A Recipe for New Year's

Regent’s Punch



MAKES 3 QUARTS
This tea-infused champagne punch makes an elegant centerpiece for any festive occasion.

1 cup sugar
1 cup cubed pineapple
2 lemons
2 oranges
1 seville orange (also called bitter or sour orange)
2 green tea bags (or 2 tsp. green tea leaves)
1 cup brandy, preferably VSOP cognac
1⁄4 cup dark Jamaican rum
1⁄4 cup arrack liquor, preferably Batavia-Arrack van Oosten, or cachaça
2 750-ml bottles brut champagne, chilled
Freshly grated nutmeg

1. In a 1-qt. saucepan, combine 1⁄2 cup sugar and 1⁄4 cup water. Stir over high heat until sugar dissolves; transfer to a bowl along with pineapple. Allow to macerate in refrigerator for at least 8 hours to make a pineapple syrup. Strain and reserve; discard solids.
2. Using a peeler, peel lemons, oranges, and seville orange, taking off as little white pith as possible. Transfer peels to a heavy bowl; reserve fruit. Add remaining sugar; use a muddler or a wooden spoon to vigorously crush sugar and peels together until sugar turns faintly yellow and slushy.
3. In a medium bowl, steep tea in 2 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain tea over lemon and sugar mixture; stir until sugar dissolves. Juice reserved fruit into tea mixture. Strain through a sieve into another bowl; discard solids. Stir in pineapple syrup, brandy, rum, and arrack. Chill mixture. To serve, combine mixture and champagne in a punch bowl along with a large block of ice. Garnish with nutmeg.

(as published in Saveur magazine Dec 2008)

L'chaim and Happy Hanukkah

The Wine Dude experienced A New Pleasure (TM) last night. Thanks to my wonderful Minneapolis relations, my wife, son and I were able to participate in a Hanukkah celebration for the first time ever. In fact, it may have been the first time ever that a Hanukkah party was held in Beaver Dam, KY. (This is germane to our topic of wine and spirits, since red wine is a traditional Hanukkah libation.) We participated in the lighting of the menorah, playing with the dreidel, and eating foods fried in oil, specifically potato latkes and soofganiyot (jelly doughnuts with a Yiddish name...I cheated and bought them from the good folks at Great American Donut Shop, but I think they still count). Most of my enormous extended family was there, and we ate and drank like good soldiers in the Hedonism Front. In case you're interested, the wines selected were Alvear's Amontillado (a type of sherry) from Spain, Trapiche Pinot Noir and Vida Organica Malbec from Argentina, and Steeplejack Shiraz from Australia. The proverbial Good Time was had by all.

In case you'd like to learn more, check out this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannukah . The Wine Dude hopes that you and yours can experience a new cultural tradition this holiday sesason as well.

Peace and long life.

--the Wine Dude

"The lights of the Hanukkah menorah that we kindle in our homes are a reminder both of the Menorah in the Temple in Jerusalem and the light that shines brightly within each one of us. For as it says in Proverbs 20:27 -- The candle of God is the soul of man." ~ Libi Astair

Welcome!

Welcome to the latest adventure online for The Wine Dude! Here we'll focus on wine and spirits, with occasional digressions into the world of food. Look for many new posts in the future!