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

Death in the Afternoon

Wicked Bubbly

Death in the Afternoon is not your grandma's champagne cocktail. You won't find this at Sunday brunch, where it would most likely be unwelcome. It's a drink that Hemingway himself invented and it's got teeth – perhaps even fangs.

As homage to his book, Death in the Afternoon, which of course, takes place in Spain, we choose an innocent bottle of Cava, a Spanish sparkling, and open the frosted green bottle of Le Tourment Vert absinthe.

This cocktail is a potent effervescence of herbal, sweet, and fruity complexity with a little burn in the finish (that's the absinthe working). Hemingway suggests you drink "at least three of these." We can't condone that idea. Start with one and go from there.

Callaway 2008 Winemaker's Reserve Old Vine Zinfandel

Remember and Replay

In between the San Jacinto Mountains and San Diego is Temecula, San Diego County's own wine country, and the perfect road trip break for a Callaway wine tasting. G was driving, so my mom and I enjoyed flights of self-selected whites and roses and reds while gazing over the vineyard. G tasted the ones we swooned over. Then in a splurge of indulgence (and maybe giddiness), we bought a few bottles.

The zinfandel, though pricey for us at $38 a bottle, was a stand-out, and we just couldn't resist a favorite to save for next year, to open on Mom's one-year retirement anniversary.

On arriving home, Mom popped the trunk and the zinfandel leapt out and crashed onto the driveway.

I'm sure licking the pavement crossed all of our minds. That is, before we came to our senses and started planning our next Temecula wine tasting.

Mad Dogs & Englishmen 2006

Dinner for One 
It was a blue moon. Friday night and I was—gasp—alone. (Not counting my sound asleep toddler.) My older daughters were at a sleepover and my hubby was on a business trip

It felt refreshing. It felt relaxing. It felt ... strange.

I had complete jurisdiction over the remote control. But I couldn't find a single thing to watch. A rumble in my stomach reminded me that I didn't eat a single bite of the mac-n-cheese I fed my daughter for dinner.

An organic, grass-fed rib-eye steak soon sizzled in the pan. I threw a few frozen sweet potato fries to bake in the oven. While my steak rested and the fries continued to crisp, I sauteed peppers and onions in olive oil.

My quiet house suddenly smelled amazing, and I knew I had to mark this blue moon night with a glass of big, well-bred wine: a fiery Spanish red by the name of Mad Dogs & Englishmen.

What's Your Favorite Food and Wine Pairing?

Red Velvet Pairings 

We found the new wine bar Red Velvet in Little Italy. 

The descriptions of wines were original and distinct. But the selection of small plates and wine pairings really did us in.

Every sip, every taste, every pairing was such a rich experience. Sitting high at the U-shaped bar and watching all the activity was entertainment all on its own. Wine pouring, chef presenting, bottles of sparkling wine sighing. It was like a party where we didn't know anyone, but that was fine by us.

How fun would it be to have our own wine bar food pairing party? We just need some ideas ...

Little Black Dress Pinot Grigio

I'm No Sucker

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, a few of us ladies gathered for a gourmet food shopping party. I'm usually not an big fan of these home sales parties, but nonetheless, it seemed like a good excuse to get together with friends over wine. Besides, I wasn't obligated to buy a thing.

Outside, the grass was just beginning to green up, and I was in the mood for something refreshing. I usually try not to be a sucker for labels. So when I was offered a glass of this Pinot Grigio with a cute name and little hanger on the front of the bottle—blatantly marketed toward the female wine shopper—I was prepared to hate it.

But I didn't.

2007 Bell'agio Chianti

Mobsters and Tarts

I bought this bottle of Chianti as a joke. We'd been invited to a old-school Italian dinner party—a la The Godfather movies—and were asked to dress the part. The guys wore over-sized shiny suits with penciled-on facial hair and the ladies wore big hair, lots of make-up, and tons of jewelry.

The classic Tuscan wine in a wicker basket seemed like the perfect kitschy touch. The big surprise? We actually enjoyed it.

Bonterra Chardonnay 2007

Betty Homemaker Strikes Again

Inspired after trying to pronounce the ingredients on my store-bought loaf of 100% whole-wheat "bread," I transformed into my alter-ego, Betty Homemaker, and set out to make the perfect loaf of homemade bread. 

So far, I've made more than six delicious loaves, and flour dusts nearly every crevice of my kitchen. I'm exhausted. It's much easier to buy a loaf of bread than bake your own. Thankfully, I had the perfect wine to go with healthy, home-baked (yet far-from-perfect) No-Knead Bread: A glass of buttery Chardonnay, of course.

Tait the Ball Buster 2008

Love (of Wine) Will Keep Us Together

It was a dichotomous night with friends: Wine and dinner at an upscale restaurant followed by karaoke at an unpretentious bowling alley bar. A fitting way to celebrate the 40th birthday of my multifaceted (and talented!) friend, Cyndi.

Another multifaceted feature of the evening: Our wine selection. Tait the Ball Buster (who could possibly resist a wine with a name like that?) is a complex Shiraz blend from Australia, rich with fruit and berries, mildly spicy and a hint of sweetness, and was well suited to our wide variety of entrees. It went with everything from my prime rib, to pasta, roast chicken, and grilled sausage—a fantastic bottle to share over dinner. We liked it so much, in fact, we ordered a second one.

Lodi Zinfandel

Annual Quest for Zin

I get lost in Lodi, California. Easily. It's south of Sacramento. East of San Francisco. It's burgeoning wine country. But it feels more like miles and miles of farmland.

Somewhere along the way, we've made it an annual road trip. So I have no excuse. But boy is it flat.

We've chosen to drive the 7+ hours north because the trunk can hold many more bottles of wine than a suitcase. Buying wine from the hands that sealed it is somehow magical.  Lodi zinfandels are our special treat: big, juicy, and inexpensive complexity to get dizzy over. But it seems the secret is out. Lodi zins are everywhere -- in San Diego, anyway.

It may be time for another home blind wine tasting with friends. Who's in?

2007 Rudolf Müller Eiswein (Ice Wine)

Drip, Drip, Drip

Though we still have massive amounts of snow on the ground in the midwest, the steady trickle off the roof means one thing: The thaw is here. And it couldn't come any sooner.

I am more than ready to toast the beginning of the end of this icy season by opening a bottle of Rudolf Müller Eiswein with my sweetie.

I made some simple crostini with toasted baguette topped with blue cheese and drizzled with honey to counterbalance the sweet and intense flavor of the eiswein.

Hooray, spring is on its way! We've made it (almost) through another Minnesota winter.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Salneval Albariño 2007 Spanish White Wine

Home Cooking (Far from Home)

"There's a new Filipino restaurant downtown!" I texted Eric as soon as I read the restaurant review. "Let's take the kids."

"But I don't like Filipino food," my Filipino husband joked.

One of the things I first noticed about Eric's family was how food was such an integral part of it. You couldn't enter his parent's house without being told—not asked—to eat. And you didn't leave without a heaping plate of leftovers under aluminum foil: Lumpia, pancit, adobo chicken. Yum.

But after moving from San Diego to Minnesota, far from the home cooking of my mother-in-law, authentic Filipino food became a rarity. That is, until last Saturday night.