Emily Post's Great Get-Togethers
Page 10
Cherry and plum.
Mild with medium tannins.
Complements:
Red meat, pork, poultry, sausages, tomato sauces, barbecue
Cabernet Sauvignon:
Description:
Full-bodied and complex.
Deep fruit, chocolate, and spice.
Dry and rich in tannins.
Complements:
Red meats, game, pork, rabbit, stews, hearty sauces
Merlot
Description:
A smoother, softer version Cabernet Sauvignon.
Berry and herb.
Complements:
Red meat, pork, poultry, stews, hearty of sauces, pastas, fish such as tuna or swordfish
Pinot Noir
Description:
Lighter than Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cherry, spice, and herb.
Complements:
Red meat, game, pork, rabbit, salmon, seafood, poultry, rich risottos, vegetable dishes
Sangiovese
Description:
Light when young, complex as it ages.
Versatile.
Complements:
Red meat, sausage, grilled meats, poultry, seafood, tomato-based sauces, pasta, risotto, vegetable dishes
Syrah
(Shiraz in Australia)
Description:
Well-rounded.
Fruit and berry.
Pairs well with many foods.
Complements:
Red meat, game, rabbit, poultry, stews, hearty sauces, sausages
Zinfandel
Description:
Rich and spicy.
Berry, vanilla, chocolate, and herb.
Complements:
Red meat, barbecue, duck, burgers, lasagne and other tomato-based pasta dishes, sausages, spicy foods
WINE: WHITES
Chardonnay
Description:
Rich and buttery or light and citrusy.
Apple, pear, and vanilla plus oakiness, if aged in oak barrels.
Complements:
Pork, poultry, seafood, fish, pâtés, risottos, vegetable dishes, triple cream cheeses like
Brie, nutty cheese like Gruyère. It’s also a nice aperitif wine.
Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio
Description:
Light and mineral tasting.
Apple and citrus.
Complements:
Pork, poultry, seafood, rabbit, fish, sausages, vegetable dishes
Riesling
Description:
Very fruity.
Sweet or dry styles.
Peach, apricot, and spice flavors.
Complements:
Appetizers, pork, duck, seafood, Asian dishes
Sauvignon Blanc
Description:
Crisp and dry.
Melon, fig, grapefruit, herb, or grassy.
Complements:
Appetizers, pork, poultry, seafood, Asian
dishes, pasta, vegetable dishes
Viognier
Spicy.
Apple, peach, melon, and herbs.
Complements:
Appetizers, pork, poultry, seafood,
Asian dishes
WINE: OTHER WINES
Rosé
Description:
Fruity, dry, and light.
Versatile, it pairs with many foods.
Serve chilled.
Complements:
Appetizers, pork, poultry, seafood, steak, Asian dishes.
An excellent choice for spring or summer dining.
Sparkling Wines:
Champagne, Prosecco, Cava
Description:
Fairly dry, sometimes
“toasty.” Apple, pear, citrus, or peach.
“Crisp” or “soft,” depending on the bubbles.
Complements:
Appetizers, oysters, caviar, duck, seafood,
salad, desserts, cheeses like Parmesan,
Camembert, Gorgonzola Dolce
Dessert wines, white:
Sauternes, late harvest
Sauvignon Blanc, Vin Santo
Description:
Highly intense sugar.
Floral or fruity.
Complements:
Blue cheeses, fruit, cake or pastry desserts, biscotti, but not chocolate
Dessert wines, red:
Madeira, or made from varietals like Zinfandel
Description:
Full-bodied, intense, sweet. Port-like.
Complements:
Anything chocolate! Cake, biscotti, Stilton, Gorgonzola, aged Cheddar, nuts, cigars or other grapes
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To Learn More About Wine
The Wine Spectator, a consumer wine magazine and Web site (www.winespectator.com), provides ratings and discussion about wines, especially those being currently released. To learn more about wine and the great wine regions around the world, browse your bookstore for works by Hugh Johnson, best-selling wine author who has been writing about wines for almost fifty years, and Robert Parker, influential wine expert, author, and the man behind the 100-point wine ratings system.
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Pouring Wine, Demystified
There’s really no big secret to pouring wine. The trick is to make sure it doesn’t drip: Hold the bottle around its widest part, pour, and just before you finish, twist the bottle toward you while raising the neck. This prevents drips. It’s also not a bad idea to wrap the bottle in a napkin—especially for red wine (easier to clean the napkin than a tablecloth or a guest’s dress). Glasses should be filled to the widest point of the bowl, both to allow the wine the most surface area to “breathe” and so that the wine can be swirled in the glass. And no, this isn’t some affected wine-tasting thing: The swirling releases the wine’s aromas. Using a wine coaster under the bottle can help prevent stains on a tablecloth.
Cheers! A Champagne Primer
The very mention of the word evokes celebration, glamour, and sophistication. It’s the star of every happy occasion and makes even the most humdrum of days special. Serve it at your next party and watch what happens.
The term “Champagne” actually refers only to the sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France. All other bubblies are called sparkling wines or noted as being produced by the méthode champenoise. True Champagne is made from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes. Here’s what the label is telling you:
BRUT: dry
EXTRA DRY: sweet
BLANC DE BLANCS: made entirely with Chardonnay grapes
BLANC DE NOIR: made from 100-percent Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, or a blend of the two
VINTAGE: made from at least 85 percent of the grapes from the year it was harvested. A producer usually makes a vintage wine only in a great year. Because they’re rarer, vintage wines are quite pricey.
NONVINTAGE: The base is made mostly from grapes grown in a particular year but may contain a percentage of grapes from previous years. This blending produces a very consistent style, replicable year to year. Nonvintage Champagne is generally less expensive than vintage, and worth it for the occasional splurge.
In most of the rest of the world, by treaty or agreement, bubbly wine is called sparkling wine, and there’s lots of it at a great price. Look for Italian Spumante or Prosecco and Spanish Cava, to name a few. Many U.S. producers have French parents and produce excellent, affordable sparklers as well.
When serving Champagne, it should be well chilled—ideally to between 43 and 47ºF. Prechill the bottles in the fridge, then transfer to a bucket filled with water and ice. The chilling helps the cork contract a little, making it easier to open the bottle. Once open, the Champagne can be left out of the ice bucket to let its aromas continue to develop. Ideally, Champagne is served in flutes—slender, narrow glasses with long, thin stems—which best preserve both aroma and effervescence. Fill the flute two-thirds of the way and hold it by the stem so that the wine doesn’t warm too fast. You can count on six flutes per 750
ml bottle. Cheers!
Pop! Goes the Cork: how to Open Champagne or Sparkling Wine
Sure, it’s fun to let the cork fly and see the bubbly spray, but save that for when your team wins the big championship. (Frankly, it’s a waste of good wine!) But the biggest reason for restraint is safety. The thick Champagne bottle and heavy cork are designed to withstand pressure between seventy and ninety pounds per square inch. If you think about it, that’s about double the pressure in your car’s tires. That cork can be a dangerous missile. Take the following precautions to safely open a bottle of Champagne:
Hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle and point it away from yourself and anybody else.
Remove the foil.
Place a napkin over the bailed cork while you untwist the “pigtail” to loosen the bail. (The napkin will lesson the impact of a cork that accidentally pops.)
Remove the bail and replace the napkin.
Hold the cork with one hand and twist the bottle with the other. You get more torque this way. Slowly loosen the cork, letting it uncork with a soft sigh instead of a pop.
Opening the bottle this way may be less dramatic, but it’s safe—both for people and for your breakables—and you’ll be sure to get every drop.
big, bigger, biggest: a party in a bottle
Not all Champagne comes in a standard 750ml bottle. In fact, some are the size of a small child! So, let’s do the math: If one bottle contains 750ml, then...
EQUIVALENT OF STANDARD BOTTLES (LITERS): Two(1.5L)
IS CALLED A...: Magnum
NUMBER OF GLASSES: 12
EQUIVALENT OF STANDARD BOTTLES (LITERS): Four(3.0L)
IS CALLED A...: Jeroboam
NUMBER OF GLASSES: 24
EQUIVALENT OF STANDARD BOTTLES (LITERS): Six(4.5L)
IS CALLED A...: Rehoboam
NUMBER OF GLASSES: 36
EQUIVALENT OF STANDARD BOTTLES (LITERS): Eight(6.0L)
IS CALLED A...: Methuselah
NUMBER OF GLASSES: 48
EQUIVALENT OF STANDARD BOTTLES (LITERS): Twelve(9.0L)
IS CALLED A...: Salmanazar
NUMBER OF GLASSES: 72
EQUIVALENT OF STANDARD BOTTLES (LITERS): Sixteen(12.0L)
IS CALLED A...: Balthazar
NUMBER OF GLASSES: 96
EQUIVALENT OF STANDARD BOTTLES (LITERS): Twenty(15.0L)
IS CALLED A...: Nebuchadnezzar
NUMBER OF GLASSES: 120
Beer—it’s Not Just for Keggers Anymore
Man has been producing beer since biblical times and, like wine, beer is made in all parts of the globe. Microbreweries abound, and more and more people are making their own homemade beer as well. As a serious food companion, beer is growing in popularity, and you’ll often see both beer and wine recommendations given in food magazine menus and recipes. The styles and flavors are endless, from sweet to dry, fruity, yeasty, even chocolaty, so there’s lots to choose from.
In general, beer is made from malted grain—usually barley, but also wheat, rice, oats, rye, and in some parts of South America, corn. It’s often flavored with hops, the flower of the hops vine, which gives it a slightly bitter taste and acts as a preservative. Water is the other main ingredient crucial to a beer’s flavor and style. There are two main brewing styles: lager and ale. Lager is fermented at a cooler temperature over a longer period of time, resulting in a mild-tasting beer; it’s a popular style in Germany and central Europe. Ale is fermented quickly and at a higher temperature. Ales have a sweeter, fruitier taste and a fuller body than lagers. From here, the variables and varieties are endless. Wherever you travel, be sure to sample the local brews or visit a microbrewery for a tour and a tasting. Beer festivals are held all over the world, the largest and most famous being Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.
The following books and Web sites provide great references, both for rating and discussing beer:
Michael Jackson’s Great Beer Guide or Ultimate Beer: Two top-ranked books about beers around the world by the late British beer critic.
The Beer Guide, by Josh Oakes: complete guide to beers in the United States.
BeerAdvocate: a magazine and Web site for “global, grassroots network” of beer aficionados (www.beeradvocate.com).
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Single Malt Scotch and Single Barrel Bourbon
Increasingly popular as an after-dinner drink, these whiskeys are to a distiller as a vintage reserve is to a vintner. So what’s the buzz? A single malt Scotch is whiskey that must be made in Scotland from a single grain (barley) malted at a single distillery and aged for at least three years in old oak barrels, although many are aged much longer. The only ingredients used are barley, yeast, and water. The barley is malted—mixed with water and left to germinate for several days—then the mixture is air dried, with the introduction of peat smoke to varying degrees to help impart the whiskey’s unique flavor.
Bourbon, by law, is an American whiskey, made from at least 51 percent corn (usually it’s 70 percent) with the addition of wheat and/or rye or malted barley. It’s aged in new charred oak barrels, imparting a vanilla flavor. Single barrel bourbon is whiskey that literally is bottled from a single barrel. A promising barrel is chosen and bottled, so each bottling is unique. Small batch production takes whiskey from a number of selected barrels and combines them to give a more consistent bottling. Then there’s small-scale production, as done at Maker’s Mark, which is simply dedicated to producing a consistent, high-quality whiskey in all their barrels.
Purists serve it neat—adding no ice or water.
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When It’s Cocktails
While the trend at smaller cocktail parties is to offer a seasonal cocktail along with beer, wine, sparkling water, juices, and other nonalcoholic options, a large cocktail party usually offers a full bar. To know how much you’ll need, start by doing a little math.
Generally, count on 3 drinks per person for a two-hour party.
A one-quart bottle will provide twenty-one 1½-ounce drinks, or serve approximately seven people.
A 750ml bottle of wine yields 4 to 5 glasses.
A 12-ounce bottle is a standard serving of beer.
It’s better to buy liquor in quart or liter bottles—they’re much easier to pour from—and be sure to ask the store if you can return bottles that haven’t been opened or chilled.
Don’t forget mixers, garnishes, and nonalcoholic options, including sparkling and mineral waters, tomato juice, and fresh fruit juices.
For a large party, have plenty of glasses on hand. Guests tend to put glasses down and lose track and end up getting a refill in a new glass. Consider renting or investing in an extra set of inexpensive barware. Plastic glasses are perfect for an informal pool party (where broken glass is a danger); otherwise real glasses are more in keeping with a party atmosphere.
The most critical ingredient is ice. Crushed ice will keep wine and beer cool, or you can fill tubs with cubes and water. For mixed drinks, have a bucket full of ice cubes at the bar and refill as needed. If your freezer can’t produce what you need, cubed ice is available at most grocery and convenience stores. Just buy it close to party time so it doesn’t melt. Commercial ice, which holds up best, can be ordered through a liquor store. If you live in an urban area, save time by having your liquor and ice order delivered.
The Well-Stocked Bar
This is a soup-to-nuts list of what you might need for a large cocktail party. In general, stock what you like to drink and have on hand what close friends usually like. Pimm’s isn’t stocked at every bar, but Anna would never throw a party without it. Add equipment and garnishes—like a martini shaker and cocktail onions—as the occasion arises.
Liquor: Vodka, vermouth (sweet and dry), rum, Scotch, bourbon, tequila, gin, triple sec, Champagne or sparkling wine, rosé, red and/or white wine, a variety of beers.
Mixers: Tomato, Clamato, cranberry, fresh orange and grapefruit juices, tonic water, seltzer or club soda.
Additional ingredients: Bitt
ers, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, Tabasco, Rose’s lime juice, Rose’s grenadine syrup. See Simple Syrup (page 112).
Garnishes: Lemons, limes, lemon twists, green cocktail olives, cocktail onions, orange slices, maraschino cherries, rimming salt for margaritas. Get creative with unexpected fruits and berries.
Glasses and paper goods: Napkins (3 to 4 per person; 6 to 8 if serving hors d’oeuvres), glasses (3 per person), toothpicks, coasters (place plenty of these around before the party to protect furniture).
Equipment: Jigger, corkscrew, bottle opener, ice bucket, tongs or ice scoop, shaker, long-handled cocktail spoon or stirrer, paring knife and small cutting board, bar towel or paper towels, pitchers for water and mixed bases such as Bloody Marys or margaritas, cocktail picks, bowls for garnishes, blender.
* * *
What’s an Aperitif?
From the Latin aperire, to open, an aperitif is an alcoholic drink served before a meal or as a cocktail, accompanied by salty little nibbles—olives, pistachios, chips, Parmesan shavings, or salted nuts. A number of aperitifs are sweetened and infused with fruits, flowers, herbs, or seeds and pack a wallop of flavor—sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter. Lillet, Dubonnet, Cinzano, sherries, vermouths sweet and dry are fruity or floral in nature (served chilled over ice), while Campari and Cynar (made from artichokes) are bittersweet and prepare your palate for what’s to come. They are cocktails pared to their essence. Cocktails, too, can be made with aperitifs, such as Campari and soda served over ice with a twist, or a Negroni—Campari with vodka or gin, sweet vermouth, and a twist of orange or lemon.
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A Primer on Glassware
It’s a sure bet that your favorite bar has a special glass for almost every drink. At home, having a different glass for every drink you serve isn’t really practical. But you can build a collection of basics, including the following: