YumSugar

13 Under $20 Wines Perfect For Hostess Gifts

partysugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:15:34 -0800

Do you have an iPhone? Then stop what you're doing right now and download the Nirvino (my preferred online drinking community) wine ratings guide. With over one million wines listed by name, price, grape varietal, flavor profile, region, and producer, the wine application is an amazing resource to always have at your fingertips.

Not only does it provide food pairing suggestions, but there's also lots of fun lists to browse. Food Network's Aida Mollenkamp shares her favorite wines to drink while cooking, Sommelier Mark Bright rounded up his top bottles from Whole Foods, and yours truly has even created a list!

I headed to Safeway to pick out the best wines - all of which are under $20 - for hostess gifts. I've tasted and enjoyed these wines and would bring them to a party. Be it a birthday bash at Hog Island oyster farm, an intimate Thanksgiving dinner, or an upcoming holiday soirée, there's a bottle for every occasion. To check out my list, keep reading.

Yummy Links: From Nirvino's Wine App to Eater's Expansion

partysugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:50:56 -0700

Introducing the newest must-have wine application for your iPhone. - Nirvino
Fabio Viviani's cookbook by the numbers. - Eat Me Daily
Here are 21 tasty bar snack recipes. - Chow
Everything you need to know about buying sustainable seafood. - Sunset
Eight common fast foods you should avoid. - SF Weekly
Michael Pollan's next mission: reform health care. - Grub Street
The real reason Hector was kicked off of Top Chef? His thermometer didn't work.- The Feedbag
Is it OK to serve pesto at a dinner party? - The Epi-Log
This lavender honey spice cake is seriously Italian. - Serious Eats
Eater is expanding and looking for bloggers/photographers in a city near you. - Eater

Happy Hour: The Peony

partysugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:00:04 -0700

Listen up budding home bartenders! I've got an exciting new recipe for you to experiment with. Crafted by Danny Louie of San Francisco's Dosa, the Peony is an exotic mix of coconut milk, hibiscus syrup, fresh lime juice, and gin. The cocktail was created to mimic the flavors of the Indian cuisine served at Dosa. Don't be fooled by the thick pink appearance of this concoction. While it may resemble a strawberry milkshake, the taste and texture are more similar to a piña colada. The coconut milk coats the mouth likening a tropical beach vacation. The heavy lime aroma is tart and fresh, and the gin is only apparent on the smooth finish. In a word this cocktail is fabulous! I first enjoyed it at Nirvino's recent gin seminar and have plans to seek it out again soon.

For those of you who can't get to Dosa, but want to impress your friends with this drink (and mixology skills!) check out the recipe - there's also a video of Danny making it so read more.

The Peony from Nirvino on Vimeo.

The Peony
From Danny Louie of Dosa

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. gin (recommended: Right gin)
1 oz. Hibiscus Masala Nectar (recipe below)
3/4 oz. sweetened coconut milk
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
2 drops orange flower water
1 kaffir lime leaf
1 bird's eye chili
lime zest, for garnish

Directions

Dry muddle Kaffir lime leaf and birds eye chili in a shaker tin.
Add all ingredients and ice.
Shake vigorously and double strain into a chilled champagne flute, neat.
Garnish with the fine zest of lime.

Makes 1 drink.

Hibiscus Masala Nectar
1 tsp black peppercorn
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp mustard seed
3 bird's eye chili
2 cups water
8 whole hibiscus
1 cup turbinado or raw sugar

Grind the first five ingredients in a spice mill. Then place in a small pan. Toast over low heat until fragrant.
Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil.
Add sugar and hibiscus and simmer for 15 min.

Let cool and strain before using.

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Gin Haters: Right Will Prove You Wrong

partysugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:00:20 -0700

Gin can be a polarizing spirit. With the exception of a few gin and tonics, I've always avoided it; however, a bunch of new gins on the market have converted me into a gin lover. One such gin, Right gin, is my current favorite.

Recently, I was invited to a seminar hosted at the brand's loft, here in San Francisco. The event was put on by Nirvino, the awesome social-drinking website that let's you rate cocktails and wine, and led by bad-boy bartender Josh Harris of 15 Romolo. Harris discussed the essentials to building a home bar and walked us through a blind gin-tasting.

To find out more about the tasting and check out all my images from the event, keep reading

Happy Hour: The Grey Lady

partysugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:00:44 -0700

Last month YumSugar and I attended a cocktail competition hosted by the drinks-based social networking website, Nirvino. We were a little worried about the contest, not because we were competing, but because each of the five cocktails had to use No. 209 Gin. Normally, I'm not a fan of the strong, intensely botanical flavor of gin, however the concoctions created by San Francisco's bartending elite were surprisingly well-balanced and drinkable. The winning drink, The Grey Lady, created by Greg Lindgren, the owner of one of my watering holes, Rye, was particularly memorable. A mixture of gin, fresh lemon juice, and Earl Grey syrup, this drink is innovative (who would think to use breakfast tea in a cocktail?), light, airy, smooth, and delicious. Although one of the ingredients, bergamot, is incredibly hard to find, the tipple can be enjoyed without it. To watch a video of Greg making the concoction at the party and check out the recipe, read more.

Nirvino Presents: The Grey Lady from Nirvino on Vimeo.

The Grey Lady
From Greg Lindgren of Rye

Ingredients

1 3/4 oz gin (recommended: No. 209 Gin)
3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1 oz Earl Grey tea syrup
1/2 egg white
1 Pinch Bergamot Dust (finely grated zest from one bergamot)

Directions

Add egg white to cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake vigorously for 10-20 seconds.
Add the other ingredients. Shake again for 10 seconds.

Strain into a cocktail glass and enjoy.

Makes 1 drink.

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Happy Hour: November

partysugar — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:30:48 -0800

Although we are almost at the end of December, I highly recommend you wannabe mixologists make a cocktail entitled November. Created by Scott Baird, a dear friend, owner of 15 Romolo, and one of San Francisco's foremost bartenders, this concoction won the Nirvino Navan cocktail competition at Swig.

If you've never tried Navan, a natural vanilla liqueur, get your hands on a bottle stat! It's a great mixing liquor that can be used in both sweet and savory applications. This well-balanced, delicious cocktail balances out the Navan with a smoky scotch, while apple juice adds freshness.

To look at the recipe and check out a fabulous exclusive video of the bearded Baird making the cocktail, read more.

Nirvino Presents: The November from Nirvino on Vimeo.

November
From Scott Baird of 15 Romolo

Ingredients

3⁄4 oz. Navan Natural Vanilla Liqueur
1⁄2 oz. Benedictine
1 1⁄4 oz. cognac
1⁄2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. unsweetened apple juice
1/8 oz. Scotch (recommended: Laphroaig)
Dash of Fee Bitters
Dash of cinnamon tincture
1 1⁄2 oz. dry apple cider
Lemon Twist

Directions

Combine Navan, Benedictine, cognac, lemon juice, apple juice, scotch, bitters, tincture, and ice in a cocktail shaker.
Shake for 10 seconds and strain into a Collins glass.
Add apple cider and fill to the top with ice.
Finish it off with a twist of lemon.

Makes 1 drink.

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Happy (Repeal Day) Hour: Le Coup de Jarnac

partysugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:07:08 -0800

Listen up, party people: Today is a big day in the world of drinking. It's the 75th anniversary of the repeal of the 18th amendment. On this day in 1933, the 21st amendment was ratified and the celebratory right of drinking was given back to Americans. To commemorate the occasion, I worked with my favorite drinking website, Nirvino, and one of San Francisco's most adorable bartenders, Buffalo, at the Alembic, to bring you this amazing cocktail recipe. Buffalo originally created the concoction for Nirvino's monthly cocktail competition, which I attended at Level III in San Francisco. The drink is made with Canton, apple brandy, and lavender honey. The honey adds subtle body without making it overly sweet. To get the recipe of the le coup de jarnac - which won the people's choice award at the contest - and check out a video of the beloved Buffalo making it, read more.

Le Coup de Jarnac from Nirvino on Vimeo.

Le Coup de Jarnac
From Buffalo of the Alembic in San Francisco

Ingredients

3/4 oz. Domain de Canton Ginger Liqueur
1 1⁄2 oz. Calvados (apple brandy)
1⁄2 oz. Sweet Vermouth (recommended: Carpano Antica)
teaspoon of Lavender Honey
Few drops of Allspice Dram
Twist of Lemon

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a pint glass. Add ice 3⁄4 of the way to the top.
Stir for 10 seconds.
Strain into an ice-filled low ball glass. Finish it off with a twist of lemon.

Makes 1 cocktail.

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Happy Hour: Fall Fizz

partysugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:15:08 -0700

Recently I attended a female-only cocktail competition hosted by Nirvino. While I've been to many cocktail competitions, I always look forward to Nirvino's monthly contest because the crowd gets to taste each cocktail and ultimately decides the winning drink. Nirvino is an exciting social networking community where drinking is the common denominator. You can rate drinks, bars, bartenders, wine, beer, and different kinds of liquor.

Its a fun concept that makes for an interesting event. After tasting each cocktail everyone gets on their iPhones or Blackberrys to rate the drink. This competition featured Square One Cucumber vodka and the winning bartender was Brooke Arthur from Range restaurant in San Francisco.

Her Fall Fizz delightfully combined the fresh flavors of cucumber, apple, and pear. Lemon juice adds an acidic balance and a dusting of cinnamon gives this drink a holiday feel. Like the gin fizz, it includes egg whites. I can't promise you won't get salmonella, but your drink will be deliciously frothy! To check out Brooke's recipe and a video of her mixing at the competition, read more.

Fall Fizz
From Brooke Arthur of Range

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces cucumber vodka (recommended: Square One)
1/4 ounce apple brandy (recommended: Coeur de Lyon Calvados)
1/4 ounce pear liqueur (recommended: Poires Pear Liqueur)
1/2 ounce egg whites
1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
grated cinnamon, for garnish

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
Shake without ice for 30 seconds to emulsify the egg whites.
Add ice to the shaker and shake for another 30-45 seconds.
Strain into a martini glass. Garnish by grating cinnamon over the top of the cocktail.

Makes 1 cocktail.

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Nirvino's Right Gin Tasting and Seminar

partysugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:25:46 -0700

View Slideshow ›

Noteworthy Nibbles - Mar. 24-31, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:00:40 -0700

Spring is in the air, and that's evident with the number of fun food events going on this week that pay homage to everything from rum to crawfish.

We can't wait to taste our way through the year's best wines at Wine Enthusiast's annual Toast of the Town, and taste tequila cocktails made by SF's top mixologists at the Nirvino Mixology Contest.

What events will you be eating your way through this week?

Seattle, WA: StarChefs Rising Stars Revue - Mar. 24
Coral Gables, FL: Coral Gables Wine & Food Festival - Mar. 26
San Francisco, CA: Wine Enthusiast Toast of the Town - Mar. 26
Tampa Bay, FL: International Rum Festival - Mar. 26-28
Chalmette, LA: Louisiana Crawfish Festival - Mar. 26-29
Lake Tahoe, CA: Winter & Wine Fest - Mar. 26-29
West Palm Beach, FL: Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show - Mar. 26-29

To see the rest, read more.

Hammond, LA: Smokin' Blues & BBQ Challenge - Mar. 27-28
Lodi, CA: Lodi Spring Wine Show - Mar. 27-28
Uniondale, NY: Spring Craft Beer Festival - Mar. 28
Rutherford, CA: Napa Valley Mustard Festival Grand Finale Event - Mar. 28
Miami, FL: Deering Seafood Festival - Mar. 29
New York, NY: Friends of James Beard Benefit - Mar. 29
Miami, FL: Deering Seafood Festival - Mar. 29
Washington, DC: Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation DC - Mar. 30
San Francisco, CA: Nirvino Mixology Contest - Mar. 31

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