Little Rooster Liquors July Newsletter

Vermouth

The wine vermouth is used mostly as an additive to drink recipes or to enhance a food dish during preparation. Depending on what you're cooking you may use red or white. Preparing a fish dish you may add white. In contrast you would add red vermouth to a dish that would require a heaver slightly sweeter base.

Popular drinks that require dry vermouth are Martini and Vodka Martini. Gin and just a splash of Vermouth make up a traditional Martini. The Vodka Martini replaces Gin vodka for Gin. The use of red or sweet vermouth with whiskey makes up a drink called a Manhattan.

What makes Vermouth so unique is that it is blended with many different herbs, botanicals and spices. These items were infused into the wine. Originally it contained wormwood. This ingredient was said help cure gastric problems. Popular in Ancient Greece it was then accepted well in France where it was called Vermutwein. In Italy it became a mass produced product in the 1700's. Eventually wormwood was proved to be toxic, thus eliminating it from the ingredients. Due to its mass production the wine is blended with the botanicals spices and herbs from concentrate, to produce it consistently. The grapes that are use are bulk grapes. Red for sweet and white for dry. The quality is not as high as it first was. After blending it is then fortified to 16% to 18% alcohol. Vermouth is pasteurized to last longer for shipping and shelf life.

This wine is produced in Italy, France and the United States, particularly in California. Both varieties sweet and dry are produced there.

Next time you grab a bottle, whether it is in a mixed drink or as an aperitif enjoy knowing its long history.

‘Middlebeery’ Ale of Middlebury, VT is a pleasant treat for the hottest day

People who have been enjoying beer for decades, as some of us have, will recall that the market used to be dominated by a handful of large domestic breweries and a couple of imports. Back in the ’70’s, if you visited a friend’s home, you were likely to be offered a Bud or a Miller or if you were lucky, a Heineken.

Those days are gone and now your odds of successfully guessing what your friend will offer you have gone down considerably. The explosion of microbreweries and imports from just about everywhere mean that everybody has access to all manner of magnificent beer. Somewhere out there is a beer for every taste, every mood.

This thought crossed my mind as I sampled my first-ever Otter Creek Middlebeery Ale, The Little Rooster’s beer of the month. This beer is a hybrid, very much on the light side and suitable for the hottest of days. It’s not a brew for everyone, but what beer is? Middlebeery Ale (brewed in Middlebury, VT), offers an immediate rush of blueberry and elderberry aroma as it is uncapped, but the effect dissipates almost immediately.

This is neither good nor bad; it depends on what you’re looking for at the moment you’re sampling this beer. Very well chilled, it’s a thirst quencher and its bouquet provides a welcome change from a typical summer’s day pils-style light beer. It’s clearly not a beer you’d pour on winter’s night, sitting in front of a roaring fire, when you crave a more substantial brew. I guess that’s why the folks at Otter Creek offer it in a limited edition during the hottest months of the year.

Give Middlebeery Ale a whirl after all, it’s not the 1970s and of all the freedoms we enjoy, the ability to sample a panoply of beers is not insignificant.

Lime-flavored black bean salad

Summer is cold salad time. When you’ve tired of potato salad, tossed salads and all the usual fare, here’s an easy recipe. I tried it out the other night to rave reviews. It’s a colorful and healthful recipe that’s very easy, different and delicious.

1 14 oz. can black beans, rinsed
1 small can corn
1 14 oz. can cooked beets, chopped bite-sized
½ a large red onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, cut in half
juice from 2 limes
½ a bunch of cilantro leaves, rinsed and chopped
1 tablespoon of cumin
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
tomato wedges for garnish

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Chill and serve with tomato wedges. Oh, and don’t forget to remove the garlic cloves, or warn people that they’re in there.

A new idea for grill or griddle

Have you tried chicken sausages yet? They’re a welcome flavor change from pork and are far less fatty. Emeril has a line of chicken sausages flavored with Cajun spices and other herbs, and now Bell & Evans free range chicken sausages are available locally, flavored with rosemary and other herbs. A simple menu of these sausages grilled or griddled, coupled with the bean salad will be a winner on any backyard deck or patio.

Did you know?

There really is an Otter Creek in Middlebury, VT, and elderberries really do grow alongside it. Middlebury is a charming New England town and the home of Middlebury College, known for its language school. Check the Otter Creek website ottercreekbrewing.com for an upcoming beer festival and other Vermont activities.

-- Scott Brinckerhoff

Scott Brinckerhoff of Haddam is a freelance writer specializing in business communications. He also brews beer, keeps bees and cooks "seriously." Each issue, he'll provide offbeat comments on our monthly beer, long with a recipe.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Ingredients:
For filling
1 1/2 lb fresh apricots, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 to 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
For topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
Make filling:
Toss all filling ingredients together in a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate and let stand until juicy, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Make topping:
Sift together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar in a bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk with a fork just until combined (do not overmix).
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough over filling, leaving spaces in between to allow topping to expand. Sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar.
Bake cobbler in middle of oven until fruit is tender and topping is golden, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly, about 15 minutes, and serve warm.

Makes 8 servings.

Each serving about 280 calories and 4 grams fat.

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Hogue Chardonnay Cabernet Merlot Fume Blanc Only $9.99 a bottle! – Chardonnay Classic balance, with aromas of apple, poached pear, vanilla, and toasty oak-spice complexity. The rich flavors have ripe apple, honey, and creamy nuances. This Chardonnay's natural acidity and bright fruit flavors make it a great match with food. Cabernet Wonderful purple/red color, with aromas of cherry, tobacco, leather and licorice. A chocolaty top note lingers behind the fruit. Merlot Juicy flavors of oak toast, spice, cassis and berry; intense. Fume Blanc This Fumé Blanc has well-developed aromas of fresh cut hay, peach, guava and vanilla with a hint of smokiness. Some subtle notes of dried fig and rosemary hide behind the bright fruit.		One of the great things about New England is the changing of the seasons. But right now, we’re in the hottest part of the year. So maybe we should all raise a glass to Willis Carrier, who invented air conditioning 102 years ago. To fill that glass, stop by The Little Rooster and enjoy our air conditioning while you shop for “adult beverages” for your family and friends. We will welcome you as a member of our extended family. We hope you are enjoying our newsletter. Please be sure to sample some of the products and recipes inside. We try to offer you ideas that you won’t find anywhere else. So please stop by to see all we have to offer and let us know if you have special requirements. Or simply stop by to say hello !!. Here are some special activities to note for this month: One of our special choices you might be interested in is our wine of the month from Fruit Forward Selections from Hogue Cellers Mark your calendars for Friday, July 2nd and join Mr.Dominack at 4:30 to 7:30, as he tastes you on these gems from Hogue Cellars. Also take a look at our special recipes. "Apricot Cobbler". As always, in this newsletter you will find need-to-know information regarding our July wine tasting as well as a host of related tidbits. Through our website you will be able to access our archived newsletters, recipes, check our wine of the month, research wines and beers, learn about our tastings and other specials. We will aim to educate and inform and hope that you will come back to visit us online often. Give it a look and see what people are excited about. Visit us at Littleroosterliquors.com and enjoy! The Guest of the Month is a highlight in our newsletter where we feature knowledgeable people in the wine, beer and food industries to help educate us with their expertise. This month I am pleased to announce that Mr.Dominick Borghese will be our guest writer. I thoroughly enjoyed his very informative article about “WASHINGTON STATE VITICULTURE”. I hope you do the same! A big thanks goes out to all who have written to me with comments and suggestions about new wines, spirits and beer. Keep those thoughts and concerns coming. Remember, you, the customer, drive what we do here. This month, our Beer of the Month is Middlebeery Ale. Please check out our article by resident beer expert, Scott Brinckerhoff, for more details and a tasty recipe to go with this brew.
• Fri. 7/2 4:30-7:30 pm – Wine of the Month! – Hogue Cellars Chardonnay, Cabernet-Merlot & Fume Blanc • Fri. 7/10 4:30-7:30 pm – Black oak’s Pino Grigio & Cabernet Sauvignon. • Fri. 7/16 4:30-7:30 pm – Clay Station wines • Fri. 7/23 4:30-7:30 pm – Mirassou’s Sauvignon Blanc,Pinot Noir & Chardonnay • Fri. 7/30 4:30-7:30 pm – Firefly ’s Chardonnay, Merlot & Chiraz		Vermouth The wine vermouth is used mostly as an additive to drink recipes or to enhance a food dish during preparation. Depending on what you're cooking you may use red or white. Preparing a fish dish you may add white. In contrast you would add red vermouth to a dish that would require a heaver slightly sweeter base. Popular drinks that require dry vermouth are Martini and Vodka Martini. Gin and just a splash of Vermouth make up a traditional Martini. The Vodka Martini replaces Gin vodka for Gin. The use of red or sweet vermouth with whiskey makes up a drink called a Manhattan. What makes Vermouth so unique is that it is blended with many different herbs, botanicals and spices. These items were infused into the wine. Originally it contained wormwood. This ingredient was said help cure gastric problems. Popular in Ancient Greece it was then accepted well in France where it was called Vermutwein. In Italy it became a mass produced product in the 1700's. Eventually wormwood was proved to be toxic, thus eliminating it from the ingredients. Due to its mass production the wine is blended with the botanicals spices and herbs from concentrate, to produce it consistently. The grapes that are use are bulk grapes. Red for sweet and white for dry. The quality is not as high as it first was. After blending it is then fortified to 16% to 18% alcohol. Vermouth is pasteurized to last longer for shipping and shelf life. This wine is produced in Italy, France and the United States, particularly in California. Both varieties sweet and dry are produced there. Next time you grab a bottle, whether it is in a mixed drink or as an aperitif enjoy knowing its long history.
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Washington State Viticulture By Dominick Borghese Washington’s premium wine industry began in the 1960s. The majority of the state’s wine grapes are planted east of the Cascade Range in the Columbia Valley appellation, which encompasses the Yakima Valley and Walla Walla appellations. The climate and soils produce grapes with intense fruit flavors and high natural acidity. Location :Washington’s vineyards straddle the 46th and 47th parallels, at approximately the same latitude as Bordeaux and Burgundy. Sunlight :Because of its northerly location, Washington receives up to two more hours of sunlight per day during the growing season than California's North Coast. More sun means more flavor development in the grapes. Low Rainfall :It can pour in Seattle, but east of the Cascades annual rainfall averages less than 10 inches. The Cascade Range creates a rain shadow that protects eastern Washington from Pacific storms and allows for warm, dry days during the growing season. Low precipitation and low humidity minimize rot, mildew, disease and pest problems in the vineyards. Water Management :Growers control the amount of moisture the vines receive during the growing season, providing for better canopy management and skin-to-juice ratios. Growers irrigate only when necessary to dial in and concentrate the flavor balance in the grapes. The Columbia, Yakima and Snake rivers provide plenty of water via an extensive aqueduct system. Daily Temperatures :Daily temperatures can fluctuate as much as 40-50 degrees during the growing season. This swing promotes natural acid development and retention, balancing the sugars in the grapes and giving structure to the wines. Chilly nights (40-45 degrees F) lock in the acids and flavors; warm (but not-too-hot) days (85-90 degrees F) ensure that the grapes ripen slowly without excessive sugar development. Seasonal Temperatures :The Columbia Valley's cold winters force grapevines into dormancy. Once or twice a decade, sub-zero temperatures can damage some vines in the coolest parts of the valley. However, careful and on-going matching of grape varieties to vineyard sites lessens the impact. Vines are planted on their own roots rather than on rootstock, so in the event of severe winter damage, the vine can be trained up from the root system and produce another crop the next year. At this time, Phylloxera is not a problem in Washington, probably because the cold winters and sandy soils slow its spread. Soils :The region contains mostly volcanic, sandy, and sandy loam composition soils, which are low in nutrients and provide good drainage for the vines. Regional DiversityThe Columbia Valley covers 18,000 square miles and provides a huge range of geographical and climatic conditions for grape growing. This diversity creates distinctive fruit characteristics from individual sites and offers a myriad of stylistic options to winemakers after harvest. Grape VarietyBecause of the diverse growing conditions in eastern Washington, a large number of grape varieties do well here. When planted in the right locations, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Semillon, Pinot Gris, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Lemberger, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, and others thrive.
‘Middlebeery’ Ale of Middlebury, VT is a pleasant treat for the hottest day People who have been enjoying beer for decades, as some of us have, will recall that the market used to be dominated by a handful of large domestic breweries and a couple of imports. Back in the ’70’s, if you visited a friend’s home, you were likely to be offered a Bud or a Miller or if you were lucky, a Heineken. Those days are gone and now your odds of successfully guessing what your friend will offer you have gone down considerably. The explosion of microbreweries and imports from just about everywhere mean that everybody has access to all manner of magnificent beer. Somewhere out there is a beer for every taste, every mood. This thought crossed my mind as I sampled my first-ever Otter Creek Middlebeery Ale, The Little Rooster’s beer of the month. This beer is a hybrid, very much on the light side and suitable for the hottest of days. It’s not a brew for everyone, but what beer is? Middlebeery Ale (brewed in Middlebury, VT), offers an immediate rush of blueberry and elderberry aroma as it is uncapped, but the effect dissipates almost immediately. This is neither good nor bad; it depends on what you’re looking for at the moment you’re sampling this beer. Very well chilled, it’s a thirst quencher and its bouquet provides a welcome change from a typical summer’s day pils-style light beer. It’s clearly not a beer you’d pour on winter’s night, sitting in front of a roaring fire, when you crave a more substantial brew. I guess that’s why the folks at Otter Creek offer it in a limited edition during the hottest months of the year. Give Middlebeery Ale a whirl after all, it’s not the 1970s and of all the freedoms we enjoy, the ability to sample a panoply of beers is not insignificant. Lime-flavored black bean salad Summer is cold salad time. When you’ve tired of potato salad, tossed salads and all the usual fare, here’s an easy recipe. I tried it out the other night to rave reviews. It’s a colorful and healthful recipe that’s very easy, different and delicious. 1 14 oz. can black beans, rinsed 1 small can corn 1 14 oz. can cooked beets, chopped bite-sized ½ a large red onion, minced 2 cloves of garlic, cut in half juice from 2 limes ½ a bunch of cilantro leaves, rinsed and chopped 1 tablespoon of cumin 3-4 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste tomato wedges for garnish In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Chill and serve with tomato wedges. Oh, and don’t forget to remove the garlic cloves, or warn people that they’re in there. A new idea for grill or griddle Have you tried chicken sausages yet? They’re a welcome flavor change from pork and are far less fatty. Emeril has a line of chicken sausages flavored with Cajun spices and other herbs, and now Bell & Evans free range chicken sausages are available locally, flavored with rosemary and other herbs. A simple menu of these sausages grilled or griddled, coupled with the bean salad will be a winner on any backyard deck or patio. Did you know? There really is an Otter Creek in Middlebury, VT, and elderberries really do grow alongside it. Middlebury is a charming New England town and the home of Middlebury College, known for its language school. Check the Otter Creek website ottercreekbrewing.com for an upcoming beer festival and other Vermont activities. -- Scott Brinckerhoff Scott Brinckerhoff of Haddam is a freelance writer specializing in business communications. He also brews beer, keeps bees and cooks "seriously." Each issue, he'll provide offbeat comments on our monthly beer, long with a recipe.
Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr Ingredients: For filling 1 1/2 lb fresh apricots, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch wedges 7 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 3/4 to 1/4 teaspoon almond extract For topping 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons sugar 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk Make filling: Toss all filling ingredients together in a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate and let stand until juicy, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Make topping: Sift together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar in a bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk with a fork just until combined (do not overmix). Drop rounded tablespoons of dough over filling, leaving spaces in between to allow topping to expand. Sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake cobbler in middle of oven until fruit is tender and topping is golden, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly, about 15 minutes, and serve warm. Makes 8 servings. Each serving about 280 calories and 4 grams fat.
To subscribe or unsubscribe for this Newsletter, simply send a message to newsgroup-request@littleroosterliquors.com with the word 'subscribe' or 'unsubscribe' in the message body.