New Products in store now!!!

Troubadour Texas Vodka
Distilled in Orange, Texas

            When you want a true handcrafted adult beverage, look no further.  Our Vodka's tradition is in reflux column distillation. Its the control of batch distillation, using the proper stills and employing tradition that allows us to bring to you this excellent hand-crafted Vodka.

 

                                         JUST WHAT DOES HAND-CRAFTED MEAN?

           It means that there is a person involved in the process, making decisions and performing tasks to bring this vodka to you. The grains are measured and added by hand, as is the water. And speaking of the water, it is a proprietary blend of reverse osmosis treated water and a one time worlds best rated water from a watershed thats been protected since the 1800's. Its been served aboard Air Force one and in the White House for decades. The distillation is carried out under the watchful eye of the distiller, who is watching the temperature, making adjustments to contol the reflux and purification. The distiller will then rectify and blend the final product by hand, taking measurements, recording data, tasting, smelling and verifying the product. It is then moved to bottling where each bottle is filled, corked, sealed and labeled. The distiller of your very bottle then signs the back label by hand,  verifying to you that he personally blended the vodka you hold in your hand. Yes, this limits the volume we can produce, but with Troubadour, we wouldnt want it any other way. 

The Botonist Islay Gin

                "The Botanist", small-batch, artisanal Islay gin uses nine of the classic gin aromatics – orris root, cassia bark, coriander seed, etc – and augment these with a heady harvest of 22 wild, native island botanicals, hand-picked by an expert foraging team from the windswept hills, peat bogs and atlantic shores of this Hebridean island of Islay.
                This truly seasonal and exotic cocktail is then slow "simmer" distilled in a unique and cherished lomond pot-still, "ugly betty". Betty prefers to work at low-pressure and won’t be rushed. So our precious botanicals are slowly and gently coaxed into releasing their complex, signature aromatics.
                This was a unique project for head distiller, Jim McEwan. Jim says he had to "learn a new dance" with Betty, and none of us knew what to expect from that first, achingly-slow 17 hour distillation. The result: a highly distinctive, complex, floral gin with outstanding finish and impeccable provenance. In an age of re-badged industrial gins, the Botanist stands out as a truly artisanal, small-batch, hand-crafted labour of love and distiller's art. A breath of botanical Islay in every glass.



Happy Halloween!!!!!

 

 

Here's a Yummy cupcake recipe for this Holiday Season...

Red Velvet Spider Web Cupcakes

1. 2 1/2 cups cake flour
2. 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
3. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 1 cup buttermilk
6. 1 ounce liquid red food coloring (or 1 teaspoon gel coloring concentrate)
7. 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
8. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9. 1 1/2 cups sugar
10. 1 1/2 cups canola oil
11. 2 large eggs

Filling and Frosting

1. 1/4 cup small pearl tapioca, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained
2. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3. 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
4. 1/2 cup Marshmallow Fluff
5. 1 cup heavy cream
6. 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Spray the paper liners with vegetable spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring, vinegar and vanilla. In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the sugar with the oil and eggs at medium speed until combined. Beat in the buttermilk mixture until blended, then beat in the dry ingredients at low speed until smooth; scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
2. Pour the batter into the prepared cups, filling them two-thirds full. Bake in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for about 30 minutes, until the cupcakes are risen and a skewer inserted in the centers comes out clean; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pans, then turn them out onto a rack and let cool completely.
3. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the tapioca and boil, stirring, until softened but still slightly chewy, about 15 minutes. Drain the tapioca and cool it under running water; shake dry.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the butter with 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Add the Marshmallow Fluff and beat until smooth. Fold in the drained tapioca. In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup of confectioners' sugar with a few teaspoons of water to make a white glaze that is loose enough to pipe.
5. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let stand until melted, then whisk until smooth. Transfer the chocolate frosting to a shallow bowl.
6. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip with the tapioca filling. Poke the tip deep into the center of each cupcake and pipe in the tapioca filling; wipe off any filling that oozes out of the top. Dip the tops of the cupcakes in the chocolate frosting, then stand the cupcakes upright onto a baking sheet. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a fine tip with the white glaze. Pipe a fine spiral or concentric circles on the top of each cupcake, then drag the tip of a skewer or toothpick from the center outwards to form the spider web design. Let the frosting and glaze set before serving.

Make AheadThe cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

 

 

Salud!!!!

 

Jennifer Hawley

Wine Lead

Kemah Texas

Brains on fire (shot)



• .25 oz. Fireball Whisky
• .25 oz. michaels Irish cream
• 1 oz. peach schnapps
• 3-5 drops of grenadine
• Pour the peach schnapps into a shot glass, mix the Fireball & Irish Cream in a shaker with ice and slowly layer the mixture on top of the peach schnapps. Next, slowly pour grenadine on top of the mixture.

Glass Type: shot glass
Mood: daring
Activity: Trick or Treat!
Occasion: Halloween

Peirano Estates

The Immortal Zin

2011

The beginning of the year was somewhat dry as well as much cooler than most summers.   Because of this, we had exceptionally long hang time for the fruit, giving it the chance to develop layers of flavors. Combine that with the low yield of our 113-year-old Zinfandel vines, and you can see why we were so excited by the intensity of the fruit. Plus, with 75 acres of what is the largest single block of head trained, natural rooted Zinfandel in the country, we had the opportunity to truly hand select the “cream” of the crop,   

After hand-picking into half ton bins for the most delicate transporting of the fruit, the grapes were lightly crushed into the tank for fermentation. Fermented on the skins to dryness, it was then pressed and placed in French oak barrels, of which less than 20% were new wood. Aging in this way for 12 months, it was important to maintain and uplift all of the fruit components while using the oak to support each flavor to its fullest. After bottling, it was allowed further aging time to micro-mingle its flavors so each bottle is a full expression of the monarch of Lodi wines

 – ‘The Immortal’ Old Vine Zinfandel.

The deceptively subtle aromas of this wine combine red and black cherry, mineral, earthy rhubarb and red fruit, with slightly spicy characters. In the mouth, the palate is wrapped in a velvety layered mix of sweet red cherry, strawberry, cocoa and juicy red fruit followed by light toast and smooth, chiseled tannins, leading to a lengthy, almost breathless finish. This is a wine for great food, friends and conversation, or an intimate meal for two by a flickering fire. Whichever your pleasure, our “Immortal” Old Vine Zinfandel will make it memorable.

Awards Include:

Gold Medal               Tasters Guild International Wine Competition

Have you committed the "Immortal Zin" yet?

~ A Beautiful Wine for a Beautiful Cause ~

CAUSE

Fight Against Breast Cancer

Mothers. Sisters. Wives. Daughters. All women are vulnerable to breast cancer. No family is immune; no group is beyond its sinister reach. It is the third most common cause of cancer death in the U.S. after lung and colon cancer – and for women, the most common type of cancer diagnosis. Great strides have been made in the fight against breast cancer. Better drugs and diagnostic methods are helping women combat this disease today, but much work still needs to be done. More women are living with breast cancer, surviving and remaining cancer free than ever before, but still women in the U.S. have a 1 in 8 lifetime chance of developing breast cancer, and a 1 in 33 chance of breast cancer causing their death. These numbers are unacceptable and the truth of the matter is that we can and must do better. To that end, ONEHOPE donates 50% of profits generated from the sale of every bottle of our Chardonnay towards breast cancer research. In 2005, breast cancer caused 502,000 deaths worldwide.

 WINEMAKER ROB MONDAVI JR. - 

ONEHOPE 

California Chardonnay 

is hand-crafted with a blend of grapes from select vineyards throughout Napa, Sonoma and the Central Coast of California. It is blended with Muscat and Chenin Blanc displaying a pale gold color with aromas of fresh apple blossom and honeysuckle. Flavors of crisp pear and apple are vibrant on the palate, while its balanced oak and bright acidity makes this wine a great match with broiled or grilled seafood, poultry dishes and a wide assortment of cheeses. 

50% of profits from ONEHOPE California Chardonnay sales are donated to charities who support the fight against Breast Cancer.

Kalon Vineyard's ~ Mondavi's Vineyard studied by  NA

 ~ Be Part of The Solution ~

Zombie Drank

1. Ice
2. 1 1/2 ounces tropic isle palms gold rum
3. 1/2 ounce old monk dark rum
4. 1/2 ounce 151-proof rum
5. 3/4 ounce fresh pineapple juice
6. 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
7. 1/2 ounce Velvet Falernum
8. 1/2 ounce brown sugar simple syrup (brown sugar dissolved in equal part simmering water and cooled)
9. Mint sprig, for garnish

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the liquids and stir well. Strain into an ice-filled tiki mug. Garnish with the mint.



New Halloween Beer!!!!

Clown Shoes- Brown Angel

Hobgoblin

Angry Orchard-Crisp Cider

Enjoy the new beer

MORE HALLOWEEN FUN

The Black Devil Martini

Ingredients

• 2 oz. dark rum
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth

• Black olive



Try this crazy good buttery chardonnay

2010 "Ranch Collection"

Chardonnay

Lake County

History In 1861 Lake County was created from parts of Napa and Mendocino counties and has since been well known as a farming community.
In the 1870s vineyards were planted and by the early 1900s the area was already earning its reputation for producing "World’s greatest wines". Prohibition forced an end to the Lake County wine production in 1920; most of the vineyards were removed and replaced with walnut and pear orchards. The comeback of the wine industry began in the 1960s when a few growers rediscovered the area’s grape growing potential and once again began planting vineyards. Lake County now has more than 8,800 acres of planted vineyards, which is a significant increase from less than100 acres they had planted in 1965. This area has also seen the recent establishment of several American Viticultural areas such as

High Valley and Red Hills-Lake County. We are proud to say that Lake County contains many vineyards that support the California Wine Institute’s Code of Sustainable farming practices Winemaking Notes The grapes used to produce our 2010 Shannon Ridge Lake County Chardonnay were picked from several different blocks to help create an elegant multi-layered wine with great complexity. The wine was barrel fermented in American oak and a portion was put through malo-lactic fermentation to help create a creamy buttery richness and soft vanilla flavors. Tasting Notes Color: Clean, straw like Aroma: Pear, Green Apple, Tropical, Creamy Vanilla Flavor: Green Apple, Ripe Pear, Buttery Texture: Crisp, full richness, long smooth finish

Technical Data Alcohol:

13.8%

Total Acidity:

.57

pH:

3.70

Residual Sugar:

.50

Composition/Blend:

99% Chardonnay

Appellation:

Lake County

Barrels:

American oak

Time in Barrels:

6 months

Cases Produced:

12,500