Tomorrow night, RIS kicks off their Summer Series of wine dinners with a selection of California’s best Rhone-style wines, paired alongside some of Chef Lacoste’s spring-into-summer favorites. Tickets are still available for this inaugural event. Contact Jackie Ludden at 202.730.2508 or jackie@risdc.com.

Summer  Series Wine Dinner at RIS, Thursday, June 10, 2010  7:00 pm

Splash

Sparkling and Nosh

Refresh

Melon Strata, Smoked & Cured Salmon, Ricotta & Goat
TERCERO, 2009 Rosé Blend

Surf

Fennel Crusted Tuna, Creamy Vichyssoise and Basil-Mint Pesto
STAGE LEFT CELLARS,  2008 White Blend,  ”The Go Getter”

Grill

Grilled Ribeye Steaks Doused with Grilled Onion Butter on Grilled Peppers and Succotash
TERCERO, 2007 Red Blend, “Cuvee Christie”

Campfire

Toasted Marshmallows, Melted Chocolate and Walnut Grahams
CLINE, 2006 Late Harvest Mourvèdre

$135

All-Inclusive

Though I was out of town taking three WSET Diploma exams and unfortunately didn’t get to attend, DC’s version of the James Beard awards–the RAMMYs–were held on Sunday night. Organized by the RAMW (the Restaurant Association of Metro Washington), these awards recognize the best in food and beverage around the city.

Special congratulations go out to Proof, who won best wine program, and PS7, who snagged the first ever mixology program award. Proof sommelier Sebastian Zutant is fantastic. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to dine there and have him suggest a glass of bubbly from the Champagne cart, or select a bottle to pair with one of Haidar Karoum’s dishes, you know what I’m talking about. And Gina Chersevani is a mixtress extraordinaire, whose innovative beverage program at PS7 is definitely in a class by itself, including her collaboration with chef Peter Smith for fresh, fragrant and just damn tasty drinks. The pair and their respective venues are definitely worthy of these coveted awards.

Congrats to all the RAMMY winners. And here is a recipe that Gina recently shared with me for a “healthy,” low-cal cocktail:

Ant-eye-ox-a-dent
Courtesy of Gina Chersevani, PS7 Restaurant, Washington, DC

1.5 oz SKYY Vodka
1 large or 2 small strawberries (mashed)
1 oz of Pomegranate tea
1 oz of lo-cal sour mix (Stevia sweetened lemon juice. Can substitute lemon juice and simple syrup, to taste.)
1 pinch of cinnamon
Lemon peel, for garnish

In a shaker 3/4 filled with ice, combine SKYY Vodka, strawberries, Pomegranate tea, sour mix, and cinnamon.  Shake until frothy, strain over a rock glass filled with ice and garnish with a lemon peel.

Wine Enthusiast, one of the publications I write for most frequently, is presenting Toast of the Town at the  National Building Museum at 401 F St. NW, Friday, June 11, from 7-10 p.m. The VIP tasting starts at 5 p.m.

This is the first time that the national wine and restaurant tasting event  will be in DC. Guests will have the opportunity to sample over 500 wines and spirits from around the world, nosh on dishes from more than 30 local restaurants, and listen to live music.

My friend Metrocurean is offering up three lucky winners a pair of tickets to the Toast of the Town event. Comment on her post about the event, letting her know your favorite wine for hot summer nights, and she’ll announce three winners Monday at 10 a.m. readers can also snag $10 off Grand tickets and $20 off VIP tickets. Use the following promotional code during check out here: MC2010

Grand tickets are $89; VIP tickets are $169. Purchase tickets here.

Ca'Secco brings some of the fun of Italian Prosecco to Napa Valley.

Planning to usher in summer this Memorial Day weekend? Temps will approach 90 degrees on Sunday in the DC area, and that calls for something light, fruity and easily quaffable. And since we are celebrating the return of summer, some fun and fruity bubbles seem especially appropriate.

Ca’ Momi, three Italians making wine in the Napa Valley, have recently released a new wine that pays tribute to the land of their birth: Ca’ Secco. The California appellation wine is light, fruity and slightly bubbly, capturing some of the fun and style of more traditional Prosecco wines from the Veneto region. Ca’ Momi wines are named for the family home in Northern Italy. The name pays tribute to Momi dea Bionda, a local character who was famous for his obsession with the house, his grapes and his wine.

Winemakers Dario De Conti and Stefano Migotto explain: “This is not Prosecco. It’s from different grapes, and a different place. But we tried to express the delicate character, the joy of that style of wine, while working with the grapes we have here in California. Don’t take it too seriously. It’s just for fun!”

I got a bottle this week, and noticed the crown cap instead of the traditional cork and wire basket. DeConti explains: “We want people to just open the bottle and enjoy the wine. We don’t make this kind of wine for aging. It’s for drinking right now.”

I’m all about instant gratification, especially when it comes to effervescence.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Beefeater's limited edition summer gin

So excited for my trip next month to England, where I’ll get to worship at the altar of my favorite spirit by visiting the Beefeater and Plymouth distilleries, and hitting some of the hottest cocktail scenes in London…But before I can head across the pond, I have to study for and take three WSET exams…ugh. And unfortunately, that studying and some deadlines prevented me from headed to the first Manhattan Cocktail Classic held this week (think Tales of the Cocktail, but in NYC…)

Nonetheless, I have been receiving updates and Tweets, and found out this morning that Beefeater’s new product, Beefeater Summer Gin (which I have been trying to get my hands on) was featured in a cocktail at the MCC.

Beefeater Summer Gin is a lighter style gin specifically for summer, including three new English summer botanicals: hibiscus, blackcurrant and elderflower.

“Summer is a great time to experience and enjoy the unique qualities of gin,” says Maria Puente, Senior Brand Manager for Beefeater at Pernod Ricard. “Our new Beefeater Summer Gin, with its delicate floral overtones, is evocative of a tranquil English summer and blends beautifully with fresh summer fruit flavors and good quality tonic water to create exceptional refreshing summer cocktails.” Beefeater Summer is available from now through July, for $21.99 for a 750 ml bottle.

At the MCC gala on May 14, Dan Warner, Global Ambassador for Beefeater, Kenta Goto of Pegu Club NYC and TJ Lynch of The Breslin served this punch. Would be lovely for a patio party, bridal shower or barbecue.

.
Summer Gin Punch
5 parts Beefeater Summer Gin
1 part St Germain
1 part Maraschino liqueur
5 parts Chilled Green Tea
1 part Lime Juice
5 parts Prosecco

Add ingredients to Punch Bowl with Ice Block. Garnish with pineapple sticks, strawberries, lemon wheel, pink grapefruit wheels and mint sprigs.

I’m currently researching DC bars that have “healthy” cocktails on the menu for an upcoming article. While that may sound like an overt oxymoron, and I’m not proclaiming that you eschew your post-workout protein smoothie for a Pisco Sour, you can put healthy ingredients into the shaker (along with your favorite booze, bitters, liqueur, etc.) and render something good for you (relatively speaking…) Case in point: the food and beverage media can’t seem to get enough of ingredients like acai, pomegranate, blueberries and coconut water. I happen to love all that stuff (especially the coconut water…,) so this is one cocktail bandwagon I’ll happily jump on.

Over at Art & Soul in DC, General Manager and Beverage Manager Jay Poblador has a drink on the menu that includes kalamansi juice. Ok, I love all citrus, and have been digging the fact that yuzu makes it onto many a cocktail menu, but the existence of this fruit stumped me. Luckily Poblador explained. “The kalamansi is a fruit indigenous to Southeast Asia, especially the Philippines. It is an orange-like citrus fruit that is very high in antioxidants, very rich in vitamin C and is great for building up the immune system. In France it is often used in pastries but I thought it would be great in a cocktail.”

Hmmm, sounds like something work seeking out. A little research online taught me that this small fruit is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange, with some kumquat thrown in. Look for it at Asian supermarkets near you. If you absolutely can’t find it, substitute a half and half mixture of fresh lemon and orange juices (ideally, Mandarin or tangerine.) Head to Art & Soul to try it, or mix it up yourself:

The Capitol
Courtesy of Jay Poblador, Art & Soul, Washington, DC

2 oz. vodka
3/4 oz. lavender honey
1/4 oz. fresh kalamansi juice
1/4 oz. orange liqueur (Combier or Cointreau)

Shake well with ice, and serve up in a chilled martini glass with a brown sugar rim.

I haven’t been so prolific on the blog-front these days. It’s because you can usually find me, notebook in hand, researching and taking notes from the Oxford Companion to Wine...My WSET Diploma Units 4, 5 and 6 exams (Spirits, Sparkling Wine and Fortified Wines) are June 7 in Philadelphia…

Too…much…information…head…hurts.

Back to the books!

If you are looking for something to do to enjoy DC’s warm spring weather, while learning a bit about the history of alcohol in the U.S. (and enjoying a beverage or two…) then I encourage you to come out for the incredibly interesting Temperance Tour on May 22 or 23.

The Temperance Tour is a three-hour walking tour of historic sites in DC that led to Prohibition. It’s held in conjunction with WalkingTown, DC,which is offering dozens of FREE tours throughout the weekend on May 22 and 23. My friend Garrett Peck, author of The Prohibition Hangover, will be your tour guide to regale you with stories of long-ago (well, 76 years ago) as if they happened just yesterday.

You will have a choice of TWO tours that weekend – one each on Saturday and Sunday. Each tour is nearly identical. The Temperance Tour starts at 12:00 PM at the Cogswell Temperance Fountain at the Archives/Navy Memorial Metro station on the Green/Yellow Line (the statue is on the east side of 7th Street, just south of the Starbucks; it’s got a large bird on top). From there the group will head up to Calvary Baptist Church in Chinatown, where the Anti-Saloon League had its first national convention in 1895.

Please bring a Metro card, as we’ll take the Red Line to Dupont Circle to visit the Woodrow Wilson House, and hear a docent tell the group about President Wilson, the Volstead Act, and Prohibition. Note that we won’t be able to go into the Woodrow Wilson House on Sunday’s tour, as the house is closed for a private event.

An optional happy hour with cash bar will follow after the tour finishes at 3:00 PM: Saturday’s will be at the lovely Darlington House, while Sunday’s will be at the marvelous Mansion on O Street.

Just finished a piece on cocktails with fortified wine (i.e. Vermouth, Sherry, Port.) Got a lot of great info from a variety of sources, including César Saldaña, General Manager at the Consejo Regulador de los Vinos de Jerez, the governing body in Spain that regulates the production of Sherry in Jerez. “Sherry adds a flavor profile and complexity unmatched by any other wine or liquor,” he explains  “This is the result of thousands of years of tradition, culture and winemaking experience.”

Indeed. It’s made in such a variety of styles, but mixologists agree that the drier, paler Fino or Manzanilla styles seem to work best in the shaker. (Manzanilla has a delicate tang, which many believe results from the seaside location where it’s produced.)

The Cosmo Andalusia is a Spanish take on the popular tart and tangy cocktail, with pomegranate juice standing in for cranberry, and Amontillado Sherry and its touch of sweetness, for vodka. The addition of Cava gives it a fresh effervescence:

Cosmo Andalusia

1 oz. Amontillado Sherry
1 oz. simple syrup
1 oz. pomegranate juice
3 oz. Cava

Add first three ingredients to a cocktail glass filled with ice. Shake vigorously, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with chilled Cava.

For more Sherry recipes, visit www.secretsherrysociety.com.

The Miranda cocktail has Bluecoat gin and a Pinot Noir float.

The release of Sex and the City 2 is just a month away. If you are a rabid fan (or even a closet one…) and just can’t wait to find out what happens to your fave group of NYC fashionistas, reach for the shaker. Somer Perez of The Empire Lobby Bar in New York has created a specialty menu featuring the Bluecoat Gin-based Miranda cocktail. And just like our favorite high strung attorney, it’s red-headed, thanks to the addition of a Pinot Noir float.

Miranda
Courtesy of Somer Perez, Empire Lobby Bar, New York

2 oz. Bluecoat Gin
1 oz. lemon puree (see Note)
1/2 oz. simple syrup
1 oz. Lillet Blanc
2 oz. Pinot Noir

In a mixing glass filled with ice, combine all ingredients except wine.  Shake vigorously, and strain into a chilled highball glass filled with ice.  Float the wine on top so the drink is layered.

Note: To make the lemon puree, remove the rind and the seeds and then put the rest of the lemon in the blender. You can also order lemon puree online through purveyors like Marky’s.