Posts Tagged ‘champagne’
“Hey, Want To Be My Non-Date Valentine’s Day Date?” And Other Great Ways To Celebrate V-Day
Posted by Lorin Drinkard / Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
Today begins the countdown – approximately 312 hours until D-Day V-Day is here. Not to get your palms sweating but what’s the plan, Stan? Do you have that perfect person to spent the evening with, devouring romantic poems and feeding each other chocolates? No?
Too bad.
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 28th, 2011
Image: Ivanova Inga/Shutterstock
Today, Wednesday, December 28, you can start prepping for your New Year’s celebrations with a bubbly wine and blini tasting, or just enjoy the cheap tastes.
Blinis, the small thin Russian pancakes similar to crepes but made with yeasted butter, are usually eaten topped with butter, honey, jam, sour cream or caviar. They’re traditionally eaten to start the New Year with good luck.
The Whole Foods in Vienna will be serving up tastings of bubbly wine and blinis with resident sommelier John Story from 6:30-8 p.m. for $5 per person.
Whole Foods is located at 143 Maple Ave. in Vienna (703-319-2000). For more information go here.
-Julia Harbo
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, December 26th, 2011
So, Christmas is over, and if you’re anything like me, you can’t look at another cookie or holiday baked good (until next year). Good thing New Year’s Eve is our next big holiday, with more holiday festivities to celebrate. Oh, the holidays!
If you haven’t decided on your NYE plans yet, here’s one idea for you:
A New Year’s Eve party in Columbia Firehouse in Alexandria has lots of goods to share, from holiday punch to a pulled pork BBQ bar. Other eats being passed around will include crispy oyster sliders, shrimp and grits with tasso ham, and plenty of sweets, if you didn’t have enough this past weekend.
The party starts at 9:30 p.m. in the historic Chop Room with a DJ for dancing and a bubbly countdown to ring in 2012 at midnight.
Tickets are $60 per person and include food, holiday punch and champagne. Purchase tickets here before they’re all sold out!
Also check out the food guides for New Year’s Eve.
-Julia Harbo
Photo courtesy of Columbia Firehouse
EatBar’s Holiday Sparkler Tasting
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, December 5th, 2011
Image: Ivanova Inga/Shutterstock
Want to get fizzy?
This Saturday, December 10, from 1-4 p.m. EatBar in Arlington is hosting a Sparkler Tasting and sale of 20 of the best sparkling wines of the holiday season.
The afternoon will be full of fizzy delight as EatBar uncorks 20 sparkling wines.
From Cava to Champagne to Cremant, featured wines will include: Aubry 1er Cru Brut, Champagne France; Argyle Brut, Willamette Valley, Oregon; Pierre Paillard Grand Cru Brut, Champagne, France and Chateau Gaillard, Cremant de la Loire, Loire Valley, France.
The fifth annual Sparkler event is open to all with tickets for $25 per person and includes tastes of the 20 different sparkling wines with the opportunity to purchase any of the featured bottles at a special price (all bottles are under $50).
Tickets must be purchased in advance at http://tallulaeatbar.ticketleap.com/sparklerparty/.
For more information, visit www.tallularestaurant.com or www.eat-bar.com.
-Julia Harbo
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, October 26th, 2011
Did you know that this Friday is International Champagne Day?
Image: Ivanova Inga/Shutterstock
In preparation of the big day, here are some facts about champagne:
-Champagne is a region in France (including the towns of Rhiems, Ay, and Epernay) where the first sparkling wine was made.
-Champagne is now synonymous with all sparkling wines, but should technically only be used for sparkling wine made with grapes from the Champagne region of France.
-A 1970 bottle of Dom Perignon sells for around $2,500.
-Basement climate cabinets are the best places to store champagne.
-Champagne contains antioxidants that are beneficial in reducing the risk of heart problems or strokes.
In honor of Champagne Day, Friday, October 28, Marcel’s in D.C. is offering a French tasting of three specialty champagnes paired with three extravagant hors d’oeuvre.
The champagnes are: Jacquesson Cuvee 734 from Dizy-Champagne, Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve from Mareuil-sur-Ay-Champagne, and Michel-Arnould Brut Rose Grand Cru NV from Verzenay-Champagne.
For the food, Chef Robert Wiedmaier will be serving Quail Egg on Toasted Brioche, Kumamoto Oyster with Champagne Mignonette, and Potato Blini with Smoked Scottish Salmon and Crème Fraîche. All of the hors d’oeuvre will also include Osetra Caviar, one of the most prized caviars in the world.
There will also be champagne experts on hand to speak about the champagnes.
Prices of the tastings are $100 for champagne and food, or $29 for champagne only at the bar. Marcel’s also has over 40 different kinds of champagne on their menu, so if you still want more, no worries there. To RSVP, call 202-296-1166.
Marcel’s is located at 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
And if you’re not up for shelling out the cash, please, at least honor Friday’s big day by popping open a bottle of bubbly at home.
-Julia Harbo
Happy Hour: Shirlington Hosts Girls’ Night
Posted by Lorin Drinkard / Thursday, October 6th, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
With discounts, drinks and deals galore, Shirlington‘s girls’ night will be taking the village by storm. A stiletto storm, that is.
Ladies, we're going out next week in our red high heels. /Photo Courtesy: The Village at Shirlington
Next Thursday, October 13th, meet up with a few gal pals and enjoy the plethora of shopping and pampering opportunities under the twinkle-lit streets of The Village of Shirlington. With twelve participating businesses plus local eateries, there’s a full night of saving and sampling up ahead.
The night will gear up at 5 p.m. and specials/discounts run til 10 p.m. No tickets/registration required. Just bring your fab self and a friend or two for a girls’ night out done right.
Check out just a few of the featured Shirlie Specials:
Ah Love Oil & Vinegar: From 5 p.m.–7 p.m. join us for food
tastings and a live cooking demo! Find your perfect pairs during
the olive oil and balsamic pairing sale and as a treat for the evening,
enter to win a gift basket full of delicious goodies. Must be present at
time of drawing to win.
CakeLove: Cupcakes are better with friends! Buy 2 cupcakes, get 1
cupcake free from 5 p.m.–9 p.m. May not be combined with any
other offers, promotions or discounts.
Capitol City Brewing Company: $2 cask beer from 6 p.m.–9 p.m.
Dogma Bakery & Boutique: Stop by for a dog/pet and parent
look alike contest including pet/parent photos. Treat yourself to a
wine and cheese tasting while your dog gets treated to Dog-tini’s,
Bowser Beer and some other tasty goodies!
Extra Virgin Modern Italian: Enjoy a Maxi-Waxi cocktail for
$7.50. Served till 9 p.m.
Hardwood Artisans: Stroll through the showroom while enjoying
chocolate, cheese and a bubbly treats!
Le Village Marché: Ladies, stop by for a drink and enjoy 20% off
your entire purchase!
Nirvana Reflexology: Need to relax? Treat yourself to a 1 hour
Nirvana Signature session for $42 (Reg: $65).
Periwinkle: Sip champagne while you shop! Receive 10% off your
entire purchase. Expires October 14, 2011. Excludes jewelry.
Ping: Savor a signature Shirlie Cocktail for $6.
Signature Theatre: 10% off the performances of The Hollow and
The Detective Fails for the entire week. Use the code word “YUM”
when purchasing. Purchase tickets online or call 703-820-9771.
Studio Salon & Spa: Get ready for your girl’s night out with half-off
a shampoo and blow-dry.
Also, Shirlington’s first ever Restaurant Week will be in full swing. Come hungry and enjoy a 3-course dinner from one of Shirlie’s own great restaurants for just $25.
Shirlie’s Girls’ Night Out
Campbell Avenue
Arlington, VA 22206
www.villageatshirlington.com
Time: 5 – 10 p.m.
- Lorin Drinkard
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
By Natalie Bovis-Nelsen (AKA: TheLiquidMuse.com)
Photography by Moshe Zusman
The artists of yore were known for their drinking habits and hard-living ways. In today’s bars, we can find many a drinker waxing poetic past the midnight hour. Therefore, this creation by D.C.-area mixologist Derek Brown is the perfect tipple for the Bohemian cocktailing crowd, especially because absinthe is once again legal. Brown credits “the absinthe cocktails of two artistic giants—Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon (champagne and absinthe) and Toulouse Lautrec’s Tremblement du Terre (absinthe and cognac)”—with inspiring his take. “It is surprisingly refreshing and definitely inspires artistic vision.”
Etouffer un Perroquet
1/2 ounce brandy
1/2 ounce absinthe
Approximately 2 ounces champagne
1 lemon twist
Shake brandy and absinthe, with ice. Strain into a champagne flute and top with champagne. Garnish with the lemon twist.
(April 2009)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, November 21st, 2008
By Natalie Bovis-Nelsen (AKA: TheLiquidMuse.com)
Courtesy of Bombay Sapphire
It may be time for you to reconsider the outdated notion that only wine is fit to drink with a gourmet meal. Today’s talented mixologists are tailoring cocktails to complement the savory flavors of fancy fare.
James Moreland, Aussie native, former New York bartender and now resident mixologist for Bombay Sapphire gin, has a flair for mixing fine cuisine with imbibe-able counterparts:
White Sapphire Ginger Martini
Fabulous with rich, meaty crab cakes.
1 ounce Bombay Sapphire gin
Slither of fresh ginger
8 white grapes
1/2 ounce fresh apple juice
Muddle ginger and grapes at the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients, then shake with lots of ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Sapphire Bubbles
Adds sparkle to elegant strawberry crepes topped with a kiwi reduction.
1 1⁄4 ounce Bombay Sapphire gin
1 teaspoon fine sugar
1/2 ounce lemon juice
2 ounces dry champagne
1⁄2 ounce mandarin liqueur
Mix lemon juice and fine sugar into stirring glass, then fill with ice. Add gin and mandarin liqueur. Shake and strain into chilled champagne flute. Top with champagne.
(November 2007)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, November 21st, 2008
By Natalie Bovis-Nelsen (AKA: TheLiquidMuse.com)
Photography by Claire Barrett
You don’t have to be one of the “Rich and Famous” to drink like them! When billionaire bachelor Calvin Ayre wanted his own Liquid Muse signature cocktail, I began with a swanky classic, the Negroni, and gave it a refreshing twist. Below, are the recipes for both the inspiration and the result:
The Classic Negroni
1 1/2 ounces gin
1 1/2 ounces Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 orange twist (or wheel)
Pour gin, Campari and vermouth into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with orange twist.
Billion-Ayre’s Bet
3 ounces Bombay Sapphire gin
2 ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
3/4 ounce Campari
Squeeze of lime
Champagne
Shake gin, juices and Campari with ice. Strain and pour into rocks glass filled with fresh ice cubes. Top with champagne. Garnish with lime wheel.
(October 2007)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, November 21st, 2008
By Natalie Bovis-Nelsen (AKA: TheLiquidMuse.com)
Photography by Moshe Zusman
The dining (and drinking) landscape is exploding in, and around, Northern Virginia. New hotspots, picturesque wineries—even a vodka distillery—make “clinking glasses” anywhere else seem like a wasted journey.
Passion Fruit Kir Royale
1 ounce passion fruit puree
4 1/2 ounces champagne (NV Janisson & Fils Tradition Brut)
Pour passion fruit puree into chilled champagne flute and top with champagne. Garnish with orange slice or a strawberry.
Vin de Fruit
2-3 torn fresh mint leaves
1 lime wedge
2-3 each: raspberries, blueberries and strawberries
1 strawberry, sliced
1/2 ounce simple syrup
4 ounces Francois Mikulski pinot noir rosé prosecco
Muddle fruit and simple syrup in mixing glass. Add ice and rosé, and shake. Pour into cocktail glass and fill with prosecco and garnish with a fresh strawberry.
(September 2007)