Margarita Drink Lab and Muffuletta Crackers

Summertime is the best time for Margaritas on the deck. Before mixing a full-sized cocktail to take outside on a glorious Friday evening, we decide to do a little homework in the drink lab. We have a new Jose Cuervo Especial Silver tequila to put to the test. While Jose Cuervo is not usually atContinueContinue reading “Margarita Drink Lab and Muffuletta Crackers”

Nostalgia is taking over my life!

It started with a confluence of free time and the need to pare down our collection of stuff. What better way to take advantage of being unemployed than tending to long-ignored projects around the house. Downsizing and moving to a cheaper cost-of-living area is now within our less-than-five-year plan. I’m borrowing the exercise mantra “useContinueContinue reading “Nostalgia is taking over my life!”

Appletinis and Appetizer of Tomato with Fresh Mozzarella

Reading a drink menu at a local restaurant I notice that most of the martinis are made with vodka. Exactly none of them contain the old school gin and vermouth. In our drink lab, we decide to test the Appletini with gin instead of vodka. We choose New Amsterdam in which we noted citrus-y botanicals duringContinueContinue reading “Appletinis and Appetizer of Tomato with Fresh Mozzarella”

Main Course Summer Salad

Living in a climate of cold winters and hot summers, we find our food and wine changing with the seasons as well. Summer is abundant with fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables; tomatoes, corn, eggplant, squash, beans, and juicy ripe peaches. What better way to enjoy the raw crispness of summer vegetables than salad. TontonContinueContinue reading “Main Course Summer Salad”

Ararat Brandy, Winston Churchill, and Bob

In 2010 my brother-in-law married a British girl and their wedding gave us the opportunity to meet her family from across the pond. One thing we remember about her father, Bob, is that he talked about Winston Churchill and WWII. Churchill isn’t as well-known in the US, we might think of President Franklin Delano RooseveltContinueContinue reading “Ararat Brandy, Winston Churchill, and Bob”

A Happy Hour Tale of Two Cities

We are walking back and forth on one block of Decatur Street in New Orleans trying to locate the entrance for Cane and Table which should be right next to Maximo’s. We must look like the perfect target for the panhandler shakedown and so it goes. He tries to be helpful, asking us what weContinueContinue reading “A Happy Hour Tale of Two Cities”

Daglia Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

The growing season of 2011 was challenging for many California wine growers. Napa suffered from a cold, wet spring and late, rainy harvest with a threat of noble rot. With this in mind, I was a bit skeptical when the wine merchant recommended the 2011 Daglia Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon. But all things considered, it certainlyContinueContinue reading “Daglia Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon 2011”