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Showing posts from June, 2024

Cooking with White Wine

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Choosing the right dry white wine for cooking can be tricky due to the variety of styles and flavors. The perfect bottle should complement your dish without overpowering it. The wine's flavor profile, body, and acidity will intensify with cooking, so selecting the right one is crucial. Pick a Wine You Enjoy Drinking   Since recipes often require only a small amount, choose a high-quality wine you'll enjoy with your meal. Avoid subpar grocery store “cooking wine” and opt for something you look forward to drinking. However, there’s no need to splurge; cooking will burn off alcohol and mask subtler nuances. Best White Wines for Cooking Pinot Grigio   This light, dry wine is versatile and affordable, making it great for scampi or fish dishes. Its acidity and subtle flavor enhance without overwhelming. Sauvignon Blanc   Crisp and bright, Sauvignon Blanc adds zingy flavor to dishes like pan sauces or chicken piccata. Its high acidity and minerality are perfect for deglazing pans or s

Cocktail Trivia

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Cocktail Origin : The term "cocktail" first appeared in print in 1806 in the "Balance and Columbian Repository," defining it as a mix of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. Old Fashioned : This classic cocktail dates back to the early 1800s and is named for its simple, "old-fashioned" ingredients: whiskey, sugar, bitters, and water. Prohibition Impact : During Prohibition in the U.S. (1920-1933), bartenders created cocktails to mask the taste of bootlegged alcohol, leading to the rise of mixed drinks. Aperitifs vs. Digestifs : Aperitifs, like vermouth and Campari, are served before meals to stimulate appetite, while digestifs, such as brandy and amaro, are enjoyed after meals to aid digestion. Punch : The word "punch" comes from the Hindi word "panch," meaning five, referring to the five ingredients in traditional punch: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. Egg Whites in Cocktails : Egg whites are used in cocktails like the

Oysters and Wine Pairing

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It’s oyster season. And we are going through a lot of them at Prime! So, I wanted to give you some insight as to how to pair them with…what else? Wine! Oysters, rulers of the ocean floor, anchored in one spot, filtering water, grow over three years until they reach market size. But don't be fooled by their unassuming nature. When you enjoy a fresh oyster, it's not just a simple sea-flavored snack. It's a hidden adventure of flavors, savored by enthusiasts as meticulously as a golf pro’s grip. These ocean delicacies offer a symphony of tastes and textures, creating a culinary experience for your palate. Now, let's elevate the experience with some wine and oyster pairings: 1.     The Briny Oyster : Oysters, with their quintessential salty oceanic essence, are like the sea's equivalent of potato chips. Most briny oysters are, conveniently, farmed on the East Coast. For a perfect pairing, most Wine experts will suggest that you try an oaked California Chardonnay. The bo

Does Swirling Wine Help?

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  There are few things more mesmerizing than watching a deep, ruby colored wine skillfully swirled around a large-bowled glass. Conversely, watching an “over-swirler” throw the wine around like a ride at an amusement park can seem quite pompous. Regardless of style and technique, there’s a tremendous amount of value and purpose to the wine swirl. Most of it has to do with oxygen and aeration, but there are other reasons why the swirl is a key component in the 5 Ss of wine tasting. It Opens the Wine As soon as wine is exposed to oxygen, its aroma compounds become more detectable as they attach themselves to evaporating alcohol as it lifts from the glass. Oxygen also can help to soften harsh tannins on bigger wines, allowing them to become smoother and silkier. Just about every wine will benefit from swirling to some extent, though younger, bolder wines may require more. But be cautious about overswirling an older vintage wine—oxygen can turn from friend to foe, and it’s easy to overoxid