If you like flavours from the best of lemons, then you will love this phenomenal liqueur and if you are not a fan of lemons – still try a little and you may find yourself converted.

Salvatore Calabrese, the inventor of this liqueur, grew up on the beautiful Amalfi Coast of Italy, and returns every summer with his family to relax and enjoy all that it has to offer, including the local Limonello Liqueur. For generations the lemons have been cultivated on the sunny mountain sides and gone into the making of this popular digestive liqueur, traditionally made with a harsh grain spirit. Salvatore felt that he could improve on it: “these are the best lemons in the world, and should be married with the best spirit.”

In creating this Liquore di Limone, the maestro insists on fragrant Amalfi lemons; these are picked at the end of spring when the lemon oil is at its most aromatic. Salvatore specifics that only the best Eau de Vie – “the noble cognac” – should be used to infuse the lemon zest. He also requires that the lemon zest is left to infuse slowly for a full five weeks.

Enjoy this Liqueur straight at room temperature, chilled over ice, straight from the freezer or at the centre of a cocktail, and you will savour the work of an undoubted maestro.

My favourite is with a little more cognac, topped up with tonic, lemon and ice.

Salvatore Calabrese’s Liquore di Limone  50cl 30% abv

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Hoxton Gin is a serious, but also a fun gin and very different from the rest – a gin that takes the classic juniper driven character and adds something most exotic. In making an exceptionally smooth and rounded gin, both coconut and grapefruit are a key constituent of the distilling process, thus opening up gin to a whole new world of drinking and cocktail possibilities.

Hoxton Gin is a world’s first. Not only is it versatile with the head notes of grapefruit and coconut introducing bright new avenues of what gin can be mixed with. Nor does it merely reinvigorate classic cocktails and combinations such as the Tom Collins and G&T with a stunning contemporary twist. The real brilliance lies in the fact that unlike other gins, you can drink it on its own! It’s so refreshing all you need is ice and a slice of lemon! A spirit so fine, there’s no need to dress it up.

Hoxton – A great new world of Gin & Tonic and ever so cool cocktails. Next they will be adding rhubarb to Gin “click”

Graham D is back after a number of years researching the vineyards of Northern Greenland “one of my favourite wines has to be icewine”

His new schedule of Blogs will commence in early June 2017 and will feature articles on individual and often unique wines, spirits and liqueurs – of course by popular demand a whole new series of Food and Wine Pairing.

There will be a lots of info on Gins this time , since it’s UK’s most popular spirit.

Bewarned some other unpredictable events may also occur ???

 TOP TIP FOR WINE ENTHUSIASTS

Be very careful when opening old bottles of wine, port, madeira or even an expensive bottle Bordeaux or Burgundy. ( these wines tend to have longer corks than normal ).  As illustrated always use a double lever corkscrew.

Just follow these three simple steps:

1. Make sure the screw enters the centre of the cork.
2. Drill down to the maximum.
3. Always utilise both levers, then one has a much better chance of successfully extracting fragile and long corks.

HAPPY TOP TIP WINE DAYS

Graham D

FOOD and WINE PAIRING——BARBEQUE DISHES
(continuation from blog  “ Food and Wine Pairing”  dated 20th JUNE 2012)

INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

FOOD BEING FEATURED:—-–BARBEQUE DISHES can include many different dishes with varying styles, sauces and marinades. Typical and popular dishes would be grilled meats such as steaks, sausages, burgers, pork ribs and chicken. Oily fish are also favourites of many, as well as vegetables such as potatoes, onions, peppers, asparagus etc.

CHALLENGES:—-–As one can note the varity of dishes is enormous and matching wines with such an assortment can be a difficult challenge at the best of times. Therefore it would be uncomplicated to offer up three styles of wines in Red, White and Rose and for guests to simply choose their wines according to the recommendations below.

RECOMMENDATIONS:—–For grilled red meat dishes , a wonderful match for the summer months would be a Merlot from Australia  or an oak rich Rioja . For grilled white meat dishes such as chicken or pork, a Brouilly from Beaujolais  would be a perfect match and can be served chilled. Fish and grilled vegetables go very well with flavoursome white wines that are not too over powering with alcohol. A typical wine within this category would be a Semillon style wine, or one could try a fine Gewurztraminer from Alsace , a wine renown for its ability to ally with foods seeped in a whole variety of sauces and marinades.

MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on THE MARRIAGE OF FOOD AND WINE to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also view GREAT FRIENDS-CHEESE AND WINE for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE:—–FOODS FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS

HAPPY  BARBEQUE PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—DESSERTS – (continuation from blog “ Food and Wine Pairing” dated 8 November 2011)

INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.
FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–DESSERTS, many organises of dinner parties forget or ignore pairing desserts and wine. Making the effort to successfully pair this course will no doubt be a wonderful finale to a great evening.
CHALLENGES:—–The challenges are not too difficult. Play safe and follow convention i.e. pair sweet wine with sweet dessert. The next rule is to select a wine that is sweeter that the dessert being served. Get the balance right and one will not overpower the other, harmony will prevail.
RECOMMENDATIONS:—–To assist wine pairing, three contrasting desserts have been chosen. First a simple fruit salad served with fresh cream, but not ice cream. A tasty fruit salad can be classed as slightly sweet or sweetish – a matching wine would have balanced acidity with sweetness and the recommendation would be a Spatlese from Germany, Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese. Our second dessert is a creme caramel with a crispy sugary top. A perfect match would be a wine with less acidity and more sweetness than the German Spatlese and to fit the bill try Chateau Peyruchet 1er Cotes de Bordeaux Molleux. For the final dessert, we have selected a sweet and heavy flavoured Chocolate and Cafe Roulade – for this rich dessert, we need to match with a full bodied, silky and luscious wine. My recommendation would be either Maury Solera 1928 or Elysium Black Muscat.

MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends-Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE:—–Casseroles and hearty meat stews

HAPPY DESSERT AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

-(continuation from blog  “ Food and Wine pairing”  dated 10th November  2009)

 INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–BEEF DISHES, including  ROAST BEEF GRILLED SIRLOIN STEAK, GRILLED RUMP STEAK, GRILLED T BONE STEAK, GRILLED FILLET STEAK, GRILLED RIB EYE STEAK, GRILLED ENTRECOTE STEAK,  BEEF EN CROUT and BEEF STEWS  ( Venison dishes  would also be a good alternative )

 CHALLENGES:—–Good beef dishes are the main stay of so many different countries and the dishes can range from simply grilled Entrecote Steak to a substantial Casserole such as Brasato al Barolo (Beef in Barolo wine). The wine challenges are not too difficult since most people opt for and enjoy red wines with beef and preferably full bodied wines. On saying that, whether lightly grilled  beef steak or a big big winter beef stew most styles red wines will suffice, with Cabernet Sauvignon being a favourite of many.

RECOMMENDATIONS:—–Simply grilled beef with light sauces but no mustard can make good friends with light bodied reds such as a fruit driven Fleurie or Brouilly from Beaujolias, simarilly from Italy a good quality Valpolicella will hit the right mark.  If we move to upmarket dishes like Beef en Crout  then wines of fine pedigree should come into play like an aged St. Emilion or a smooth full bodied  Margaux from the Medoc.

The big beefy dishes such as Boeuf Bourguignon  or a traditional British slow cooked Braised Beef do enjoy the company of big and weighty wines like a Shiraz from Clare Valley Australia, a Zinfandel from Chile, or an oaky Rioja Gran Reserva from Spain. Two other favourites of mine to match most beef dishes are from Italy, one being a Chianti Classico Reserva, the other a full bodied red from Montepulciano. Both these Italian wines would also make a superb match with a firm old favourite—Beef Stroganoff.

MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends – Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE:—–Poultry dishes, including chicken, turkey, guinea fowl, goose and farmed duck.

HAPPY  BEEF  AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

There are a huge range of malt whiskies on the market these days, and one of the notable aspects of this, is the diverse range of styles of whisky, dependent upon location and production. Within this, many distilleries develop, along with their traditional styles many experimental casks and bottlings, thus consistently challenging our taste buds, and perceptions of whisky as a whole. One of the distilleries at the forefront of such experimentation is Bruichladdich, who produce an excellent standard range alongside many limited bottlings of very differing whiskies.

The Bruichladdich distillery began in 1881 and produced traditional Islay style whiskies until 1994 when, due to various buy outs, the distillery was closed. This remained the case until 2000, when a group of investors purchased the distillery, renovated and updated the place and reopened in 2001. The new owners pride themselves on Bruichladdich being Scotland’s ‘purest malt,’ free from chill filtration, colouring and homogenisation. Due to the nature of Bruichladdich’s production and experimentation some of the whiskies in this blog are very limited, but were all available at the time of writing.

For an excellent introduction to this distillery’s offerings, the Bruichladdich Waves 7 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, is bursting with cranberry, vanilla, raisin and peat smoke and is an exquisite round Islay style but with a soft mouthfeel.

 Bruichladdich Second Edition 12 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is matured in bourbon casks which give this malt a strong creamy vanilla tang. This is a light style of Islay though and as such works well as an aperitif.

A couple of further aged bottlings which are excellent include the Bruichladdich Second Edition 15 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, which has a delicate coastal nose, with hints of apricots, followed up on the palate by marmalade and pepper. This is a restrained Islay, and an elegant offering from the range. The Bruichladdich Single Malt Scotch Whisky 20 Years Old, likewise has an elegance and youthfulness which defies its age, but has a more buttery palate and a concentrated yet distant hint of smoke, a most luxurious and succulent malt.

For those who prefer a richer, rounder style of malt, try the Bruichladdich Single Malt Scotch Whisky 18 Years Old.  This fantastic dram is aged in bourbon casks for 18 years before further ageing in auslese and pinot noir casks, resulting in a remarkably fruity and complex whisky with a hint of sweetness balancing the gentle smoke.

Bruichladdich Infinity Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a crisp yet fruity style with smooth pear notes intermingled with smoke and vanilla. This is a blended malt from the distillery and perhaps has a more typical Islay style due to the pronounced peat.

Of very limited quantities, the Bruichladdich Single Malt Scotch Whisky 16 Years Old Cuvee  Margaux  is a bourbon aged malt which is then introduced to further ageing in Chateau Margaux casks. Part of the ‘Bordeaux first growth’ series this is lightly peated with vanilla tones and a wine fruit character.

The highest echelon in the Bruichladdich range is the ‘legacy series,’ highly limited  malts which date from the pre 2000 purchase of the distillery. These are of course no longer in production and most of them are now sold out. The whiskies are presented in beautiful tins depicting paintings by the artist Frances Mcdonald. Two special examples of these are the Bruichladdich Single Malt Scotch Whisky 32 Years Old Legacy Series Four, which is sublimely soft sweet and fruity with an integration of honey and almonds, and a pleasing oak backbone. There were just 900 bottles of this made.

 Bruichladdich Single Malt Scotch Whisky , Legacy Series Six 34 Years Old is a marriage of casks dating from 1965, 1970 and 1970, and is an incredibly mellow dram with hints of cinnamon spice, vanilla and mint, and is a collectors dream. This is the last of the legacy series and there were 1700 bottles made.

Other limited Bruichladdich bottlings include the impressive Bruichladdich Redder Still Single Malt Scotch Whisky. This is a 22 year old malt aged in bourbon casks before enhancement in Chateau Lafleur Pomerol casks. Smooth and silky with hints of red fruit and vanilla, with a lovely malted barley finish, this malt is recommended with a drop of spring water (it is cask strength at 50.5%), to really expose the layers of nuanced character.

For those who would like to sample a real pile driver from the distillery, try to get your hands on the powerful Bruichladdich Port Charlotte PC6 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, which is packed with smouldering peat, bonfire smoke and sweet citrus.  This is simply an awesome expression of what Islay malt is all about, but retains the innovative character that this brilliant distillery prides itself on.

Any of these malts will give whisky connoisseurs great pleasure, and due to the continual developments of the distillery, and the diversity of the products on offer, I would strongly recommend regular visits to the Alexander Hadleigh website, to ensure one does not miss out on new and limited bottlings when they are released.

HAPPY BRUICHLADDICH DAYS

JAMES  M
 

Still a family owned, independent concern Glenfarclas produces, what I believe to be some of the most consistent and value for money malts currently on the market. The distillery (www.glenfarclas.co.uk) has been owned by the Grant family since 1865, and has always maintained a traditional Speyside style with a pronounced sherry influence. Glenfarclas twice distils its whisky in the largest copper-pot stills on Speyside, and each of the different malts in the range all express subtle variations in style and taste.

Two of my favourite whiskies from the Glenfarclas stable are:

Glenfarclas 10 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (£26.16)

The ten year old Glenfarclas is a deceptively smooth malt, suggestive of a much older whisky. It has a lightly malty palate with hints of cloves and cinnamon, smoke and sugar rich barley. On the finish there is a big sweet sherry influence, balanced by an explosion of dry spices. For me this is one of the best value, well rounded malts on the market and is a great introduction to the distillery style.

 Glenfarclas 105 Single Malt Scotch Whisky (£37.50)

Robust with a substantial sherry influence, this has a palate of dried fruits and plenty of spice, with a sweet nutty finish. Throughout there are some lingering smoky textures, which give this an impeccable balance and subtlety. Although a bold cask strength at 60%, the sweetness of the sherry means that this is still an excellent dram with or without water.

HAPPY WHISKY DAYS