Blackberry Lime Margarita: Cocktail of The Month

The warm weather is here, and that means one thing – it’s margarita season! Our marketing master, Taylor of Creative TK Consulting, continues to whip up some delicious cocktails that are easy-to-make and delicious.

This month Taylor got festive at home by whipping up a Blackberry Lime Margarita, she even let her 3-yr old help by mixing the drink. Don’t worry, no toddlers had anything to drink, Gracie just mixed it up to help, cause let’s face it, with no childcare these days, our kids have become a part of our EVERY minute. 😉

Blackberry Lime Margarita

  • Ingredients:
    • 3 oz of Tequila (we love Espolón Tequila)
    • 1 cup of sparkling Limeade (found at Trader Joe’s)
    • 4-5 fresh blackberries
    • 2-3 fresh lime wedges
    • Ice

  • Mix it up!
    • Place blackberries in the bottom of a glass and muddle (don’t have a cocktail muddle at home, don’t worry, just be creative… Taylor used the end of a kids paintbrush to get the job done!)
    • Pour the tequila and lime juice together
    • Squeeze your limes into drink to taste
    • Mix together
    • Drink and enjoy!

Thanks for following along, Cheers!

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Friday Night Social Distancing & Wine Tasting

Yeah, yeah…these are uncertain times. The only thing we can count on here on Bartlett Avenue is our Friday evening social distancing block party. We depend on it because these days our sanity hinges on ninety minutes of genuine human contact, which is made even more delicious with the addition of wine.

But times being tenuous, and this being May in New England, we know that although the block party is a certainty, the weather is anything but predictable. So it was last Friday when we fired up the barbecue, cranked up the music and piled on winter coats, gloves, and facemasks and joined our friends and neighbors for a chilly, overcast celebration of another week of successful isolation.

There were touchless, tooth-picked bites of sausage and cheese, a variety of beer, a bottle of optimistically chilled rose, and several red wines — including the one that I brought—a 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon from Eg by Educated Guess of the Roots Run Deep Vineyard in Napa, California. I like the name, which the vineyard founder, Mark Albrecht, says reflects how he approaches winemaking—weighing what he knows (what grapes grow well where and when to harvest) against what could go wrong (wacky weather, insects). He says that it’s similar to the process that we go through when we buy a bottle of wine.


We use what we know (I like the label), we call on our experience (I had a Cabernet Sauvignon that I liked last week) and we make an educated guess. Hence the name and a label adorned with mathematical equations. Not to be confused with the slightly pricier version, the Eg line is produced with grapes sourced from California’s North Coast. The result is a very drinkable (and affordable!) wine with a whiff of blackberry and vanilla.

It was a hit with my neighbor the musician, it was a home run with my friend the real estate agent and my next-door neighbor, who is from France, where they practically invented wine, gently lifted his face mask, took a sip and pronounced the Eg Cabernet Sauvignon “Magnifique!” There’s no guesswork required to know that this is a wine that I’ll be happy to drink for the duration of social isolation or sip with friends when we get back to normal. And, if I had to make an educated guess, I’d say that will be soon.

Thanks for following along, Carol (one of our local wine connoisseur)

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Is your wine quarantine-worthy?!

Lately, it seems we are all taking comfort in simple pleasures. We cook macaroni and cheese, we play Scrabble with our kids and we enjoy a glass of wine or two. Because after working at home all week, figuring out how to host Zoom calls, keeping the kids from going crazy inside* and watching our retirement accounts dissolve, we feel like we deserve a moment of pleasure. And we do. But before you uncork that Pinot Noir or uncap that Sauvignon Blanc, ask yourself: “Is this a quarantine-worthy wine?” A wine that’s worthy of self-isolation is one that pairs well with sweatpants and stubble, whose subtle notes of pencil shavings and the forest floor are discernable through a face mask; it’s a wine that you’re willing to commit to because you’ll be drinking all of it…. alone.

 

Such a wine is Gooseneck Vineyards 2017 Chardonnay. A white wine from Navarra, Spain, this vintage is a lovely golden color. It’s light but complex with lovely notes of vanilla, oak and to my untrained nose, a hint of pear.

Here on Bartlett Ave., when it hasn’t been raining, we’ve been social distancing with neighbors. That means we stand in the middle of the street and drink wine. Rain, however, forces us to Zoom and last Friday as the rain poured down, I thought it might be fun to bring everyone together electronically to virtually share the same wine. So I sprung for several bottles of the Gooseneck Vineyards 2017 Chardonnay (not a fortune), dropped them off to my neighbors with touchless delivery, and sent out the Zoom notice.

There were seven of us at this cyber-tasting and although my friends were impressed with my seeming generosity, I had to confess that the wine is shockingly affordable. As the Zoom party commenced, we talked about what we’ve binged on Netflix, we discussed mask designs and we talked about what we were eating with that night. One neighbor paired their Gooseneck Vineyards Chardonnay with an aged Brie and seeded crackers. Another thought that it perfectly complimented their homemade chicken tetrazzini, still another drank it with black beans and rice and I savored it with a fried haddock plate from Fresh Pond Seafood. The Gooseneck 2017 Chardonnay seemed to enhance each of these dishes and, I suspect, it would also go well exceedingly well with a bowl of popcorn and Netflix.

*It takes a village to raise a child but it takes a winery to homeschool one.

Article By: Carol Band, one of our amazing wine experts and connoisseur

 

Photos by Carol Band and Gooseneck Vineyards

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April Cocktails of The Month

This month one of the newest members of the Mystic Wine Shoppe team, who also happens to be a bartender, is sharing his favorite go-to cocktail with us for the April Cocktails of The Month. That’s right, COCKTAILS, Ben is giving us TWO of his favorite cocktails!

First up, the Rum Manhattan Cocktail. Ben loves using the delicious Zaya Rum in many of his creations, and this cocktail he mixed up for us, sure packs a tasty punch.

Ingredients/Make:

  • 2 oz Dark rum (we love Zaya Rum! It has a mildly sweet aroma followed by vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oak barrel spices)
  • 1 oz sweet vermouth
  • 2 dashes bitters
  • Stir add an orange twist

 

Next up, the Contessa Cocktail:

Ingredients/Make:

  • 1 oz dry vermouth
  • 1 oz Plymouth Gin
  • 1 oz Aperol
  • Stir add a lemon twist

Let us know what you think of these mouth-watering cocktails! Thanks, Ben, for sharing these with us.

Photo Credit:

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Irish Ice Cream Cocktail

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, so we thought it was time for an Irish-themed cocktail of the month! This cocktail is more of a dessert so get ready to dig in and savor this month’s cocktail – the Irish Ice Cream Cocktail. As always, our cocktails are EASY and delicious. Give it a try and let us know what you think –

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Ingredients:

  • The Irishman Irish Cream: Produced in Ireland, this award-winning Irish Cream Liqueur is handcrafted using the finest Irish Whiskey, 100% Irish Dairy Cream and natural vanilla flavor with a hint of toffee.
  • Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
  • Toppings: Whipped cream would have been a perfect addition

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Make The Cocktail:

This one is simple. Just pour as much or as little of the Irish Cream onto the ice cream. Grab a spoon and enjoy!

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We hope you have a great St. Patrick’s Day.  See you soon!

 

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The Cranberry Kiss Cocktail

Just in time for Valentine’s Day is our February Cocktail of The Month: The Cranberry Kiss Cocktail. This is one tasty cocktail that was designed up by Bartender.com who sent us a really cool daily cocktail calendar & recipe guide.

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Ingredients:

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Make The Cocktail:

  • Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

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This is one tasty cocktail that you should mix up for your loved one for yourself! Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Lemon Gin Mule Cocktail

Looking for a delicious gin cocktail that’s easy to make?! We’ve got you covered with this Lemon Gin Mule Cocktail. We used just a few ingredients, including Vermont’s Barr Hill Gin, and the result was outstanding. Cheers!

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Ingredients:

  • 2 Ounces of Barr Hill Gin: Each batch is distilled in our custom-built botanical extraction still. The juniper-forward botanicals are brought to a perfect balance by the floral depth of the raw honey.
  • 4 ounces of Ginger Beer
  • Lemon
  • Bitters

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Make the cocktail:

  • Pour gin over ice
  • Add ginger beer
  • Squeeze a lemon into the drink
  • Add bitter
  • Mix together
  • Top with lemon garnish

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This cocktail is SOOOO GOOOD! Maybe one of our favorites so far!

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We hope you enjoy this delicious cocktail featuring locally-made gin! Let us know what you think.

Taylor

 

 

 

 

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5th Annual Scotch Tasting Recap

We just wrapped up our 5th Annual Whiskey Tasting featuring Single-malt Whiskies and we’re still smiling from the event. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and made this a night to remember.

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Stu was pouring and educating guests on each single-malt.

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Guests tried five scotches and were treated to delicious food from Diana who knows a thing or two about what food pairs well with scotch! These were SO tasty!

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These are the five single-malts we tasted –

• Dalwhinnie 15 Year: Smooth, aromatic, heather and honey sweetness. Great chilled.

• Lagavulin 16 Year: Aged in oak casks for at least sixteen years, this much sought-after single malt has the massive peat-smoke that’s typical of southern Islay – but also offering a dryness that turns it into a truly interesting dram

• Talisker Storm: An intense and vibrant whiskey. Well balanced waves of smoke and sweetness. Savor Talisker Storm’s peppery sweet and salty flavors neat, or draw them out with a little water.

• Oban 14 Year: Flavors of orange peel, smoke, sea salt, and honey distinguish this full-bodied highland malt

• Cragganmore 12 Year: The taste is quite light compared to the scent, mixing honey with a basket of nutty flavors. The finish starts off a little peppery, and rolls out into pleasant, smoky warmth. It’s a pleasant, and only slightly complex sipper, just the sort of thing for a go-to single malt for everyday drinking or to use as a starter or next step Scotch.

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Thank you again to everyone who stopped by! We had a blast!

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