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

Lindemans Gueuze Cuvee Rene

A Not-So-Sour Split

The final day of a great visit is never easy. But a special beer can help soften the blow. 

So before I left Wisconsin, my host and I shared an almost champagne-split-sized bottle of an almost-champagne-tasting beer – Lindemans Gueuze Cuvee Rene.

A gueuze is a type of lambic beer where they blend old and young lambics. Expect to feel your lips pucker, because these ales tend to be dry and sour.

The Cuvee Rene is actually a touch fruitier and sweeter than most of the other gueuze I’ve had.

No pucker, but a nice combination of funky sours and champagne fruits, like apple and citrus. And all very bubbly.

Cranberry Thyme Crush

Stingy with the Social Lubricant

At a conference on the bay, I was spoiled by a constant presence of libations: dark coffee with real cream, Mighty Leaf hot tea, tiny soda bottles on ice, and sweating silver pitchers of water. Somehow, a drink in hand, any drink, makes chatting with strangers easier.

Drinks and "what do you dos" should come even more easily at the nonsponsored evening networking mixer, right?, considering alcohol is involved. I was disappointed.

$11 later, a tiny glass packed with ice in hand, I slurped up the vapors of gin and tonic before even stepping away from the black cloaked bar-stand.

Lucky for me, G was busy crushing fresh cranberries for my arrival home.

Blason de Bourgnogne Crémant Rosé

Books and Bubbly

It all started five years ago. Amy suggested a few of us moms get together monthly for a book group. She'd already chosen our inaugural read, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

So it seemed fitting, a half-decade later, that we all cozied up in Monica's fabulous home theatre to watch the movie version starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana. Seems like many of the books we've shared have become Hollywood blockbusters, and finally—with a tongue-in-cheek superior air—the seven of us can actually say, "Oh, I read the book."

Monica, the gracious hostess that she is, prepared theatre-style popcorn on her stovetop. And I poured the bubbly: Blason de Bourgnogne Crémant Rosé.

New Glarus Cran-bic

A Berry Good Beer

No doubt, my favorite thing about visiting Wisconsin is the company I keep there.

A close second may be the beer.

On my most recent visit, I got to try a hard-to-find new offering from the folks at New Glarus: Wisconsin Cran-bic.

Even better, my host was wise to snap up every bottle he could find when it was released, so I enjoyed several bottles during my stay.

Rosemount Shiraz 2007

Winter Barbecue

One sip of an intense and fruity Rosemount Shiraz, and the craving hit me: baby back ribs, creamy coleslaw, and cornbread muffins.

I couldn't convince anyone to clear the snow from the outdoor barbecue, let alone cook outside. But I wasn't about to wait for July. Anyway, this shiraz might seem a little heavy in the heat of summer.

But in the winter, the cozy, fruity and rich Australian red holds up superbly to the dry-rubbed and barbecue-sauce-basted, oven-broiled racks.

As I licked my sauce-stained fingers, I imagined warm evenings outdoors by the barbecue: Only a few more months to go.

Bell's Winter White Ale

Let It Snow

A visit to Wisconsin in the dead of winter? Yep, made-to-order for cross-country skiing.

We had a fresh four inches on the ground to work with, a few more promised on the way, and a beautiful, empty-of-people nature reserve.

As we broke the first trail through the winter white, I took a deep, cold breath and let the workweek finally fall away.

And when we got back to the house and the fire, I kept that change-of-pace feeling going with a Bell's Winter White Ale.

The Snowshoe Cocktail

An Icy Drink to Warm You Up

The snow is falling just about everywhere this week. For some it's not good news, but for six guys visiting North Lake Tahoe, it couldn't be better.

Fresh powder daily kept us with permanent grins and perpetual hoots and hollers on the slopes.

When the day was done, legs rubbery from countless runs, faces pink from icy wind, we looked to the bar for something potent, simple and refreshing.

The Snowshoe is that drink.

Casa Silva Viognier 2005 (Organic)

The Lure of Ratings

At the restaurant with my friend, I was lured by two things on the menu:  a rich mac-n-cheese made with white cheddar, bacon, and scallions and a white wine noted as "organic" and "RP 90 pts." 

A perfect pairing!

I've been on the lookout for an extraordinary organic wine for a while now. So when I saw one with premier wine critic Robert Parker's approval, my mouth said Yes. Surely someone with a world-renowned nose would know better than little ol' me about what kind of wine I'll like.

Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball

Time to Get Lost

It had been months since I’d seen my old friends at ABC – Sawyer, Jack, Kate, John, Hurley and the gang. The premier episode of their final season had been months and months in the making. And it required a friend’s big screen TV, lots of snacks, and a really good beer.

I settled into the couch with some crudite and some spinach artichoke dip. And a Hairy Eyeball.

A Hairy Eyeball isn't a ghoulish snack. It’s a big, brown malty beer from Lagunitas Brewing.

Better Than Cosmo

4 Women, 3 Hot Days, and a Mini-Bar in the Trunk

We've escaped.

We've left the men and children behind for our first winter escape to a desert hot springs spa together.

Just the four of us.

That is, except for the wee one still in the oven.

But he didn't stop us from making Better Than Cosmos poolside. Our pregnant girlfriend just got hers specialized.

What's that you ask?

What happened next?

Mark West Pinot Noir 2007

Date Night In

I've reinstated Friday fondue nights. This tradition began when my older two daughters were still in diapers. And I'm not sure why it ever ended.

Here's how it goes:

My husband and I feed the kids a simple dinner—mac-n-cheese or chicken nuggets from the freezer—and later, after they're fast asleep, light a few candles and cozy up to a savory treat: Cheese fondue with plenty of baguette, cubed salami, and roasted vegetables.

And, of course, the perfect bottle of wine to go with it—this time a 2007 Mark West Pinot Noir.