Luc Pirlet Cabernet Sauvignon

Whenever I’m cruising through Total Wine, I always like to find one new wine that based on description (and price of course) I’m willing to try.  Recently, I discovered a 2013 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - Les Barriquesfrom Luc Pirlet, a winery located in southern France.   

While I’m on the brink of making the switch from reds to whites, it has still been “cool” enough in the Valley of the Sun to warrant my continued consumption of red wine.  As you can see in the picture, I broke out the “fancy” Waterford to enjoy this Cab.  This practice of mine is pretty common – no reason for that beautiful stemware to sit in the cabinet unused!

After opening this wine, I did let it breathe in the glasses for a bit – well, I was messing around with taking photos!  It opened up nicely and was quite delicious.  I decided to pair this red with sliced Parmesan cheese and some almonds.  Perfect. 

The description just below the bottle at Total Wine that drew my attention (along with the price tag of $9.99) read: “Milk chocolate and dark cherries abound with ripe tannins and integrated oak and spice flavors. The finish is pure velvet and lingers on for quite a long time. An elegant wine with nicely balanced tannins. Great for pot roast or grilled flank steak.”  I mean, really, how can you resist?

If you haven’t switched over to whites just yet, I’d recommend giving this Cabernet a try – it will be worth it.  

Blackberry Mojitos

It’s the final week of “Cocktail Month” for my column over on The Southeast Valley Ledger and why not finish out the month with a fun drink like a Blackberry Mojito?

Mojitos are super easy and perfectly refreshing in the summer. The classic version is a mixture of light rum, limes, mint, and club soda – adding a few blackberries while muddling the mint gives the cocktail a beautiful color and fruity taste. You don’t necessarily need a “muddler” to make these, but you will need a cocktail shaker and the back of a spoon.

 

 

Blackberry Mojitos

Serves 2

 

4 ounces light rum (I use Bacardi)

12-14 mint leaves

2 tablespoons sugar

10-12 blackberries

2 limes, cut into quarters then each quarter cut cross-wise. Save a little bit to slice for garnish.

Club soda

Ice

 

To your cocktail shaker add the mint leaves and sugar. Using a muddler or the back of a spoon, mix them together, breaking up the mint. Add the blackberries, muddle more. Squeeze all of the limes into the cocktail shaker and drop them in there, muddle just a little bit more. Add rum. Put top on shaker and start shakin’!

 

Fill two rocks glasses with crushed ice. Strain the liquid into each glass, then remove top to add some of the limes and blackberries. Top with club soda and stir. Garnish with a slice of lime.

California Crush by Tyler Florence - Sauvignon Blanc

It’s week 4 of “Cocktail Month” for me over on The Southeast Valley Ledger and I’m excited to tell you about the Sauvignon Blanc from California Crush by Tyler Florence.  For those of you who have been reading my column and blog for a while, you know that I am a huge fan of this celebrity chef.   I was pretty excited last summer when I learned that he was launching three wines out of the Napa Valley area – a Custom Blended Red, a Pink Moscato, and this Sauvignon Blanc. 

He partnered with Target and made the wines available there at the end of October 2013.  Through Instagram and Twitter, his fans began taking photos of the wines they were finding at Target and hash tagging with #CaliforniaCrush.  I, of course, had to jump in on the action and posted my photo on November 3rd of my husband holding the Red wine and got a “like” from Tyler on Instagram.  I jumped on the bandwagon again with another photo of the Red on National Drink Wine Day and happily got another “like” from him on Instagram.

This crisp, slightly fruity, refreshing white is an excellent choice for summer.  It is beautiful in color and deliciously clean on the palate.  Coming in at $10.99 a bottle (at Target of course!) it’s a decent wine for the price.  

Shock Top's Lemon Shandy - A Refreshing Beer for Summer

It's the third week of Cocktail Month for me over at the Southeast Valley Ledger and I'm here to tell you about a beer that caught my eye the other day.  I do enjoy a nice cold bottle of Shock Top Belgian White from time to time - but I saw a seasonal of theirs that peaked my interest.  Shock Top's Lemon Shandy was sitting right there waiting for me to purchase.  I was a tad skeptical, so stuck with buying a 6 pack instead of a 12 pack.

After bringing it home and making sure it was perfectly chilled, I thought it would be kinda summery to drink it out of a mason jar with a lemon slice as a garnish.

It is a wheat beer, which I like, with a touch of lemon flavor.  It wasn't bad!  The Lemon Shandy was refreshing and smooth to the palate.  An enjoyable beer; perfect for summer.  Shock Top is owned and operated by Anheuser Busch and offers both year-round and seasonal beers.  The Lemon Shandy is decent - I would suggest giving it a taste this summer!

Mom's Favorite Margaritas - Happy Cinco de Mayo!

This is the 2^nd week for “Cocktail Month” and Mother’s Day is also rapidly approaching.  So, I decided to ask my mom for her favorite cocktail to feature in this week’s column and she was happy to share.

Typically Mom is a wine or champagne drinker, but in the summertime, she also loves a good margarita with Mexican food.  My dad had a tried and true margarita recipe that he would always make and they are her favorite.  She was kind enough to share the recipe with me – I made it for friends, and they loved it. One of them even said, “Probably the best margarita I have ever had.  No joke.  Something to be said for family recipes vs. Pinterest recipes!!!”  I was happy to see all of my friends enjoying this concoction. 

Mom was even kind enough to take a photo of the recipe my dad taped inside of the liquor cabinet.  He used to use Mr. & Mrs.T Margarita mix, but then Costco stopped selling it so he started using their Kirkland Signature Classic Lime Margarita mix.  The Tequila?  Well, another item you an find at Costco, Hornitos Reposado Tequila.

Mom’s Favorite Margaritas
Serves 4
12 ounces Kirkland Non-Alcoholic Premium Margarita Mix – Classic Lime (available at Costco)
6 ounces Hornitos Reposado Tequila
4 ounces Triple Sec
4 ounces orange juice
Sliced limes (for garnish)

Combine all of the ingredients into a pitcher, stir to combine.  If desired (never done by my mom…..or dad – no salt on their margarita rims!) wet the rim of the glass and dip in salt.  Fill margarita glasses full with crushed ice.  Add margarita mixture and garnish with a slice of lime.

I certainly hope that you try this recipe for margaritas, it is certainly a favorite for Mom!  Once you do, please visit this post and leave a comment giving me your thoughts!

Cruse Blanc De Blancs Extra Dry Sparkling Wine - Delicious and Reasonably Priced

It’s almost May; do you know what that means?  It’s Cocktail Month!  I did this last year for each of my columns in The Southeast Valley Ledger throughout the month of May and I plan to make it a tradition.  You'll see Cruse Extra Dry featured in this week's edition of The Ledger.  I know, it's not quite May yet, but what’s more fun than getting into the spirit of summer than talking about yummy sparklings, wines, and cocktails each week?

I’m kicking it off this year with a bubbly that is new to me. Cruse Blanc De Blancs Extra Dry Sparkling Wine was introduced to us by one of the experts at Total Wine and was a gem of a find.  This one is produced in France and is very easy on the palate.  I like my champagne extra dry – this one definitely meets expectations. 

What’s especially nice about this bubbly is that it is super easy on your wallet.  Coming in at $6.99 a bottle, this is one that is perfect for serving to your brunch crowd as well.  It pairs well with OJ for a morning mimosa and is delicious straight up too. 

During our annual Easter party this year, this was our go to champagne for our guests.   I don’t even want to know how many bottles of this we went through….the party started at 10:00 a.m. and the last guest departed at 10:00 p.m.…..it was an awesome day! 

You’ll want to try Cruse Extra Dry – a Brut and a Rose are also available, they may make their way into my cart the next time I visit Total Wine.  Once you do give it a try, I hope you’ll come back to this post and leave a comment telling me what you think!

Cheers!

Montignac Picpoul de Pinet

I recently shared this refreshing white wine in my column for the Southeast Valley Ledger and wanted to include on the blog as well for future reference!

This bottle of Montignac Picpoul de Pinet is a light, dry, fruity wine using the Picpoul (or Piquepoul) grape white wine grape variety out of southern France.  I paired the wine with a light pasta dish that was tossed with a lemon-garlic butter and they were excellent together.  As with any dry white wine, this one would be great with chicken or seafood as well.  For the price of $9.99 per bottle, you might as well buy a couple.

 

 

Kila Cava - Who Doesn't Love A Good Cava?

This is a super tasty Cava that is a must share with you.  I learned about this particular bubbly last November while visiting San Francisco celebrating my best friend's 40th birthday.  Kila Cava.  Remember it - it's delicious!

Cavas are a sparkling wine straight out of Spain and this is one you'll want to try.  It's dry - my favorite - it's apple-y, citrus-y, and very refreshing.  A bottle will run you around $13 - what a bargain!

I hope you'll give Kila Cava a try - I think you'll enjoy it!  Please stop back by this post to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

 

Patriotic Punch - Cheers to the USA!

In the spirit of 4th of July being right around the corner, I decided to make a fun cocktail that we can enjoy while we swelter in the over 110 degree heat is in the forecast for that day!

A couple of nights ago, I made a very impromptu decision to invite over a girlfriend to drink champagne and come up with a patriotic cocktail.  After staying up way too late and drinking lots of champagne, this is where we landed.   Blue Curaçao gives it the beautiful color and adds the flavor of oranges.  This is super easy to find at your local liquor store.   You can make these by the glass or whip up a pitcher of them as the parts are equal for each liquid.

It's the perfect combination of tropical, refreshing, AND patriotic!  I hope you'll serve this at your 4th of July parties and come back to leave feedback on what you think!

Cheers to the USA!

Patriotic Punch

Makes 2 drinks

4 ounces Blue Curaçao

4 ounces white rum

4 ounces pineapple juice

Frozen Maraschino cherries

Red Pop Rocks

Chill two tall glasses in the freezer.  To freeze the Maraschino cherries, pat them dry with a paper towel.  Then lay them out on a sheet of wax paper on a baking sheet and freeze for several hours or overnight.

Before opening the bag of Pop Rocks, smash them into smaller pieces with a mallet or hammer.  Pour them into a shallow dish.  Wet the rim of your glass with water or you could also use a wedge of lime.  Turn the glass upside down into the dish and let the Pop Rocks stick.

To make the drink, in a shaker full of ice, add Blue Curaçao, white rum, and pineapple juice.  Shake, shake, shake!  Carefully fill your Pop Rock rimmed glasses with ice then pour in cocktail.  Garnish with frozen Maraschino cherries.

Tavel Rosé - A Beautifully Pink Wine

I am a big fan of the color pink...to me it's bright, happy, and hopeful!  I am also a fan of some pink beverages including pink lemonade, cosmopolitans, pink champagne, and rosés .  Not such a fan of white zinfandels however, I mean c'mon - it doesn't even have pink in the name!

Several weeks back, while unsuccessfully searching for a bottle of Miraval Rosé (you know, the Brangelina one?) at Total Wine, this bottle of Tavel Rosé was recommended to me.  I recently had the opportunity to try it and boy did I like it!  It's a dry, light, refreshing wine that is a perfect way to beat the summer heat.  This one is priced a little bit higher than my normal spending for an every day wine at $16.99 a bottle, but it was well worth it!

If you give this one a try, I'd love to get hear what you think!  Stop back by my site and leave feedback! 

Cheers to the color pink!!!

San Tan Brewing Company's Mr. Pineapple

I featured this beer in a recent column for the Southeast Valley Ledger and wanted to make sure I had a placeholder on the blog for it as well, it is delicious.  And what a great gift for a dad who loves beer this Father's Day!

Have you tried this tasty wheat beer yet?  If not, you need to!  San Tan Brewing Company's Mr. Pineapple is one of their seasonal beers and this year it is available in a can - perfect for summer, and I mean PERFECT.

I was skeptical at first, it sounded like it was going to be sweet, just based on the name, but I was wrong.  I should know better than to judge a book by its cover.  This is a delicious German Wheat Ale that was the winner of a silver medal at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival competition.  I am completely sold on this can't wait to buy more to enjoy this summer.  You can visit www.santanbrewery.com and go to their "beers" menu to find out where you can buy Mr. Pineapple this season.

Speaking of which, if you haven't been to the San Tan Brewing Company yet, I'd highly recommend it.  They have delicious food and lots of yummy beers to taste.  They are located in Downtown Chandler at 8 South San Marcos Place.  They even have a pretty decent "Lil Brewer's" menu for the kids too, that always makes me happy!

Give Mr. Pineapple a try this summer, maybe even for Father's Day - I'd love to hear your feedback!  Please leave a comment here on my site or on my Facebook page at The Bubbly Hostess Facebook Page.

Cheers to my dad this Father's Day and to many more!

Whiskey Sour

Here is another cocktail I recently featured in my column for the Southeast Valley Ledger.  It's important to keep track of such deliciousness - so a must to add to the blog!

Whiskey is not my first drink of choice, but as far as hard alcohol goes, it’s one I can certainly tolerate.  Back in my 20s, I used to drink Jack and Coke’s like they were going out of style.   Proudly, I introduced the woman, who I now call my best friend, to this scrumptious cocktail at my bachelorette party almost 17 years ago.  Today, it is still her drink of choice.

Another favorite whiskey drink of mine is the Manhattan.  A good friend of mine re-introduced me to this one a couple of years ago.  I’ll drink them on occasion now and usually it’s always with him!

This week I wanted to focus on a whiskey sour.  This is a yummy drink to sip on a warm summer afternoon.   

What do you think of that glass in the photo?  It came straight out of my Great Grandma Valente’s house.  I have four glasses and a pitcher, yes, an entire set that has to be at least 60 years old.  My paternal grandpa saved those, specifically for me when I was just a little girl. I think they are awesome!

I hope that you’ll give this recipe a try and leave a comment here or on my Facebook page!

Whiskey Sour
Makes 1 cocktail

1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce sugar
2 ounces water
1.5 ounces whiskey (I used Jack Daniels)
Ice
Maraschino Cherry for garnish

In a cocktail shaker, combine lemon juice, sugar, and water.  Stir or shake to combine and dissolve the sugar.  Add whiskey, mix again.  Pour into a rocks glass filled with ice.  Garnish with cherry. 

Beergaritas

This year for Cinco de Mayo I wanted to focus on a couple of cocktails....no Mexican food on the blog this year for the big event...definitely next year!  Along with the Michelada I posted, this pitcher of Beergaritas had to make the blog as well.

A super easy drink to make and a crowd pleaser!  After serving to the hubby and a couple of close friends, I saw happy faces all around.  Give these a try and please leave me feedback as to what you think.  Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Beergaritas
Makes 1 pitcher

12 oz frozen lime concentrate
36 oz Corona Light Beer
6 oz silver Tequila
2 oz Grand Marnier
Juice of 2 limes (plus additional lime for garnish)
Ice
Course salt
Lime and orange slices for garnish

In a large pitcher, add the frozen lime concentrate and slowly add the 3 beers.  Stir until combined.  Next, add the Tequila, Grand Marnier, and juice from 2 limes.   Stir again.

Cut the third lime into slices for your garnish and cut part of the lime into a wedge.  Take your lime wedge and run it around the rim of your glasses.  Dip the rims of your glasses into a plate of course salt to coat. 

Fill each glass with lots of ice, pour Beergarita into glass, garnish, and serve.

La Marca Prosecco

I featured this Prosecco in a recent fact filled column for the Southeast Valley Ledger, it's such a great bottle of bubbly, I wanted to include on my blog as well!

The two facts I knew about Prosecco prior to doing further research were that they are produced in Italy and I like the taste of them.  I have enjoyed La Marca on a number of occasions; however, I wanted to share a little background on this yummy bubbly so you too can add it to your rotation of refreshing bottles of wine from which to choose. 

As I mentioned, Proseccos are made in Italy and the white grapes used are called Glera, these were known before 2009 as Prosecco grapes.  The name change was to avoid the confusion between the region and the variety of grape when the Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene region was promoted to DOCG (the highest classification for Italian wines) status. 

To produce the wines, the Italians use the Charmat method which basically means the wine goes through a secondary fermentation in stainless steel tanks.  Using this process is less expensive than Champagne where the secondary fermentation happens in the bottle. 

As I prefer my bubblies, Proseccos are made on the dry or extra dry side.  For those of you newer to learning about different types of sparklings, this means that they are not sweet. 

One of my favorite Proseccos is La Marca, named for the region where it is made, La Marca Trevigiana.  Although dry, it has nice fruity flavors and is very light and refreshing.  At $12.99 a bottle at my favorite store Total Wine, you just can’t go wrong. 

Last year I posted a bubbly cocktail using La Marca, the Garden of Eden Cocktail - it's delicious, make sure you add this to your list of drinks to try as well!

I hope you’ll get a bottle of La Marca Prosecco and give it a try at your next brunch or afternoon cocktail party.   This is one you and your guests will enjoy. 

Depreville Extra Dry

It is December 30th and I have posted nothing about New Year's Eve....and it is one of my favorite holidays of the year.  For the past several years my Bubbly Cohort has visited with her family to ring in the New Year and most importantly, celebrate her wedding anniversary! 

This year is no different.  The best part about visiting with this family is that our children are all the same age.  She had her oldest 5 weeks before my oldest was born and then she had twins 2 1/2 weeks after my little one was born - we have been through a lot together!

We are once again hosting New Year's Eve at our home - it has become a standing tradition.  We'll have lots of appetizers, I make a pasta dish with rigatoni, Italian sausage, peppers, onions - delish!  Fireworks are ready to set off once it gets dark.  Then we do a "kids countdown" at 8:00 p.m. complete with sparkling cider and lots of noisemakers!  This is so much fun for the kids - then off to bed they go!

The crowd this year will be a bit larger than in year's past, including us, we will have 7 families joining us for the festivities. I will definitely write a post on the details of the party later this week, but for now - I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite sparklings.

The hubby and I tend to do a lot of taste testing before our holiday party to find unique and reasonably priced wine and sparkling - we didn't do that this year because we were so happy with what we chose last year!  I also served this at our 2012 Easter Brunch.  I love this - it is yummy and inexpensive.  Found (of course) at my favorite store Total Wine - it is from France, but I don't believe it is from the Champagne region so it is considered a sparkling variety.  Priced at $8.99 a bottle, Depreville Extra Dry is worth a try.  They also have a Rose and Brut which I have tried as well, but the Extra Dry is my favorite. 

What are you drinking this New Year's Eve?