remnants

Yesterday was monthly online drinks.  Rather late this month, and no Conrad or Chris to enjoy it with us.  Alas.

But it was a fun theme.  Over time, we've each purchased bottles of something or other to make a specific cocktail once, maybe twice, and then... yeah.  These bottles sit.  I have been ruthless and tossed a few, I admit.  I hate the waste, though.  So, this month we tried to address it.  Remnants - that was the theme.  I selected three bottles that sit there, staring at me, and made a cocktail with each.  Ranked from least favourite to favourite, they were

The Trade Secret. 

I didn't end up fully drinking this one, only a few sips to decide what I thought of it.  Not bad, and if I had only made this, I would have been happy.  A way to use the ginger liqueur I had purchased for our Britpop themed drinks.  I may try this cocktail again some day.

The Vanilla Sour. 

I can't remember what I bought the Galliano for, but I always associate it with the Harvey Wallbangers that my mother drank back in the 70s.  This was a simple drink, it felt light enough and elegant, and I ended up enjoying it as the first of two drinks with the gang.

The Naked and Sunburnt. 

A play on a Naked and Famous but the Ancho Reyes taking the place of yellow Chartreuse.  A very light burn to this one, just enough to make the chile known but not so much that Van didn't drink it.  I liked it, though, and I will definitely make this one again!

Next month:  make our favourite cocktail.  Now then, what is my favourite cocktail...? 

the ten tastings of Como

Remember how we had a great tour in Bologna?  Well, we liked it so much that I foisted the idea on Conrad and Van that we should do another in Como, the only other larger center that we would be visiting on the trip.  Happily, they went along with it!

Friends, we took the bus into Como.  The ferry to Como was either leaving far too early or too late.  We didn't want Conrad to drive so that he could enjoy any beverages that were part of the tour or otherwise.  We consulted the hotel front desk and got advice on the bus, and that's what we hopped aboard after breakfast.  Quite the ride, I have to say!  Those drivers know the route, and they did not go slow.  Oh, and it wasn't a Greyhound situation.  We're talking local/regional transit.  Conrad managed to snag a seat at the back for most of us.  Van and I stood for the full 50 minutes.  Not the most comfortable trip, but ah well.  

We were deposited (on the advice of other tourists who were more familiar with things) at the waterfront rather than the bus station. 

We were early for the tour, so we wandered a little

and then met Davide in a waterfront plaza.

We had another terrific time with Davide. 

The focus of the tour was a little more on Como, perhaps, than the tastings, but believe me, we didn't go hungry.  I appreciated that he answered all of our questions - weather, sports, economy, and more - and then redirected us back to what we were seeing.  He took us through the cathedral (glorious ceilings)

and out to the city wall and Porta Torre,

and pointed out other older structures. 

Como is a handsome little city, at least in the older central part, and in the sunny afternoon we ambled along,

taking photos.

But it was also a culinary tour, and he did make sure to get us some local specialties.  We enjoyed some wine and bites

in a shop where we also sampled a topping made from the lake fish. 

It was honestly a surprise to see how extensively the lake fish was available and served in many forms.  I'm not sure why, really, but it was nice to see.  Another stop was a cheese shop that sold their own cheeses

as well as other local delights. 

Truffle gorgonzola? 

Sure!  We also sampled a liqueur, the Genepy,

which I've had another version of.  Conrad rather enjoyed that one though we did not buy a bottle.  At the last stop, we had a few baked goods, including the nuvola. 

Nuvola is like if angel food cake and panettone had a baby and kissed it with an apricot glaze.  So good.  Alas, the last little small loaf was sold before we could claim it, and the large loaves, tempting as they were, were too large for us to buy.

Davide left us after that, but with pointers on what else to see and do.  And I would have liked to, to be honest - it was a nice tour but there was so much more to see and do and taste!  But we looked at our watches and the queue for ferry tickets (40+ minutes) and decided that we would stand in line and get on a boat back home instead.  So, Como is on my list to go back to and spend more time in if I can.

We had a short wait for the ferry

and then an hour or so back to Lezzeno.  Our dinner plans were simple:  go back to the beach bar and get a pizza and a drink.  A Hugo in my hand, I was happy with the day that was.

tastings in the Niagara region

A week ago we were in the Niagara region for the day.  We saw the Falls, as I commented in a previous post, and we had lunch at an inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  After that, it was off to tastings.

I debated commenting on and naming the first stop of the three on our tour.  I generally don't really post when I've had a poor or even a mediocre experience like that.  So I won't name this one.  I doubt anyone reading the blog would recognize it anyway.  I have something in the vicinity of two readers, so my influence is, well, non-existent.  So no names.  I'll simply say that although we had a reservation, they were not ready for us, and when we were finally seated (at two tables - not the worst thing ever, but a sign of how disorganized they were), it took ages to get wine.  I actually texted our tour guide to ask him if we should just ask for a refund of the pre-paid fee and leave.  Steve, the guide, knows the winery and really went round trying to get things in order, and I credit him with that.  He was clearly embarrassed by the situation and angry with what we were experiencing.

Ultimately, we all did get wine.  And honestly?  It was very meh at best.  The unfiltered chardonnay was fine, but not a bottle I wanted to buy.  Nothing else impressed me.  So, a nice patio and facility, we got some photos, they gave us each a complimentary pour of a sparkling orange wine (or was it a rosé, they never really said). 

But I ended up essentially pounding back the tasting pours just to squeeze them in before we had to get to the next place.  The photos show us making the most of a bad situation, and we'll look back and laugh, but wow, that was an inauspicious start to the tastings.

The second place made everything right.

We stopped at Big Head, a smaller operation than the first from the looks of it.  There was a table all set up for us, and we had someone taking care of us from start to finish.  I liked all of the wines.  Every one we tried.  Allison had arranged for a couple of local friends to meet us there, and the winery accommodated them handily.  When we asked about a few of the wines, such as the dessert wines, that weren't included in the tasting, they poured us some to try.  Conrad and I ended up buying a handful of bottles to have shipped with what Marie bought back to Vancouver.  Knowing me, I'll forget about them, and by Christmas they'll be a nice surprise for us.  Interestingly, I have fewer photos from Big Head than the first place.  I guess we were too busy enjoying tasting and conversation.

After Big Head, we were off to a distillery.  Spirit in Niagara was the place, a newer operation.  The owner gave us a tour of the orchard and distilling areas before the tasting. 

What was really cool about the place was how it had a focus on sustainability.  The orchard sells fruit (peaches, mostly) to grocery stores, but it cannot sell imperfect fruit.  Instead, it presses them for juice to use as the distilling base.  The mash is then used as green fertilizer for the orchard.  Awesome!  We tasted a number of their products, which included ones made from other fruits as well as some from grains.  I'm not really one for the eau de vie, but I thought the vermouth was good, and I liked the brown spirits.  Conrad enjoyed the gin.  So we bought a couple of bottles, and Van bought a few as well.  I think we call came home with a purchase, in fact, and so our next online happy hour will be themed around drinks made with the SIN spirits. Side note:  I loved the labels. 

So much so, I bought a tshirt from the place.

It was dusk when we were done, and we rode back to Toronto in increasing darkness, me dozing as I do so easily in vehicles (and planes).

Steve from Wheelz Niagara was a very good guide.  We greatly appreciated his suggestions for the tastings (yes, even the bad one - it will make for a good story for all of us to enjoy among ourselves) and lunch.  He built a custom schedule for the day based on a lot of communication, which I was grateful for as well.  I happily recommend him, and I happily recommend Big Head and Spirit in Niagara!