December 22, 2008 at 5:05 pm (Beer)
Tags: Holiday Drinks
This one sounded so Christmasy when we spotted it in the LCBO flyer in the summer. We quickly went in to buy a couple of bottles only to be told that it was sold out until the fall. We kept checking in until it was finally found.
Our review: It wasn’t quite as chocolatey or as sweet as I was expecting, it does have a bit of a bitter chocolate undertone with an overall good flavour.
I even made some Chocolate Stout cupcakes to go along with it. Yum!
December 22, 2008 at 4:40 pm (Beer)
Tags: Beer
We mistakenly bought the apricot ale when searching for their pumpkin ale, but after trying it I’m glad we did.
After checking out their website there’s a few more I would like to try from this brand.
MCAUSLAN SCOTCH ALE
ST-AMBROISE RASPBERRY ALE
ST-AMBROISE PUMPKIN ALE – only available in the fall.
December 12, 2008 at 11:06 pm (Rum, Spirits)
Tags: Holiday Drinks, Rum, Rum and Egg Nog
Goslings Black Seal Dark Rum and PC The World’s Best Egg Nog make one of the best combinations during the holidays.
We alway buy Goslings Black Rum just for this purpose at Christmas because our regular rum, El Dorado just doesn’t have enough flavour or richness to stand up to an eggnog.
It’s also an excellent rum to soak your dried fruit in for Christmas cake or puddings.
November 25, 2008 at 12:47 am (Beaujolais nouveau, Red Wine)
Tags: Beaujolais nouveau, Wine
The long awaited Beaujolais nouveau…
Last year we tried a few but these came out as the winners:
Here’s a bit of background if you haven’t heard about Nouveau wines before:
Beaujolais nouveau is a red wine made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France. It is the most popular vin de primeur, fermented for just a few weeks then officially released for sale on the third Thursday of November.
Arrival of Beaujolais Nouveaux riches
Arrival of fresh and fruity Beaujolais wine a cause for celebration
Nov 19, 2008 – The Toronto Star
Watch a video of Gord Stimmell’s previews of the 2008 Beaujolais nouveau wineshere as well.
LCBO Offerings for this year:
FROM FRANCE:
Bichot Beaujolais Nouveau, $13.45. All cherried candy, chewy style, hints of raspberry. Rating: 87 out of 100
Mommessin Beaujolais Nouveau, $13.45. Black cherry and blackberry jam accents. Rating: 86
Duboeuf Gamay Nouveau, $8.95. Cranberry and cherries, tart on the finish. Rating: 87
Jeanjean Syrah Nouveau, $9.95. Lightweight sweet-edged cherry elements. Rating: 86
FROM ITALY:
Mezzacorona Novio Novello, $9.95. Cherry, licorice and tasty spices. Best value winner. Rating: 89
Novello del Veneto, $9.95. Raspberry, slightly sweet candied fruits. Rating: 87
VINTAGES:
Drouhin Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau, $14.95. Jammy candied cherry and cedar. Rating: 87
Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau, $15.95. Blackberry and cherry, nice structure. Rating: 88
November 1, 2008 at 8:21 pm (White Wine)
Tags: Ehrenfelser, Gewürztraminer, White Wine, Wine
The Okanagan Valley is also home to and our favourite winery Summerhill Pyramid Winery.
These are the ones we love from Summerhill:
Gewürztraminer – Made with 100% certified organic B.C. grapes. Possibly one of the world’s most significant examples of this famous spicy variety! This Gewürztraminer exhibits intense varietal aromas of grapefruit, lychee, and tropical flavours.
Ehrenfelser - The rare Ehrenfelser grape produces a luxurious texture and wildly delicious layers of tropical flavours and aromas.
They also make a great bubbly, Summerhill Cipes Brut, our personal favourite, and very authentic.
Tasting Notes:
“The Summerhill specialty and possibly Canada’s most critically acclaimed wine; the Cipes Brut is a beautiful Riesling based method traditionel sparkling wine with aromas of apple, lime, pear, almonds and grapefruit. On the palate Cipes Brut exhibits crisp acidity, a soft, creamy mousse with a long finish and flavours of citrus, pear, apple, almonds and yeast.“
November 1, 2008 at 8:14 pm (Recipes, Tequila)
Tags: Baking, Recipes, Tequila
These tasty Margarita Cupcakes are from the cookbook from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.
I made half the recipe for the icing but kept the Tequila amount the same, adding the icing sugar until a spreadable consistency.
A hint of lime, a touch of Tequila and some coarse salt (mixed with sugar) accenting the rim are just the icing on the (cup)cake!
These are the best cupcakes ever!
October 30, 2008 at 5:04 pm (Red Wine)
Tags: Australian Shiraz, Australian wine, Red Wine, Wine
It’s no secret that I love Australian wine, especially a Shiraz*. This [ yellow tail ] red is a nice compliment to any Italian meal. An easy drinking wine with a combination of earthy undertones and berry flavours. Moderately priced at $11.95.
Our first introduction to this brand was an advertisement for [ yellow tail ] Bubbles in the LCBO magazine ‘Food and Drink’. We just had to get it for last year`s New Year’s Eve.
I see they also have a [ yellow tail ] Bubbles Rosé a very adorable pink version of the bubbly!
*Although, I do prefer a Shiraz-Cabernet blend to a straight Shiraz.
October 21, 2008 at 5:48 pm (Beer)
Tags: Beer, Pumpkin Ale
Brewed just once a year, The Great St-Ambroise Pumpkin Ale returns this autumn.
The Verdict:
Flavoured with a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin. The most heightened flavour is cloves, followed by cinnamon then nutmeg. We could not detect any pumpkin flavour, less pumpkin than cloves in a pumpkin ale? The delightfully aromatic marriage of spices are quite reminiscent of a freshly baked pumpkin pie.
Overall, a quite enjoyable, fresh tasting Ale.
Cheers to drinking seasonally!
October 21, 2008 at 4:08 pm (Fruit Wine)
Tags: Cranberry Wine, Fruit Wine, Stoney Ridge, Wine
Making wine since1985, Stoney Ridge Cellars is located on Niagara’s Beamsville Bench in Vineland, Ontario.
Stoney Ridge 2006 Cranberry Wine
Our review:
We love this one, it has a sweet cranberry flavour with a tart cranberry finish. However, this 2006 is a bit more tart and acidic than in previous years.
This is a nice wine to serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas, a wonderful compliment to a holiday meal. We try to buy a bottle (or two) of this every year.
October 11, 2008 at 7:32 pm (Recipes)
Tags: Recipes, Rum
This recipe from epicurious sounds very tempting for a Thanksgiving dinner, let me know with a comment if you do try it. Recipe link here.
“Pumpkin pies have long been favored in New England; there is a recipe for a “pompkin” pie in Amelia Simmons’s 1796 American Cookery. New England colonists, in spite of their puritanical reputation, were known to enjoy a tot of rum now and then. And if the liquor was hidden in a pie, even the ladies were able to indulge.”
