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Cranberry Wire A Newsletter From Cranberry Liquors
Wine and Food Matching GuidelinesThere are many opinions and guidelines to wine and food pairings; from the most trite, "white wine with white meat (chicken and fist), red wine with red meat" to the most bizarre and complex, enough to fill many a book. It is true that the wine and food match you choose can enhance (or diminish) your enjoyment of a meal. It is also true that a minor ingredient can easily change our wine recommendation. That having been said, there are a few guidelines that you can follow on a lazy Sunday afternoon when you lack the ability to seek our guidance and have to rely on the bottles in your wine rack or cellar. In this short article we cannot anticipate all your questions; however, these are the guiding principles of our own wine selections. 1) The older and more complex the wine, the simpler the food preparation. This is due to the fact that as a wine ages many of the initial flavors are integrated into the wine and flavor components that are minor in the early stages of its life play a larger part in a harmonious whole. After all, that is the purpose of cellars. The wine loses tannin and the complex flavors become more subtle; therefore, the desire to allow the complexity of your perfectly aged bottle become the "star" of the meal. 2) Young, rich, intense wines ("big" cabernets, "oaky" Chardonnays) are best suited to intense flavors, rich sauces, and complex ingredient lists. We find this to be true because the obvious initial fruit is predominant in the wine and can stand up to, and be heard over, the roar of the food. 3) White wines with higher acidity levels (sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, pouilly fume, etz.) are best suited to foods that can or do use vinegar or lemon as a seasoning. The acids in wine are remarkably similar to the acids in these flavoring agents and will enhance the food in a similar fashion. 4) The wine you serve should not be drier than the food with which it will be paired. You will often see us recommend gewurtztraminer with Chinese food or a riesling with pork or chicken dishes that have a fruit base or sauce. Sweetness in food increases your perceptions of sourness, bitterness and astringency. For this reason, you may find that a wine that would usually be too sweet for you is perfect with the pork roast stuffed with dried fruit. 5) Salty foods make sweet wines taste sweeter - in other words, white zinfandel is not usually a good choice with pork rinds. 6) When all else fails, drink what you like. Guidelines are just that - guidelines. We all have flavor combinations that are specific to us - whether they are sausage with maple syrup or peanut butter with cabernet. Don't be afraid to enjoy your own unique combinations - just mention them to us before you ask for a wine recommendation.
Your Health - Will Drinking Wine Help?It seems that we are constantly hearing new reports of the benefits of moderate wine drinking (1-2 five ounce glasses a day.) There seems to be good science behind the claims that regular wine consumption can help to reduce cholesterol and prevent heart attacks and strokes. Somewhat more dubious - or at least less well researched - are the newest reports that wine may head off Alzheimer's disease and certain cancers. We do not purport to be doctors or medical researchers, however - if your doctor agrees - we can make the experience of drinking wine for your health more enjoyable. The real dilemma that many of our customers face when deciding to drink wine, as part of a healthy regimen, is that thwy are new to wine drinking. They often have no idea which of the many different flavors and styles of wine they might like. With over seventy years experience in the wine business among our management staff, we are very familiar with different types of wine from around the world. Our specialty is to match you with wines you like. Often people think that they won't be able to find a wine they like because they've tasted wine before and haven't liked it. Do you know that there are many different flavors to wine? Some are as dry and bitter as coffee and some are as sweet as coca cola. There are wines that remind you of fresh peaches and wines that taste like fresh lemon juice. All of these wines and many, many more have specific flavors and uses. You've been tasting all your life - we know how to find your set of flavors. On the other hand, if you're an aficionado and need help matching wine to your perfect meal or evening, we can help you also. We specialize in wine and food pairings and sponsor dinners at special restaurants like Antrim 1844 in Taneytown. We taste as many as 200 wines a week in order to find the finest wines at the best prices available. On Saturdays we have in-store tastings from 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., we'd love you to stop in and allow us to guide you in your wine adventures - whether you're a novice or an expert.
Cranberry Liquors' Recipe for Egg Nog8 eggs 2
cups heavy cream 3/4 cup sugar 1
tsp vanilla extract 3
cups of milk 1)
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with 1/4 cup sugar for about 2 minutes 2)
In a medium saucepan combine milk, cream and 1/2 cup sugar.
Bring to a boil stirring frequently.
Whisk hot liquid into egg mixture. 3)
Let cool 5 minutes.
Add choice of liquor (suggestions follow) and vanilla 4)
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until needed. 5)
To serve, pour into punch bowl and sprinkle with nutmeg. There
are many ideas of the perfect alcohol for eggnog. Some
of the more popular combinations include (proportions for above recipe): 1
1/4 cups cognac or brandy 2
cups amaretto, 1 cup Kahlua - garnish with dark chocolate 2
cups bourbon 2
cups rum
TequilaTequila is actually a little more than just salt, lemon and a shot glass. Located ion Jalisco, agave plants are similar to a cactus. The blue agave must be grown for approximately 10 years before it can be harvested. In order to be classified tequila, it must be 51% blue agave. After distillation, several options are available for the producer. To be bottled as a white tequila, it is transferred from tank to bottle with no aging. Gold tequila is usually aged in redwood casks for at least six months. Though no legal definition is used, gold tequila is the most popular. Anejo tequila, which is officially recognized by the government, actually translates to the aged one. Aging takes place for at least one year and may go for two to three years in oak barrels. Tequilas carrying the designation muy anejo are aged from two to four years. Reposado tequila is rested or barrel aged to acquire the color desired by the producer. Every six years a bottling of Commemorativo is produced to celebrate the inauguration of a new president. Descriptors usually found in tequila: dill, pepper, vanilla, woody and nutty. Not just for shots or margaritas, tequila is a beverage that can be treated as a serious beverage. A snifter full of any better tequila is as enjoyable as any snifter of scotch or bourbon. Look for Jose Cuervo 1800 ($23.99) to provide a nice introduction into the finer things in tequila, with a sweet grassy note and hints of pepper on the palate. Don Julio Anejo ($49.99) is another of the fine tequilas we are currently handling. In a hand blown bottle, this tequila pours considerably lighter than some of the other anejos. For top of the line try Jose Cuervo Familia Reserva ($99.99). With over 200 years of tequila producing knowledge, Jose cuervo has produced the first in ultra-premium tequila. From its round nose with hints of butterscotch, to the long silky finish, this tequila is a sipper's dream. As for the rest of the collection, we offer tequila in ranges too numerous to list here. Stop in to check out the others available from south of the border.
Porter & StoutWith the coming of the fall/winter season, I am finally able to turn myself to my true passions - porter, stout and scotch. I will address the scotch issue at another time. For personal reason, I have a difficult time settling down in July and August with a nice pint of Guinness. The temperature and the humidity of that time frame just do not allow my palate to really appreciate the beauty of porters and stouts. With these two beer styles in mind, lets talk about the differences and compare them to some other beer styles. While porter's name has several variations of origin, one thing is certain - this is the beer style that was one of the most popular styles in the world. Through taste profiles I have read, the porters of today are not quite as full-bodied as those of yesteryear. According to sources, porters of old actually contained more malt and less hops than those of today. Today we have porters of all flavors: maple, raspberry , chocolate, and regular good 'ole' porter. Look for Wild Goose Porter to provide you with a locally produced quality ale. Those of you looking for an idea as to what the style is all about, may want to try Samuel Smith's Tadcaster Porter. As for stout, this is probably the style I enjoy the most. Stouts come in all types, from sweet to dry. There is also a stout style that originally was produced for lactating mothers as it was once thought that consuming these ales would help with the milk production for the children. Stouts, like porters, contain about the same amount of hops, but the major difference is in the malt. A higher percentage of black roasted malt is used to produce stout and gives it its coffee-like character, while the hops are a bit more subtle. In porter, the malt created a chocolate note, and the bitterness is attributable to the hops. In past years different items have been combined with stout to make them combined with stout to make them more appealing to the American market, with the most popular being lager beer. Lager and stout make up the original black & tan and have proved to be a success in the market area. Guinness (dry) Irish Stout and Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout tend to be my favorites. How about you?
Pecan & Bourbon PieLooking for a different dessert for this holiday season, try this recipe for a delicious twist on an all-time favorite. ½
cup sugar ¾
cup dark corn syrup 2
eggs, lightly beaten 3
tablespoons unsalted butter, melted ¼
cup bourbon 1
teaspoon vanilla extract pinch
salt 1¾
cups pecan halves 1
(9-inch) pie crust, partially baked Preheat
oven to 375 F. In a mixing
bowl, stir together sugar and syrup and then add eggs and butter.
Blend in bourbon, vanilla and salt, and fold in pecans.
Pour mixture into piecrust and bake for about 30 minutes, until
filling looks firm when pie is tilted gently from side to side.
Serve with whipped cream if desired. Serves
8 – 10.
Customer of the MonthWhile our focus at Cranberry Liquors is to provide you with the best service and assistance in your selection of beverage alcohol, we realize that there is more to you, our customers, than simply your dinner menus and events. Our desire is to recognize and commend our accomplished and exceptional customers. To this end, we are formally announcing the special designation of Cranberry Liquors’ Customer of the Month. This program is our way of acknowledging our customers’ achievements. Have you or another customer you know attained a goal? Have you earned an award that you’d like to share with the community? Have you participated in an exciting activity that you’d like to brag about? Let us know! Simply fill out a nomination form (either for yourself or another customer who’s worthy of recognition) and submit it, along with a photograph (if available), to the staff at Cranberry Liquors. Each month we’ll select one admirable customer who deserves attention for his or her accomplishments. We’ll post the winning photograph and write-up in the store for other customers to appreciate. In addition, the Customer of the Month will receive a ten-dollar gift certificate for use in the store. Join in the fun and help us celebrate our outstanding customers! Customer of the Month Nomination Form
What Every Beer-Lover Needs To Know About The ReinheitsgebotAt
the very least you should know how to pronounce it.
"Rine-Hites-gaBoat" Most
Americans are probably familiar with the "German Beer Purity
Law" only because it has been mentioned in Samuel Adams beer
commercials. Not long ago, it was completely irrelevant to the American
beer scene, but the current popularity of micro and craft brews in the
U.S. and Canada has made "Reinheitsgebot" a meaningful term in
discussions about North American beer. So
what is this Reinheitsgebot thing all about? First
of all, it should be understood that the Reinheitsgebot is the oldest
food regulation in the world and that it still exists today. Translated
to English, the word "Reinheitsgebot" essentially means
"purity law." The complete, original text of The
Reinheitsgebot is included below. In
the middle ages brewing beer was a primitive science, but by the 15th
Century it was also becoming a very lucrative industry. Brewers looking
to make greater profit often used cheaper ingredients of mixed variety
to achieve their financial goals. Unscrupulous brewers would add fruit,
herbs, eggs, tree bark, fish bladders and who knows what else to their
beer. As a result, beer was frequently foul tasting and occasionally
poisonous. In a beer-loving country like Bavaria a purity law was
desperately needed. The
first regulation appeared in Augsburg, Bavaria sometime in the 1490's.
Establishments that served bad beer or dishonest amounts of beer would
be fined and their beer destroyed. In 1516, Bavaria's reigning Duke
Wilhelm IV expanded the Augsburg regulation to cover all of Bavaria,
creating the world’s first Pure Food & Beverage Law. The
"Reinheitsgebot." Thanks to the regulation, Bavarian beers
quickly became renowned for their superior quality. Eventually all the
lands of Germany enforced the regulation. The
Reinheitsgebot stated, in brief, that only pure and essential
ingredients be used in beer. The only ingredients allowed were barley,
hops and water. Today, of course, yeast is also recognized as a vital
ingredient. Yeast was a brewing element whose effect was not understood
at the time the law was written. In the 1500’s, brewers utilized
naturally occurring, airborne yeast and attributed fermentation to the
will of God. In fact, lambic beers are still produced this way. The
Reinheitsgebot Today As
a result of the Reinheitsgebot, German beer became world renowned for
its quality and consistency. Germany beer still enjoys the reputation to
this day. There are more than 900 breweries in Germany and they all
adhere to the purity law. In the German beer tax law, which regulates
beer production, it states: "For the preparation of beer, only
malt, hops, yeast and water can be used." The Reinheitsgebot lives! Because
of the free movement of goods within the European Union, the sale of
imported beers which are not brewed in conformity with the Purity Law
has recently been permitted in Germany. They can contain other raw
materials (such as unmalted barley, maize, rice or millet) or additives,
although they must be clearly labeled. These impure, imported beers have
not sold well in Germany because of poor consumer acceptance. Although
the United States Food and Drug Administration would not allow a brewer
to produce an unsafe product, they do nothing to prevent the use of
non-traditional ingredients in beer. Truth be told, there are plenty of
American craft and micro brewers which use non-essential ingredients go
give their beer a distinctive character or a marketing advantage.
Although many popular craft and micro brews do not meet the German
purity standard, they are admirable, "real" beers in their own
right. Other
American brewers, who manufacture their product on a massive scale, use
ingredients that are not traditionally associated with beer. Although
many of the ingredients may be untraditional or even inorganic, they are
not immediately poisonous and produce no noticeably nasty taste. One
could argue that the goal is to use unessential ingredients to give the
beer as little flavor as possible. The
Complete Reinheitsgebot Text Translated We
hereby proclaim and decree, by Authority of our Province, that
henceforth in the Duchy of Bavaria, in the country as well as in the
cities and marketplaces, the following rules apply to the sale of beer: From
Michaelmas to Georgi, the price for one Mass [Bavarian Liter 1,069] or
one Kopf [bowl-shaped container for fluids, not quite one Mass], is not
to exceed one Pfennig Munich value, and From
Georgi to Michaelmas, the Mass shall not be sold for more than two
Pfennig of the same value, the Kopf not more than three Heller [Heller
usually one-half Pfennig]. If
this not be adhered to, the punishment stated below shall be
administered. Should
any person brew, or otherwise have, other beer than March beer, it is
not to be sold any higher than one Pfennig per Mass. Furthermore,
we wish to emphasize that in future in all cities, markets and in the
country, the only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be
Barley, Hops and Water. Whosoever knowingly disregards or transgresses
upon this ordinance, shall be punished by the Court authorities'
confiscating such barrels of beer, without fail. Should,
however, an innkeeper in the country, city or markets buy two or three
pails of beer (containing 60 Mass) and sell it again to the common
peasantry, he alone shall be permitted to charge one Heller more for the
Mass of the Kopf, than mentioned above. Furthermore, should there arise
a scarcity and subsequent price increase of the barley (also considering
that the times of harvest differ, due to location), WE, the Bavarian
Duchy, shall have the right to order curtailments for the good of all
concerned. Reference: http://www.beerchurch.com/reinheitsgebot.htm
24 Pack Beer SamplerOnce
again Cranberry Liquors will be offering our popular “24 Mixed Case”
of beer. This case contains
one 12-ounce bottle each of 24 different breweries from around the
world. Now in its 17th
year, this gift idea is one of the area’s most unique. The
cost for this case will be $49.99 + tax and will be available for
pick-up December 8th. These
cases may now be pre-ordered. Last
day for orders will be December 18th.
The quantities are limited and will be handled on a first
reserved basis. Please find below the list of beers in this years case. Below the list you will find the order for form in Microsoft Word format.
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