Mango Crush for Easter!

The weather is finally getting warmer in Saratoga Springs! The daffodils are blooming, and brewers are putting out their summer offerings. We’ve been developing Easter cocktails all week, and now are getting down to business on some new Spring beer.

As the weather is warmer I wanted to go with a type of sour beer, but without the minerality of a gose; there is plenty of salt in ham, so i wanted something to help balance out that flavor. The Southern Tier Brewing Company has come out with MANGE CRUSH SESSION SOUR ALE.

It is made with mango purée and milk sugar. It is a 4.0 beer. It’s not as sour as other beers in this category. The sweetness from the milk sugar tones down the sourness. If I was going to rate the sourness on a 1 to 5 scale, I would give it a 1.

When poured it has a beautiful spring-yellow hue, with a white foamy head. There is minimal lace in the glass once the head dissipates. You can smell the mango, but also a hint of lemon. It is not bitter at all, and will compliment well typical Easter side dishes.

I enjoyed the light, fruity character of this beer, with that subtle sour twist. Try it as you celebrate Spring!

Boozey Blood Oranges

So I read a post the other day that producers of this colorful fruit are exploring a change of name. Apparently the word “blood,” though perfectly descriptive, seems to be too explicit for potential consumers… As a marketer, I get it, but really?

If you haven’t tried one of this succulents, they are slightly less sweet than a navel orange. They’re amazing in cocktails, and if you’ve ever made/tasted/smelled a garlicky cuban mojo marinade, you know there is no better way to perfect grilled chicken, or any other kind of meat.

No question the color is part of the draw. The bright orange rind in contrast to the dark red flesh is super unique. And playing with the citrus flavor that is something like the cross of a sweet navel orange and a key lime makes it the perfect match for nearly any alcohol.

One of our favorite ways to enjoy blood orange is in a simple BLOOD ORANGE MARTIN

BLOOD ORANGE MARTINI

4 oz vodka
2 oz blood orange juice*
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz simple syrup
Slice of blood orange for garnish.

Combine ingredients in a shaker with some ice. Shake until cold. Strain into martini glasses. If citrus pulp makes you squeamish you might want to double strain.

*Blood oranges tend to be full of juice. Its easy enough to juice a few by hand. For the batch I made for this post, it took 2 oranges to make 2 oz.. However, I’ve seen fresh-squeezed blood orange juice in a variety of grocery stores, and usually in the produce section.

For those of you who love beer, blood orange can be a fantastic partner to a cold brew, like JACK ABBY’S BLOOD ORANGE WHEAT RADLER.

Blood oranges have made their way to many grocery stores up here in the Northeast. In some fruit-forward beers you have to take their word the beer is truly fruit-infused. Not with this one. As I poured it out of the can there were bits of blood orange in the peach-colored nectar. The beer poured a healthy, white foamy head.

It’s a mild tasting beer like most wheats are. You get some of the bitterness of a blood orange, and a bit of the orange’s flavor. It drinks easily, and doesn’t leave you feeling too heavy. It’s an unassuming beer that is a great way to end a long day.

Celebrate blood orange season by enjoying this unique fruit in your favorite sip or guzzle!

SUPER SIPPERS LIII

The Super Bowl is always a big event in our house. Its pretty much the makings for a perfect party, and we love the fun of harassing friends and family who take it too seriously. Its a great time to indulge in all the food we’ve been avoiding (or at least tried to…) during the month of the January. And to whoever created the ridiculous concept “Dryjanuary”, please have a drink this Sunday. Maybe two…

The Bowl is the perfect time to pair team against team, and city against city. In that spirit we have a few ideas for your Super Bowl Sips and Guzzles.

GO GOLD! GO BLUE!

We’ve created Margaritas in RAMS’ GOLD (Pineapple), and PATS’ BLUE (Pomegranate/Blueberry). Margaritas are such a versatile pairing for any food. Literally. And they’re not too foofie for the testosterone junkies, just enough mixology for the foodies, and you can limit the calories by controlling the sweetener.

We often make Margaritas in our house in both frozen and ‘rocks’ form. If you choose to make these on Sunday, chances are you’ll be making a bunch of them. A ‘rocks’ version can be mixed before people arrive, making for a little less prep at drink time. I wouldn’t hesitate making these a couple hours before serving, as long as you can keep it all cold. We always list recipes in parts so you can multiply them to feed your team.

PINEAPPLE MARGARITAS in RAMS’ GOLD
per serving:
3 parts pineapple juice
1 part silver tequila
1/2 part Triple Sec (or Agave syrup)
Juice of one Lime
Salt-frosted glasses*
Mix all of the ingredients in a pitcher. BOOM! Done!
Serve with ice in individually salt-frosted glasses*, with some fresh fruit for garnish.

POMEGRANATE/BLUEBERRY MARGARITAS in PATRIOT’S BLUE
per serving:
3 parts pomegranate/blueberry juice (we use Pom Wonderful, available nationally)
1 part silver tequila
1/2 part Triple Sec (or Agave Syrup)
Juice of one lime
Salt-frosted glasses*
Same plan as above- mix all the ingredients in a pitcher and you’re good to go.
Serve with ice in individually salt-frosted glasses*. Adding some fresh fruit looks great, and offers a nice aroma.

*SALT-FROSTED GLASSES*
Margarita served in the traditional glasses are great, but they’re awful to balance while you’re walking around a party. You can salt the rim of any glass by rubbing a quarter piece of any citrus around the rim, then dipping the glass into a pile of kosher salt.

BEER VS BEER!
This Super Bowl is a coast vs coast rivalry. Where does this rivalry exist in the beer world… IPAs! This week I have my own Super Bowl of IPAs…SAM ADAM’S NEW ENGLAND IPA vs. LAGUNITAS WEST COAST IPA.

Four Quarters, just like the big game-

1st Quarter: Color.
They both pour with impressive heads and leave beautiful lace on the glass. Lagunitas is a warm copper color, whereas Sams has the expected golden haze of a NEIPA. They are both pretty impressive, but Sam scores a field goal in this color quarter.

2nd Quarter: Aromas.
Lagunitas has a piney smell. Sams offers a citrusy mango aroma. I’d say its an amazing half. Both teams scored a touchdown. This makes our score 10 to 7 in favor of Sam.

3rd Quarter: Taste.
Lagunitas has a grapefruit bitterness of hops with the pine undertones that make an IPA great. The citrus notes of Sams eventually gets lost the more you drink it. I’m missing the grassy notes you expect of a well-balanced NEIPA. I give a touchdown to Lagunitas. Our score is 10 to 14 with Lagunitas taking the lead.

4th Quarter: Finish.
Lagunitas brings caramel. Sams gives you a light piney finish. This not what I have come to expect from an NEIPA. I’ll give a field goal to Lagunitas.

Final Score: 10 to 17, with Lagunitas taking the win, but these are both great beers. Have your own taste test on Sunday. Don’t stick to my choices. Both of these are available nationally, but see what you can find locally. Pick two craft beers that represent these styles, or regions. Make a game of it, and let people score them. Offer a prize- a six-pack of the winning beer?

Or keep score yourself- buy equal amounts of two beers and see which type is left on the field. Let us know by posting a comment on this blog post!

SUPER SIZED SIPPER!
Make enough for your whole team.

We’re fairly sure everyone remembers JUNGLE JUICE from college (not high school, Mom. nope. no way. not me...). The recipe for my peeps was any booze we could get our hands on mixed with Hawaiian Punch and a seemingly infinite variety of fruit juice and fresh fruit. I even remember one party of the waterpolo team where we bought a new giant, plastic garbage bin and filled it entirely.

Now as a much more sophisticated adult…. I’ve figured out that the basic difference between the Jungle Juice of my youth and Sangria of my adulthood, is pretty much a red solo cup. Maybe wine. Maybe a few decades. But the concept is the same. Get some wine- red or white. Add your favorite fruit-flavored vodka and fruit juice. Dump in a bunch of fresh fruit, and you’ve got a reasonably priced way to make a delicious and personalized party drink for a lot of people.

We’re going to offer a recipe, but please know we blend Sangria ‘to taste’ every time and with every season. Following this form, I can’t really think of way you could mess it up. The only issue to think about is how much sweetness you’d like in the final sip. You balance sweetness by choosing either a drier or sweeter wine, and balancing that with fruit juice. If you choose a dry red, balance it with sweeter fruit juice, for example. Taste as you go, and make Sangria/Jungle Juice your own.

BASIC RECIPE:
1 bottle wine- red or white
2 cups fruit-flavored vodka
3 cups fruit juice, three different flavors
Lots of fruit- two kinds of citrus, apples, pears, berries, and pineapple are our faves
MIX! And keep it cold, or serve with ice.

SAMPLE RECIPE: This is the recipe we used for the batch pictured above.
1 bottle (750 ml) Merlot
2 cups cranberry vodka
1 cup cranberry juice
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup white grape juice
Blood oranges, gala apples, limes, cara cara oranges, frozen raspberries

Remember- you can’t mess this up if you choose flavors you love!

Enjoy these ideas for a great Super Bowl LIII party. We’d love to hear what works for you. You can leave us messages on this post, or our social media on Face Book and Instagram.

RANSACK THE UNIVERSE

COLLECTIVE ART’S RANSACK THE UNIVERSE, HEMISPHERE IPA

This is an American IPA made in Canada. Cool, eh? It pours a satisfying raw yellow, with a clean haze.

Notes of citrus and pine tickle your nose with a frothy white head. These flavors are the first to hit your palate, followed by mango. There is a beautiful lace on the glass. It finishes with grassy notes on the back of the tongue.

Get this one for your Super Bowl party! This would be a great match with pizza and wings.

Wizard of Blizzard!

TRÖEGS INDEPENDENT BREWING’S BLIZZARD OF HOPS

The holiday break is over and now it’s time to get back to beer! We’re past all these Christmas spiced beers and on to some brews to enjoy over the winter.

TRÖEGS’ BLIZZARD OF HOPS is a "‘Winter IPA’, and the closest thing we’ve had to a real blizzard here in the northeast so far this winter. Cold, yes. Snow, no.

This beer is like a cross between a traditional IPA and an east coast IPA. You’ll see that in the clearer texture of the beer with just a touch of haze. The bright straw color is a welcome sunburst on a cold day.

I was hit first with the pine notes followed by a citrus finish. Though it is a stronger beer at 6.8% alc. and IBU of 80, it has a smooth finish.

Don’t be afraid to pair this brew with hearty faire. It will stand up to a nice stew on a cold winter’s night.