Hounds in The Kitchen

Since this site is still up, I should probably redirect anyone who might visit here. ;)

We started another blog recently that encompasses our whole do-it-yourself/eat well lifestyle at http://HoundsInTheKitchen.com. Please visit and/or subscribe to the feed.

Ciao

Work is too crazy and we don't have time to keep up with this blog. We're still trying to drink local, but this will be the last blog post. Take it easy.

Haven't posted in a while and travelling to Florida

We haven't posted in a while because of illness and a busy schedule. On a brighter note, I will be in Florida all next week on business (West Palm Beach). Anyone got suggestions for a good local hooch? Post an idea or send it to alex@bayinghound.com.

What am I drinking right now? Bulleit Bourbon. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in a good qulity yet inexpensive bourbon.

Wines traveling by sail boat

The folks at 100 mile diet just posted a story about a new/old trend in Europe to ship wines by sail boat. This is how ancient wines were transported, of course. Some winemakers are reviving the trend to reduce their environmental impact (and shipping costs, presumably) by eliminating petroleum transportation fuel.

We say, "Fantastic!" Columbus Ohio isn't likely to be reached by sailboat any time soon, but wind farms are being built here to generate consumer energy.

Bourbon Country Kentucky

At the end of March, we will travel to Kentucky Bourbon Country. The bluegrass region of Kentucky is home to dozens of small bourbon producers. It also happens to be a scenic area perfect for biking.

We hope to visit three or four distilleries and stay in a bed and breakfast. Do any of you lovely readers have recommendations?

Kinkead Ridge 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

On the night before Valentine's Day we shared a bottle of Kinkead Ridge 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon ($18)with my mother. We were waiting for the right time to open it because Kinkead Ridge is one of the most "local" wines we have. It's made here in Ohio.

That's right, Ohio wine.

Our last experience with Ohio wine was on the drunkard's dream island of Put-in-Bay. The barely fermented grape juice was so sweet and tasteless that we compared it to Kool-Aid. We literally poured out the second half of the bottle because it was undrinkable.

So we approached the Kinkead Ridge 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon with some hesitation. We decanted the bottle and later poured three glasses. The nose was strong with cherry and berry scents. The body was full and well balanced. Color was deep red and clear.

Kinkead Ridge bills themselves as an ultra-premium Estate Bottled wine maker. Based on this initial tasting, we are eager to try more and visit their vineyard sometime soon.

Moral of the story: Drinking local can have surprising results!

A quote from "Collapse" by Jared Diamond

"...population and environmental problems created by non-sustainable resource use will ultimately get solved in one way or another: if not by pleasant means of our own choice, then by unpleasant and unchosen means..."

Abita Mardi Gras Bock

Yesterday we watched Tony Bourdain's No Reservations episode about New Orleans, two years after hurricane Katrina. We are Tony fans and agree that this is one of his best episodes. For an hour we were captured: remembering the pain of watching the city flood, the disappointment at government failure to assist, the remaining fear that something awful would happen again. Squat bottles Abita beer, a small brewery near New Orleans, were served in many of the places Tony visited.


Since watching No Reservations last night, I wanted an Abita. As it turns out, their winter seasonal is Mardi Gras Bock. It's a good strong version of the bock style. It's crisp, malty, and mildly hopped. Happy Mardi Gras!

What We're Drinking

Busy times here so no detailed post, but here's what we've been drinking the past few days:

Sam Adams Winter Lager - we look forward to this crisp rich brew every year

Full Sail Amber - the only interesting beer in a gas station on our way to Athens Sunday. Alex says "makes helluva boilermaker with a shot of Bulleit Bourbon"

Smoking Loon wine - it's cheap, drinkable, and has funny text on the synthetic cork. Decent weekday wine.

Summer Dreams

In a little over 5 months, it will be summer again. I'm not one to usually yearn for June, but today I was. Why? Could be spending the afternoon watching the Ohio State Women's hockey game at the ice rink... or because tonight the temperature is supposed to drop to nearly 0 deg. F... or the frozen Ohio summer strawberries I found in the freezer.

At any rate, when I went to make myself a drink tonight, I wanted to taste summer. So here it is: Summer Dreams

6 strawberries
1 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce orange flavored liquor
1/2 ounce blackberry syrup (homemade if possible)

Muddle strawberries in cocktail shaker. (Better alternative would be to juice and strain the berries.) Add liquors and syrup. Shake with ice, strain into cocktail glass.

Stout Comparison

Tonight we are comparing three stout beers: Rogue Chocolate Stout (Oregon), Bell's Special Double Cream Stout (Michigan), and Goose Island Oatmeal Stout (Illinois).

Why these three? They were the only stouts available tonight at the unusually understocked Pace Hi, our nearest fine beer carryout.

First Impressions (head, aroma, and color)
Rogue: Clean chocolate smell. Not much hop on the nose. Dark, near black color. Foamiest head.
Bell's: Slightly chocolate, dark malt nose. Dark brown, cloudy color. Foamy head that remains throughout the drink.

Goose Island: Malty, medium hopped nose. Black, clear color. Least head that quickly dissipated.

The Drink (taste and palate)
Rogue: Strong chocolate and heavy malt flavors with a heavy hop finish. Medium carbonation and light mouth feel. The chocolate was so strong that I asked "Does this have flavoring?" After digging the bottle out of the recycle, we found the ingredients list, including 'natural chocolate flavor'. Over the whole of the beer, the chocolate became overwhelming.

Bell's: Well balanced, mellowed malt and hop flavors. Low carbonation and smooth, easy drinking mouth feel. Like other Bell's beers we've tasted, this one is hard to complain about. Well balanced seems to be the name of their game.

Goose Island: Malty, low hop flavor. Low carbonation and rich creamy mouth feel. (Oatmeal provides this mouth feel every time.) Nice, non-challenging easy to drink stout.

Overall
We will not buy the Rogue Chocolate Stout again, instead dreaming of January 1, 2009 when we allow ourselves another purple and orange beauty: Young's Double Chocolate Stout (brewed in the UK).
We will choose the Goose Island when we are introducing someone to stout, or want something non-confrontational. It would pair wonderfully with a rich stew or meat dinner.
The Bell's was lovely. We will certainly buy the double cream stout when looking for a sweet smooth stout to pair with a dessert or for a special occasion.

Small Business Contest - please vote!

Intuit (makers of Turbo Tax and Quickbooks) is running a contest for small business owners. The winners will receive $50,000 in start up money and other prizes. Unfortunately we did not hear about it in time to enter.

However, a friend and mentor, Alissa DeRouchie, did enter and is in the final five! The winner is now up to voters. Here are five reasons I think you should vote for her:

1) Her business idea (a kid friendly cafe with healthy food) is innovative.
2) We have nothing like this in Columbus.
3) I know of at least 50 families that would support this business.
4) I need a healthy dining out option for my family.
5) Alissa has been successful running other businesses.

Please vote for Lissi (aderouch) at JumpUp Intuit. Vote today and once per day until January 31.

Need more information? Check out VoteCafeandPlay.com.

RIP Yellow

For her second birthday in September, our daughter was given an aquarium containing two danio fish, whom she quickly named Yellow and Red. This morning while I was cooking breakfast, she poured her milk in the tank. "It looks cloudy," she said. I took the fish out, but sadly Yellow did not survive. (He has not been looking healthy for the last week anyways.)

What does this have to do with alcohol?

Well, after Alex came home and we gave Yellow a proper flushing in the toilet, we honored his life with a drink. Here is the recipe for our creation: Yellow Danio, an adaptation of a Delilah.

1 ounce gin
1 ounce citrus ginger flavored vodka
1 ounce orange flavored brandy
1 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup

Shake with ice in cocktail shaker and pour into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with a lemon slice.

The Yellow Danio is pictured at left, in front of the clean tank and Red.

Let's Be Clear

We do NOT support alcohol abuse.

We do believe in drinking responsibly.

Alcohol may be good for your health in moderation. However, just one drink of alcohol can cause impairment. We like to drink locally and just walk home. We believe that drinkers should designate a sober driver when needing transportation to and from parties or bars. If you think you have a problem, please get help.

The Current Bar

One of our rules is that what is in our liquor cabinet at the beginning of the year is fair game for drinking, even if it is foreign. Here is everything we start with, with links provided for the unusual or highly recommended:

Tools:
The Little Black Book of Cocktails by Virginia Reynolds
Cocktail shaker
Selection of shot glasses
Plastic flask
Small pocket flask
SIGG stainless steel flask/bottle
Wooden muddler
Wooden reamer
Beer bottle opener (wall mount, hand held, and Homer Simpson voiced)
Wine bottle openers (lots because we can't take them through airport security and are constantly buying them on trips away from home...but our opinion of the TSA is another topic...)

Liquor:
White Rum (foreign generic)
Bombay Gin (England)
Bulleit Bourbon (Kentucky USA)
Sauza Tequila (Mexico)
Vermouth (France)
Tuaca Liquor (Italy)
McClelland's Single Malt Scotch (Scotland)
Paul Masson Brandy (Kentucky USA, home flavored with orange peel to resemble Grand Mariner)
Laphroaig Single Malt Scotch (Scotland)
Blue Curacao (Ohio USA)
Skyy Vodka (California USA)
Feist Madeira (Portugal)
Rain Vodka (Illinois USA, home flavored with ginger, orange and lemon)
Angostura Bitters (Trinidad)
Pinnacle Vodka (France)
G.E. Massenez Framboise Sauvage Wild Raspberry Brandy (France)
Kahlua (Mexico)

Wine:
Hoshi Sake (California)
Ozeki Sake (California)
Gnarly Head 2006 Old Vine Zin (California)
Razor's Edge 2005 Shiraz (Australia)
Merum 2005 Monastrell (Spain)
Mo's Strawberry Wine (home brewed by a friend of foreign and domestic fruits)
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (New Zeland) Mixed at Camelot cellars by Alex's parents
Sula Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (India)

Beer:
Lindeman's Rasberry Frambroise (Belgium)
Chimay Cinq Cents (France)
La Fin Du Monde (Canada)
Michelob Ultra Amber (USA) my mama's favorite

Mixers:
Homemade Grenadine (California?? Pomegranates)
Homemade Sours Mix (Florida sugar and lemons)
Creme De Menthe (USA)
Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice (Florida)

Wow...that's a lot of alcohol!

First Toast of 2008

With what did we toast the New Year? Saketinis.

Of course Sake is Japanese in origin, but there are several quite nice American sakes available. Most of them come from California. The recipe:

1 ounce vodka (Skyy)
1 ounce sake (Ozeki)
1/4 ounce vermouth (optional depending on your taste)

Shake with cracked ice and strain into chilled cocktail glasses. The taste is very mild and nicely refreshing.

Last Foreign Drinks

We are having some of our last foreign drinks until 2009. Last night we had friends visit from Cincinnati, so we went for something special. First was a very nice Brut Champagne from France followed by an Italian Prosecco (sparkling wine) and finished by Lindeman's Cassis Lambic from Belgium. I also picked up a 4-pack of La Fin Du Monde by Unibroue of Quebec, Canada. I'll miss all these drinks in the coming year, but there are some nice American equivalents.

Champagne and Italian sparkling wine - Several excellent sparkling wines are available from the wonderful vineyards in California. Korbel is common, but actually quite good in their Extra Dry variety. It is also not too expensive for those worried about cost.

Belgian Fruit Lambics - Lambic is tricky, and I have had no great success trying to create it in my homebrewing practices. Domestic Lambics are available, but they tend to be fairly different from their European counterparts. A good alternative are any of the fruit wheat beers produced by American breweries. They tend to be less sour, but are fruity and refreshing like a Belgian Lambic.

La Fin Du Monde (End fo the World) - This is a Belgian-style Trippel brewed in Canada. Several US breweries make Belgian Trippels. My two favorites are Ommegang and Allagash. Ommegang is located in Cooperstown, NY, and Allagash comes from Portland, ME. Both breweries distribute their beers widely and maintain excellent quality in their entire product line.

A New Rule

We were talking about alcohol ingredients last night. Should we find the source of all ingredients in every beverage?

In a bottle of beer, even one made in Ohio, there could be hops from England or spices from the Carribean. Manufacturers don't often publish the source of their ingredients. Unfortunately some might not even know this information.

The principle of All American Alcohol is to reduce transportation impact and highlight local breweries and distilleries. Therefore, as much as possible, we will not drink alcohol with known foreign ingredients. This means no Fuggles hops (usually imported from England) and only domestic juniper berries for homemade gin.

Here's to the challenge!

Scotch

I like scotch. Scotch, scotch, scotch. Down it goes. Down into my belly.

No more scotch in 2008.

The Beginning

On our way home from a Xmas lunch today, Alex and I were discussing the globalization of trade, especially food trade. We already make efforts to eat locally by participating in a Columbus area Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and shopping our local co-op grocery store. We buy durable goods from ethical businesses and limit our purchases to things we 'need' as much as we can. What's left to do to limit our resource footprint?

I just read the book Plenty, an account of two writers who challenge themselves to eat only food grown and produced within 100 miles of their home. I know we can't do that because it would require too much time and the few healthy foods our toddler will eat (bananas and cranberries) come from far far away.

"What if we pledge to only drink US made alcohol in 2008?" I suggested. We each have a drink or two most every day, so this change wouldn't be insignificant. We started talking varietals: "We would have California, New York, and Ohio wines." "Does anyone make gin in the US?" "Can we make our own gin?" "There's always PBR." Finally, Alex said, "I like this idea."

We talked about a few 'rules' for the challenge:
1) What's in our liquor cabinet on January 1 can be used anytime throughout the year, domestic or not.
2) If traveling (Alex travels in foreign countries frequently) drink products produced in the host country.
3) Do without alcohol if we are in a situation without a domestic option.

We have a few days of 2007 left. I'll surely drink a few margaritas - we can't think of a US tequila substitute yet. When the year turns we'll start updating this blog with our domestic finds, recipes, and adventures.