Bacon & Beer Festival at Fenway Park: Win Tickets!

Over forty restaurants have been given the opportunity to create a special dish showcasing BACON! They will hopefully use their creativity and competitiveness to produce something both delicious and fascinating. Bacon-wrapped Twinkies? Bacon Tacos? Bacon Gelato? Bacon Ramen? The possibilities are endless and bacon lovers will soon have the opportunity to taste all of their creations at the upcoming @EatBoston’s Bacon & Beer Festival.

The 7th Annual Bacon & Beer Festival will be held on Sunday, June 12, from 4pm-6:30pm at Fenway Park. This event is also a fundraiser for the Red Sox Foundation, Community Servings and Lovin’ Spoonfuls. So, not only can you enjoy an abundance of Bacon treats but,you will also be giving to some excellent causes.

The current list of participating Restaurants includes: 80 Thoreau, Bambara, BOKX109 American Prime, Bondir, Boston Beer Works, Boston Burger Co., Bostonia Public House, Brass Union, Brasserie Jo, Brewers Fork, Central Bistro, Chopps American Bar and Grill, Chubby Chickpea, El Pelon, Five Horses Tavern, Foundry on Elm/Saloon, Gracie’s Ice Cream / Juliet, Grendel’s Den, Hops N Scotch, Lock 50, Loco Taqueria, Lord Hobo, Lulu’s, Night Market, Not Your Average Joe’s, Puritan & Co, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Saloniki Greek, Savvor, Shojo, Stoddard’s Fine Food & Ale, Stone and Skillet, The Fireplace, The Independent, The Maiden, The Merchant, The Sinclair, Trina’s Starlite Lounge, Waxy’s, West on Centre, Whole Foods Market- Symphony, Worden Hall

Bacon is not the only allure of this event. Beer lovers will also get to sample a number of beers from various local breweries. Beer lovers are almost as rabid in their love for beer as Bacon lovers are rabid for bacon.

The current list of participating Beer Breweries includes: Boulevard, Captain Lawrence, Castle Island, Goose Island, Harpoon, Jack’s Abbey, Lord Hobo, Narragansett, Notch, Peak Organic Brewing Co., Revolution, Sam Adams, Smuttynose, Swing Oil Beer, Two Roads, Wachusett, plus beers regularly poured at Fenway Park.

--Regular Tickets cost $52.50 and include admission, eight 3oz beer samples, and samples of all bacon dishes as they last. Additional beers will be available for purchase.
--Early Bird Baller VIP Tickets cost $105 and include expedited admission (skip the line), Red Sox bobblehead doll, 1 pound bacon, Bacon & Beer t-shirt, Defend Bacon tote bag, eight 3oz beer samples, and samples of all bacon dishes as they last.Additional beers will be available for purchase.

You can purchase Regular or Early Bird tickets online here.

Please note:
--There will be no t-shirts available inside the venue. Please purchase your t-shirt in advance and they will send it out to you OR you can purchase a t-shirt to pick up at the event.
--Details subject to change. This is a 21+ event.

Now, how can you WIN 2 Regular Tickets to the Bacon & Beer Festival? All you have to do is leave a Comment here and tell me one of your favorite ways to enjoy Bacon. Do you prefer it atop your burger? Do you like Bacon & Chocolate? Would you rather have Bacon sprinkled over your Chowder? How do you like your bacon?

On Monday evening, at 11:00pm EST, I'll random choose one of the commenters and they will win 2 Regular Tickets to the event.  Good luck!

ADDENDUM on June 7:
And the winner of the 2 Tickets to the Bacon & Beer Festival is....Shauna Toohey! Please contact me about obtaining your tickets.

Thirst Boston: History of Caribbean Rums

“I pity them greatly, but I must be mum, for how could we do without sugar and rum?”
--William Cowper

Rum may be one of the most under appreciated spirits, something which is most likely to end up in a cocktail rather than sipped on its own. It isn't as revered as Whiskey or as popular as Vodka. You'll usually find plenty of Tequila bars but few Rum bars. In the Boston area, RumBa, located in the Intercontinental Boston, is one of the few local spots that truly showcases the diversity of Rum. At  Thirst Boston, I attended two Rum seminars, both which gave me additional reasons to embrace the category of Rum.

One of the seminars was the History of Carribean Rums, which was described as: "Join us for a history of the sugar spirit through the lens of the world’s oldest rum distillery, Mount Gay. We’ll spend the afternoon immersed in a categorical overview of r(h)um while enjoying a tasting of Mount Gay rums. Education for your palate and mind, this session will end with an interactive Q&A." I've tasted and enjoyed some of the Mount Gay Rums before so was interested in checking out more of their products.

The presenter was Duane Sylvestre, a former bartender and self-proclaimed "Thirsty Revivalist," who now is part of a team of spirit educators. He is originally from the island of Trinidad and is a passionate rum advocate, providing us information and history on rum and leading us through a tasting of four Mount Gay rums.

Duane began with a bit of history, noting that one of the important ancestors of rum was Arrack, produced on the island of Java, and which may be the first distilled spirit from sugarcane.  There was also discussion on the importance and dark history of rum and the slave trade, a topic I have addressed before in prior posts. As we know, rum was huge in New England in the early 1800s, though it wasn't officially defined until the late 1800s. It is thought that the original Old Fashioned cocktail might have been made with rum.

However, the molasses for that New England rum came from the Caribbean where black slaves toiled on sugar plantations. And profits from New England rum distilleries went to finance more ships to travel to Africa to obtain additional slaves. A vicious and exploitative triangle of trade.

Once the U.S. started favoring whiskey and began ramping up whiskey production over rum, the Caribbean began producing their own large amounts of rum. There are two main types of rum, industrial (made from molasses, which comes in different quality grades) and agricultural (Rhum Agricole, made from sugarcane juice). As Duane said, "sugar is amazing."  Rum is a loosely regulated category, which can be produced all around the world, and the primary regulations are governed by individual countries and distilleries.

There are considered to be three main rum styles: French, British and Spanish. Please note though that these are rough categories with exceptions that may not fit into these categories. If you go to a liquor shop though, you won't likely see the rum selections divided into these three different types. If anything, you'll have to ask one of the stores employees for assistance in differentiating the various ru bottles on their shelves.

Duane stated that Bacardi is the world's largest producer of rum, even larger than a company in the Philippines which also produces a huge amount of rum. This is different from what I was told in the other rum seminar, that presenter claiming the Philippines company was the largest producer. Whoever is the largest, it is fascinating to learn that Philippines produces so much rum. I don't think I've ever had any of their rum, but I'm keeping an eye out for it.

Mount Gay Rum, located on the island of Barbados, is the oldest, continuously operated rum distillery, with written evidence, concerning a deeded still, extending back to February 20, 1703, making it over 300 years old. However, even before that time, they were said to be engaged in distilling since the early 1600s. Around 1747, John Sober inherited what was then known as the Mount Gilboa Distillery. He hired Sir John Gay Alleyne to manage the distillery, which turned out to be an excellent choice. Gay improved the production process, introduced new strains of sugar cane, and improved crop yield. In addition, as Gay was antislavery, he found that he derived better rum if he paid his workers. Upon his death, Sober decided to honor all of Gay's great work by renaming the distillery after him, thus launching Mount Gay Rum.

Allen Smith is the Master Blender at Mount Gay, and has worked at the company for more than twenty years. He did leave for a short time to work at Coca Cola but returned to Mount Gay once he learned he would be unable to change the recipe for Coca Cola. Allen rarely tastes when blending rum, relying primarily on his olfactory prowess. As with a number of other spirits and wine, blending is an important art, one far too often under-appreciated.

We began our tasting component with the Mount Gay Silver (about $20). "Silver" simply refers to the fact that it has "no color," not that it isn't aged. In fact, it can aged, often up to a year, and then it is filtered to remove the color. I found the Silver to be sweet, with tropical fruit, grassy notes and a hint of mint. It is versatile, able to be used in almost any type of rum cocktail.

The Mount Gay Eclipse (about $20) is essentially the same rum as the Silver except it isn't filtered. Filtering tends to soften the alcohol as well. The Eclipse seemed more aggressive, with notes of honey, vanilla and maple, with some mild spices notes. Duane recommended that this rum would be a good match for a Rum & Tonic.

The Mount Gay Black Barrel (about $30) is an impressive rum, which is distilled in both a column and pot still. It is aged in ex-whiskey casks and later finished in deep, charred ex-bourbon casks. The "black barrel" refers to the black char in these barrels which enhances purification, allows a deeper access into the wood, and provides more spice notes. It is supposed to be the only rum that is finished in charred, ex-bourbon barrels. Some of the rum used in the final blend may have been aged for up to seven years.

The Black Barrel has a dark, amber color, like a fine whiskey, and if you tasted it blind, it would remind you far more of a rye whiskey than a rum. On the taste, there is a deep spice taste, caramel notes and a mild hint of vanilla. Layers of complexity, a lengthy finish (which has a touch of cinnamon), and a smooth, compelling taste. I could easily savor this rum on its own, though it would also do well in a craft cocktail. Duane recommended using this rum in Tiki cocktails.

The final rum was the compelling Mount Gay XO-Extra Old (about $40). Though there is the implication that the XO is older than other rums, it does not entail any specific time period. It is simply older than the other rums in the portfolio. In general, this XO contains rums that are from 8-15 years old. The XO also has the highest residual sugar of the line, about 5 grams, which still would be considered Extra Brut if it were a Champagne, and this considered very dry.

The XO is complex and intriguing, a rum to slowly sip and savor. It is silky smooth with delicious flavors of ripe pear, vanilla, toast, and subtle baking spices. It is an elegant spirit with a lengthy finish which will be sure to satisfy and tantalize. You won't be able to take just one sip as your palate will crave more. And as Duane said, one of the best parts of rum is that is it relatively inexpensive. At $40, this is an excellent value for such a complex and high quality spirit. This is a rum you should drink on its own and which you probably don't want to use in a cocktail. Highly recommended!

For food pairings for the XO, Duane recommended some desserts, from Banana Foster to Bread Pudding, Cinnamon Scones to Creme Brûlée. In addition, he noted that his favorite nightcap is the Mount Gay XO and Cashews!

What are your thoughts on Mount Gay rums?

Kane's Donuts: Whiskey Glazed to Gluten-Free Donuts

Donuts can be such a hedonistic pleasure, especially when they are made by small, independent shops who truly care about crafting a tasty donut. The large chains cannot compete in quality and taste with these small shops. I've been a fan of Kane’s Donuts, located in Saugus, for many years, savoring their fresh donuts and their huge (and scrumptious) Coffee Roll. Kane's is an institution, known across the country for their donuts, and it is deserving of its accolades.

Kane’s Donuts was opened in 1955 by Peter and Kay Delios, and now is operated by five of their children. It has expanded in size since its initial opening and you can eat inside or on their outside patio. There is also a parking lot located next to the donut shop though when it's busy, that lot will be full so you have to park on the street. It's a casual spot, an intimate neighborhood place where you'll find plenty of regulars sitting at the tables, sipping coffee and enjoying donuts. If you can't make it to Saugus, there is now a second location, Kane's Handcrafted Donuts, in Boston's Financial District, on the corner of Oliver and High Street inside International Place.

Their donuts and other baked goods use quality ingredients, including fresh local eggs, butter & cream from a local dairy, organic honey from a local beekeeper, locally milled flour, real nuts and fresh fruits, Applewood smoked bacon, pure Vermont maple syrup, imported Swiss chocolate and more.

The Menu has plenty to offer, with Donuts costing $2 each. You will also find Muffins ($2.75), Cupcakes ($3.85), and Pastries ($2.75).  If you want a Breakfast Sandwich, on a croissant, bagel or English muffin, you can get an Egg & Cheese ($3.95) or add Bacon/Sausage ($4.95). They even have Bakery Pizza for $3.00 a slice.

These two trays display the various Donut flavors you can find, some which are regularly stocked while others are seasonal or limited editions. Whatever your Donut preference, you'll find a flavor that will appeal to you.

They also offer a few Gluten-Free varieties, of which I'll mention more later in this post.

These are some of the Cupcakes and other Pastries which are available, and those Cupcakes are quite large.

And this is the famous (or maybe infamous) Coffee Roll ($12.95). It is about the size of a hubcap, ready to feed several people (or one ravenous person who might need a doctor afterwards). With a sweet glaze, the coffee roll is fresh and soft, rich with cinnamon. The center of the roll is the best part, loaded with cinnamon, and you might have to fight your family or friends to have it. You can also get a smaller, more individual-sized Coffee roll for only $4.00.

For the month of June, Kane's Donuts is offering three special flavors. From left to right, you have Butter Pecan, Devil’s Food Chocolate Sea Salted Caramel, and Battle Cry Whiskey Glazed. The donuts went on sale yesterday and I was invited for a media visit to check out these new flavors. In addition, I got to try one of their Gluten Free donuts as well.

The Butter Pecan Donut is a yeast donut, topped by a creamy frosting and covered with pecan pieces. The donut itself is light and fresh, smeared with a decadent frosting that reminded me of an excellent butter pecan ice cream. The pecans added a nice texture, as well as additional flavor.  When you get frosted donuts at the large chains, the frosting is usually hard and rarely soft and gooey. This is not the case with this Butter Pecan, which has a frosting you might find on a freshly made cake. Definitely recommended.

The Devil’s Food Chocolate Sea Salted Caramel Donut was absolutely delicious. It is a cake donut, with a firm texture and a tasty dark chocolate flavor. This donut also had a creamy frosting with a bright caramel flavor, enhanced by the crunchy salt sprinkled atop the donut. I love the combination of sweet and salty, especially with chocolate, and this donut succeeds well in presenting a hedonistic pleasure. Highly recommended.

The Battle Cry Whiskey Glazed Donut is a special collaboration between Kane's Donuts and Sons of Liberty Spirits, intended to be a special treat for Father's Day. Located in Rhode Island, Sons of Liberty produces whiskies made from special beers, as well as seasonal whiskies. For this donut, they offered their Battle Cry Whiskey, which begins as a Belgian-style ale. Back in 2014, I tasted their Battle Cry and found it smooth and easy drinking, with a nice complexity of flavors and plenty of spice and a mild sweetness. It's a pleasant sipping whiskey that would also make some tasty cocktails.

Kane's boiled down the whiskey, to cook out most of the alcohol, and then blended it with sugar, honey and butter to create a special glaze for one of their yeast donuts. Again, the donut was light and fresh, and the glaze was sweet, though not overly so, with very subtle flavors, and possibly a whisper of whiskey flavor. I would have preferred a stronger whiskey flavor in the donut. With its mild flavors, this donut didn't compare as well to the other two donuts which were more vibrant with flavor. The concept of this donut is appealing but the execution didn't follow through sufficiently. As this was only the donut's first day in the shop, maybe they will work on the recipe to make the whiskey taste more prominent.

Finally, I tried one of their Gluten Free Chocolate Coconut Donuts. This is another cake donut but it has a different texture, a softer one, than the Devil's Food donut. It possesses a rich chocolate flavor with plenty of sweet coconut. As a big fan of coconut, I really enjoyed this donut and though it lacks gluten, it certainly doesn't lack any flavor. The texture may be different but that doesn't lessen the quality or taste of the donut, and some people will prefer this softer style. Highly recommended.

If you haven't visited Kane's Donuts, you need to make the trip there and sample their delicious donuts or maybe go for one of those massive coffee rolls. The donuts are produced from quality ingredients and taste fresh and delicious. For the month of June, you can check out their three special donuts and then get ready for whatever specials come in July. I need to return there soon too, especially as I want to try their pizza. Maybe I'll see you there.

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food & drink events.
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1) Fried Lobster & Waffles? Ok, you have me hooked. I've had fried lobster before and loved it, especially at the Clam Box in Ipswich, but I've never had it with a waffle. But now I can.

Kathy Sidell, President and Culinarian of the MET Restaurant Group, has just opened a new restaurant, Saltie Girl, which will focus on globally sustainable seafood, whether it is fried, sautéed, raw, house-potted, smoked or in tins.

“Growing up on the East Coast on a sailboat with my Dad, I have a deep affinity for the saltiness of the sea and the fruit it bears. During my travels I have discovered beautiful, high quality fish in tins, jars, smoked and of course amazing local and fresh seafood. Being a New Englander is almost synonymous with the briny taste of steamed clams, the salty ocean taste of lobsters perfectly cooked, the creaminess of a local oyster and the natural sweetness of a Nantucket bay scallop. We are blessed to have such amazing seafood locally. I have long been fascinated by the many ways to enjoy these morsels of the sea. Hence, ‘Saltie Girl’ - reflecting a way of life and a passion for eating nature’s bounty! I hope to bring all these delicacies to Saltie Girl so they can be enjoyed by our quests,” says owner Kathy Sidell.

Saltie Girl is located at 281 Dartmouth Street, next to MET Back Bay, and will have 16 seats for regular dining and a 12 seat full bar with an attached raw bar and shucking station. They will be open for both lunch and dinner, seven days a week, with a late night “Cocktails & Tins" menu offered Thursday to Saturday from 10pm-1am. Reservations will not be accepted and seating will only be available for walk-ins.

The kitchen will be helmed by Chef Kyle McClelland who has worked at locations such as The Federalist, Ambrosia on Huntington, The MFA, Ten Tables, Pigalle, Clio and others before tenures at Toppers at The Wauwinet, Caviar Russe and Propsect in New York. The crew will be rounded out by Sidell’s team of many years, Chef David Daniels with operations by Stephen Zeneski.

Beyond curating one of the largest tinned seafood collection in New England, Sidell and McClelland will be preparing such dishes as Fried Lobster & Waffles with sweet corn butter and spicy maple syrup and French Burgundy Snails with black garlic butter. Chowder, bisque, a raw bar, fried whole belly Ipswich clams and lobster rolls by the ounce are on the menu. The restaurant will also have a full bar featuring specially curated wines, beers and spirits as well as an innovative cocktail menu.

So who else wants Fried Lobster & Waffles?

2) Rosebud American Kitchen and Bar invites guests to celebrate the 4th of July with a holiday selection of classic, American pies available for special order for your barbecue or picnic. In addition to its currently available pies, Banana Foster, Mixed Berry, Chocolate Cream, Peanut Butter Fudge & Dutch Apple, Rosebud will be offering Peach Crumble, Strawberry Rhubarb & Blueberry Crumble for holiday ordering.

The pies cost $25 each and need to be pre-ordered by June 30th to ensure pick-up by July 3rd- Rosebud will be closed July 4th. To place an order, please call (617) 629-9500

3) The Fifth Annual Trade PMC Brunch Fundraiser will be held at Trade on Sunday, June 5, from Noon to 3pm. This includes a brunch buffet and specialty cocktails, along with a silent auction to benefit Dana Farber Cancer Institute. This year marks Team Porto-TRADE's sixth consecutive Pan Mass Challenge - the 192 mile bike ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown to raise money for cancer research. In the last 5 years, the Trade team of riders has raised over $500K toward finding a cure.

Tickets to the Fifth Annual Trade PMC Brunch Fundraiser are $50 and are now available on eventbrite. For more information or to make a reservation, please log onto http://www.eventbrite.com/e/5th-annual-pmc-fundraiser-at-trade-tickets-24969362034 to purchase tickets.

100% of the proceeds will go to the Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute.

Thirst Boston: Craft Cider--From Orchard to Glass

On Friday, I'll be traveling to Vermont for TasteCamp, the annual event that brings together a small number of wine writers to explore the wines of a specific region. Over the years, TasteCamp has evolved and expanded to include an exploration of locally produced beer, spirits, ciders and even food. Thus, while we are in Vermont, we will sample a diverse selection of beverages including hard cider. While at Thirst Boston, I had a sneak peek at a couple of the cider producers we will meet in Vermont and want to share some insight into their products.

First, let's reach back to 1852, when Vermont passed a Liquor Law which essentially was a type of Prohibition, banning much alcohol production. Fortunately, the production of hard cider was not prohibited, as long as no other fermentable sugars were added to it. However, you couldn't sell cider at any "...victualing house, tavern, grocery shop, or cellar, or other place of public resort.”  Why was cedar allowed to remain legal? First, it was easy to make and with "...the abundance of apple trees and orchards across the state, it would have been impossible to outlaw production." Second, cider was "...an important staple of daily nutrition. Consuming water was still a dangerous gamble, and beer produced at breweries was illegal under the law." The Liquor Law significantly increased cider consumption though around 1880, cider production and consumption was finally outlawed.

(All the above quotes are from Vermont Prohibition: Teetotalers, Bootleggers & Corruption by Adam Krakowski.)

Now, back to the recent past. At Thirst Boston, I attended the seminar Craft Cider: From Orchard to Glass, which was described as: "No longer New England’s best-kept beverage secret, cider is popping up on menus at bars and restaurants all over the country these days. It’s shed its too-sweet reputation and now cider (essentially fermented fruit) is known as a sophisticated and complex beverage that can stand on its own or take the place of beer, wine, and even a cocktail." The seminar was supposed to cover the "...different styles of craft cider, how they are produced, and how to pair food and cider. You’ll leave with a wealth of information enabling you to better choose and enjoy all kinds of cider."

The presenters included Eleanor Léger, founder of Eden Specialty Ciders, and David Dolginow, co-owner of Shacksbury Cider. Eden Speciality Ciders extends back to 2007, getting their start with apple ice cider though they have since expanded to produce a variety of different apple ciders, leading to their name change from Eden Ice Cider to Eden Speciality Ciders. They have about 1000 trees, growing 42 varieties of apples, and also buy apples from a number of local growers. David, and his partner Colin Davis, got into the cider business, partially after tasting the delicious ciders from Eden. In 2013, they founded Shacksbury Cider in Shoreham, Vermont.

The seminar began with some general information about apples and cider, such as that most apples trace their ancestry to the Eurasian country of Kazakhstan. Elinor made it clear that Eden and Shacksbury produce niche ciders, very different from the large commercial ciders that are available in the market. The key difference is the orchard, the type of apples which are used in the ciders.  Apples can roughly be divided into three basic types, eating, heirloom and bittersweet/sharp. There was brief mention of a local, old heirloom apple called the Roxbury Russet which originated around the 1640s in Roxbury, MA. There was also some information about the three main styles of cider in Europe, including Spain, France and England.

Cider has become a significant category and in 2015, about 28.7 million cases of cider were sold, though that figure doesn't include sales of cider at restaurants and bars. The commercial cider category grew by about 6% but the craft cider category exploded, with a growth of 44%! Though some of those large, commercial cider producers may have helped to initialize the cider craze, more people now are seeking out craft ciders, those smaller, more artisanal producers. Elinor noted that there is lots of innovation in the cider industry, plenty of experimentation with styles and types. They don't have to follow traditional styles and can try to create their own path.

Why does the cost of cider vary so much sometimes? One of the big differences is the cost of the ingredients used to make the cider, especially the pre-fermentation, raw juice cost . For example, water costs about $0.02 a gallon while reconstituted concentrate is only $0.70 per gallon. When you consider juice from culled dessert fruit orchards, the cost rises to $2.50 per gallon and the juice from apples specifically grown for cider are a significant $8.00 per gallon. A number of commercial ciders often are much cheaper because they use reconstituted concentrate while the more craft ciders, using cider apples, much charge more due to the much higher cost of their basic ingredient. Keep that in mind when you start criticizing the higher price of a craft cider.

Eleanor led off our cider tasting with the Eden Sparkling Dry, which is a Champagne-style cider made from heirloom and bittersweet apple varieties grown in Vermont. About 50% of the blend is the cider apple Kingston Black while 30% are heirloom varieties and 20% are grocery-type apples. With a 8.5% ABV and no residual sugar, this cider is from multiple harvest years,  undergoes a secondary fermentation and then is disgorged about six months later. This cider will last for about a year and then it might start to oxidize. It tasted dry and clean, with pleasing apple flavors and a nice effervescence. It's recommended that you can pair this cider with oysters, seafood and veggie dishes. I think oysters might be a tasty pairing, especially some briny ones that would then accompany the dry apple flavors.

David then stepped up to present the second cider, the Shacksbury Pet-Nat, which is part of their Lost Apple Ciders program. This program is intended to seek out the type of apples that were planted for cider over one hundred years ago. This particular cider is a blend of lost apples foraged around the towns of Danby and Tinmouth as well as some English cider apples that are grown at Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall. This cider also uses an old, traditional method of fermentation, which is a hot method in the wine world, known as Pétillant-Naturel or Methode Ancestrale. In short, this method allows the initial fermentation to finish in the bottle. This traps carbon dioxide in the bottle, creating carbonation.

With a 6.7% ABV and no residual sugar, this cider was fermented with native yeasts and was bottled without any added sulfites and without being filtered. As you look at the photo above, you can see that it is cloudy from that lack of filtering. It is bone dry, with a light effervescence, and delicious apple flavors with hints of pear and lemon. It had a long, pleasing finish too. A very interesting cider which would also pair well with a variety of foods, especially seafood.

We then moved onto the Shacksbury Dry, which is sold in a can. This cider was only released about two weeks ago and is a blend of about 70% grocery apples and 30% bittersweet, with about 30% of the total apples supplied from the UK. The English varieties are slow fermented to fully express the apple. This cider has 0.4% residual sugar so it is primarily dry with only a kiss of sweetness. It presents more of a carbonated apple taste and tastes better than many of the other canned ciders from the large commercial producers.

I was fascinated with the Shacksbury WhistlePig Barrel-Aged Cider, where this cider was aged in used barrels supplied by their neighbor WhistlePig Rye. This cider is a blend of about 90% bittersweet apples and 10% grocery apples, including McIntosh, Empire, Cortland, Dabinett, Somerset Redstreak, Browns, Michelin, and Ellis Bitters. The apples were sourced from Sunrise Orchards in Vermont and Dragon Orchards in Herefordshire, England. With a 6.9% ABV and 1% residual sugar, this cider saw a slow, partial native yeast fermentation.

Then it was aged in Whistlepig barrels, which were previously Sauternes barrels, for about six months. The barrels are then returned to WhistlePig. David stated that cider is very delicate so you must be very careful with barrel aging and they engaged in three years of experimentation before finding something which they felt good for their cider. This is their first batch and they consider it to be a dessert cider. I found it to be more full-bodied and smooth, with a complex melange of flavors, including caramel, honey, vanilla, mild spices and some fruity notes, mostly apple but with some citrus and pear as well. It has only a small touch of sweetness and mild effervescence. A fascinating cider, I think this would be great with cheese.

Another fascinating cider, presented by Eleanor, was the Eden Orleans Herbal Aperitif, which I think is almost an "Apple Vermouth." This cider was developed in collaboration with Deirdre Heekin of La Garagista. Made with Vermont apples, this cider was infused with organic herbs from their own fields, with Basil and Hyssop being the primary herbs. On the nose, the cider presents an alluring aroma of herbs with apple hints and on the palate it is savory and interesting, blending apple flavors with floral notes, herbal accents and a touch of honey. It is about 16% ABV, but the alcohol is well integrated and balanced. With a lengthy, satisfying finish, this is an intriguing and compelling cider, a unique blend which has lots of potential.

Eleanor stated this Aperitif could be simply enjoyed over ice with a twist of lime, though it also works well in cocktails. For example, you could blend it with some Ginger Beer to make an Orleans Mule. Or for something special, you could try a Vermont Vesper, made with Barr Hill Gin and Green Mountain Organic Lemon Vodka. I'm curious how it would do in a Manhattan as a substitute for Vermouth. I want to note that Eden also produces a Bitter version of this Aperitif. At TasteCamp this weekend, I plan on buying some of this Aperitif and look forward to tasting the bitter version too.

We ended the tasting with the Eden Heirloom Blend Ice Cider, which is a blend of about 50% cider apples and has no added sugar. Interestingly, it takes over 8 pounds of apples to create a 375ml bottle of this ice cider. The apple juice is left outside during the winter and it is later aged for a time in French oak, former apple brandy barrels. With a 10% ABV and 15% residual sugar, it is sweet though with balanced acidity so it isn't cloying. It has rich, sweet and tart apple flavors with hints of baking spices. A pleasing after-dinner drink, which I also think would go very well with a Vermont cheese plate.

I asked both Eleanor and David about using these ciders for cooking. Eleanor mentioned that the Orleans Herbal Aperitif would be excellent for general use and that the Ice Cider works well as a reduction for pork dishes. David mentioned that they have a partnership with a Basque cider producer and that their product would work well for a simple Chorizo a la Sidra, chorizo cooked in cider. In addition, the said that Mussels Braised in Cider is another excellent choice.

I love the innovation displayed by these two Vermont cider producers and their dedication to their craft. These are ciders that intrigue and tantalize the palate. And they have uses beyond simply being enjoyed in the glass. They can be part of a craft cocktail or be used in a recipe. This seminar was a  cool glimpse into what TasteCamp Vermont will bring this weekend.

You don't have travel to Vermont for these ciders (though you probably should make the trek to see the cideries) as these ciders are available in Massachusetts through Ruby Wines.