Tom and Melody’s wine blog

It is Sunday evening and we have worked in the yard today. It is a beautiful sunny spring Michigan day. We decided to celebrate with a margarita tonight. Taking a tip from writer Eric Felten, who writes “How’s Your Drink” in the Saturday/Sunday issue of the Wall Street Journal, I made a  couple of genuine maragaritas.  As Eric says, “Saccharrine glop extruded from machines is not the real deal. Nor is anything that comes pre-mixed in a bottle. And sorry, a can of frozen limeade, blended with ice and tequila doesn’t count either.”

Using his recipe, I put the following in a martini shaker with ice: 4 oz. blanco tequila, 2 oz. Cointreau, 1 1/2 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice. I mixed it well and poured it into two icy-cold martini glasses that had been rimmed in fresh lime and coarse salt.

What a refreshing and delicious cocktail! Cheers!

It is Friday night and we have had yet another demanding week. I had the pleasure of working at home today on a project that demanded my focused attention (thus, my decision to do so at home rather than in my office where I would encounter interruptions). I also ran 9.8 miles this morning and it was 1 degree (F) when I left the house and 8 degrees when I returned. So, tonight we are celebrating the end of the work week. I have made a pot of vegetable soup and a loaf of whole wheat bread. The bread is in the oven and the soup is simmering. Oh, I love our Friday nights!

Tonight, I thought I would tell you how I make the perfect Martini. (We generally have a Martini and then wine but tonight [I don't know what got into me] but I made us a second “short” Martini.)

o First, I put our lovely long-stemmed martini glasses in the freezer at least 30 minutes before I prepare the cocktail. Meanwhile, I take queen-sized olives and spear three each on a toothpick and set them aside. (Remember, the glasses are in the freezer chilling during all of this.)

o Then I put a shaker full of ice in my martini shaker. Into the shaker, I add three shots of gin. I use one of four brands: 1) Tangueray, 2) Bombay, 3) Plymouth, or 4) Quintessential. (I am always eager to try new premium gins with an open mind.)

o I then add 1 1/2 shots of Martini & Rossi vermouth. (I have also used Noilly Prat vermouth, which is excellent.)

o Then I add three teaspoons of olive juice from the olive jar.

o I shake it vigorously.

Only then do I take the glasses out of the freezer and put the olives (on the toothpick) in the glass and pour my well-shaken Martini into the glasses. When I serve the Martinis, the glasses are frosted and ice cold. Mmmmmm, delicious! Cheers!

We will have Les Pins Domaine Carpy Fitou 2005, a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignon, and Mourvedre tonight with steak and rice. This delicious red is brawny yet delectable. It is full bodied with a fruity nose, firm and grippy tannins, and a bodacious finish.

Prior to opening this bottle, we started our cocktail hour with a martini. Yesterday I stopped at a wine and liquor store in Ann Arbor and decided to get some new gin and vermouth — something different than our normal brand. So, our martini tonight was made with Quintessential London Dry Gin and Noilly Prat French Dry Vermouth. It was a lovely martini. I would describe it as delicate but herbal. The gin has a pure and clean taste; the vermouth is infused with herbs. The two combined produced an equisite martini.

It’s 7:30 p.m. and 80 degrees; so we’re having a refreshing gin & tonic tonight. It hits the spot. A jigger of gin, a big splash of fizzy tonic and a generous squeeze of fresh lime. Perfect for a hot summer evening!