An Apple a day...

This cocktail packed with autumn flavours was a bit tricky to create, it took some experimenting to get it right. Originally I wanted to use homemade apple butter as a sweetener, but this seems close to impossible. Still managed to create this slow sipper without juice.
Suggestions to use apple butter in drinks are still welcome 😉  

An apple a day…

Ingredients

25 ml Douglas Laing King of Scots whisky
25 ml Jim Beam Apple
25 ml Lecompte Calvados
10 ml Honey Syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash Walnut bitters

Method
Stir together in a mixglass with lots of ice. Strain into a chilled cognac glass. No garnish needed. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Autumn Gin sour

Temperatures are dropping, Saint Nicolas and Santa Claus are already on their way to bring your presents. Let’s do some more autumn drinks, before winter comes knocking on the door. 

Are you also looking forward to this festive season? We are in our final preparations to start the photoshoots for our annual end-of-year series. 

This Autumn Gin Sour is a tasty variation on Salvatore Calabrese’s Breakfast Martini.

Autumn Gin Sour

Ingredients
50 ml London Dry Gin
25 ml Lemon juice
25 ml Grand Marnier (or Cointreau Noir)
10 ml Simple Syrup (careful with this, depends on the sourness of the lemon)
1 bs Orange Marmalade (You need a good quality marmalade with lots of flavour)
1 egg white

Method
Put all ingredients in a shaker without ice. Shake vigorously to create foam. You can always add the spring of a strainer to really whisk up the foam. Add ice and shake again until the shaker is freezing cold. Double Strain in a fancy coupe. Garnish with edible flowers. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Turf Club N°2

Some days I just pick a book from my library and turn the pages until I see a cocktail I like… then I walk over to the homebar and prepare it. Yesterday I stirred this beauty from the book “It’s Gin o’clock” by Manuel Wouters. 

Turf Club N°2

Ingredients
60 ml Filliers Dry Gin 28
30 ml Forest Dry Vermouth
1 bs Absinthe
1 bs Maraschino liqueur
½ bs Orange bitters

Method
Stir together with lots of ice until perfectly cold and blended. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with star anise. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations

World Diabetes Day - Caribbean Vibes

Days are getting shorter and darker, time for a last #throwback to summer before we’re getting totally in the festive mood for the Christmas holidays. I’ve kept this this recipe on the side until today, because November 14 is #WorldDiabetesDay.

In this recipe I’m trying a few new things. As some of you might know, my dear foodblogging wife has diabetes so in our home we don’t use sugar, except for my drinks. I have tried safe sweeteners in cocktails before, but it just isn’t the same. For example, Stevia syrup adds a horrible taste to your drink, which you need to mask with other ingredients. In this recipe I’m trying the new liquid Ellphi sweetener (syrup), based on grains. It’s actually a pretty thick syrup for kitchen use, so I’m just using only a barspoon of it, just like you would do with maple syrup. Depending on demand, we might add this syrup to the Tineke's Cucina webshop soon. 

The Plantation rum is a Jamaica vintage I received as a sample. I had a quick neat taste and thought this would mix great with lime and something fruity. The result is a pretty strong rum cocktail with some serious Caribbean vibes 😉. 

Caribbean Vibes

Ingredients
40 ml Plantation Jamaica Vintage
20 ml Ron Colon high proof rum
20 ml lime juice
20 ml Aperol
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 bs Ellphi liquid sweetener

Method
Put everything in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake for 15 seconds and dirty-dump into your cocktail glass. Top up with some more crushed ice. Garnish with citrus and pineapple.

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Elephant Sour - Satao Gin

Well, this certainly put a smile on my face. Elephant Gin (=Satao Gin in the Benelux countries) has sent me a bottle of Gin with my name on it. Cool !

We’ve tested this brand before and remember the unusual African botanicals and the great story about the founders and the fact they still support organisations protecting wild elephants. 

Let’s do a tasty and simple cocktail which adds some extra fruit to the taste of this spirit. 

Elephant Sour

Ingredients
50 ml Satao Gin
15 ml Lime juice
15 ml Blood Orange juice
10 ml Simple Syrup

Method
Keep it very simple. Shake everything with lots of ice. Serve in a cocktail glass with fresh ice and a fresh cut of lemon. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Don Papa Old Fashioned

Last Tuesday I was invited to a webinar for the launch of the brand new Bleeding Heart Bitters, made by the distillers of Don Papa Rum. These bitters are based on calamansi citrus, the result is a very nice combination of bitter and fresh influences. 

Of course I had to try them in a variation on the oldest classic cocktail. Needless to say these bitters works excellent in combination with rum. 

Don Papa Old Fashioned

Ingredients
60 ml Don Papa Rum
15 ml Simple syrup
1 drop Maraschino
3 drops Bleeding Heart Calamansi Bitters

Method
Combine everything in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir until chilled and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Pinch the oils from an orange zest and add one to the glass. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

  

Sherryweek 2020 : The special bottles

In my Gonzalez Byass delivery for this years edition of #sherryweek there were also three bottles outside of the normal range. I’m not going to use these for cocktails (which is of course perfectly possible). I want to enjoy them just as they are as a roundup of this fantastic week. 

We received two exceptional Fino sherry’s and an Amontillado VORS. 

Tio Pepe Fino
En Rama Edition 2019

The ‘En Rama’ is a special release which only comes to the market once a year. It’s an almost unfiltered edition (there is a very slight filtering to remove e.g. small chips from the cask), almost straight from the Solera casks.

In this edition 62 casks were handpicked for their exceptional bouquet. A nose of hay, dusty attics, wet grass, dough and yeasty apples. In the mouth lemon, salted almonds and roasted nuts. Very recognizable salty aftertaste. 

If your bar needs a fino sherry for a super-premium range of cocktails, look at this bottle. 

Fino Una Palma

The Palmas range of sherries is a very limited release of aged wines. They are bottled unfiltered and unclarified. There are 4 bottlings: Una, dos, tres or cuatro palmas. (Una palma is the youngest of these wines, it goes up in age)

The wine for this Una Palma edition was selected from rare casks which retained a delicate covering of flor despite spending 6 years of biological aging. Just three exceptional casks are selected from a total stock of over 20.000 casks of Fino sherry. Bottled unfiltered and unclarified this wine is dominated by the aroma of the yeasty flor, accompanied by the nutty character of the Palomino and notes of bread, honey and green apples. Powerful and extremely dry on the mouth. Pear and quinces with a salty and slightly bitter finish.

Exclusive sherry wine which can be served as an aperitif, but also enjoyed with fish, rice or pasta. It works extremely well with Asian cuisine. 

Del Duque Amontillado VORS

For old sherry wines there are two special age indications : VOS and VORS

VOS: certifies that the wine has an average age of more than 20 years. The word VOS comes from the Latin “Vinum Optimum Signatum” which means “Very old Sherry”.

VORS: certifies that the wine has a mean age over 30 years. The word VORS comes from “Very Old Rare Sherry” 

In 1835 Manuel Maria Gonzalez bought 16 barrels from the Duke of Medinaceli. These barrels are the base of the Del Duque Solera system, aging this very old amontillado. 

Del Duque is one of the VORS bottlings of Gonzalez Byass. This amontillado is produced exactly like the Viña AB amontillado from the normal range, minimum 4 years in the Tio Pepe Solera, followed by 6 years in a young Amontillado Solera. But after that it’s transferred again to the Del Duque Solera for another TWENTY years !!! This very long ageing results in a sherry with a dark golden colour. On the nose aromas of dried fruits and walnuts. On the palate very dry but also powerful. Very nice aftertaste. 

This delicate sherry should be enjoyed in a small white wine glass to really get the full bouquet of aromas. It can be paired with seafood, rice and small game. Or serve it as a high quality apero with some olives. 

Sherryweek 2020 was (again!) a great experience with these very flavorful sherry range of Gonzalez Byass, some great cocktail experiments and delicious foodpairings. This series was made possible with the help of Gonzalez Byass and distributor Cinoco. Thank you.

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Sherryweek 2020 : Gonzalez Byass Leonor

Next up for #Sherryweek : Gonzalez Byass Leonor, a Palo Cortado sherry.
The Palo Cortado is probably the weirdest type of sherry. The concept for this type of sherry was discovered ‘by accident’ when the flor had suddenly disappeared from a barrel. The aging process is a combination of both natural and ‘by oxidation’. In short, following fermentation to between 11% and 12%, the wine is fortified to 18% alcohol to enter the Leonor Solera. Adding this amount of alcohol will kill the flor. In the Leonor Solera the wine undergoes complete oxidation. The sherry remains in the American oak casks following the traditional Solera system for an average of 12 years. The name refers to the markings on the barrel. 

Due to its power and structure Palo Cortado is a perfect match for old cheese and strong meat such as venison. The power can also be used to make a serious slow-sipping cocktail 😉 

This drink is also my salute to the great Scottish actor, Sir Sean Connery, who passed away a couple of days ago.  

Easy Apero? Forget Whisky-cola. Try Palo Cortado & Cola !

P/C Martini

Ingredients
60 ml Belvedere Vodka
20 ml Gonzalez Byass Leonor (Palo Cortado)
10 ml Dry Vermouth

Method
Stir with lots of ice until the drink is really ice-cold. Strain into a prechilled Martiniglass. Garnish to your own personal taste with a twist of lemon, an olive or a pickled onion. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Sherryweek 2020 : Gonzalez Byass Nectar

The sweetest wine I ever tasted was Gonzalez Byass Pio X 1903, containing Moscatel Menundo wines from around the 1850s. The wine was never fortified, so it wasn’t sherry. It was so incredibly sweet, it almost hurt my teeth. On the second place for sweetest wines I’ve tasted you’ll definitely find a Pedro Ximénez sherry. Sherry varies from a bone-dry Fino to the very sweet Pedro Ximénez, also known as ‘PX’.

Pedro Ximénez grapes are sundried which reduces the amount of water in  the grape, but maximises the taste. This sherry is dark and syrupy, with notes of dried fruit and tobacco. Also chocolate aromas. In the mouth caramel, honey, nuts, syrup, figs, chocolate and sultanas.  

Mixology Tips 

• Using this sherry as a (partly) substitute for simple syrup in an old Fashioned will result in the softest, most silky Old Fashioned you have ever tasted. 
• This super-sweet sherry is also a great mix with cold brew coffee. 

In this edition of #sherryweek, I take the challenge to serve it straight in a wineglass, in a delicious pairing with some carefully selected cheeses. Since this sherry is very sweet, you need a strong cheese to pair. You want strong and salty cheeses. A slight sour note is also welcome.  

I went to my local cheese experts at ‘t Kaasplankske Beringen and asked for their advice. These were the three cheeses that made the selection :    

• Stilton Colston Basset : Blue cheese from a small Stilton cheese producer in Nottinghamshire, England. Always a winner in combination with sherry.
• Epoisses : French cheese from the village with the same name in dept. Côte-d’Or. 
• Grand Cru : A salty Alpine-style hard cheese.

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Sherryweek 2020 : Gonzalez Byass Cristina

A Medium sherry is a sweet oloroso sherry. A small addition of just 13% Pedro Ximénez adds a little sweetness. This means it’s less sweet than cream sherry, which has 25% of Pedro Ximénez. 

Gonzalez Byass Cristina is aged for 7 years in American oak, following the Solera system. It’s bright amber colored and has aromas of raisins, wood and figs. In the mouth hints of oak.

Serve slightly chilled as an aperitif with cheese or paté. Also works great in slightly sweeter or fruitier cocktails. 

Easy Apero? Medium sherry works very well in a mix with Ritchie Orange (orange lemonade) 

Shopaholic

Ingredients
30 ml Gonzalez Byass Cristina (Medium Sherry)
15 ml Cointreau
1 bs Campari 
Soda water

Method
Stir everything but the soda water together in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Serve in an Old Fashioned glass with a big block of ice. Top off with soda water. Garnish with a dehydrated slice of orange. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Sherryweek 2020 : Gonzalez Byass 1847 Cream

A cream sherry is a sweet sherry, a mixed type of sherry made with 75% Palomino grapes and 25% Pedro Ximénez grapes. It’s the sweetest sherry which still contains Palomino grapes. 

Gonzalez Byass 1847 Cream is in my opinion a sherry you really need to taste. It still has the typical nuttiness of a Palomino sherry, but the edge is softened by the sweet sundried PX grapes. It’s a dark and sophisticated sherry, aged for nine years. It’s soft and silky with lots of raisin and fig aromas. 

A cream sherry is the perfect companion for desserts and pates. It matches excellent with warm apple pie. In that same flavour-direction and with a little help from my foodblogging wife, we paired this sherry with homemade sugarfree apple beignets. You can find the recipe of this delicious dessert on our foodblog Tineke’s Cucina.

Easy Apero? Cream sherry is a perfect longdrink-mix with Ritchie Pompelmoes (grapefruit soda). 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Sherryweek 2020 : Gonzalez Byass Viña AB

Our second bottle for #sherryweek is Gonzalez Byass Viña AB, which is an Amontillado sherry. Made from the same Palomino grapes as a Fino sherry, but aged 12 years in American oak, instead of 4 to 5 years for Fino sherry. This wine starts it’s life as Tio Pepe, but after 4 to 5 years in the Tio Pepe Solera, it’s transferred into the Viña AB Solera for another 8 years.

Viña AB is a young amontillado which has experienced both ageing under flor and oxidative ageing. On the nose typical Palomino aroma of hazelnuts and slight reminders of the yeast. On the palate subtle notes of oak. Aftertaste with slight saltiness and bitterness. 

Served in a small white wine glass and perfectly paired with clams, mussels, white meat, rice dishes, artichokes and asparagus. 

Easy apero : Viña AB & Tonic. 

Bamboo

Ingredients
45 ml Gonzalez Byass Viña AB (Amontillado sherry)
45 ml White vermouth
2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
2 dashes Angostura Orange bitters

Method
Stir together in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Strain into a cocktailglass.
Garnish with a lemon peel. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Sherryweek 2020 : Gonzalez Byass Alfonso

Oloroso is probably one of the best known types of sherry. The casks which contained oloroso are very popular for whisky aging. Today we are mixing up a tasty cocktail with Alfonso, the ‘standard’ oloroso in the Gonzalez Byass range. 

Alfonso is made from 100% Palomino grapes, aged 8 years in American oak casks, following the traditional Solera-system. Most of the wine used for Alfonso comes from the second pressing of the grapes, so it has slightly more structure and body. The juice from the first press is always used for Tio Pepe Fino sherry. Following fermentation to between 11 and 12% alcohol, the wine is fortified to 18% alcohol. An empty space of 100 liter is left for the wine to interact with the oxygen. Oloroso is never under a flor, it ages with oxidation. The nose gets more hazelnuts and walnuts. As a result of the long aging there are subtle aromas of oak and spiced notes such as truffle and leather. Very flavourful sherry. 

Alfonso should be served in a white wine glass and paired with red meat and traditional stews. It’s a dry wine which combines very well with gelatinous meats such as oxtail and pork cheeks. 

I’ve chosen a simplified recipe for a known cocktail, paired with homemade deep fried crispy balls filled with a delicious paste of slow cooked beef. The recipe of the crispy balls can be found on my wife’s foodblog Tineke’s Cucina. 

Easy Apero? Oloroso Sherry mixes very well with Ginger Beer or Ginger-Ale.

Escape from Alcatraz

Ingredients
50 ml Tequila Silver
22,5 ml Alfonso Sherry (Oloroso)
15 ml Suze (Bitter)
1 barspoon of Agave syrup
2 dashes of Angostura Cocoa Bitters

Method
Stir all ingredients together in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for at least 20 seconds, the syrup needs some work to blend. Strain into a large cognac glass. No ice or garnish needed. Serve with a few of those crispy balls and a bit of sharp mustard. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Sherryweek 2020 : Tio Pepe

Two years ago I was invited at the González Byass bodega in Jerez to participate in #Sherrymaster2018, together with a group of wine-professionals. (Art1) (Art2)

During that week in the south of Spain we learned all the basics of sherry, while we could taste and experience it on the spot. We learned about the grapes in the middle of the vineyard, we learned about the casks in the dark warehouse. And we tasted lots of sherry, even straight from the Solera-casks.

This week is #sherryweek and since I was asked to share a few posts promoting this week, I’m trying to recollect some of the things I have learned during that unforgettable week in the sherry-region of Andalucía. This week I’ll be posting about delicious sherry wines, tasty cocktails made with a wide range of sherry wines, from the cork-dry Palomino Fino to the decadent and very sweet Pedro Ximénez. And last but not least I’ll also share a few great foodpairings. 

We will taste this beautiful range by González Byass : 

• Tio Pepe Fino Dry
• Cristina Medium Jerez-Xerez
• Vina AB Amontillado
• Alfonso Oloroso 
• Solera 1847 Cream
• Leonor Palo Cortado
• Nectar Pedro Ximénez

Next to this ‘normal’ range we will also take a sip from these more exclusive beauty’s : 

• Fino En Rama 2019
• Fino Una Palma
• Del Duque Amontillado VORS

We kick off #Sherryweek with a very easy aperitif, based on the flagship sherry of González Byass: Tio Pépe. This is the driest sherry in the normal range, made from 100% Palomino Fino grapes. Aged 4 to 5 years in American oak, following the traditional Solera system. For me this is the bottle that displays the most terroir. The grapes are grown on the typical Albarizo soil of Jerez, a white soil that contains 60% chalk, which is why it can hold moisture very well. I can still remember the white powder on our shoes after visiting the vineyards. Jerez has a warm micro climate and long hot summers with dry and hot winds blowing up from Africa. 

The grapes used for Tio Pepe are handpicked and transported to the production plant in small 15 Kg crates. Only the ‘first press’ of the grapes is used for Tio Pepe. Following fermentation to 11 to 12% alcohol, the wine is fortified to 15,5% alcohol. In the casks an empty space of 100 liters is always left for the yeast to grow it’s typical flor (a yeasty foam layer on top of the wine) and interact with the oxygen. This is what gives the sherry it’s unique nutty aroma and character. The wine remains “under the flor” for at least 4 years in a Solera system.  

There are two different production methods for sherry : Biological ageing and aging by oxidation. Biological aging means the flor will protect the sherry during maturation. “By oxidation” means we let the sherry interact with the oxygen, which normally would ruin the wine. In this controlled production method they let the wine age long enough so it develops into a new kind of balanced sherry. Oloroso is a good example of the oxidation method. But we start this series with Fino which is biologically aged sherry, protected by the flor layer during the entire process. It’s a taste you might need to get used to, because you really can’t compare it with anything else. Mixing it with tonic can lower the threshold.

All wines in this week’s series are produced by González Byass, one of the most important sherry producers in the world. Founded in 1835 and still in the hands of the González family. The head office is the bodega in Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia. 

Pepe Tonic 

Ingredients
70 ml Tio Pepe (Fino sherry)
200 ml San Pelegrino Tonic
2 drops of Angostura bitters

Method
Fill a longdrink with icecubes. Add the sherry and bitters. Top with tonic. Give it just one gentle stir. Garnish with lemon cuts. 

Tip:
Fino sherry is a perfect aperitif. I think I like the smell of fino even more than the taste. It‘s also an excellent companion for tapas. Works very well with nuts, olives and Jamon Iberico. Can also be served with seafood, fish, sushi or sashimi. I have tried adding a little bit of fino to a raw oyster… Absolutely delicious.  

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.