Thursday Happy Hour: Cocktail Recipes, Drinks, Music, and Good Times

Frei Brothers Reserve Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2007

A Big Red for "Big Red"

My friends Barb and Dave hosted their 2nd annual chili cook-off last weekend. Crockpots and cast-iron casseroles crowded their kitchen, containing everything from a farmer's market chili and smoky beef chili to chicken chipotle chili—even a Thai-inspired chili. Yum. And, of course, the sides: jalepeno cheddar bread, sweet cornbread, and bottles and bottles of wine.

My favorite wine by far was the 2007 Frei Brother's Zinfandel, a full, fruity wine bold enough to handle the complex flavors in the chili. This was no wimpy wine—it even held up to the big flavors in "Big Red," the spiciest chili in the bunch.

The Juicy Wine Details Bottle    Frei Brothers Reserve Year       2007 Grape    Zinfandel Region  Sonoma, CA Price    ~15.00 Shop    Internet Wines

More Big Reds Marqués de Cáceres Reserva Rioja Don Miguel Gascón Malbec Marqués de Riscal Rioja

Choosing my favorite chili was much tougher. They were all so different, and so delicious. "Fit to be Thai-ed" got my vote for flavor and creativity alike. But in the end, the spicy and rich "Big Red" came out the big winner—congratulations Big E!

Looking forward to next year's cook-off!

Diane Timba is a contributing writer at Thursday Happy Hour. Check out her lifestyle wine column here on Wednesdays. What's your favorite big wine? Let Diane know in the comments below. Or chat with her on Facebook.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale

This Way and That Way

After a couple hours of canoeing through sandstone cliffs topped with beautiful old pines, hemlocks, and mosses, I was thirsty.

The Kickapoo River was easy paddling, but the river turns this way and that way over and over, so somehow I managed to turn the canoe completely around when I took a turn at steering.

Time to let someone else take over, or we'd never make it back. My co-pilot did a fine job of guiding us toward a great brew  -- Bell's Two Hearted Ale.

2004 Robert Pecota Moscato d'Andrea and Apple Pie

Fall Cravings

A twinge of autumn colors are beginning to appear on the leaves in my neighborhood. The hints of orange, red, and yellow inspired a craving for one of the best things about a Minnesota fall: apple pie.

Not just any apple pie, a Minnesota apple pie.

I rushed to the market to pick up some local apples. Cortlands are my favorite for pie (although, if you've never had a Minnesota-grown Honeycrisp, you haven't lived). I peeled and cored and rolled out the dough, a labor of love in anticipation of that first delectable sweet and tart bite.

The first apple pie of the season is cause to celebrate ... with a crisp Moscato.

Brasserie de Rochefort's Trappistes Rochefort 8

Planes, Trains, and Belgian Beer

The last time I had a Trappistes Rochefort 8, I traveled to it, sampling one of these lovely Abbey dubbels during a trip to Belgium.

This time, the Rochefort 8 came to me. The beer was waiting all chilled and ready for me in the refrigerator when I returned home from a long weekend away.

Lemon Rickey

A Simple Distraction

Work was all wrapped up and the sun doesn't set till 7pm, so we had some time. We skeddadled to Doheny Beach with cooler and kayak. The ocean backwash was fierce: the incoming wave crashes into the outgoing pull of the last, causing a collision that claps and sprays straight up, making me think of snapped bones and water in my brain.

But our timing worked and -- paddle, paddle, paddle! -- we made it to open ocean and then Dana Point Harbor for a more sheltered cruise. The journey back to shore was, um ... challenging, and earned us a tasty happy hour beverage. With a good book for distraction.

Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2008

The Harvest Overfloweth My Crisper

Every week, I pick up a box of fresh-off-the-farm, organic produce from the CSA farm share.  We're at the peak of the season—corn, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, zucchini, eggplant, carrots, herbs — and I can barely keep up! 

Enter Pasta Primavera—a superb way to use up all those orphaned veggies hanging out in the bottom of the crisper drawer. Chop 'em all up, sauté in a pan, throw in some butter, chicken stock, a little cream, parmesan and fettucine, and there you have it. Simple and delicious.

This compilation of the harvest's best vegetables called for an equally superb bottle of wine. I found one. Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc 2008. A fresh, crisp wine with a hint of citrus — and an effortless pairing to the farm fresh bounty.

Brouwerij Van Steenberge Piraat Ale

Garrrr . . . Drink Beer Like a Pirate!

Someone stole my summer.

It was here just a second ago, I swear. I was frolicking along, enjoying the sun, the long days, the trips to the beach, the relaxed schedule. But then I turned around for just one second, and when I turned back, it was gone. Could it be the work of pirates?

South Side Fizz

Floating Around on the East Side

Friends with a pool are always appreciated. Friends with a newly surfaced pool who live in the warmer eastern portion of San Diego simply spoil us. Baskets of chips and trail mix, a lazy golden afternoon sun, and a round of poolside "punch" for everyone made this one very happy September evening.

Red Wine Sangria

El Pelo del Perro (The Hair of the Dog)

You know, it's not a party unless it involves tequila shots and Lucha Libre Mexican wrestling masks. For my husband's birthday, we gathered with a few friends at Barrio, a tequila bar in downtown Minneapolis. For some, the offer of a free wrestling mask with a $20 shot of tequila was too good to pass up.

Not for me. Except for a single obligatory shot, I stuck with the sangria. Barrio's red sangria was unlike any I'd ever had—it was light and refreshing, with the taste of berries and a little fizz. Almost like a strawberry soda. Mmmm. And it went down way too easy.

Craftsman Brewing Triple White Sage

Take a Flight . . . A Beer Flight

So much beer, so little time. In fact, there’s just too much good beer in the world to be able to experience it all responsibly. That's where beer flights come in.

And it’s what my dinner companion and I opted for recently at a pizza and ale house . . .

Rum 'n' No-Coke

Better than Rum 'n' Coke

"I usually drink rum and Coke," Ted said at Thursday Happy Hour LIVE last week, and when I gave him a quizzical Really? look, he added, "but not just any rum and Coke. A special rum and Coke."

That instantly made me think of the last time I had a special rum and Coke ... back in the Caribbean. It was Diet Coke with Pineapple Cruzan rum, a light-on-the-alcohol treat perfect for extremely hot weather. But that's not exactly the recipe that Ted had in mind. And Gary was convinced we could do better than even that. You be the judge:

HRM Rex-Goliath Pinot Noir

When It Rains, It Pours

After you have children, the word “vacation” takes on a whole new meaning. No more relaxing poolside with a cheap supermarket romance. No mre long, leisurely strolls. Nope. The family vacation is 24-hours-a-day of exhausting but rewarding togetherness. And it means rolling with the punches, no matter what’s being thrown at you.

Last weekend, this meant two straight days of thunderstorms and rain during our annual end-of-the-summer camp-out. A little water didn't stop us from having a great time, though. We put on brave faces—and our galoshes—and carried on.

After being soaked to the bone, there’s nothing like coming home to a hot shower, comfy pajamas, and a relaxing glass of award-winning Pinot with dinner.