Grant's EL CHAPO

This is Grant.  Grant is one of our favorite mixologists.  He currently works at Lock and Key in LA's Koreatown.

Of the many delicious drinks we've enjoyed from Grant's shaker, EL CHAPO, which he created for Lock and Key, is an awesome summer sip. Its a SoCal twist on a Negroni. This is what we'll be drinking this weekend. If you can get to Lock and Key, ask for Grant.  He'll make you something delicious.

EL CHAPO, by Grant....

1 oz Mezcal
1 oz Cocchi Aperitivo (Blanco)
1 oz Aperol
2-3 dashes orange bitters
Slice of orange peel or twist

Stir 40-50 revolutions in a mixing glass full of ice.
Double strain into a coupette.
Zest and flame an orange peel.
 

A perfect pairing for Summer

Though we swing for the fences every day, sometimes you hit it out of the park. Andy created an utterly delicious bbq sauce that we've been enjoying all summer. About a month ago a new wine came through the store- Lapostolle's hearty Chilean pure Syrah.

The collision of this wine and this bbq sauce slathered on a grilled pork tenderloin pretty much happened because of circumstance.  We had all three, and so we made the best of it.  If you're a home cook you might understand how this went.  And the result was truly a perfect pairing.

We liked this combination so much we tried it the following two weekends, just to be sure it was the heavenly combination we discovered the first time.  It was...

The sauce is the perfect balance of tangy and fruity.  The wine is fruity, slightly spicy and voluptuous even though I'd describe its viscosity as medium.  The weight and complexity of the mineraly Syrah supports the slight smoke of grilling the tenderloin.  If you want to experience how a delicious wine and a well-balanced dish can pair to elevate both, make this dish and buy this wine!  

SYRAH- Apalta Vineyard, 2012, Lapostolle, Chile, $18
The Lapostolle family has been producing industry recognized wine and spirits for centuries- this is the family who created and produces Grand Marnier. Yeah.  Their Chilean plantings produce delicious wines.  You can taste the old world vines, meeting new world soil- this means hearty fruit balanced nicely with minerality.

The wine is medium-bodied, but offers a voluptuous mouth feel.  The first taste is fruit- plums, even blackberries, followed quickly by some spice- pepper and allspice, a touch of smoke, and even some menthol.  The taste lingers nicely.  The first sip offered light tannins that seemed ideally balanced to the smokey and earthy flavor.  It was a very pleasant sip.

ANDY'S PEACH BBQ SAUCE

5 c peaches, peeled and sliced (we use fresh when available, but frozen works, too)
1 large onion
1 c brown sugar
1 c apple cider vinegar
1/3 c soy sauce
2 T garlic, minced
2 T ginger, minced
1/2 t chipotle powder
1/2 t liquid smoke
1/2 t Worcester sauce
1/4 t black pepper

Sauté onions and peaches, salt lightly, until soft.
Add remaining ingredients.  
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and let it simmer for 10 min.
Using a hand blender, pulverize to desired consistency.  (We tend to leave it slightly pulpy.)
Remove from heat.  Let it sit for 30 min or longer, allowing the flavors to merge.

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN with ANDY'S PEACH BBQ SAUCE

2 lbs of pork tenderloin, (2 small tenderloins work nicely)
Andy's Peach BBQ Sauce

Bring the tenderloin(s) to room temperature. Salt and pepper the pork tenderloin.  Spray lightly with olive oil. Start the tenderloin on the hot side of a gas or charcoal grill. Cover. Start looking at the grill side after 8 minutes, depending on the size of your tenderloin.  You're looking for caramelization and a little color.  When you're satisfied, turn the tenderloin over. 

Slather a healthy dose of the BBQ sauce on the grilled side of the tenderloin. After 8 minutes, again check for caramelization. Once you're satisfied, turn the meat over again, and move the tenderloin to the cool side of the grill, slathering this newly grilled side with BBQ sauce.

We tend to repeat this action a few times.  Make sure the hot side of your grill is hot enough to create an oven effect.  We keep up this process until the sauce is nicely caramelized on every part of the tenderloin.  Make sure you're grilling the tenderloin until it reaches at least 140 degrees.
A general guide- Medium-rare  145 to 150; Medium 150 to 155; Medium-well 155-160. But remember that cooking will continue, meaning the temperature will keep rising, as the meat rests.

Let it rest, covered with foil for at least 10 minutes before slicing.  

This recipe produces enough sauce to slather a couple pounds of tenderloin, leaving plenty to serve with the completed dish, and some leftover you could use on chicken thighs, chicken breasts, or more pork. 

If you try this combo, send us a pic and any comments.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Mimosa Mayhem!

Mimosas and Bloody Marys duke it out every weekend in bars, restaurants and homes across the world.  In our home, one of us prefers the sparkle of a Mimosa, while the other one prefers the tang of the spiciest Blood Mary he can find.  

Traditionally made with orange juice, we are advocating you mix up Mimosas by topping something sparkly with a different kind of juice.  We also want to pass along our advice for which bubbly to use.

The classic recipe for a Mimosa is equal parts sparkling wine and orange juice.  We advise pouring the bubbles into flute-champagne glasses about halfway up the glass.  Then top with the juice.  This allows the juice to swirl with the bubbles.  This ratio should be managed to taste.  If we're serving a dozen people, we're likely to be a little more conservative with the sparkling wine.  Some traditions call for a splash of Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur.  We occasionally do this, especially if we're substituting a juice other than orange.  It just offers a little more complex layer of flavor.

SPARKLES-
A delicious Mimosa can be made with any sparkling wine.  Our favorite is Cava- Cristalino, Korbel, or Freixenet; it has the buzz of strong bubbles, and adds a bit of tasty dry wine musk to the drink.  Adding high-end champagne makes little sense to us because you're diluting the flavor you're paying for.  And though Prosecco is an option, they can vary widely in sweetness and bubble factor.  If you spend more than around the $10 mark for sparkling wine for Mimosas, you're wasting your time. We've also mixed up the color of wine from time to time by adding a sparkling Shiraz or bubbly Rosé.

MIX UP THE JUICE-
In a pinch we will take the traditional route and use orange juice from a store-purchased container.  Though here are some suggestions for adding a little creative flair-

FRESH SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE.  If you've only tried prepared juice from a carton, try using fresh squeezed.  The freshness of this blend really amps up the flavor.  It tends to be a little less sweet, and we find it allows the flavor of the sparkle to boost the citrus element.

SOME OTHER CITRUS JUICE.  Grapefruit or Blood Orange juice will change the color and taste of a traditional mimosa.  Both fruits tend to be less sweet than orange juice, so we'll often add a splash of orange liqueur after adding the juice to the bubbles. Or even make your own blend of fresh squeezed citrus juice, combining your favorite flavors and colors.

CRANBERRY JUICE.  It makes for such a beautiful look and the dry flavor of cranberry, offset with a splash of Grand Marnier, is pretty much heaven with a sparkly Cava.

PEAR NECTAR.  We find prepared pear nectar by Goya in our Latin food grocery aisle.  Replacing the orange juice with pear offers a more hearty mouthfill to a traditional Mimosa. We've also added a splash of Amaretto to enhance the nutty flavor of the pear.  This may be a drink someone else has named more creatively, but we just call them Pear Mimosas.

With any juice, now that you've gone this far.  Advertise the contents of your mimosa to your guests by garnishing the flute with a slice of fresh fruit reflected in your recipe.  A small slice of orange can be perfect for any flavor combination, if not grapefruit or pear.  

And remember- there are no rules when you customize a drink, and an amped up mimosa can be the perfect launch to a delicious brunch.  Try one of these less traditional options to mix up a batch this weekend!

I come from a land down under

For National IPA Day we bring you PARADOX BREWERY's SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE DOUBLE IPA.  As the beer style of Northeast IPA (NEIPA) cultivates the super juicy citrus flavor many of us have come to love, brewers are turning to hops grown in New Zealand and Australia. Southern hemisphere hops bring tropical and overwhelmingly bright, fruity characteristics to the party.

in this beer, PARADOX uses hops from the southern hemisphere plus oats to get their magical liquid gold. It is playing around with the ratios of hops as well as adding other ingredients that make the proprietary differences that change the notes from one craft brewer to the next. Paradox has captured the ideal formula to produce a quintessential Northeast IPA.

The pour gives a fluffy, foamy head.  Initially you are hit with the bitter citrus flavors that quickly change to more sweet mango notes.  It ends with a mellow mouth feel. It's sweeter than other NEIPAs, but that's not a bad thing. 

NEIPAs made with southern hemisphere hops tend to bring the citrus tang, but PARADOX has crafted a particularly excellent example of that variety.  Another perfect summer beer for your weekend!  

HAPPY NATIONAL IPA to all!

Homemade Luxardo cherries will change your life

There are a few ways you can amp up your cocktail cred, and this one tops our list. Making your own Maraschino cherries to dunk in nearly any cocktail you can think of brings instant posh to your drinks.  Its super simple, and they can last for months in a sealed jar in your fridge.  Forget the neon red, mealy cherries you see in American grocery stores, this effort pays off big time.

The shot above is from the current jar that lives in our fridge.  Photobombing the cherries is one cinnamon stick, and half a vanilla bean. We've given this crop a home for four months and the taste of these jewels continues to get better with age.  

The other good news is that your investment in Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur can be the secret to many delicious drinks. It can be pricey, but a few ounces of it in a cocktail can also raise your cocktail game.  I've used brandy as a substitute for this recipe, but the Luxardo-which is made from cherry pits- truly focusses the flavor.

Here is the recipe we use for Homemade Luxardo Cherries:

LUXARDO CHERRIES

2 lbs fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted* (sour cherries preferred)
1 c white sugar
1 cinnamon stick
Half a vanilla bean, split open
1 c water
2 c Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
Juice from 1 lemon

Combine sugar, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, lemon juice and water in a larger non-ionized pot. Bring to a simmer over low-medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in cherries and return to a simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the liqueur. (We've seen recipes that remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean at this point, but our experience is that they continue to enhance the cherries as they marinate in the fridge.)
Ladel the mixture into a quart-sized sealable jar.  (We use a very clean mason jar with a fresh lid and ring.)
Let it cool before placing in the fridge.

You want to let this age a bit before using.  The longer the better, but I've lost patience about three days after brewing these and I was very happy with that amount of brine time.  As I said above, the current jar in our fridge has only improved with age over the last four months.  My guess is this batch will last us a couple more months when we'll have to make a new one.

This labor of love will result in months of delicious cherry flavor and grown-up bling in your drinks.  Nothing better than throwing a couple into a Manhattan, followed by a teaspoon of its briny liqueur.  Try it!

*We have had great success using commercially available bottled sour cherries, with no added sugar.  The last 32 oz jar I found in a Polish market.  I drained the brine from the bottle and added the cherries to sugar mix above.  I continued with the recipe and would absolutely do so again.