Beaujolais Nouveau party

The St. Petersburg Woman’s Club at 40 Snell Isle in St. Petersburg is throwing a Beaujolais Nouveau celebration tomorrow (Fri.) from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Dali Museum and the Opera Tampa. Emmanuel Roux is preparing the food, and the Beaujolais Nouveau will be served in a commemorative glass. There will be singing by Opera Tampa, and try your luck at winning prizes from Neiman Marcus, Sephora Cosmetics, Villa Rosa Linens, A Touch of Bliss Spa Package, Apple Tree Medical Wellness Center, a night at the Marriott, a night at the Vinoy, restaurant certificates, tickets to Opera Tampa as well as to the Dali Musem, French classes by the Alliance Francaise and more.

Vegans shouldn't drink wine

My dad is a home winemaker, with rows of his own vines in his NorCal backyard, but also with an annual trip to Paso Robles or Napa for a bunch of lug boxes of grapes. He has a stemmer/crusher in the garage, wine barrels and a bunch of big 5-gallon glass carboys, then all of his mad scientist brew gets to percolating in his cellar. Some years it's drinkable, others years, eh. But having helped out with the process occasionally, I can say that vegetarians should stick with bubbly water. Siphoning the grape juice from one container into the next, you have to dip a hose past a raft of squished yellowjackets and other bugs, then suck to start the flow, sticking the other end of the hose into the new container. Even in a good year, there's nothing animal-protein-free about this wine. Which is why this article about vegan wines had some interesting points. First, wines are often "fined" with things like egg white. Not so vegan. And then there are the bugs. Turns out, a couple of Oregon wineries now have "bug suckers" to remove all the critters, which are then turned loose to fight another day.

Local author launches cocktail book with a party

Join Paul Abercrombie in celebrating the publication of Organic, Shaken and Stirred, his new book about organic cocktails (and you'll get to sample some). Thursday, October 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Restaurant BT (in Tampa's Old Hyde Park Village), 1633 West Snow Ave., Tampa. For advance reservations ($30 includes a copy of the book, two cocktails and appetizers), call Inkwood Books at (813) 253-2638 or Restaurant BT at (813) 258-1916. Or drop by Restaurant BT the night of the party.

B-21 Burgundy tasting Sunday

The wonderful B-21 wine and spirits shop in Tarpon Springs is hosting a Burgundy and pinot noir grand tasting on Sunday. Beaune-based Burgundy negociant Jeanne-Marie de Champs will be on hand sharing her knowledge of the Burgundy region. The tasting is 2 to 5 p.m. and is $25 per person in advance. There will be nearly 100 pinot noirs and chardonnays from all over the world (lots from Burgundy) as well as some light hors d'oeuvres. 43380 US Highway 19 N, Tarpon Springs, (727) 937-5049.

Wish I could make it, but I have a hot date skeet shooting. Gonna cook up a whole mess of skeet for dinner Sunday night.

 

Free back-to-school wine tasting August 15th

West Palm Wines hosts a "back to school" (hmm, does that mean we drink more when the kids are in school, versus summer vacation? seems counterintuitive) wine tasting Sat. from 4 to 6 p.m. With more than 20 wines to taste of the shop's new reds and whites (some as low as $5 per bottle), there will also be special case deals and free snacks from Beaune’s Wine Bar. There are 50 spots available, call to reserve a spot, (813) 241-8587, 2009 N. 22nd St., Ybor City.

Island Way Grill makes it big with Wine Spectator

Bill Norris, the general manager and wine director at the Island Way Grill in Clearwater Beach, just let me know this great news: The restaurant's wine list has been awarded the "Two-Glass" Best of Award of Excellence for 2009 by Wine Spectator. They have been working toward this goal for several years, and the efforts have finally paid off. Here's a link to their wine list.

Congratulations to Norris and staff--it's a tremendous achievement. Makes me kind of thirsty.... 

Carrabba’s Italian Grill “Mix it up for MDA” Event

Carrabba's is doing a benefit for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on Thursday from 5 p.m. to close. For $15 per person, guests get a sampling of four food items from the new Mr. C’s Bar Menu and, for guests 21 years and older, one of three signature cocktails (Blackberry Lemonade, the Italian Lemon Drop or Blackberry Fields Martini) or another drink on the Mr. C’s list. In addition to monies raised from event admission, Carrabba’s also will donate $1 to MDA for each of the three signature drinks sold from July 30 to  August 6.

If you can't make the event, try making one of the cocktails at home.
 

That Dean Hurst SideBern's cocktail

Had one last night. Totally rocked. Funny how gin gives a little backbone to something that basically reads like a blueberryish Cosmo girly-drink. Really refreshing, kinda punchy with booze, a little lavender fragrance and an icy pale purple color. Three blueberries bobbing in all that deliciousness.

SideBern's seemed to be doing a decent business last night. Maybe a little busier at the bar than with full meals in the dining room, but still good to see. And I thought chef Chad Johnson's food was better than the last time I was there under Jeannie. More on that anon.

And I'm doing something tonight that promises to be so super-fun it's hard to concentrate. Very hush-hush, very cloak and dagger--stay tuned.

Dean Hurst of SideBern's, Tampa's most inspired bartender

Bombay Sapphire has just announced the winner of the"Most Inspired Tampa Bartender Contest" as part of an ongoing contest to find the country's most creative mixologist. Master Mixologist, Milo Rodriguez, was in Tampa to judge the local bartenders most exciting, creative libations using Bombay Sapphire.

The winner, Dean Hurst of SideBern's (2208 Morrison Ave., Tampa), will be flown to Las Vegas at the end of August to compete against the other 39 finalists for a chance to be the 2009 Most Inspired Bartender, before landing fame and fortune through a multi-page profile in GQ Magazine.

Here's his winning cocktail:

Upsy Daisy

1¾ oz Bombay Sapphire Gin

1oz. Summer Simple Syrup (see recipe)

¾oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

1. Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake to combine.

2. Strain into a martini glass.

3. Garnish with 3 fresh blueberries on a skewer.

Summer Simple Syrup:

8 oz. White Sugar

7 oz. Bottled Water

1 Pint (130gr) Blueberries, muddled

2 each (6gr) Cinnamon Stick

1 gram Lavender Flowers

1. Combine sugar and water in sealed container and shake until sugar is dissolved.

2. Add remaining ingredients and refrigerate for 24 hours, shaking several times.

3. Strain through cheesecloth, making sure to get every last drop of juice.

4. Strain a second time to clarify.

Florida's newest winery takes gold

The Florida Winery at John’s Pass, walked away 7 for 7 at the Indy International wine competition this past weekend. The Indy competition held yearly in Indianapolis is one of the largest wine competitions in
the country, with over 3,000 entries from around the world.

They took home a gold medal with one of their newest wines, GRAWI, a wine made 100 percent from Florida pink grapefruit. They also won silver medals for their reserve merlot, ORWI Orange wine, and KIME PIGRI, a blend of kiwi, melon and pinot grigio; and bronze medals for their Strari, a blend of strawberry and riesling, CISA, a blend of key lime and sauvignon blanc, and PIRATE MEAD, a Orange Blossom Honey wine.

The Florida Winery has locations in John’s Pass, as well as The St. Petersburg Pier. For more information, visit here.