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June 15, 2012
Flavors that merge into summer
The perfect kosher wine and cocktail selections for cooling off while lounging in the sun.
JOSHUA E. LONDON AND LOU MARMON
The arrival of summer is the time to explore some of the kosher wines and refreshing cocktails that will help maintain or restore good cheer when the heat beats you down.
Among our first wine choices to sip when lounging on your deck or patio this summer is the Chilean Lan Zur Sauvignon Blanc 2010 that has green apple, peach and pineapple aromas and flavors, well balanced with citrus acidity. From New Zealand, try the aromatic O’Dwyers Creek Sauvignon Blanc 2010 with tropical fruit scents along with lime, lemon, green apple and passion fruit flavors, good balance and a lingering finish. Alternatively, try the California-grown, grapefruit- and orange-scented Hagafen Sauvignon Blanc 2011 that offers bright citrus notes leading to a refreshing finish of minerals and tropical fruits.
Also consider the Israeli Tishbi Gewurztraminer 2010, a medium-bodied, slightly sweet effort with spicy apple, cherry and grapefruit flavors with peach and lychee notes that are nicely balanced throughout the finish, making it a good accompaniment to Asian cuisine, barbecue, grilled salmon and soft cheeses. The Galil Mountain Viognier 2009 practically sings summer with peach and floral aromas and tangerine, nectarine and apricot flavors that match wonderfully with barbecue or spicy foods.
Another summer indulgence is a glass of chilled rosé. Created from Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, the Domaine du Castel Rosé is redolent with ripe strawberries and passion fruit aromas that flow seamlessly into citrus, peach and red berry flavors. Perfectly balanced with a long finish, it is ideal to enjoy with grilled tuna steaks or a summer salad.
Shiraz remains one of our preferred wines to pair with grilled fare, including the Carmel Kayoumi Vineyard Shiraz 2007, an elegant, full-bodied beauty that shows deep blackberry and pepper flavors accented with chocolate and a pleasant earthiness. Also recommended is the Bravdo Karmei Yosef Shiraz 2009, an intensely earthy and dark fruit-flavored effort that begins with blackberries and dark plums along with typical shiraz spiciness, and moves boldly into currants, mocha and cedar-accented black cherries and a well-balanced, long, slightly herbal finish. The non-mevushal Odem Mountain Syrah Reserve 2009 begins with floral and blackberry scents that persist into layers of balanced blueberry, toasty oak, pepper and dark fruit flavors.
Refreshing cocktails
The summer heat calls for concoctions that are simple and delicious to cool the blood, slake the thirst and rejuvenate the soul. Most summer cocktails have a basic formula calling for some mix of fruit juices or purées with various types of booze. The overall effect is something light, cool and refreshing.
Unfortunately, many of today’s blender-made drinks tend to taste like an alcoholic slushy. These are cold and will get you drunk, but they aren’t exactly “fine living.” Don’t go down the too-cold, too-sweet road this summer. Try something more refined and elegant, something easier to prepare at home, and easier to clean up after. The novelist Ernest Hemingway consumed oceans of daiquiris made with lemons, sugar, lots of rum and shaved ice. But these were definitely not the slushy, fruity concoctions of today’s bar scene. Hemingway always cautioned the barmen to go easy on the sugar: “It should have a sour finish – like life,” he said. Just so.
The art of mixing a cocktail, like cooking in general, is not an exact science, so recipes and measurements should be thought of as guides, rather than rules chiseled in stone – at all times, mix according to taste. Similarly, the two basic secrets to mixing a fantastic cocktail are (1) to use fresh, good-quality ingredients whenever possible and (2) to make certain that all the flavors are in perfect harmony, or balance, so that each ingredient’s contribution is felt, but no one ingredient overpowers or clashes.
Here are a few cool, classic cocktails that will quench your summer thirst and revitalize you. They are very easy to make, yet still convey a rewarding air of sophistication.
First, try a Gin Fizz, a delicious and refreshing classic. Fill a cocktail shaker three-quarters full of ice, add two ounces of gin (London Dry style, like Tanqueray will do nicely), three-quarters of an ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice and one teaspoon sugar (or one ounce simple syrup), then shake it like you mean it. Strain the mixture into a highball glass filled with ice. Top up with club soda and enjoy.
Then try a Mojito (pronounced moe-hee-toe; basically a Cuban/ tropical variation of the American Mint Julep). Put four wedges of lime, two to three teaspoons sugar and eight to 10 fresh mint leaves into a mixing glass or shaker and then muddle or mash together, mortar-and-pestle like, until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved, the juice is maximally extracted from the limes, and the mint is totally integrated into the juice. Add hard ice, two ounces of silver rum (Bacardi does nicely here), shake briefly but with vigor, then strain into a highball glass with cracked or crushed ice. Add three dashes of Angostura bitters and top with soda water, garnish with two or three sprigs of mint and serve.
Finally, we would be remiss if we did not mention the Rickey. Essentially a lime version of the Gin Fizz, the Rickey is a beguiling and refreshing yet super simple cocktail: two ounces of booze, half a lime squeezed (roughly half an ounce) and dropped into the glass, topped up with soda water. Originally made with bourbon, by the 1890s it was mostly made with gin (again Tanqueray does nicely here), and so it remains today. Give it a sip and you’ll understand why. Indeed, think of the Rickey as a more vibrant American take on the British gin and tonic.
If for some unfortunate reason you get stuck as the designated driver and need to skip the booze, a brilliant Virgin Rickey can be made by leaving out the booze while increasing the fresh lime juice to three-quarters of an ounce, adding one teaspoon of sugar or one ounce of simple syrup, and three dashes of Angostura bitters. Top with soda water, garnish with a slice of lime, stir very briefly to integrate the bitters.
L’chaim!
Joshua E. London and Lou Marmon write a weekly wine and spirits column for the Washington Jewish Week. More of their work can be found at grapelines.com.
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