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BevMo Five-Cent Wine Sale Going on Now

partysugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:00:52 -0700

Over the weekend I stepped into Beverages and More to purchase a bottle of Canton Ginger Liqueur. Imagine my delight when I realized the store was in the middle of a wine sale. Not just any sale, their exceptional buy one bottle, get the second bottle for five cents sale! With over 100 wines to choose from, this sale is a great way to stock up on wine for dinner parties, hostess gifts, or simply to fill your wine cellar. I went for South American wines, picking up two malbecs, a torrentes, and a carmenere blend. Have you been to the sale? What did you purchase?

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Sale Alert: BevMo's Buy One Get One For 5¢ Sale

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:07:09 -0700

Our very own LilPeaPod wanted to let us know that Bevmo's buy one bottle, get the second for 5 cents sale is going on right now! There are nearly 200 bottles to choose from, so go ahead and read through the descriptions and see if anything strikes your fancy!

Come Party With Me: Oktoberfest - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:30:25 -0700

No specialty cocktail is needed at an Okotberfest celebration, the German festival is all about one thing - beer. Instead invite friends to partake in a beer tasting! There are several different ways to host a beer tasting. You can get the same kinds of beers, say German pilsners, all made by different breweries. You could select one brewery, purchase all the varieties of beer they make, and serve those. Or you can just buy a bunch of beers from various styles and regions. Head to Bevmo, Trader Joe's, or other local shop that sells a wide assortment of beers and purchase six packs or larger bottles for the tasting. To get more beer-tasting tips read more.

When selecting beers, think about the likes and dislikes of your guests. If the majority of people enjoy lighter style beers, get those. On the other hand, if your guests are adventurous drinkers, consider picking up hoppier/darker ales.
Handle the beer carefully and be sure to properly chill it.
Like wine, beer requires appropriate glasses for each type. However, for the sake of the tasting, simply serve the beer in standard glasses. Avoid using plastic or paper cups.
Drink slowly and take note of the beer's color, aroma, and head. Discuss how it tastes.
Each pour should be about 3-4 ounces.
Host the tasting before dinner and have extra bottles on hand to enjoy while consuming the meal.

Have you thrown a beer tasting? Please tell us about your experience below!

Happy Hour: Sparkling Shiraz Punch

partysugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:00:00 -0800

When I saw this recipe in the December issue of Martha Stewart Living, I went a little crazy. With it's vibrant hue, fizzy texture, and glamorous ingredients, I knew it was the perfect crowd-pleasing cocktail for the holidays. Last weekend at an intimate house party, I finally had the chance to make it.

This delicious concoction is everything I thought it would be and more. It's not too potent and subtly sweet. The mint garnish is a pretty, festive finish - don't skip this step, my guests were really impressed! Start looking for the sparkling Shiraz a couple of days before you plan on making it.

Although they sell it at Bevmo, my local store was out and I ended up spending my Saturday afternoon on a frantic sparkling Shiraz hunt. The search was well worth it, though, because this concoction is one of my new favorites. To serve the punch at your holiday party, read more.

Sparkling Shiraz Punch
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

15 mint sprigs
1 ounce whipping-quality pasteurized egg white, lightly beaten
1 cup superfine sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 6 lemons)
2 bottles sparkling Shiraz
3 liters club soda
1 1/2 cups St. Germain Elderflower liqueur

Directions

Brush mint with egg white. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar, and let dry on a wire rack.
Mix lemon juice and remaining sugar in a large punch bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Add Shiraz, club soda, and liqueur. Serve with ice, and garnish with sugared mint sprigs.

Serves 15.

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Do You Know What's Cooking This Week?

YumSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:00:40 -0700

We started off our social calendars this week by hitting up the BevMo wine sale. Of course, we couldn't miss this season's second episode of The Hills. PartySugar's also been busy planning her own birthday bash - it's going to be great! - and I hit up the book launch party of one of my favorite chefs. Have you had your finger on the pulse of what's going on at YumSugar? Take our quiz to find out!

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An Edible Floral Arrangement - Rose and Poppy Seed Cupcakes

YumSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 07:01:51 -0800

Although rose and poppy seed was not my favorite of the 2008 flavor pairings, I couldn't help but think it would make for a great cupcake. So I set out to find a delicious poppy seed cake, and a nice rose-infused frosting. The result was a subtle floral flavor, that really took me by surprise. I figured that the rose and poppy seed would complement one another, but I didn't expect them to be quite so delicious. If you're interested in trying it yourself, get the recipe, just read more.

Note: Rose flower water can be found at specialty grocery stores, places like BevMo, natural food stores, and possibly the "ethnic" aisle at your local grocery store.

I frosted these cupcakes with rose-flavored cream cheese frosting. I think they would also work well with whipped cream infused rose frosting. For garnish, I rolled raspberries in rose petal sugar - a gift from a friend, she found it at a specialty market - however you could garnish with plain raspberries, or a few poppy seeds.

Also, be careful when baking, mine were a little dry on the inside. The batter was really thick, I would probably use more yogurt next time, and bake for a shorter time period.

Poppy Seed Yogurt Cupcakes
From Stella Zedman

Makes 12 cupcakes

1/2 cup (125 mL) plain yogurt
1/4cup (50 mL) poppy seeds
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened
2 eggs
1-1/4 cups (300 mL) all purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp. (2 mL) baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and the poppy seeds. Let this mixture soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the sugar, butter and eggs until thick and creamy - about 5 or 6 minutes.This wasn't exactly "thick and creamy" but it worked anyways.
In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, in 2 or 3 additions, alternately with the poppy seed mixture. Beat just until smooth.
Spoon into the cupcake liners, filling them no more than 2/3 full -- there should be just enough for 12 cupcakes. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes -- until the cupcakes are just beginning to brown and a toothpick poked into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool on a rack.
When completely cool, frost with your favourite frosting [I used the rose water frosting recipe below.] - it goes well with either chocolate or white frosting.

Rose Water Frosting
From Martha Stewart

Makes 1/2 cup - enough to fully coat 6-8 cupcakes.

4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons rose water
1 1/2 teaspoons milk, plus more if needed
Gel-paste food coloring [I used 3 drops of liquid red food coloring to achieve the color shown.]

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and the sugar with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth. Add the rose water and the milk, and continue to beat the mixture until it is smooth. Tint the frosting, and use it immediately.

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Come Party With Me: Tailgate - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 06:01:18 -0700

No tailgate is complete without a selection of classic beverages. When it comes to game day cocktails, there are two options. You could go gourmet and pair wines with your football food, or you could go old school and pair beer and Bloody Marys with the grub. I prefer to offer lots of beer. Head to Costco or Bevmo where you can purchase a large quantity of beer for less. Pack a generous amount of bottled water especially if the weather is warm. Either way, it's important to stock your cooler with plenty of ice to last you throughout the day. I even pack an extra cooler with only ice to ensure no shortage occurs.

At my tailgate, I'll make a huge pitcher of Bloody Marias - Bloody Marys made with tequila instead of vodka - to get guests pumped up for the game. Take a look at the recipe, just read more

Bloody Maria
From The New York Times

24 ounces tomato juice
9 ounces tequila
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from canned chipotle chilies)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon celery salt
Celery sticks, lemon wedges and pickled okra for garnish.

In a chilled pitcher or a large, chilled thermos, mix all ingredients except for garnishes. Shake or stir.
Garnish with celery, lemon and/or okra. Serve over ice.

Serves 6.

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Happy Hour: Lindemans Lambic

YumSugar — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 13:52:36 -0800

I love Lambics, do you?
What, you've never heard of a Lambic?! Okay, well let me give you some background. Lambics are technically Belgian wheat beers, that are spontaneously fermented (meaning there's no added yeast). They're strong in acid and tend to be a bit sour. Once the fermentation happens, whole fruits are added (my personal favorite is black currant, although raspberry is pretty good too), this brings up the carbonization factor and the flavor.

I'm not totally sure how I got introduced to Lambics, but I've been drinking them for years now. I definitely have a thing for the fruit flavors (it's like soda!) and the best part is that there's practically no noticeable alcoholic taste at all. Even though it's a beer, you feel as though you're drinking a wine. A carbonated, slightly thick champagne-y wine.

If you can, definitely pick yourself up a bottle of Lindemans Lambic ($4.99 at BevMo!), they may be too sweet for some, but perfectly tasty for most, and always, always delicious. Many well stocked pubs and bars tend to carry it on tap too. Definitely look for black currant (cassis), peach (pêche) or raspberry (framboise). The apple (pomme) is too murky and the cherry (kriek) tastes like cough syrup.