November 2008 Archives

Here is our favorite fall recipe - a riff on the Saketini using Concord Grape Juice. We like the fresh juice from Don Wager's in Penn Yan, NY, available on Saturdays at the Greenwich Street Greenmarket. Other farms have it at various Greenmarkets, including Union Square.

Recipe:

1 oz Premium Sake (junmai or junmai daiginjo)
2 oz Concord Grape Juice
Splash Triple Sec
3 Dashes Regan's Orange Bitters


The drink is light and refreshing - you may call it "girlie" but we call it delicious.

The holidays mean more opportunities for booze, and sometimes you need it. If you want to support local wineries, stop by Vintage New York, which certainly lives up to its name.

The store is offering 20% off everything that isn't tied down until Wednesday. They may bring the pie but you'll have the good stuff.

Est Arrivee! Or something. Beaujolais Nouveau is the king of wine promotions - legally it cannot be served until the third Thursday of November and that means marketing up the wazoo to announce its somewhat dubious arrival. Here is where you can get your grapes off, so to speak:

• The king of promotions goes to producer Georges Duboeuf, which has an annual chef-biker ride to deliver Beaujolais. It's the middle of the day and involves no wine, so we say skip it.
  
  
• The FIAF (French Institute Alliance Francaise) has an event starting at 6:30pm. You can get all the BN you can drink plus food and entertainment. 22 East 60th Street, $55 for non-members. More info
  
  
• Jules Bistro (65 St. Marks) will be serving Antonin Rodet Beaujolais, which is a step up from Duboeuf. Jules has the added bonus of free bites at the bar, if you can get close enough, plus cool jazz. As an added bonus, you can pop in to register to win a free trip to France on Open Skies airline.
  
  

Into cocktails, sake, wine or beer... or all of the above? Stay tuned for all that's booze in NYC.