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Nothing Added Nothing Taken Away

Cantina Cantina
Sandpaintings Rosé Pet Nat 2020
Syrah Pét-Nat Rosé
100% Syrah
Sustainably farmed, hand harvested, unfiltered, native yeasts
Vineyard: Jackson Farm, North Fork of Long Island AVA, NY

Coppery blush and a fine foam almost beer-like or sea foam. Nose tickling bubbly with scents of cran-straw-raspberry, sea breeze & seltzer, and a floating whiff of ginger beer or bread. Now this is a glass of sunshine happiness! Sipping raspberry, strawberry, lemon, sumac, oh also a fresh lemon tart, the tiniest bite off of a Jelly Baby (Would you care for one? My police box is just around the corner.), and salt. Crisp and dry, and hey wait there’s a hint of ginger kick on the back.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: meh, it’s a non-committal partner

Hands down, this is my favorite wine/Pét-Nat I’ve ever had from North Fork. As it says on the bottle “Nothing added Nothing taken away”, they just want the wine to represent the vineyard they’re rooted in and keep them as natural as possible. BTW Cantina Cantina also makes beer and co-ferments like their “Praise Both” a farmhouse ale/pressed riesling mashup which is getting raves from all I’m reading. I think I’ll be heading down this hybrid trail soon.

#wine #winetasting #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #petnat #PétNat #cantinacantina #rose #rosé #sparklingwine #beer #cheezit #northfork #LongIsland #NY @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #sandpaintings @cheezit @vinewinenyc @cantina_cantina_

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Ciderlicious Moment of Zen

Phonograph Cider
Harvest Cider
Un-Sweet
Apples (grown in NYS): including Golden Russet, Northern Spy, Dabinett, Geneva Tremlett’s Bitter, and Harry Master’s Jersey
5.6% ABV
Sustainable, unfiltered, no added sulfites, organic fertilizer
Produced in Lafayette, NY (under authority of South Hill Cider)

Bright golden with glimmers of green and tiny bubbles. Lifting the glass closer to my nose and it’s a fragrant basketful of fresh apples and then also apple pie. As I’ve said before…I ❤️ PIE! On to the much anticipated sip and oh tingle! It’s like biting into a just picked fresh firm apple. You know that tart wake up your mouth gets that leads to a smooth rounded mmmm. It’s not exactly sweet, but there is that pleasant natural apple goodness with a nice dry finish. Damn it’s a perfect unique crisp blend that’s very fab for a hot day, and perfect to sip while grilling. Oh yeah, would be great with brats and some nice stinky cheese!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: oh delicious but you had to expect it to be. Cheese and apples are best friends.

Phonograph Cider’s site sums up their beautiful gift to us, “Like phonograph records, cider is regaining its rightful place in our culture analog, real, and authentic.” These apples are super authentic. Some are old varieties that take a bit of love and understanding since they might not produce as much as others, but the outcome is worth it. They also use a really old (around 100 years) rack and cloth press, and if you want a minute of zen then check out this video.

@docwineshop @docwinebar @phonographcider @cheezits #pairswithcheezits #applecider #cider #ciderlover #wine #vino #vin #whitewine #葡萄酒 #ワイン #beer #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #winestagram #instawine #apples #lafayette #NY

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Long Dreamy Drinker

Timber Ales and Casa Agria collaboration
Lost Memories
Imperial Stout aged on coconut and almonds
12% ABV
North Haven, CT
Brewer: Jason Stein

Darkest black coffee with a small caramel head. Smells like several boxes of assorted Girl Scout cookies have been opened, and I want to go wild in them. There’s rich chocolate, toasted coconut, almonds, cinnamon, and shortbread (my fave cookie). Oh this baby is thick and dense. Tastes like all of the scents and tons more coconut. This is a long drinker, and is better than a slice of chocolate cake or shall I go so far as to say a 4 tiered flourless chocolate cake. Heavenly and devilish at the same time.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Ack! Blerg! NOPE!

Lost Memories is a perfect name for this beer, since it stirred all sorts of cookies from the deep depths of my brain. Cheers to Timber Ales and Casa Agria’s working together and blowing my mind on how good an Imperial Stout can be.

@timber_ales @BeerBoutiqueNYC @twelvepercentbeerproject @twelve.percent.nyc.metro @hkarlphoto @cheezits #beer #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #timberales #imperialstout #jasonstein #worldbyglass #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram #northhaven #CT

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Put the Lime in the Coconut

Rare Form Brewing Company
Practically Magic
Coconut Lime Sour Ale
4.7% ABV
Troy, NY
Owners and founders: Kevin and Jen Mullen

Gold/green mix pour with a light white foam that fades to just the rim. Smells exactly like it says on the can, toasted coconuts and a limey squeeze. Taking a swig and that good ol’ song “Put the Lime in the Coconut” comes right to mind. There’s a citrus tingle but that coconut never leaves. Not really sour, in fact a bit sweet,  just darn refreshing and it tastes like I should be drinking this on a beach laying on a towel with the sun beating down. Hey can you pass the sunscreen?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Doesn’t change a thing. Actually pretty darn nice together and easy to bring along a bag to the beach.

As it says on the can, this beer was inspired by “Limonada de Coco” from Colombia. It hits the nail on the head. Reading about the brewery/taproom and love that they are such fans of Joy Division that they named one of their infamous NE IPAs “Troy Division”. Ok, that makes them cool in my book. Who wouldn’t want to sip great craft beer, eat pizza made from locally made sourdough and NY sourced flour, and spin some tunes from one of the best bands in history. This looks like an inviting relaxed place where you want to go because you know you’ll find at least a few of your friends at any time. Also want to give credit to Jen Mullen for all the cool branding and design work from cans, t-shirts, and their classic van. That is one fine ride.

@rareformbrewco @BeerBoutiqueNYC @cheezits #beer #sourale #ale #sour #wine #winestagram #instawine #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram #beerlife #troy #NY #drinkny

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Maplelicious Design

Wandering Barman
Boomerang
Old Fashioned made with bourbon whiskey and bitters
Tree Juice maple syrup, hickory smoke concentrate, aromatic orange bitters
30% ABV
Ridgewood, NY
Mixmasters/founders: Julian Mohamed, Roxane Mollicchi, and Darren Grenia

Bourbon brown with yellow highlights that was shaken and poured on the rocks. Last night was a little chilly so this Boomerang fit the bill (and came back and whacked me in the head this morning). Scents of gingerbread made me think of Christmas happy scents of cinnamon, orange zest, brown sugar/maple syrup (where’s the flapjacks?), panettone, smoke and pepper. Tastes like all the scents with more pepper and smoke, some coconut, that good ol bourbon, more maple syrup, and a little orange mixed with Ricola. You’re going to find this hard to believe but it wasn’t till my teen years that I knew what maple syrup tasted like. We always had pure cane syrup in our house. My parents went on a trip to Canada and came back with these delicious maple syrup candies, and I was in total wonderment in what I had been missing out on all those years. Why had my parents been holding out on me?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Brings out more holiday spices. Where’s the fireplace and stockings hung with care?

Thank you Wandering Barman for reaching out and letting me know who does your amazing labels. Team has an amazing diverse portfolio from Pfizer, Alina, The Bronx Museum, and it looks like there will be something upcoming with the WNBA. They are a must to check out. If y’all (Team) see this, you seriously rock. Congrats to all your great work!

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @wanderingbarman @team_studio @yourssincerelybk @cheezits #cheezit #wine #cocktails #cocktailsofinstagram #spirits #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #ridgewood #Brooklyn #newyork #wanderingbarman #oldfahioned #maple #bourbon #bitters

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Enchanted Forgotten Orchard

New York Cider Company
FIREFLY #2
NY State foraged wild and heirloom apples: Rhode Island Greening, Newtown Pippin, Golden Delicious, Liberty, Cortland
Finger Lakes, Ithaca, NY
Wild fermentation, sustainable farming methods , traditional cider-making techniques, and bottle conditioned
7.7% ABV
Cider Makers: Joseph Steuer and Steve Daughhetee

Hazy yellow/light gold with teeny tiny pretty bubbles. Aromas of apples from sweet to tart, apple blossoms, fresh stripped young, tiny apple branches; and a little natural funk but not overly powerful since it kind of hides in the back. Transports me to childhood when I’d climb the trees, whittle the tiny branches, and pretend I was riding a dragon from one of Anne McCaffrey’s books. Delicious dry, tangy wake up call. Yeah, I’m tasting this on a Saturday morning to make sure I get the full experience. Crisp fresh apples, lemony tart, a drop of that funk and hay, and as it opens a sweet middle (but not overly). This is so wonderfully natural. I’ve had a lot ciders homemade and store bought, and have often found the homemade ones stand out. I have no idea why except for love, care, and nature. FIREFLY #2 is a winner for me. If I didn’t know better, I would think it was made by a friend, the good ol’ fashioned way.

Pairs with Cheez-it’s: Cheese, salt and apples…what a perfect pairing. Delicious! Please don’t tell me you haven’t tried a piece of sharp cheddar cheese on a slice of hot apple pie?

New York Cider Company started from Steuer and Daughhetee meeting while apple picking. With a mutual love of making cider it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and partnership. Moving from a home-brew to a whole full on cidery in 2017, was quite an accomplishment. They had rough patches from health issues to an oops moment of their cider being the wrong abv which also meant labels needed to be remade; but there were also blessings such as Steuer being featured on Humans of New York. Now that’s a huge! They also have been fortunate with their 125 year old apple trees and the forgotten foraged abandoned ones, and both are as super natural as you can come. This is again a place where less is more. Just let nature take its course. Speaking of nature, this past year they say was a great one for fireflies at their farm. As a child, one of my favorite things when the evening was warm and we could sit by the pond, listen to the frogs, and watch the fireflies appear in the orchard doing their magical dance. Oh, how I miss the simple things like such an evening.

@vinewinenyc @nyciderco @cheezits #cider #apples #applecider #wine #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #sustainable #FingerLakes #Ithaca #NY #natural #firefly #fireflies

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A Beer For Any Hour

Fifth Hammer Brewing Co
Midnight Sauce
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
9% ABV
Long Island City, NY
Their first can conditioned beer (2020)
Co-founders: Chris Cuzme, Mary Izett, and David Scharfstein

Medium amber with a frothy creamy head. Welcoming scents of caramel, brown sugar cookies, hoppy, and toffee. Mmmmm delicious sips of Christmas comfort flavors, again caramel, toffee, dried Turkish figs, and a little black pepper. It’s rich and lively and has me craving shortbread cookies and bacon.

Pairs with Cheez-it’s: Meh, not really a good idea. Stick with the shortbread cookies.

Midnight Sauce is a really special ale that you can drink at any hour. Honestly, I first tasted it before 10am. Don’t look at me like that, it was just staring at me when I opened the fridge. I had a lot of writing ahead of me, and it was the breakfast of champions, and like I said before it goes well with bacon. BTW I noticed on Fifth Hammer’s FB page as of 3/18, those wonderful words so many wish to hear, THEY ARE HIRING! If you’re looking to join their brew and taproom crew, then get that resume ready. Life is opening up again, so drink local! There’s pick up, outdoor seating and now 50% indoor seating too! Oh it feels so good that my solitary glass may be rejoining others again for one big long cheer!

@fifthhammerbrewing @BeerBoutiqueInc @independentbeer @cheezits #beer #wine #winestagram #instawine #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits  #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram #beerlife #midnightsauce #drinklocal

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Chipotle Redeemed

Wandering Barman
Miss Casanova
Hibiscus orange chipotle daiquiri with rum
19% ABV
Ridgewood, NY
Mixmasters/founders: Julian Mohamed, Roxane Mollicchi, and Darren Grenia

Cranberry color and reminds me of Hawaiian Punch Fruit Juicy Red. I will never forget my trip to Sea World as a small child and dining at one of the restaurants where one of the few things I could drink was that signature Fruit Juicy Red in a tall skinny glass filled with ice. Goodness knows how much my parents had to pay for that (it was scorching I had at least 8)…definitely more than this mixed drink. Shake, crack open, pour and smells just like the label says hibiscus, orange, and chipotle; but with the addition of lime. It’s like a fruity Jolly Rancher with peppers. Woof, first swig and there’s the fruit smoke bomb. Again hibiscus, orange, chipotle, and cranberry, lemon, and lime. That Jolly Rancher is back but the heat keeps growing. Ok you guys have redeemed chipotle for me since I got so sick of it from Bobby Flay. I used to run in the other direction. He killed blue corn for me for a while too. Do you know what this would go good with…fried cheese curds at Sugarburg. I can’t wait till they reopen. I also can’t wait till I can sit at a bar, sip a drink and play cribbage again and chew the fat with my friends. I know we’re getting there, and I’m counting the minutes.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out more heat!

Yeah, I know this is becoming a thing. I’m hooked on Wandering Barman and am slowly working my way through the list. Even though the bars and restaurants are opening back up more and more, I’m not going to lie…having these easy access perfect pours are a bright spot on special evenings. One of these days as it gets warmer, I’ll find my way over to their “proof of concept”, Yours Sincerely cocktail laboratory. Their happy hours look fab at $5. BTW am still wondering who designed these labels. If anyone knows, please let me know. Very inventive across the whole line. I really want to tag them because they really deserve credit, and this is not my last Wandering Barman.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @wanderingbarman @sugarburgbk @yourssincerelybk @cheezits #cheezit #wine #cocktails #daiquiri #cocktailsofinstagram #spirits #rum #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #MissCasanova #ridgewood #Brooklyn #newyork #wanderingbarman

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Glass of Happiness on a Rainy Day

Hana Makgeolli
Makgeolli
Takju 16
16% ABV
Unfiltered rice wine made with organic rice, naturally fermented, and filtered NY water
Brooklyn, NY
Makers: Alice Jun and John Limb

It’s a fresh hazy natural milky color ever so slightly beige and leaves sediment all over the glass. Hovering over it still looking and scents start appearing of melons, over ripe cucumber, light spring flowers and fresh cut grass. Also tangy fermentation and rice right out of the steamer. Taking my first nervous sip and it’s bright, more zingy than expected, and tiny bubbles. Mellow flavors start coming out of the tang and there’s cucumber, melon and fruity creamy rice goodness yet dry.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nope, Nope, NOPE

I had been looking at this in the fridge and was intimidated by it. I am not a milk drinker (except in hot chocolate) and that is exactly what it looked like, staring back at me every single time I opened the door. Was so excited when I first saw it because I had just picked up a can of Màkku (which will be opened later). Wow, what an idiot I was for hesitating. This is fun, delicious, and exactly what I needed on this rainy day, and from what I’m reading, it is often drunk after a hike in the mountains when it rains. Guess it was sheer luck for me today. Hana Makgeolli is the first craft makgeolli in the US and fortunately for me, is in Brooklyn. Alice learned from her dad’s home-brew experiments, and I hope your dad is proud of you because your creation is great! Really enjoying learning about this concoction’s wild starter nuruk which in a way makes me relate it to a sourdough starter. Maybe this is why I feel a little healthy after drinking a glass, or that could also be the tipsy talking. Such a long history in Korean culture dating back to 3rd century CE when families made their own and some still do, but as with many things now you can get it commercially made. Either way, I’m so glad I took the plunge with Takju 16, and I think this may make it’s way into a cocktail in my near future.

@vinewinenyc @hanamakgeolli @cheezits #wine #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #ricewine #cheezit #organic #natural #nuruk #Makgeolli #Takju #korean #craftbrew #artisnal #막걸리

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A Good Slow Burn

Wandering Barman
FOMO
Sling made with vodka
20% ABV
Ridgewood, NY
Mixmasters/founders: Julian Mohamed, Roxane Mollicchi, and Darren Grenia

This is one dark oro cocktail. So many scents! There’s turmeric, hot pepper, pineapple, sweetness like sugar cane (if you grew up in the south you know what I mean, and chewing it fresh), a little apples, maybe coriander. It’s an inviting tropical encounter. Shaking it around in the ice and then kicking a little back and there’s a turmeric/pineapple hot and sweet/sour mix. The hot pepper lingering in the back grows and grows and slow burns and then keeps firing back. Oh, here comes one more…a very light candied apple. This is just so deliciously fragrant, and I could totally use this recipe to soak chicken in before slow cooking. Yeah, this is going to be a repeat order for me.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: cough makes the heat explode cough cough…water please

This is my second from Wandering Barman, and I’m impressed. Like I said in my previous post, I had questioned cocktails in bottles. So used to sitting at the bar, and having them mixed by people I knew at my local, which I miss. Well, FOMO is a great stunt double at home, the only thing you’re missing out on is the conversation. I think it’s time to pull out the fancy glasses, Skype a few friends, and have a virtual happy hour. Cheers!

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @wanderingbarman @cheezits #cheezit #wine #cocktails #cocktailsofinstagram #spirits #bitters #vodka #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #fomo #ridgewood #Brooklyn #newyork #wanderingbarman