Alas, Poor Piggy. I Knew Him Well: Part 1

Yes, Joel Cox is getting ready to butcher that pig in front of hundreds of people. This was but one part of the intriguing and delicious Cochon 555 event which was recently held at the Liberty Hotel. In a later post, you will be able to see some photos of Joel's work.

The basic idea of Cochon 555 was: "Five Chefs, Five Pigs, Five Winemakers.” Five top local chefs each received a 70 pound heritage pig which they could cook anyway they desired. The chefs's dishes would be judged based on the creativity and flavor of their dishes and the winner would be crowned the “Prince of Porc.” There was a panel of judges plus all of the attendees got a vote as well. The chefs included: Jamie Bissonnette of Toro, Jason Bond of Beacon Hill Bistro, Tony Maws of Craigie on Main, Joseph Margate of Clink, and Matthew Jennings of Farmstead Inc.

Five wineries also showcased their wines, including: Patz & Hall, Krupp Brothers, Chase Family Cellars, Meander Wines, and Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery.

My time at Cochon 555 began a bit earlier than many of the other attendess as I spent a little extra money to purchase a VIP ticket, and it was well worth it. The VIP ticket granted you access earlier to an exclusive food and drink event including more wine, cheese and pork.

South End Formaggio presented two tables of varied and delicious cheeses and crackers. I sampled plenty of the cheeses, savoring all that I tasted. There was not a bad one in the bunch. I have long been a fan of this store and they have an excellent selection of artisan cheeses, as well as other gourmet foods and wines. If you visit the South End, then you should check out this store.

On their tables were also containers of Chicharrones, supplied by 4505 Meats. Created by Chef Ryan Farr in San Francisco, they are supposed to be: "Drawn from only the best local sources, our Chicharrones contain natural pork, sea salt, cane sugar, and the finest chiles." But what are they? Thin, crunchy, and tubular in shape (thought they were not hollow), they were very light but had an explosion of flavor. Their saltiness was most prominent, though not overly so, and there were hints of sweetness too. I found them to have a bit of smokiness in the taste as well. All I know is that I devoured a fair amount of them, finding them quite an addictive snack.

There was a sixth winery in the VIP room, Elk Cove Vineyards from Oregon. Elk Cove is a family owned and operated winery that produces fine Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc. They had five wines available for tasting, including their 2007 Pinot Blanc, 2007 Pinot Gris, 2007 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, 2007 Pinot Noir Mt. Richmond, and 2006 Pinot Noir Roosevelt.

All five of these wines impressed me. The two whites (both about $19) had plenty of flavor and character, showing how both of these grapes can really make very good and distinctive wines. And all three Pinots were quite tasty, silky smooth and full of lush flavors. There were the type of Pinot Noirs that really please me, hedonistic wines yet restrained as well. Rather than boldly attack your palate, they seduce you, and they worked their magic on me. I am going to pick up some of these wines in the near future, and will provide fuller reviews. They definitely get my full recommendations.

Besides the fine wine, I was also quite intrigued by Domaine de Canton, a French Ginger Liqueur (about $32). The liqueur is made from fresh baby Vietnamese ginger which is then macerated with various herbs and spices. Then, some eau de vie, VSOP, XO Grande Champagne Cognacs, Tahitian vanilla, Provencal honey, and Tunisian ginseng is added to the mixture. It is made by hand, in small batches, and is all natural. Certainly a curious and intriging blend of ingredients.

I tried the liqueur on its own, in a Domaine de Canton Cocktail, and in a Watermelon Mojito. On its own, it has a strong ginger flavor and a bit of sweetness, though not cloyingly so. There were some underlying spice notes as well. Both cocktails were delicious, with the ccompanying ginger flavor enhancing the rest of the tastes. It added only a bit of sweetness to the cocktails. I really liked the Watermelon Mojito.

They passed out some small sample bottles of the liqueur and I have since made cocktails at home with it. I mixed it with a non-alcoholic mojito soda as well as trying it with a few different juices. In all of the drinks, the ginger flavor seemed to enhance the drink, making it quite refreshing. My family and friends who tasted the drinks all enjoyed them as well. I think this liqueur would make some fun summer cocktails and I look forward to taking a pitcher of them to a BBQ or beach party.

There was one additional item at the VIP area that I want to mention, a comparison tasting of pork from five heritage pigs. But that deserves its own post.

To Be Continued...

The Madrono: Strawberry Cobbler Cocktail

Do you remember the Belmont Breeze cocktail I posted about a couple months ago? It used Dry Sack, a Sherry which is a blend of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez grapes and is aged for six years under the Solera system of blending. I have another new cocktail for you, also using Dry Sack.

The Madroño, winner of the 2007 U.S. Sherry Cocktail Competition, is a twist on the traditional Sherry Cobbler cocktail. I had never heard of a Cobbler cocktail before but it is supposed to use a base spirit of wine, sugar, fresh fruit and ice. The original was the Sherry Cobbler, very popular in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Mixologist Giuseppe Gonzalez, currently at The Clover Club in New York, created the Madroño using fresh strawberries and Dry Sack.

"The cocktail was beautiful and balanced on its own merits. The strawberry, cinnamon, and demerara sugar combined with the Dry Sack created a delicious combination. This cobbler is an impressive nod to a classic cocktail. It was also a cocktail that was driven by Sherry, in that it was the principal ingredient. That wasn't a deciding factor at all, but it was nice to see Giuseppe utilize Sherry as the base for a cocktail and execute it perfectly," Andy Seymour, U.S. Sherry Ambassador.

Madroño
3 oz. Dry Sack
2 strawberries
2 cinnamon sticks
½ oz. Torani Amer
2 barspoons Demerara Syrup

Muddle one strawberry in Torani Amer. Break cinnamon stick in half in cocktail shaker. Add Dry Sack. Shake.
Serve in wine goblet or rocks glass. Add ice. Garnish with fanned strawberry, cinnamon stick and a straw.

St. Germain: All Over Boston

I recently posted about the St. Germain cocktail that I took to a summer party and which was a big hit. I was a pleasant surprise to read today's Boston Globe and found an article about St. Germain, "A sweet summer pick? St-Germain is the one."

The article gives some descriptive background on the liquer and then provides a list of local restaurants/bars that serve St. Germain, including listing some of the cocktails. Maybe you want to try a Hit of Sunshine that combines St. Germain, raspberry puree and champagne. Or a San Germargarita with Patron silver tequila, fresh lime juice and agave nectar. There are plenty of options so I recommend that you check out the Globe article.

What is your favorite St. Germain cocktail?

St. Germain

Over the weekend, I attended an annual summer party in Ipswich. Each year, we try to bring some unique cocktail, something different that we think everyone will enjoy. This year, we brought a large jug of St. Germain Cocktail.

I first tried the St. Germain at a wine tasting in Saugus. I found it to be an intriguing liquer and I very much enjoyed the refreshing St. Germain cocktail. I thought it would make an excellent summer drink.

It is a simple cocktail to create. Just combine the following, mix well and add a twist of lemon:

1 1/2 parts St. Germain liquer
2 parts Sparkling wine or Dry white wine (we used a Spanish Cava)
2 parts Club Soda or Soda Water

This cocktail was a big hit at the party and they drank the jug dry. They loved its crisp and exotic taste. Plus, they thought it was a refreshing drink, with just a touch of sweetness. Even a few who hesitated at first to even try it, enjoyed it once they tasted it. We probably would have gone through a second jug if we had brought one.

So, the next time you are attending a summer get together, why not bring some St. Germain cocktail and make a great impression on your friends and family.

UNLVino: Ty Ku

At many wine expos, there are often a few non-wine alcohols available as well, though often with some type of wine connection. One such mysterious example at UNLVino was Ty Ku, an intriguing new liquer. It ia partially mysterious as the marketing appears directed to that end. For example, they do not provide you a full list of the ingredients in Ty Ku. Plus, some of the links on their website, especially the FAQ and Media Sheet, do not work. Thus, there is not a lot of concrete information about the product.

It is a green-colored liquer that comes in a frosted, pyramidal bottle. The bottle also glows when you pick it up. So it is going to look interesting at a partially darkened bar when the bottle's light goes on. The liquer is a blend of about twenty different ingredients, allegedly all natural. Two of the ingredients are Saké and Vodka, though the liquer is only 40 proof. It is said that this may be the first Saké liquer.

Of the other known ingredients, they include such items as yuzu, pomegranate, prickly pear, oolong tea, green tea, honeydew and plum. Plus, it includes ginseng, damiana and dragon's eye, all of which are so-called natural aphrodisiacs. Damiana is a shrub native to Central and South America and its leaves are thought to be an aphrodisiac. Dragon's eye, also known as longans, is a fruit that also is an alleged aphrodisiac. There are around 6-7 ingredients which are unknown. I should also mention that Ty Ku is supposed to be low in calories, unlike some of the more sugary liquers on the market.

I tasted the Ty Ku straight, to find out its flavors as a stand alone. First, it definitely was not cloying sweet. There were more of a hint of sweetness and it felt more natural, more like the sweetness of good fruit. The liquer had an intriguing blend of fruit flavors, both exotic and familiar. I got a lot of melon and pear flavors, as well as touches of other herbal flavors. It presents more of a tropical taste and I did enjoy it. Though it probably would do best in cocktails rather than just straight. I cannot vouch for its alleged aphrodisiacs though.

Their website presents plenty of cocktail recipes for the Ty Ku. It certainly seems versatile enough to mix with most anything. And it probably makes some good summertime cocktails. I think it is a very different liquer and I would recommend it.

Ty Ku sells for around $30-35 for a 750 ml bottle. I am sure the glowing bottle contributes to a decent portion of its price. I don't think that was necessary as the Ty Ku could stand on its own as a good liquer. But gimmicks sometimes help sell products. Ty Ku is currently available in New York, Nevada, and the Virgin Islands though it will soon be available in other markets as well.