Not a Margarita, a Maygarita!

I have a few recipes for food and drink that not only I appreciate but others do as well. One of my favorite and most requested drinks is the Maygarita which is essentially a Margarita but was coined The Maygarita by several friends years ago.

The Maygarita

2 ounces/parts Suaza Hornitos Tequila
3/4 ounce/part Cointreau
3 ounces/parts Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix
Splash of Rose's sweet lime juice
Squeeze of 1/4 fresh lime (leave remainder to soak in glass)

Combine all ingredients in a steel or glass shaker with 4 or 5 ice cubes.
Shake and pour into pre iced and salted (optional) glasses and it's fiesta time!

Wait, what time is it? I am going to make one now!

Wine Rants: Wine by the Glass

I don't like to complain much but I have a real problem with wine by the glass (WBTG). I know this is a great way to be able to sample top quality wines without having to commit to a $50- $100 bottle but WBTG has one problem...how long has that bottle been open? Recently I ordered a glass of Tobin James 'Ballistic' Zinfandel 2004 (which I had enjoyed in bottle form on two other occasions), and it was just not quite right. I wouldn't say it was bad or corked but on the contrary it suffered from being uncorked for too long. Don't get me wrong, I have had many very fresh and good glasses of WBTG but you never know if that bottle was opened on the night and hopefully within an hour or two of your meal or was that bottle left over from Saturday and it is now Wednesday?

Bottom line is I think WBTG is still a viable if somewhat risky way to drink great wines, just be sure to ask your server or sommelier when the bottle was opened. If not you will be playing the wine lover's version of Russian Roulette.

The 5 Lands! - Cinque Terre (Part 2) - Lobster Spaghetti

This is a continuation of a series of posts about Cinque Terre.

Once we finally made it back to New Monterrosso al Mare we were a little tired but more than that, we were all pretty hungry. You see, riding in a rented Opel wagon and viewing so much great Italian scenery and then fearing for your life during not one but two nighttime World Rally Championship type hill climbs can build quite an appetite. So, after dropping our bags off at the Hotel Margherita it was off to look for a place to eat.

Knowing from internet articles, blogs and my traditional but life saving Fodor's Italy 2006 we had a good idea that when it came to food, Cinque Terre could be counted on for two things; great seafood and great local white wine. Well ladies and gentlemen, our first night in Monterosso al Mare and we all struck culinary gold. There are only around 20 restaurants in all of Monterosso so on a 4 day trip you might be able to eat in about half of them. We picked a good one the first night after not being able to eat at the restaurant recommended by the hotel due to this being their one closed night of the week. The place we stumbled across and into (literally) was called Ristorante La Cambusa which consisted of a small, traditional dining room with about 8 white table-clothed tables of varying sizes and a nice home like (if you happened to live in a small seaside town in Italy) atmosphere.

We scanned the menu quickly that our hostess/server brought to the table and picked out a local Cinque Terre wine called what else...Cinque Terre. This is the most famous and popular style of wine (light bodied white) in the area and is grown and produced from Bosco, Albarola, and Vermentino grapes from the local Cinque Terre co-op. The wine and a plate of jamon e melone (prosciutto and cantaloupe) arrived at the table and tasted amazing. We were then ready to order our main dish and luckily my parents, girlfriend and I all were looking at the exact same thing. Lobster spaghetti for two times two.

Let me tell you, until you have had really good and really fresh lobster spaghetti in the place it was meant to be served, you really have not had lobster or maybe I should go as far as to say seafood pasta of any kind. What arrived at our table approximately 15 minutes after ordering were two large 3 inch deep pans of lobster, olive oil, basil, garlic, fresh tomatoes and of course the ubiquitous spaghetti. We all just smiled and then proceeded to eat, drink, smile, drink, comment on the food (just enough to still be able to EAT) and feel that we had all had our best meal of the trip to Italy so far. The food and wine tasted so good together that we decided to eat the same meal again 3 nights later. It was not quite as unbelievable as the first taste of Cinque Terre wine with lobster spaghetti but still way up there on my list of memorable meals.

Next Post...Cinque Terre (Part 3) - The Walk of All Walks

Holy Jumilla!

V&V Wine Review: 2004 Altos De Luzon Jumilla

The 2004 Alto De Luzon Jumilla is a very good wine for the price. It can be had for $11.99 at Costco or other discount wine shops and tastes bigger and more full bodied than it's price. The nose is somewhat subtle and does not quite match the 'in your face' first drink and nice big finish. There are tastes of plum, blueberry and shows some significant tannins. Although I enjoyed with some simple wheat crackers, it would be better paired with lamb chops, prime rib or other hearty meats. This is truly a BIG wine at a SMALL price...enjoy.

Vinometer Rating







4 out of 5 corks

Beach of the Month - Kailua Beach

I was able to spend a few hours at one of the nicest beaches anywhere in the world and my new favorite beach on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. Gentle waves, amazing shades of blue, kayaking, sleeping and due to the abundance of onshore winds, kite surfing can all be found at Kailua Beach on the East shore of Oahu. When most people think of Oahu they think of the famous and often times insanely crowded Waikiki Beach or the seasonal surf breaks like Banzai-Pipeline and Waimea Bay but Kailua is a little different. It is only 45 minutes from downtown Honolulu but feels hours away in it's pace and people. The crowd here is a good mix of locals and tourists and the town of Kailua Beach is small but with some very good cafes and both local and chain stores/restaurants. Although I was only able to spend a few hours in Kailua Beach, I will definitely be going back on my next trip to Oahu.

Killer Wine, Killer Price, Kilikanoon Shiraz

V&V Wine Review:

2004 Kilikanoon Shiraz - Killerman's Run

Enjoyed this bold but smooth shiraz on Sunday evening with the family and really enjoyed it. Big on the fruit with small amounts of tannins made it a good choice with New York strip and baked potato. At $18 - $20 I will definitely be buying this one again and looking forward to trying others from the Kilikanoon stable.

Vinometer Rating






4.5 out of 5 corks!