Black Orchid Grille in Nashua is having a martini tasting Thursday night. 

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Why go to just a wine tasting or just a spirits tasting when you can have both at once?

While on vacation in Maine last week, I took advantage of one of the rainy days to visit a few vineyards. Wine tasting is always fun but Sweetgrass Farm Winery and Distillery upped the anti with their spirits.

 

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I was exploring the small downtown of Rangeley, Maine, on Route 4 recently. The trip was meant to be more outdoorsy (fishing, kayaking) but as it was raining and windy, spending time on the water was not desirable. So hanging around downtown it would be. 

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I can't go too long without one of my favorite drinks.  

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It’s Independence Day, a day of reflection, of appreciation and, of course, of beer drinking. So despite my having to work while most are outside firing up grills and gobbling down hot dogs, I’ll celebrate as well with a beer.

 

But it’s the Fourth of July, so it’s got to be a little special, right? OK, here is a beer I had to go to Pepperell, Mass., to get: Orlio Organic Seasonal IPA from Vermont. But really, this one is worth it, and worthy as well of honoring the Founding Fathers.

 

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I was recently faced with a difficult decision.
 

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Just like every other female on the planet, when I heard the Sex and the City movie was finally hitting the big screen I made plans with some of my closest girlfriends to celebrate by dressing up, drinking martinis and heading to the theater.

 

The biggest problem was finding the correct drink. Do you choose cosmos because they were made mainstream by the show or do you go for more edge?

 

 

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An annual part of moving from spring to summer for me is the ritual transition from the beloved warm amber of the single-malt Scotch to the icy clear shimmer of the gin martini, up, dry, with a twist of lime.  Which is not to say that I’d decline a Scotch June, July or August, or a martini at Christmas time … any more than I’d refrain from red wine with fish if that’s what I was in the mood for; sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants.  But generally speaking, I do martinis in the summer.

Which made New Hampshire Business Review’s most recent Top Shelf Tasting event a perfect compliment for the season– a gin tasting on a warm June evening at Cotton (www.cottonfood.com/) , along the banks of the Merrimack River in Manchester’s historic Millyard.

 

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At a recent wedding I attended for a then-future brother-in-law, I wanted to find a nice, good quality champagne to celebrate the occasion. I’ve tried Moet and Chandon’s White Star champagne, which is always delicious and I would never refuse the opportunity to drink it. But I wanted to try something new.  

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True to Magic Hat Brewing Company’s playful comical side, they’ve come out with a “Summer Variety Show” 12-pack, which includes the No. 9, (always a hit), Circus Boy, (a hefeweizen), Hocus Pocus and the Summer Odd Notion. No. 9 and Circus Boy are both year-round beers. The 12-pack is marketed as a magic show not be missed.  True, the two beers I sampled, Hocus Pocus and Notion, made me call for an encore.

 

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In case you missed it last summer, Red Sox wine is back! 

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Memorial Day weekend, the weather’s cooperating in spectacular fashion (how often does this happen?), and in honor of the arrival of the summer season, Kris and I are sampling some Mediterranean delights – specifically two Italian liqueurs, GranGala Triple Orange Liquor and Limoncé Limoncello.

 

 

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When I describe Sunday fundays I often get a quizzical look from the person I’m talking to. Why would you want to do that? It doesn’t sound like much fun to me.

Sunday fundays are not for the weak at heart or the old at mind.

 

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I'll come right out and admit I don't know much about wine. I know it's good to experiment, so I'm starting from scratch.

So when I heard about a wine that tells you what to pair it with, I was sold.

 

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Everyone has a favorite, and co-worker Andrew Wolfe (you may recognize him from the Off Track blog) has a number of them to share with readers:

 

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If you didn’t hit the floor on Cinco de Mayo, then get back out there and join IUGO at Margaritas in Nashua for a tequila tasting May 6 from 5:30-7:30.

 

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If you want to find out more about locally made wine, check out the Made in NH Expo this weekend in Manchester.

 

 

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You know when you get a bartender that's ignoring you, and you think, "I could just stick my glass under that tap and get it myself"?

 

 

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Sam Adams has announced its 2008 Longshot American Homebrew Contest.

If your friends are constantly complimenting you on the brews you make, or even if they're not, you may want to consider entering.

The winning beer will be featured in 2009 Longshot 6-pack.

Go to the Samuel Adam's Web site for contest rules.

Ever have one of Pepperidge Farm's Milano cookies?
 

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On Friday, I headed over to the Wine Society in Tyngsborough for its Wild & Wacky brews tasting. We tasted a dozen different beers, which were from faraway locations such as Belgium, Germany and Japan, and ones closer to home, such as Colorado, Delaware and even Pennichuck in Milford. 

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Got an email from the state liquor store the other day announcing Spanish and German wines are one sale from Feb. 25 to March 30.  I'm always happy to see Spanish wine go on sale.  My absolute favorite value wine is Hoya de Cadenas -- a fantastic tempranillo with a big, bold Spanish taste.  It goes well with everything (everything that's not wimpy and pallid flavor-wise, anyhow, but who wants to eat something like that to begin with?) and  you can get it for under $10.  I brought some to a wine tasting party a few years back.  One of the activities was a blind price estimation - everybody had to guess and then the person who'd brought the wine revealed the name and price.  Nobody guessed under $20 on this one -- and that was a few years back!  If you haven't met tempranillo wines yet, you should, and this is a great introduction.  ¡Salud, amigos!

Welcome to After Hours, a new blog dedicated to beer, wine and spirits.

 

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