece Ashley gets a mention this week. She loves my homemade wine. She specifically likes my fruit wines and this is huge for me, because I always hope they come so good that smiles are assured. These wines tend to be the freshest and most interesting wines I make primarily because the fruit is fresh and the composition is more elaborate than a typical grape wine. Ashley, thank you for being such a huge fan, it really does mean a lot!

Over the Christmas holiday I opened no less than five bottles of my Strawberry Riesling wine made in 2011. This wine was a project hatched after talking to my mother about a similar wine she enjoyed on a vacation to I can't remember where. To make it I took half of a recipe for my flagship Strawberry wine and for the other half I used fresh Riesling juice. The result was a hugely drinkable, light, fruity wine that is medium to off-dry with moderate character.

As we sail into the New Year holiday I wish you all a happy and safe end to the year. It would be irresponsible not to mention that making arrangements for transportation, designated driver, cab, etc, is a must during those crazy New Year's celebrations. Have fun, be safe and get home to start the new year with maybe only a headache.

Cheers!

Jason

Christmas Dreams

It’s funny how things work out. A nasty cold creeps up on you the week before Christmas and doesn’t let up entirely until after the holiday, a date yet to come... Your wife ends up feeling the effects of that cold over the holiday weekend itself. My cold killed some of my late week motivation for Christmas food & drink that I had hoped to share here at Ancient Fire. Such is life. My steady recovery and Margot chilling quietly on the couch this weekend gave me time to spend time in the kitchen on Christmas having fun.

I made the Figgy Pudding and Christmas Cake prior to leaving to visit family for the first part of the weekend, but just didn’t get to sharing them. I enjoyed the experience making these two recipes for the first time. There was plenty to be learned about where they come from and what they mean to us at Christmas time. I’ve got the leftovers soaking in rum or cognac right now. New Year Day treats! Some lore, recipes (at the bottom) and photos are below.

Figgy pudding comes from 16th century England and is largely considered a version of Christmas Pudding. The diversity of its ingredients and cooking methods speak to it being a very local, or house to house specialty. The Christmas connection is from the carol “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” and the lines "Now bring us some figgy pudding" and “we won’t go until we get some” indicating that figgy pudding might have been given to carolers at Christmastime. In the larger realm of Christmas Pudding you find even more diversity, gift giving, prizes baked into them and many traditions in vast locales where it was made. Steaming the pudding is a very popular method, although not the clear majority winner amongst methods.

I also made a Christmas Cake using figs and a similar spice complement to the figgy pudding. Both cakes are dense and very flavorful, something a bit of citrus, sugar syrup or spirits can add life to. Why not all three? Like a cocktail in your dessert! House style Christmas cakes are as old as baking and Christmas, so everyone has their own type of recipe they like. I trend toward the big flavors and baking spices this time of year, but that isn’t certainly the only route. Light colored cakes with whispy frosting and mint or vanilla flavors certainly bring visions of the winter-time Christmases of New England where I live.

We started Christmas Day with Squash Laced Cinnamon Buns from page 220 of the November 2011 Cooking Light issue. I got up early to make the dough, went back to bed, and then rose to cook them for the obligatory watching of A Christmas Story. We’ve watched this movie in Jamaica on Christmas, and it never fails to make us laugh about Christmases past. Back to the buns. These were my finest bread baking experience ever. Repeating it will be an epic struggle with luck I fear. Baking good bread takes a lot of time, and even with that success is not assured.

The Starbucks hot cocoa mixes that I snagged last month made mochas that wound up the day pretty good. We’ve enjoyed them again several times since. Merry Christmas indeed!

I also made one of my favorites, mulled wine, on Christmas Day. This turned out to be the right treat for the bands of flurries and snow showers we had all day. It was beautiful at times and I hope I caught some of it in photos. We took walks with Pete (our dog) several times to enjoy the beautiful day.

The recipe for the wine is a simple one, but mulled wine is special that way. You can make a little or a lot, but you have to make sure you drink what you make when it’s warm and first ready to drink. Letting it cook for too long isn’t a recipe for success. Too much acid, citrus pith, cooked flavors, etc. Some batches do better than others, but avoid it if you can.

Ancient Fire Mulled Wine

1 bottle of rich, red wine. Syrah, Cabernet, Merlot or similar

1 orange, sliced

1 cinnamon stick

3 cloves

3 allspice berries

15 sugar cubes, more to taste

Heat a crock pot on high. Add spices and orange slices to the bottom of the cooker. Allow aromatics to build. Pour over the wine and add the sugar. Mix until the sugar is dissolved and the wine is hot. Do not

allow to get to a simmer or boil. Ladle into punch cups or mugs. Multiply the recipe as needed.

While I was making ginger syrup earlier in the week I ended up with the “spent” ginger in the fridge. I immediately thought of candied fruits, and from there candied ginger and orange slices were made. I wasn’t dreaming of sugar plums, I made them!

Other than the mulled wine I drank a few additional beverages over the weekend, including a bottle of Rose Regale with family on Friday and wines from Virginia (Barren Ridge and Tarara) on Saturday over Chinese food and snacks. After Christmas I went back to the open wines from the holiday open house and enjoyed the white blends from the Finger Lakes (Lamoreaux Landing and Hunt Country Vineyards) that we opened at that event.

I received a great gift in the form of a bottle of Jefferson’s Straight Rye Whiskey. I haven’t cracked it open yet, but that time is not far off. I had bottle of their 10 year old Bourbon open earlier in the week and I can’t say I would let it stray too far if it was mine…

I can’t complain about how my holiday weekend worked out, I had lots of fun. I would have had different fun perhaps without the cold, but more fun? That might not be a slam dunk. With New Years coming Margot and I are looking forward to going out and having a bit of a party before we ring in a new year and have to get back to the rat race!

Cheers!

Jason

{ Recipes }

Ancient Fire Figgy Pudding

6 large dried figs, chopped into small pieces

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup dark rum

3 Tbsp cup cognac or brandy

1/4 cup raisins

2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 (packed) cup brown sugar

1 cup fresh white bread cubes (made from about 8 inches of baguette)

1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Optional: 1/3 cup brandy, cognac or rum, to flame the pudding

Equipment Note

You will need a 8+ cup Bundt pan and a stock pot large enough to contain it and water for steaming.

Directions:

Bring the figs and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer until the water is almost gone.

Add the rum, cognac raisins and bring the pan back to a boil.

To flambé the figs:

Remove the pan from the heat, make sure it’s in an open space, have a pot cover at hand and,

standing back, set the liquid aflame. Let the flames burn for 2 minutes, then extinguish them by closing

the pan with the pot cover. For a milder taste, burn the rum and brandy until the flames die out on their

own. Set the pan aside uncovered.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and salt.

In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and brown sugar together with a whisk. Stir in the bread cubes, the melted butter and the fig mixture.

Add the dry ingredients and mix to make a thick batter. A final mix with the cherries and cranberries and you are ready to steam it!

Spray the Bundt pan with cooking spray, then butter it liberally. Give the center a good coating.

Spread the batter into the pan and seal the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Lower the pan into the

stock pot and fill the pot with enough hot water to come one-half to two-thirds of the way up the sides

of the pan. Bring the water to a boil. Cover the pan and lower the heat so that the water simmer gently.

Steam for 1-2 hours. Add water if necessary.

The finished pudding will have lots of steam trapped inside the pan. Caution should be exercised opening the pan.

When a knife emerges clean from the pudding it is finished cooking.

Removing the Bundt pan from the pot can be tricky. Where the oven mitts and use tongs if you can. Dump out onto a rack and allow to cool a bit before serving.

Use the optional spirits to douse the cake for a tableside flambé before serving. Be careful, this can go wrong too easily. Be prepared with a cover, water and quick wits.

You can serve it with whipped cream, marshmallow fluff, ice cream or just eat it as is!

Christmas Fig Cake

1 stick of butter, softened

2 eggs

1 cup molasses

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup dark rum

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups dried figs, finely sliced

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 and liberally grease a Bundt (tube style) pan.

I liked the preparation of the figs for the Figgy Pudding, so I am going to repeat that here with the figs & water, then adding the rum over a light simmer for 5-10 minutes. No flambé to finish this time.

In a work bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream the butter with a hand mixer. Add the eggs and molasses and mix well.

Add the orange zest, buttermilk, and rehydrated figs. Mix until evenly distributed.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and blend until smooth.

Fold in the walnuts, if using.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes. A toothpick or skewer into the center should emerge clean to test if it is done.

Cool on a wire rack.

The recipe I riffed off here of has the setup for a glaze or sauce. I would have opted for whipped cream, but ran out of steam before I got there.

Check out the Dorie Greenspan inspired post that guided me at http://www.mygourmetconnection.com/recipes/baking-desserts/other-desserts/figgy-pudding-cake.php

The Gift of Sparking Cocktails

What gift can I give to the readers who have everything? Sparkling cocktails, of course!

There’s always room for new spins on sparkling cocktails, and this time of year bubbles are a fun addition to Christmas and New Year’s gatherings. Last year we had fun mixing them up with friends at our New Year’s Day brunch. I’m bringing some Champagne with me for a Christmas visit to family in CT, who knows how we might finish the bottle!. I even remember mixing up a New Year’s classic with sugar cubes, Korbel and Angostoura bitters over 10 years ago at Kori & Monica’s place. Even if you don’t like bubbly you it's hard resist a sparkling cocktail.

I picked a bottle of Gloria Ferrar Blanc de Noirs California sparkling wine for my cocktail mixology. White wines from Gloria Ferrar are always consistent, offering solid performance and value. My thanks go out to my friend Marie for sharing this bottle from samples she received.

The pictures I ended up with are pretty bad. I used whatever lighting I could throw together and it didn't work as well as I had hoped. Blame my cold, or the fact that I'm not known for my photos.. I did get shots of some of the effervescing in the glass, which is interesting in itself. I hope the drinks live on well beyond their photos here.

The first cocktail I’m calling Special Punch, and is a riff on the punch The Fatal Bowl from the open house over the weekend. It is very reminiscent of the punch and the added bubbles only take it to better places.

Special Punch

2 oz cognac

1oz spiced simple syrup

3 dashes citrus bitters

Sparkling wine

Lemon peel

Mix the cognac and spice syrup. Add the bitters and pour into a flute. Top with the sparkling wine and garnish with a lemon peel.

“I will call him Mini Me”. This drink is a lighter version of the punch from the weekend and exactly what it would taste like if the sparkles were added to the punch bowl. The spices come out in force and tartness from the lemon and the wine help keep the sweetness in balance. I would make this again, frequently.

The second cocktail is the Sparkling Fruit Salad using Pimms #1, ginger syrup and fruit to make a flavored spirit a day ahead.

Sparkling Fruit Salad

10 grapes

5 strawberries

1 apple

Peel of 1 lemon

1 cup Pimms #1

1/3 cup ginger simple syrup

Sparkling wine

Slice the grapes, berries and apple, adding them to a sealable jar. Pour over the Pimms and the syrup. Cover tightly. Gently shake to mix. Allow to macerate overnight in the refrigerator. Use 2 ounces of the base in a flute to make 1 drink. Top off with the sparkling wine. Slices of the fruit and lemon peel can be used as garnish.

This was the winner for me on complexity. The sweetened up Pimms is full of dehydrated fruits, nuts, roots, etc and it really did taste like a day old fruit salad that has begun to mix together. And it's bubbly!

I finish my gift with the Sour Apple Sparkler. I still need to work on this drink. The flavors were not quite right.

Sour Apple Sparkler

1.5 oz Calvados

1 oz sweet cider

½ tsp Meyer lemon tincture

½ oz honey

1 cinnamon stick

Sparkling wine

Mix the Calvados, cider, lemon tincture and honey well. Pour into a flute. Top off with sparkling wine. Add the cinnamon stick for garnish.

Very tart and sour apple, and something not quite in balance. I haven’t decided quite what I am going to do next with this drink, but with the other two around I’m not uniquely motivated to get right on it!

I hope you enjoy your gift. And even better is it one you can re-gift without any regret!

Cheers!

Jason

A Very Merry Ancient Fire Christmas!

This time of year is exciting for so many people. Family, friends old and new, parties, food, drinks, presents, decorations and music are everywhere you go. 

Margot and I always look forward to our open house before Christmas. That event gives us one more chance to spend time with our extended family (that’s all who come) and spread some joy before a busy week of travelling, hosting and who knows what else for the holidays!

Another year, and another fun party. There was lots of laughter and mingling. Everyone had a good time and for that we are grateful. That’s why we do it.

The house decorations this year were some of our best. Margot was especially proud of the tree, and rightfully so. Taking some cues from our friends Ed & Jim, the tree sports ribbons and a simple color palette of blue, silver and white.

Every year we pick a beverage theme, it’s what we do if you will, and this year was punch. Last week I shared “I’m Going to PunchYou For the Holidays” and “Here We Come A-wassailing” and the experiments making several new beverages to serve at the party.

( Ready for action! )

Those who left later in the day went home with punch, a token to keep the good cheer rolling with.

The food worked out well as it usually does, and the table looked festive when it was setup. We really didn’t fuss over it this year, and we didn’t make anything special except Margot’s cookies, an orange glazed sugar cookie and a spicy chocolate cookie containing cayenne, black pepper and cinnamon. I did land a new recipe in the bean dip I prepared, taken directly from Giada andthe Food Network.

( Just before guests arrived. Ready to go! )

By the end of the party we noticed that between the wassail and general interest we put back quite a few beers. Most of the wine was opened, but not too much went. The Lamoreaux Landing Estate White Blend resonated with several guests after I gave it taste and shared my positive feedback. The Tarara BossaNoVA was the solid performer that I expected it to be. I finished the night with it, the bold flavors can be savored like port. It’s gonna be a tough week tasting my way through the rest of the bottles…

The Christmas theme continues this week with sparkling cocktails tomorrow and mulled wine on Wednesday. I finish the week with figgy pudding, something I’ve never had or made and is sure to get me in the Christmas spirit! I won’t let you go without some. And then Margot and I will go visit family taking it with us to spread that cheer even farther.

How are you gearing up from Christmas? Shopping, spending time in the kitchen or have you figured out how to get away from it all? Merry Christmas!

Cheers!

Jason

Here We Come A-wassailing!

What are wassail and wassailing? I had to look them up because I don’t ever remember being told of a specific definitions. I recall from Christmas carols, the aptly named “Here We Come A-wassailing” is of course the most famous, that wassailing was some form of social custom designed to spread good cheer. I also inferred that the presence of wassailers at your door commanded a gift of wassail. Hmmmm. Enjoy the carol for a minute while I figure out what’s going on here.

“HereWeCome A-wassailing”

Here we come a-wassailing

Among the leaves so green;

Here we come a-wand'ring

So fair to be seen.

REFRAIN:

Love and joy come to you,

And to you your wassail too;

And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year

And God send you a Happy New Year.

…

Here We Come A-wassailing (audio clip from Wikimedia)

It turns out both of the things I thought about wassail and wassailing are true. But how did that come to be? First the name, and then the custom. The word wassail comes from the phrase Waes Hail, the greeting “good health”, that originated from Middle English as waes hael. Singing that message amounts to caroling to good health. I can dig that.

It seems the custom of singing this refrain was adopted by farmers and their surrounding communities as a toast to the apple trees and a bountiful harvest the next year. Whether it was for eating or making some form of fermented beverage, both things we love here at Ancient Fire, I really see the imagery created here. I love the apple trees I see in my town, the ones on my street are soon to developed over sadly, and look forward to harvest every year and making apple treats with the apples that they bear.

Since then, and likely it was implied originally, the act of wassailing door to door to people’s homes wishing them the same good health was adopted. This brings us back to the mythology we find in our contemporary Christmas traditions. Very few people I know have ever wassailed, but I do know a few who have, which is likely unusual. Maybe it’s something about New England and traditions from the English homes of many of our families here. I honestly don’t know how common it even is in England where it began.

So it is no surprise then that apples show up in one form or another in wassail beverage recipes. There is no recipe that I can find that has widespread support as a classic or the original, and the plethora of them I did find prompted me to make my own. Many had brown ale in them and the prospect of using my homemade maple brown ale locked it in as the first ingredient. Incidentally, many holiday themed beers will express at least the spices present in wassail. I can’t tell which was the chicken and which the egg in this situation. Old school wassail is purported to have been made with ale or mead, but whether either also contained spices or were spiced in the construction of this drink is not clear.

Into the holiday laboratory!

Ancient Fire Wassail

1 pint plus 1/4 cup Ancient Fire Maple Brown Ale

1 cup sweet apple cider

2 cinnamon sticks

2 cloves

Zest from 1 lemon

2 apples

1/2 cups brown sugar

¼ cup demerara sugar

1/2 cup dry sherry

¼ cup Madeira wine

1/4 cup sweet red wine

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground all spice

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

super fine sugar, to sweeten to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large sauce pan, pour in the pint of ale and the cider. Add the cinnamon sticks, lemon zest and cloves and bring to a simmer over low heat.

Core and cut the apples in half. Place in a baking dish. Cover with 1/2 cup of brown sugar, remaining 1/4 cup of ale, sherry, Maderira and the red wine.

Cover baking dish and place in oven, cooking for 30 minutes.

Add the demerara sugar and spices into the sauce pan, ensuring it's well mixed.

When the apples are done baking, place entire contents of baking dish into sauce pan. Allow to cook over a low heat for another 30-40 minutes. Serve hot.

Margot and I both felt this was very reminiscent of mulled cider. It has complexity beyond that, but the other liquors don’t leave enough of their own influence to pick them out. It came out balanced a bit too much to the spice side, but that is something that can be handled with some more beer or cider right before serving.

It was drinkable almost immediately, but a short time to cool was necessary. No need to injure those who come to wish you good health!

I stored the leftover wassail in a jar in the fridge. In the photo to the right you can see the apples and lemon zest floating in the brown, spicy punch. It is likely to be even more spicy by the time I drink it again. More beer!

I’ve brought forth another festive and traditional drink today. Yesterday was a more general treatment of punch, with the possibility of producing similar tipples to wassail quite likely. I’d still say wassail is a punch of a different sort, if only because of its own specific story. The vessel it was served from has its own lore as well. Check the lyrics at the link to the carol at the top if you don’t believe me. There are people who specialize in making wassail bowls, something I don’t believe I’ve ever seen. Find one person’s adventure in Making a Wassail Bowl. I broke out the punch cups to ladle Margot and I’s first tastes into, but serving it from a saucepan on the stove wasn’t quite the image you all had here. No picture.

Margot and I wish all of you and your families good health as we hurtle towards the end of one year and beginning of another.

Cheers!

Jason

Saisons for the Season

This isn’t a Thanksgiving (or even a Christmas) food & beverage pairing post. The title is catchy. I thought of it and decided to write a post reviewing several saisons that I would drink while cooking and hanging out on Thanksgiving Day. When I wrote this I didn’t even know yet what I would break out to drink with the multiple dinners for the upcoming holiday. On Thanksgiving day we did open up some homemade wine, but beers of several varieties won the day. I was hosting a beer drinking crowd so this was not surprising. The day after I served a menu of small plates, not themed for Thanksgiving, each with its own wine pairing. That’s for another post though.

My other reason for lining up a flight of saisons is that I plan to make a sour cherry saison this winter that will be done in time to celebrate Spring and Summer with. For that project I need some inspiration from commercially available examples. My life is hard!

What is a saison? First off saison is the French word for season. This style of beer hails from Wallonia in Belgium, and a French speaking part of that country to bring it all together. Brewed as farmhouse ales, saisons were originally brewed seasonally in the fall or winter for consumption by farm workers during the next planting and harvest seasons. During that time sources of potable water were few and brewed beer was safe to drink, contained some nutrition and was hydrating. Low alcohol levels in the original brews would have staved off outright drunkenness. Just a few historical facts that take us back to the beginnings of beer. Back to saisons however. Variations were available from many different brewers making the style somewhat broad to define. Modern day versions cover a broad range creating some excitement when trying new ones.

Saisons were historically brewed as pale ales and likely with a low ABV of around 3%.  Strong hop character was a foregone conclusion based on the need to cellar the beers for quite some time without the aid of refrigeration. The preservative qualities of hops and considerable acidity (sometimes through blending with lambics and prior year saisons) ensured the beer didn’t spoil. Most modern-day saisons are typically cloudy, golden in color with an off-white head. The nose will vary between different saisons, with a range of fruity, spicy, earthy/funky and yeasty often having moderate tartness and bitterness as well.  Darker versions are common enough (called biere de garde in France) to be notable. Likewise some versions will have a perceptibly sweet, rich and malty finish.

Saisons are typically sold in large format bottles, 22oz bombers, often with a cork and wire harness much like sparkling wine and champagne. Most are bottle conditioned and some labels will suggest what you should or shouldn’t do with the bottle sediment to ensure a good drink. Bottle conditioning also adds variation, with the level of charge and size of the bubbles of different labels to span a range.

Names of several highly rated commercial versions of saisons include Dupont, Hennepin, Sofie and Jack D’or, all of which we will taste and review here. I also have the Ovila Saison, a new product from a partnership between Sierra Nevada and Abbey of New Clairvaux, to try alongside the others. Selections from Fantome and The Bruery are on my list to search for to taste another day.

Saison Dupont

Pours a gold/orange color. Tall white head. Considerable sour and savory notes, herbs, drying grass, etc. in the nose. Sour citrus in the mouth followed by tart stone fruits. Dry with moderate funkiness towards the finish. Very effervescent, mouth filling in fact. Very smooth finish and a well balanced disposition. I’ve only had this a few other times and couldn’t recall them well enough to compare. The smooth finish increases the likelihood I would drink this anytime I found it. web site

Pretty Things Jack D’or

Big funky nose. Short white head. I found hay, herbs, unripe fruits and spices. Margot said herbaceous and I can’t disagree with that at all. Pours gold and unfiltered. I picked up quite a bit of citrus in the nose and sour notes. Margot thought it came off as very hoppy which is consistent with my expressions of the nose. Mouth filling carbonation is a note we both made. I found the mouth to be considerably full with light malts and grains, almost like a golden ale. The hops came on big for me in the flavors with many green elements like grass, herbs, spruce and bitter greens. The finish is clean, albeit more bitter than we liked. web site

Goose Island Sofie

Pours yellow/gold and hazy. Tall white head. The complexity of the nose caught my attention right away. The fullness of the sour, fruit, yeast and malt notes in the nose was surprising. As you sip earthy notes show up very early and slip away in favor of dried fruits and citrus. The finish was like sour lemon candy. Margot felt it was more complex, very balanced and finished smooth. This was the most drinkable and the mutual favorite for both of us and one we hope to enjoy again very soon. web site

Ovila Saison

Pours orange/gold with a medium off-white head. Moderate sour notes to the nose, hints of green apple. Full bodied and fruit with a dry finish. Hops are present in the nose and mouth, but not very big. Not as complex as the others, aromas and flavors are not very deep is how Margot described it. web site

Ommegang Hennepin

Pours hazy and gold. Short white head. I picked up some salinity in the otherwise sour nose. This beer is malty and grainy in the mouth with considerable prickly carbonation. Citrus and tart unripe fruits were the predominant flavors. The finish was very clean and smooth. I ended up rushing through this tasting and I didn’t get back to my notes when I shared the rest of the bottle with friends the next day. web site

Like with a lot of foodstuffs you have to want to like something to enjoy it. If you try saison and don’t like the style I won’t argue the point. Beverages of all kinds are designed to accentuate several key tastes, sour and bitter here specifically, and that coupled with textural elements like bubbles and tannins in beers, wines and spirits, create a lot of action for your palate. Any one off presentation and it could be the end of any enjoyment. Adventure does come with a cost. I love finding new beverages that channel their attributes in that way that I must pause and consider the tweaking of my senses that is going on. I don’t like everything I drink, the experience notwithstanding.

I was in the Boston Wine Exchange on Tuesday picking up the last of the saisons for our lineup. One of the staff was picking some fall beers to put in a holiday display. She asked what I was drinking and whether it was for Thanksgiving. I mentioned that I was picking up some saison or “beer drinkers Champagne” to take for a test drive. I didn’t commit to it being my Turkey Day pairing choice because in this case most of it will be gone before dinner!

With the moderate (or higher) carbonation, healthy acidity and range of flavors saisons are a solid utility player when it comes to entertaining, supporting both socializing and enjoyable eating. Having an all-sparkling-beverage party is a lot easier to envision when you consider beers such as saison. As an aside, dry sparkling cider adds yet another option increasing that potential further still. I’ll leave you with that thought as you ponder what to serve to your family and friends this holiday season.

Cheers!

Jason

Christmas at the Wentworth

( Christmas Day 2010 - White Mountains, NH )

Earlier in the year Margot asked me what the plan with my family for Christmas was. Since we first got together in 1995 we have tried to switch off the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with our families. Some years we are home and everyone comes to our place, and some years we end up travelling for both. This year we would spend Christmas with my parents, but where? We hosted Margot’s family for Christmas the week before and as a result didn’t HAVE to be at home for the holiday. Margot suggested we go away. Margot floated this idea to my mother who thought it was a fantastic plan, and asked Margot to find a place and send along the details.

Margot hit the jackpot with this idea! She found the Wentworth Inn in Jackson, NH right up in the heart of the White Mountains we are so famous in NH for. They had a Christmas package which included two nights, two dinners and two breakfasts for a reasonable rate. We booked it right away and then got back to other things. The week before we were to leave Margot found they had posted the Christmas dinner menu and sent it along so we could all see what we would be in store for. I saved both the seasonal dinner menu served on Christmas Eve and the special Christmas Dinner menu to PDFs so you all could see the full menus.

Margot surprised me and booked us into a suite with an outdoor hot tub. We got rid of our hot tub at home a few years back and I do miss it from time to time. Margot was amped up to sit in the hot tub and watch A Christmas Story on Christmas Eve. And we did.

The inn was decorated beautifully for Christmas. It dates back to 1869 and was one of the Grand Hotels in New England at the turn of the 20th century. The main building has been maintained as true to its origins, with the lobby fireplace as the centerpiece when you first arrive. It was cold outside and the fire wall kept well stoked all weekend.

As I ventured around I found holiday decorations in all sorts of places. There were also lighted cases containing period pieces that are lovely any time of year! They had ingeniously placed decorations (with light for nighttime of course!) outside the back windows of the dining room and lounges. It felt so festive!

The skating rink out back wasn’t seeing much use, but I did get lucky enough to snap a few photos of some skaters enjoying it on Christmas Day. I don’t skate and Margot forgot her skates, which was probably for the best on a holiday weekend!

On Christmas Eve we joined my parents in their room for happy hour. We cracked open a bottle of Pinnacle Iced Cider from Queubec and a bottle of our homemade Riesling Ice Wine. Laughs and smiles floated us to dinner where knew we were in for a treat.

( me, mom, dad )

The dining room was dimly lit and when the menus came with blue backlighting behind the opposing pages I remarked at the genius of it. The pictures I took of the menu didn’t catch the lighting so they aren’t worth sharing. Except for my Christmas Day dessert I opted not to take pictures in the dining room. I didn’t feel like the interruption would be appropriate on Christmas. Believe me I wanted to!

For a starter Margot had the Duck Confit Dumplings with an Acorn Squash Puree. I had the Boneless Pork Ribs, my mother the Smoked Salmon Flan and my dad the Steamed Mussels. The ribs were soft and lightly covered in a sweet and smoky sauce. I had a taste of the Smoked Salmon Flan and couldn’t believe how creamy and light it was.

For a wine pairing I went with the 2009 Robert Michelle Vouvray. I was surprised at how much residual sweetness was perceptible, but that worked to be an asset for enjoyment amongst the four of us. I have already acquired several bottles of the 2008 vintage from my local NH Liquor Store.

Margot and mom went with the Harvest Salad for the second course, dad with the Baby Iceberg Salad and I opted for the Bacon & Beluga Lentil Soup. The Harvest Salads had poached cranberries, pistachio nuts and a Ice Wine vinaigrette. Margot raved about it. The soup was smoky and salty and I am pretty sure I could pick up the Beluga influence, not a flavor I am familiar with. For dinner Margot went with the Mushroom, Spinach & Fontina Ravioli, mom with the New England Fisherman’s Stew, dad with the Pepper Beef Sirloin and I chose the Pork Tenderloin. Margot’s ravioli and the wine were the perfect pairing. A great balance of flavors with enough acidity to bring out the flavors in cheese being backed up by the earthiness in the mushrooms. My mother was coveting the broth/sauce from her stew and my pork with the cider reduction was tender and flavorful. My dad didn’t say much about the beef, but it was gone so I suspect he enjoyed it very much.

Ahhh, dessert. Margot had the Chocolate Bomb (surprised?) and mom & dad ordered the same. I opted for the Warm Apple Gallette with vanilla ice cream and a Calvados caramel sauce. Margot also ordered the NH Maple Liqueur which she ended up passing off to me. The liqueur went great with the warm slice apples, pastry and ice cream. The Chocolate Bomb got rave reviews. I am sure I had a piece, but I don’t recall it now.

On Christmas Day we got a lazy start, had breakfast and proceeded to camp out near the fire. Margot mom, and I were reading and dad was dozing off. My brother called to say Merry Christmas and let us know that some kind of stomach bug his wife had was pretty much killing his Christmas. That and the storm we ended up getting the next day ensured their prior plans were completely wiped out. Not fun! In the early afternoon we took drive up route 16 towards Pinkham Notch, Mount Washington and Tuckerman’s Ravine. The contrast of the snow, mostly at elevation, and the green of the pines down below made for some great views. I snapped a lot of photos, including the one of the four of us with the mountains behind us. We couldn’t think of a better way to spend Christmas Day.

( Tuckerman's ravine )

Christmas Day dinner was preceded by happy hour at our place which included a viewing of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. We opened a bottle of Muscat Canelli from Chateau Ste Michelle and had some cheese & crackers. Once again lots of laughs got us primed up for a fun evening.

( Merry Christmas Mom & Dad! )

There were carolers in the lobby and with our reservation at the middle of dinner service there were lots of people around enjoying holiday cheer. The dining room was more lively and louder than the night before. Having to serve many more guests meant that the service was not as attentive as the night before, and the food felt like it may not have gotten as much love either. Nothing was bad, and we did not feel underserved. It was just something we noticed. Ultimately we were all enjoying a gourmet meal and a relaxing night away!

I true the Maine oysters on the half shell for my appetizer. This is a first for me. Finally coming around to this later in life is simply an issue of not liking fish when I was kid and passing up most everything that came from the sea. I also ordered a glass of the house sparkling wine (Mumm Prestige, Napa) and a bottle of 2009 Marie Antoinette Vincent Pouilly-Fuisse for enjoyment with dinner. I can’t say I figured out what the big deal with oysters is. They were good and the sparkling wine made for a great palate cleanser between oysters. All that said, I was left thinking that they weren’t so overwhelming that I have to have them all the time though! Margot, mom and dad all went with the Lobster Dumplings which I heard wonderful things about. I was so focused on unlocking some secret about oysters that I didn’t pay much attention during this course.

( reporting live! )

( who's that cute chick? )

For our second course dad went with the Smoky Tomato and Shrimp bisque and the rest of the salad. I didn’t collect comments here as we were deep in conversation about the intricacies of our families. That’s real Christmas conversation!

( looks like Mom was hitting the wine. not really. )

( wearing Clark's Christmas tie!! )

For dinner Margot, mom and I went with the Turkey Dinner. This selection is always hard for me to turn down and at the last minute I opted for it over the steak. My father did have the steak and remarked that he preferred the cut and preparation from the night before. A study in steak! The turkey dinner was wonderfully prepared. There aren’t often many surprises with this dish (we all know it so well) but when the turkey is moist and flavorful, the potatoes are light & fluffy and the stuffing has great flavor you know it wasn’t just thrown together. All three of us slowly made our way through it. The wine wasn’t a top match, and wasn’t as heralded as the prior night’s bottle, but I am the primary red wine drinker so picking a safe selection worked out well all the way around.

Between us we ended up trying all three of the desserts on the menu, all of which were exceptional. The Yule Log looked to be carefully prepared and tasted exceptional, the Lintzer Berry Tart had immense berry flavors and the Dark Chocolate and Chestnut Torte was layers of chocolate edged in nuts. The Crème Anglaise brought the whole thing together.

( my only food pic. Dark Chocolate Chestnut Torte. )

As we talked on the ride home, and since, we all agreed that the food was definitely some of the best we had ever had, and the quiet dinner on Christmas Eve was the highlight. My mother has since raved about the weekend (both the food and location) to friends whom I suspect will be looking at the package come next Christmas!

Margot and I felt relaxed when we got home, despite having to pack up and leave the inn in a rush due to an impending blizzard. With a couple of additional days off we had time to reminisce about the relaxing times and great food. My parents had never spent Christmas away like this before and said that while they wouldn’t do it all the time that it was a nice change of pace. Margot and I have been in Jamaica for Christmas before and truly believe that every few years spending the holiday in a new location keeps it exciting.

We hope you all enjoyed your holidays with family, friends and lots of food & drink. From the many Christmas and New Year's posts I have read it would seem so.

Cheers!

--Jason

I Am Giving a Scotch Cocktail for Christmas

I bought a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red two weeks ago. When I buy scotch I usually go for the single malts and mostly because I am going to sip it with my dad who loves scotch. He actually gave me my first drink of it many years ago. I still remember how surprised everyone was that I didn't hate it. That must have been a sign of things to come!

I bought the JW Red specifically to make cocktails with. There are several very well known scotch cocktails including the Rusty Nail and the Rob Roy. Being the spirits adventurer that I am I felt I needed to pull something together myself; challenging my mixology skills and adding an element of surprise. What I came up with is clearly a twist on a Sazerac using scotch instead of bourbon or rye.

My Little Ginger

3 oz Johnnie Walker Red
1 oz ginger simple syrup
4 dashes Regan's orange bitters
1 ice cube

Mix the scotch and ginger syrup in a rocks glass with one ice cube. Remove the ice and add the bitters, mixing slightly.

The ginger syrup was made by steeping slices of fresh ginger in boiled water. After extracting intense ginger flavor I removed the ginger and used the liquid for a 2x simple syrup.

The balance of spicy, sweet and smoky is excellent. It reminded me of the warmth of a crackling fire with the aromas of Christmas treats in the air. This drink is potent to be sure but I suspect that might be an asset during upcoming family gatherings where the noise and number of people can easily induce headaches!

I wish a very Merry Christmas to my faithful readers!

--Jason

Fifth Annual Holiday Open House

For the past five years we have opened our home for a day in December so friends could come and enjoy some holiday cheer. We consider it the best group gift we could give. With contributions of food and drink from friends (some insist) we also get gifts in addition to the joy of spending the afternoon with people we love. We get the house decorated, holiday music on, all the lights on and we party!

Each year we try to include different elements, whether it is homemade foods, unique beverages, or activities. This way the party never gets stale and the invite is viewed with some anticipation.

This year we decided to focus on beverages and created an activity from one of our ideas. We took the easy road with food so we could focus on socializing and get the most out of our plans.

In my holiday wine advice post I presented a recipe for a mulled red wine. This was new for open houses and it was a hit. I drank the very last glass of it while I was cleaning up. I couldn’t even use the ladle to extract the last bit from the crock-pot meaning my guests had gotten all they could from it. I was so happy. The only tweak to the recipe I made was to add 3 ounces of brandy. I also made a double recipe, requiring two bottles of wine. I used my early bottled (no MLF and limited oak) Chilean Malbec made in May of this year.

The second beverage idea was a holiday beer tasting. Every year breweries all over the world release limited production beers to celebrate the end-of-year holidays. Prior to my research and this tasting I had minimal experience with these seasonal brews. In all of the reading many of the descriptions of the brews intrigued me. The styles span quite a range, with some made merely to celebrate the passing of another year and others representing beers typically consumed during the colder months; with flavors evocative of Christmas. Could I really go wrong?

Some of these beers are not widely available and/or sell out quickly so finding them can be challenge. I lined up the following beers after 6 weeks of searching.

Rogue Yellow Snow
Sierra Nevada Celebration
Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve Ale
Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome
Delerium Noel
Ayinger Celebrator

The order above is the order we tasted them in. I prepared some horseradish cheese and candied pecans to samples with the beers. I always find something to pair add excitement but also helps transition.

( now don't they look happy together! )

A quick break for some food and guest shots.

( Amy's cheese crisps with avocado mousse and roasted red peppers. )

( Ed, Jim, Brian & Margot. Must have been a serious comment about the food... )

( Missy's carefully prepared veggie plate. )

( our tree )

OK, back to the beers.



The overall winner was the Delerium Noel with the Ayinger Celebrator and Sierra Nevada Celebration closely behind. I had more fun than I had hoped and really enjoyed getting to know some new beers. Everyone who tasted had the chance to see what they liked and didn’t, and having had fun at the same time there were no complaints. We are all quite sure Ed does not like hoppy bitter beers!

Here are my notes on the beers:

Rogue Yellow Snow – definitely a golden ale with a nice head and tons of hop aromas. The flavors of citrus were right there for you. It has a bitter finish, but not surprising for an IPA.

Sierra Nevada Celebration – this pours red/orange with a great aroma that isn’t too aggressive. I got great flavors of orange peel, pine and bitter herbs. A bit of spice on the finish.

Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve Ale – this beer has a nice balance of malt and hop flavors with a milder disposition that you might think at first. I didn’t get the spicy flavors I expected, but wasn’t disappointed.

Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome – this is an amber ale with sweet malty flavors and spice that is easy to find. This went down very well.

Delerium Noel – this is a light brown ale with a ton is spiciness and sweetness. Truly makes you think of Christmas. One of the tasters suggested it reminded her of baked beans. This beer is wonderfully balance and shouldn’t last long!

Ayinger Celebrator – this beer is dark brown in color with lots of malty aromas and flavors. It reminded me of Russian Black Bread. The sweetness is there but not beyond beer standards.

( this bottle is so festive! ) 

We didn’t break out the ice shot glasses that I had prepared merely because we didn’t have a second wave that was looking for something new to drink on their way through. We had peppermint schnapps ready to go. Next weekend!

( Melissa and Betsy )

( Wayne & Meredith )

( Andrea and Kristy )

( Paul and Margot )

Everyone who came had lots of fun and some even went home with leftovers!! We had lots of cookies left, but those were shared with Margot’s co-workers.

Cheers to another successful holiday open house!

--Jason

p.s. I realized when going through the pictures that there weren’t any of me or Margot and I. We failed on that one!