LATEST BLOG ENTRIESMORE

Make Plans Now for “Pour de France” with Nashville Wine Auction Next Month

Clearly we love a good cocktail here at Drink Music City, but we don’t discriminate against any form of ethyl alcohol. Although there may have that one occasion when one of us got a little tongue tied Read More

Clearly we love a good cocktail here at Drink Music City, but we don’t discriminate against any form of ethyl alcohol. Although there may have that one occasion when one of us got a little tongue tied trying to pronounce “Pouilly-Fuissé” and might have gotten his face slapped, that doesn’t mean that we don’t appreciate good wine. Luckily, the Nashville Wine Auction is around to bring some of the greatest vintners in the world into town to teach and taste with Music City oenophiles.

Every summer, the Nashville Wine Auction puts on a huge event to raise money for cancer research and treatment. The 34th Annual l’Eté du Vin is themed “Pour de France” this year and features winemakers from three of France’s famous wine-making regions, specifically Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux. Here’s the official announcement of the week’s events in case your invitation got lost in the mail:

As attendees “pour” their way through the wine regions of France, they will be joined by three guests of honor: Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, Martine Saunier and Nicolas Glumineau.

Pierre Emmauel Taittinger is the president of The Taittinger Estate, which is the third-oldest wine producing house in Champagne and one of the few remaining Champagne houses that is family-owned. Distinguished for its extensive vineyard holdings of 752 acres, Taittinger is recognized worldwide among connoisseurs for its delicate and natural flavor.

Martine Saunier, founder of Martine’s Wines, Inc., is commonly referred to as a “rock star of the wine world.” Martine has dedicated her life to bringing French wines to America and is the first woman to establish a wine importing company in the United States. Martine has earned an excellent reputation for her ability to recognize the most exceptional burgundies.

Nicolas Glumineau is the Chief Executive Officer of Chateau Pichon Langueville Comtesse de Lalande. Nicolas has spent time in some of Bordeaux’s greatest vineyards, including Chateau
Margaux, Chateau Haut-Brion and Chateau Montrose. Chateau Pichon Langueville Comtesse de Lalande has been run by only three families whose work has made this Chateau and its Pauillac wines world-class.

The schedule of events is as follows:
A Year in Burgundy, Wednesday, July 17, 2013 – $30/person, $100/VIP

Vintners’ Tasting, Thursday, July 18, 2013 – $135/person
Patrons’ Dinner, Friday, July 19, 2013 – $1000/person

l’Eté du Vin, Saturday, July 20, 2013 – $275/person

A Year in Burgundy will be hosted by guest of honor, Martine Saunier, who will showcase her documentary, A Year in Burgundy, at The Franklin Theater. Guests can sample white and red burgundies and nibble on truffle popcorn as they learn about the French wine-making process. VIP guests will be able to attend a pre-event reception with Martine, taste premium wines, and have special seating.

The following evening will feature a unique selection of French Wines. With the guests of honor, the Vintners’ Tasting will give attendees the opportunity to learn more about the highlighted wines in depth.

The Patrons’ Dinner is an exclusive opportunity for the gourmand. James Beard Award winning chef, Sean Brock (McCrady’s Restaurant and Husk, Charleston, SC), will return to the Hermitage Hotel with Chef Tyler Brown (Capitol Grille, Nashville, TN) to prepare an exquisite night of wine and food.

At l’Eté du Vin, guests will enjoy a superb selection of wines, indulge in an impressive dinner, and bid on the wines, dinners, fine gifts, and travel featured in both Live and Silent Auctions. Great music and dancing conclude a celebratory evening all in support of a great cause!

Looks like a fun week! Time to clear out some space on the calendar for a trip to the beach afterwards to dry out a little bit.

Women Like Whiskey Too!

Forget that image you have in your mind of the crusty old cowboy bellying up to the bar and ordering a bottle of rotgut whiskey that he drinks out of a dusty shot glass. Today’s whiskey drinker Read More

Forget that image you have in your mind of the crusty old cowboy bellying up to the bar and ordering a bottle of rotgut whiskey that he drinks out of a dusty shot glass. Today’s whiskey drinker is almost a likely to be a young professional woman (well, at least a 21+ one) as a man. Now Nashville has organized a group for like-minded young ladies who like to get their whiskey on.

The group calls itself “Women Like Whiskey Too” and has set up a Facebook page where they vow to spread “the new definition of ladylike.” The group has teamed up with Collier and McKeel and Nashville Lifestyles magazine to throw a party next week Thursday June 13 at Cabana where they will celebrate women and whiskey. The party kicks off at 6:30 and will feature a casual get-together will act as both an educational vehicle and a bonding experience for women who love their brown liquor.

According to the official invitation:

For $10, “Women Like Whiskey Too” participants will receive tips on how to make whiskey-laced recipes, and enjoy flights of the spirit. They will also have a chance to learn more about Tennessee’s whiskey heritage, and about the sponsor of the event. “Women Like Whiskey Too” has tentative plans to hold several more gatherings in 2013, and said it plans to offer additional tastings, distillery visits, and more “girls’ night out” options. For more information on the organization, go to http://www.facebook.com/WomenLikeWhiskeyToo.

Sorry for all you guys out there, but this clubhouse is girls only. But I’d imagine that Cabana and Sunset would both be “target-rich environments” after the festivities are over.

Water, Water Everywhere, but Just a Drop to Drink

Water is such an important part of the process of enjoying spirits that we probably don’t pay nearly enough attention to it. “Wait a minute,” you might say, “I don’t ruin my good whiskey with water!” Well, unless Read More

Water is such an important part of the process of enjoying spirits that we probably don’t pay nearly enough attention to it.

“Wait a minute,” you might say, “I don’t ruin my good whiskey with water!” Well, unless you’re drinking nothing but cask strength (like this excellent example), you certainly are drinking whiskey and water since master distillers cut their high proof spirits to a more palatable 80 or 90 proof level for most brands. You can certainly do this yourself and I’ve been to tastings where they have graduated cylinders that indicate how much water to add to an ounce of barrel strength to experience different proof levels.

If you enjoy your scotch or bourbon straight up or with a single ice cube, your drink can still benefit from a small splash of branch water to help open up the ester molecules that contribute so much to the nose of a good whiskey. Of course, if you’re adding water to good brown liquor, it’s critical that you use purified water that won’t contribute any undesirable flavors to the glass.

I usually keep a glass vial with water from my refrigerator’s water filter in my liquor cabinet. It might seem a little pretentious (like I give a flying flip), but I use an eye dropper to add just a few drops of water to my whiskey when I pour it in a snifter or highball glass. I figure that letting any possible sediment settle out of the water as it rests in the little vial is even beter for the taste after filtration.

The folks behind Bowmore Scotch have taken my water snobbery to the enth level. They have developed what they call “The Tilter,” a hand-made and individually numbered dispenser that tilts on an axis and allows a fine flow of water to be dispensed from one side or in small droplets from the other. As wacky as this might sound or look, the addition of a few drops of water really can change the character of whiskey.

And I could imagine using the droplet side to present a really cool absinthe presentation, which is a fun ritual where you slowly drip water over a sugar cube suspended on a slotted spoon over a glass of absinthe. This ancient ritual sweetens the absinthe and makes it grow cloudy, both of which are important traditional elements of how it was consumed decades ago.

If you do decide to try out some absinthe, make sure to buy the best. Herbsaint from Sazerac is also the basis of one of my favorite cocktails. Remember, to us Sazerac lovers, the glass is aways half full.

So do a little thinking about your water and how to use it to enhance your drinking pleasure. We’re lucky to have some great water here in Nashville; so much better than some other cities in the South. Cough, Baton Rouge, cough.

If you want to experiment with how water affects sprits, buy yourself some really good scotch and try it with and without. May I suggest Glanfarclas or the Dalmore? Mainly just because I love to say “Glanfarclas,” but also because they are some excellent whiskys.

Here’s water in your eye!

Sorry Mom, Angels Envy is Saving Their Rye for Father’s Day

If you haven’t already bought your Mom a present for her big day this Sunday, you’d better get cracking. Flowers are ridiculously expensive and vendors jack up the prices on roses the week before Valentine’s and Mother’s Read More

If you haven’t already bought your Mom a present for her big day this Sunday, you’d better get cracking. Flowers are ridiculously expensive and vendors jack up the prices on roses the week before Valentine’s and Mother’s Day, so I steer clear of them. But you know who doesn’t raise their prices when they know you are panic shopping? Your favorite liquor store, that’s who.

For momma, may I suggest a nice bottle of wine like a crisp, floral Chardonnay from Ferrari-Carano or a peppery Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Allan Scott makes a nice one. If she’s not a wine drinker, then you should try to introduce her to some nice spirits to make for what a pill you were when you were a teenager. (She remembers, but she’s too nice to bring it up.)

If mom has refined tastes, give her a bottle of Amaro from Averna and encourage her to try a little bit in a chilled glas with a squeeze of lemon before dinner. She’ll thank you. If she prefers MMA to NPR, then maybe some Country Girl Cocktails are in order. They areavailable premixed in Lemonade, Margarita and Peach Sweet Tea flavors.

But what I really want to tell y’all about is something that hasn’t even officially hit town yet. Lincoln Henderson is the mad scientist behind Angel’s Envy, and his Kentucky Straight Bourbon was one of my favorite releases of last year. Henderson chooses and blends the best whiskey he can find and then finishes the bourbon in ruby port barrels to add a smoothness and character that you just won’t find in traditional whiskies.

Henderson’s latest creation is a 100 proof rye whiskey. Despite the high alcohol level, the sample I tried was incredibly smooth. The spicy and fruity notes of the rye grain are strong at the first taste, but the mid-palate and finish of this spirit are really incredible. Oak and caramel give way to the molasses flavors of a fine rum. This makes sense because Angel’s Envy has gone even a step further than they did with their bourbon.

Angel’s Envy Rye is aged for six years in new American charred oak barrels, and then finished for up to 18 months in Caribbean rum casks. The barrels actually began their lives as French cognac barels, so the rye acquires characters from years of both spirits reposing in oak. The result is really remarkable and stands on its own as a straight up-drink. I’m syre it would make a fantastic Manhattan, maybe with some Atsby Vermouth, but I only received a very small bottle to sample, so I’m drinking it with just a splash.

Angel’s Envy is planning a limited release of their rye, but nashville should be one of the lucky markets to get it first. Keep an eye out at your local liquor emporium or ask the owner to give you a call when it arrives so tat you can try to beat me down there to buy out their stock. Dad will thank you!

No Glass on Grass

Steeplechase is now just one day away. A rule that has always been there but plagued a few too many people is no glass in the infield. To help you out, I have hand selected a few no glass products that are perfect for steeplechase. Here is the Read More

Steeplechase is now just one day away. A rule that has always been there but plagued a few too many people is no glass in the infield. To help you out, I have hand selected a few no glass products that are perfect for steeplechase.

Here is the Top 8 glass-free products for Steeplechase weekend.

1. Jim Beam Traveler- Nothing speaks to a horse race more than Kentucky Bourbon. Keep to the traditional one of choice - Jim Beam. It's light on the wallet too.

2. Old Charter 8 Year Old Traveler- Get a little classier and kick it old school. This stuff is unbelievable – Ask your dad about it, I am sure he knows what I am talking about

3. Old Charter 101 Traveler- Same as above but will get you feeling good a little quicker - Crunkfest 2012

4. Fireball Traveler- The Official Nashville Necessity – Do not leave home without it – I heard a rumor that they weren’t letting people into the infield without a bottle. My suggestion is a bottle per person – Keep it Classy

5. Gilbey's Gin Traveler- Cause you need to drink some G&Ts and you aren't about to bring in a handle of SKOL

6. Carribean Wave Goombay Punch- New to the Nashville market – this stuff is the real deal – A bag of rum enhanced with the taste of coconut, pineapple, peach & citrus – mm mm good

7. Big House White & Red Wine- Franzia is soo 2010 - This is the new age of box wine and to celebrate drink something that is good and also comes in a box

8. Irish Dog Bloody Mary Mix – The unbelievable Bloody Mary mix supports a local charity - The Brown Dog Foundation, an organization that bridges the gap between the cost of medical for the family pet.

These next two are glass but can be premixed before the event!

9. Skyy Vodka(Glass) - The perfect complement to a Bloody Mary. Also try some of the real fruit infusions - they are spectacular. The coconut one is my favorite - Can you tell?

10. Pimms (Glass) – The official cocktail of English horse races – this has become one of my favorites and Pimm’s Cups are SO easy to make